Shadows of Humanity RPG Mechanics

In the Shadows of Humanity RPG and setting, we will be using a Tarot card based mechanic for determining Action Resolution. The goal with using Tarot cards is to help give the setting and the mechanics more of a supernatural feeling. With some cards having special abilities beyond their simple base values, and of course the Major Arcana will be used in a special way, that is is explained below.
With the Tarot randomization mechanic, the Tarot deck needs to be split into the two separate Minor Arcana and Major Arcana decks. The Minor Arcana deck will be used for most randomization, while the Major Arcana will be used in other ways as explained later. Whenever the Tarot cards are used the “face” cards are valued at 11 for a Page, 12 for a Knight, 13 for a Queen and 14 for a King; with some or all of these face cards sometimes having additional benefits.

Action Points (AP's) vs. Initiative

Other RPG’s use a system called Initiative to determine who goes first in each round, with each round usually indicating a single action or in some cases two actions within a specific period of time. However, within the Shadows of Humanity game we use a Round as a longer period of time that is not of a fixed length, but is intended to represent roughly 15 seconds or so (four per minute). Each character will have a number of Action Points (also referred to within the rules as AP’s) equal to five plus half their Quickness attribute (rounded up). So a faster person has a higher Quickness Attribute value and can perform more actions than a slower person with a lower Quickness attribute value within each Round. The normal maximum is 13 AP’s (5 + Qu/2) for an extremely quick character while the normal minimum is 6 AP’s for an extremely slow character. Using this system, each Round will typically have multiple actions performed by each participant. While those with a higher Quickness attribute value typically (but not always, as will be seen below) going first. As each action takes a number of AP’s or (Action Points) as specified elsewhere within these guidelines. However, those with a higher Quickness attribute may be allowed to perform additional actions towards the end of each round when slower characters are either still performing their actions or have finished all of their intended actions.
The way actions are resolved depends on if it is an all or nothing action, an opposed action, a countered action or is a combat action. All types of actions use the same basic mechanic, but with minor modifications for Opposed Actions and Counter Actions as well as more extensive modifications and additions for Combat is detailed last due to the added details. Although any of the other three types of actions can occur during a combat round, they just don't have the added complexity of actual combat resolution.
Assistance can be provided by a second or even a third character (subject to GM approval, from a logistics standpoint). With one-half the second characters’ skill being added to the value of the attempt by the primary character and one-quarter of the third characters’ skill value being added if allowed by the GM.
At the start of the game, I will be handling all card draws on my end as the GM. But my hope in the very near future is to (if World Anvil's functionality allows for it) create an automated system that will allow for both Minor and Major Arcana draws to be done via the built in dice-rolling type of mechanisms. So that the results are a surprise to everyone when they come up. But due to how combat works, it will need to be done such that in combat, only the GM and the particular player will see their own card draws, due to how players will "play cards from their hand" as a way to modify their strategy as the combat progresses through any particular round of combat. But that is functionality for the future.

All or Nothing Actions

All or nothing actions are resolved by the player drawing either a single card or three cards (must be decided before any the process is started) from the Minor Arcana deck. If three cards are drawn, then the middle value of the three cards is used, otherwise the value of the single card drawn is used. Using a three card-draw system tends to result in the value being closer to the median of the range than using a single card-draw. But at the same time, with a three card-draw you are slightly less likely to get really high values or really low values with cause more interesting effects to occur.
If a single card was used and it is a King, then an additional card is drawn and its value added. Likewise, if three cards were drawn and all three cards are face cards (they can be any face cards), then an additional card is drawn and added to the result. Statistically, this results in a very similar chance to a King being drawn as a single card. It is a slightly lower probability, but at the same time, the chance of a more “average” result on the three-card draw (due to the bell-curve or normal probability of a three card draw is much higher than that of a single card draw. If the card drawn on a single card draw or the middle value card for a three card draw is a Queen, then the character can also draw a card from the Major Arcana deck, which can be used from a story perspective by the player or the GM to add some twist or benefit to the character at some point within the session. The GM may allow for up to one Major Arcana to be carried over into the next session, but it is up to the GM to decide if they are willing to do this.
However, if a one or ace value card is drawn on either a single card-draw or as the middle value card (meaning that two cards with a value of 1 or “ace” have been drawn), then this indicates a possible fumble. Note that if the complexity and/or risk of the action is difficult or worse, then a fumble may occur on a card draw of higher than a 1 (see table below). If this occurs when performing a skill check, the skill check automatically fails and the GM draws a Major Arcana card, which is then used as a guide as to what the failing results of the attempt are and what went wrong. If this occurs in combat, then an additional Minor Arcana card is immediately drawn and compared to the Fumble value for the attack/weapon being used and if it is equal to or less than this value, a fumble occurs.
Characters can choose to use the meaning of a Major Arcana card at any time to influence the environment or story as Fate or Destiny intervening on their behalf. Such fate influences can be based off of the standard or inverted (players choice) meaning of the Major Arcana that they have gained above. At the end of the Action Resolution section is a listing of the recognized meaning of the Major Arcana cards. The player should also feel free to interpret the image on the card to fit the current situation. Any such modifications are pending GM’s approval.
To the randomized value of the card draw is added the character’s skill value and for that action and the most appropriate Attribute value for that action.
Success depends on the difficulty of the action being performed, using the following as a guideline:

Complexity or Risk	Critical Failure	Failure	Success	Critical Success
Mundane	draw value of 1	<15	15+	30+
Simple	draw value of 1	<20	20+	35+
Normal	draw value of 1	<25	25+	40+
Difficult	draw value of 1-2	<30	30+	45+
Hard	draw value of 1-2	<35	35+	50+
Very Hard	draw value of 1-3	<40	40+	60+
Extremely Hard	draw value of 1-3	<45	45+	65+
Absurd	draw value of 1-4	<50	50+	70+

Opposed Actions

Opposed actions are types of actions in which two people are directly competing against one another. These can include such things as playing games, two or more people trying to argue a point to convince additional parties to make a choice, one person trying to sneak into a camp while another is on watch, wrestling, etc.
They are determined by those who are competing in the Opposed Action, each drawing a single card from the Minor Arcana deck and adding their appropriate skill and attribute for the task or action and then comparing the results, with the higher result being successful. If this results in a tie, then both sides draw an additional card, continuing to do so until one side succeeds. In some cases, especially where it is something that can be time-consuming this can be a multi-draw action. In a multi-draw action it takes time to accomplish the task (usually substantially more than a "Round" or even a Minute), such as a game of Chess. Then multiple separate draws are made, with each draw indicating who is in the lead for that portion of time. Usually it will be up to the GM to decide how long the event will continue (how many draws are made and keeping track of either the number of "draws" won by each player or the total points accumulated over the course of the multiple draws). Or the GM can decide that to win, one opponent has to out-score the other by a certain amount and until that difference is reached by one player or the other (it is best of the GM does not let either party know what this difference value is, to keep both parties on edge and engaged), at which point the GM will declare a winner of the event/action.
Counter Actions are when one person is trying to counter an action being performed by someone else without direct contact. This can include yelling insults as a way to distract or frustrate someone trying to concentrate on a task, and can also be used in combat as an Active Dodge.
Whenever someone wants to use a Counter Action, the player simply lets the GM know that they want to “counter” or “distract”. Performing such a “counter action” in a combat round results in a delay of one Action Point (or more, if the GM deems it appropriate for the action being taken) from the character’s other actions that combat round. To determine success, they would then draw a single card from the Minor Arcana deck. If their draw is of the appropriate suit and the result is higher than the draw of their opponent, then the value of the card drawn as the counter action minus the value of the card draw for the action being performed by the target of the counter action is subtracted from the value of the target’s total draw value. The appropriateness of the suit is based off of the focus of each suit, with a focus that is opposed to or is justifiable in countering what is being attempted by the target possibly allowing for the distraction or counter effect to occur; with the decision of the GM being final.
Note that during normal game/story progress, that Rounds are not used. They are only used when there is dangerous opposed actions such as Combat going on. So normally action resolution is handled by either single card draws or middle of three card draws as explained in the first paragraph of the All or Nothing Actions section above. However, we use a slightly modified version for combat to increase the use of strategy instead of simply randomly generating numbers using card draws, as explained next.

Combat Actions

In Shadows of Humanity, combat is handled by the GM shuffling the Minor Arcana and dealing out a number of cards to each player based on that player’s appropriate combat Attributes for their stated focus of actions for that round. As shown here:
Physical (physical attacks, movement, physical skills, etc): Body + 1/2xPhysical
Mental (mental activities or mental based magical effects): Mind + 1/2xMental
Spiritual (spiritual activities or spiritual based magical effects): Spirit + 1/2xEmotional
Each player has the option to have their character forego their first AP of action and instead discard and be re-dealt up to three cards, indicating a “delay in action to evaluate the situation and environment”.
Each player is able to play cards as per the guidelines for each actual “action” they perform as they are spending their AP’s. Some actions can utilize additional AP’s (Action Points) to add additional cards to their “Action”. Likewise, it is also possible to use extra cards without any extra AP cost to indicate extra “effort” being put into the action, however when doing this only non-face-cards can be used for any of the cards used for that Action. These extra AP’s and cards, indicate taking extra time or putting in extra effort. Note, however that whenever a character’s actions are outside of their players stated “focus” for that round, they suffer a -3 to each action that they attempt and use with an attribute outside of that category. Details for this will be made available in the near future.
Each character/protagonist and/or NPC/Antagonist uses these cards as attacks within a combat round.
Each character/protagonist and/or NPC/Antagonist will also have a Defensive value based on either their Quickness attribute which indicates simply avoiding or dodging an attack using a very slight movement to minimize the effect of the attack as an Instinctual effect. If a player wishes, their character can also actively dodge or parry an attack by spending an AP (Action Point) resulting in the use of one card (for each AP they are willing to spend or forfeit, up to a maximum of the AP’s spent by the attacker to make the attack) from their hand to add to their Defensive value, with Pentacle/Coins suited card values being doubled. Any armor or other protective equipment can further modify this Defensive value.
If the attack is not physical, then one of the following Attributes may replace Quickness as the Defensive addition: Intuition attribute value against Spiritual magic, Discipline attribute against Mana based magic. If this defense card is a face card, then it will allow for the countering of (prevention of) one level of critical if the attack would have resulted in such. Also, partial cover will provide a +5, +10, +15 or +20 to the Defense result, depending on the extent of the coverage provided against ranged weapons, with Movement also providing a similar Defensive bonus (although only cover or movement, not both). Note that ranged attacks with the use of Accuracy skill will allowing for the offset of Movement or Cover bonuses to defense.
Damage is determined by the attacker’s attack value, which is determined by an attack card played from the attacker’s hand (players choice) minus their opponents Defense value plus the attacker’s attack skill value. If this is positive, then apply the following guidelines for damage dealt:

• If the suit of the attack is not the associated suit (Staves/Wands for Mana based magic, Cups/Chalice for Spiritual based magic or attacks and Swords for Physical attacks) then if the attack is positive it does one point of damage plus the damage modifier for the weapon or attack that was used, indicating a lesser but still connecting attack.
• If the suit of the attack card played is the suit associated with that type of attack (Staves/Wands for Mana based magic, Cups/Chalice for Spiritual based magic or attacks and Swords for Physical attacks) then the full (positive, after the defensive adjustment) value is applied with a damage modifier for the weapon or attack being used.
• These damage values may be reduced or modified by armor or other protective equipment, items, special abilities or resistances.
• It can also be further increased by an additional card drawn from the deck (not from the attacker’s hand) if the attack card played was a face card and the defense card was not a face card. With the value of this drawn card also being added to the result as a minor critical. However, if this second drawn card is also face card, then an additional card can be drawn indicating a Major Critical damage of a type based on the suit and value of this additional drawn card. This face card additional draw can happen an indefinite number of times (each time a face card is drawn, draw another card), possibly resulting in a catastrophic critical result if multiple additional face cards are drawn from the deck sequentially. See the Critical Result table below for details of the effects of this Major Critical.
• The Damage modifiers for the attack or weapon type are detailed in the Attack/Weapon table that follows (along with the Fumble value for each attack). The damage modifiers are as follows:
  D1 => Draw one card and use its value as the added damage
  D2 => Draw two cards and add both values as the added damage
  L2 => Draw two cards and use the lower value as the added damage
  H2 => Draw two cards and use the higher value as the added damage
  L3 => Draw three cards and add the lower and middle values as the added damage
  H3 => Draw three cards and add the middle and higher values as the added damage
  M3 => Draw three cards and use the middle of the three values as the added damage
• Note, that unlike melee and bow/thrown weapons, firearms and similar “modern” weaponry powered by chemical means tends to do more physical/”Health” damage, however all such weapons (rifles, shotguns, handguns, explosives, etc.) only inflict 20% “Life” damage (divide damage to “Life” score by five, in other words card values 1-5 yield 1 Life damage, card values 6-10 yield 2 Life damage and face cards yield only 3 Life damage from guns and similar “modern” weapons). Thus, it is easier to put someone down (for them to go unconscious or become physically “incapacitated”) using such “modern” weapons, however they do not deteriorate the enemy’s life force as quickly as hand/muscle powered weapons.
• Some types of beings are vulnerable to a particular type of attack/material/damage, known as a Vulnerability. Whatever this might be, any attacks of this type cause double damage to their Health, Life and Æssence values. Likewise, some beings will have Resistances, or types of damage or attacks that only cause half damage to their Health, Life and Æssence. Some beings may also have Immunities, or types of damage or attacks that they are immune to (no damage taken). Note that any such Vulnerabilities, Resistances and/or Immunities are to a specific material or elemental type. They may be either very specific (or maybe more than one specific material or elemental type) or may be more general as in a broad type (resulting in more danger or protection for them). Such capabilities are usually based on the type of Eldritch race that they belong to and are thus balanced with other Eldritch races in some way.

Criticals As explained above, if the additional damage card drawn is a face card, then a second additional damage card is drawn indicating a Minor Critical, with its value added to the damage (regardless of the suit for this additional card). However, if this second extra damage card is also a face card, then a third (or more, as each face card drawn in this sequence results in an additional card drawn from the Minor Arcana deck) card is drawn. This third card and any additional cards do more than just add additional damage; they also add effects indicating a Major Critical, as indicated by the following Major Critical Table for any cards that are drawn for the suit indicating the type of critical that the weapon or attack being used is specified as doing. If this major critical is of the wrong suit for the type of critical that they weapon or attack normally does, then the value of the card is added to the damage instead (thus still increasing the damage suffered in the attack).
I will not be posting the "Critical Tables" that I will be using, so that the critical results will be more of a surprise to the players and provide some excitement at the results when they happen.

Major Arcana Meanings:

Fool: Upright: Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit; Reversed: Naivety, foolishness, recklessness, risk-taking
Magician: Upright: Power, skill, concentration, action, resourcefulness; Reversed: Manipulation, poor planning, latent talents
High Priestess: Upright: Intuition, Higher powers, mystery, subconscious mind; Reversed: Hidden agendas, need to listen to inner voice
Empress: Upright: Fertility, femininity, beauty, nature, abundance; Reversed: Creative block, dependence on others
Emperor: Upright: Authority, father-figure, structure, solid foundation; Reversed: Domination, excessive control, rigidity, inflexibility
Hierophant: Upright: Religion, group identification, conformity, tradition, beliefs; Reversed: Restriction, challenging the status quo
Lovers: Upright: Love, union, relationships, values alignment, choices; Reversed: Disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values
Chariot: Upright: Control, will power, victory, assertion, determination; Reversed: Lack of control and direction, aggression
Strength: Upright: Strength, courage, patience, control, compassion; Reversed: Weakness, self-doubt, lack of self-discipline
Hermit: Upright: Soul-searching, introspection, being alone, inner guidance; Reversed: Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal
Wheel of Fortune: Upright: Good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, a turning point; Reversed: Bad luck, negative external forces, out of control
Justice: Upright: Justice, fairness, truth, cause and effect, law; Reversed: Unfairness, lack of accountability, dishonesty
Hanged Man: Upright: Suspension, restriction, letting go, sacrifice; Reversed: Martyrdom, indecision, delay
Death: Upright: Endings, beginnings, change, transformation, transition; Reversed: Resistance to change, unable to move on
Temperance: Upright: Balance, moderation, patience, purpose, meaning; Reversed: Imbalance, excess, lack of long-term vision
Devil: Upright: Bondage, addiction, sexuality, materialism; Reversed: Detachment, breaking free, power reclaimed
Tower: Upright: Bondage, addiction, sexuality, materialism; Reversed: Detachment, breaking free, power reclaimed
Star: Upright: Hope, spirituality, renewal, inspiration, serenity; Reversed: Lack of faith, despair, discouragement
Moon: Upright: Illusion, fear, anxiety, insecurity, subconscious; Reversed: Release of fear, unhappiness, confusion
Sun: Upright: Fun, warmth, success, positivity, vitality; Reversed: Temporary depression, lack of success
Judgement: Upright: Judgement, rebirth, inner calling, absolution; Reversed: Self-doubt, refusal of self-examination
World: Upright: Completion, integration, accomplishment, travel; Reversed: Lack of completion, lack of closure

Minor Arcana Suit Indicators and Influences:

Cups/Chalice: Water, Emotion, Intuition, Creativity, Empathy, West, Red, Heart-- Social activities, Dodge, bleeding wounds
Coins/Pentacles: Earth, Health, Wealth, Physical, East, Green, Home-- Trade/Artisan activities, Resistance (poisons, disease, etc.), skeletal/musculature wounds
Swords: Air, Thought, Challenge, Observation, North, Blue, Mind-- Melee/Missile Combat, stunning wounds
Staves/Wands: Fire, Creativity, Action, Motivation, Passion, South, Yellow, Spirit-- general Spell Casting/Magic, Parry, internal organ/tissue wounds