The basic rules of play are simple. One Player takes the roll of the Game Master ("GM"), who acts as part referee, part storyteller. All other players, usually between 3-5 people, take the roll of Player Characters ("PC" or "Character"). The GM will describe an environment your character is in, adversaries they are up against, or situations your character finds themselves in, and you tell the GM what your character wishes to do. The GM will then describe what happens or may leave the outcome to a dice roll.
The worlds that ITD&TD present should be very dangerous, and it is highly recommended that when you create your Character, you create a character who is willing to adventure, and willing to be part of a group of allies, often called a "Party". Characters thinking of themselves as "lone wolves" or "not needing help" don't last long in this dangerous world.
There are several types of gameplay you will be doing in ITD&TD: Exploration, Socialization, Combat, and Downtime Activities.
The biggest thing you should take away is that ITD&TD is meant to be more of an adventuring life simulator, rather than a "Save the World" campaign. At low levels, your time may be spent gaining wealth and treasure. You may be taking week-long breaks (or longer!) between adventures while you earn your living doing mundane tasks. The world is dangerous, and you will likely end stories with completely different friends and allies than you started, and as you gain in level, you may find yourself in positions of political power, either as a local lord, or even a king!
If you and your friends wish to play in lower or higher powered worlds, the Low Powered and High Powered Campaign Rules will be located in the GM Guide.
After describing what you would like to do to your GM, you may find yourself called to make dice rolls. Although there are many different dice rolls to be done, there are three main types of dice roll that resolve the vast majority of situations in ITD&TD, these are Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, and Skill Tests.
All three of these types of rolls involve the same thing, you roll a d20, add various modifiers, then announce the result. Your result is then compared to a target number. This target number could be an opponent’s Armor Class (AC), the Difficulty Class (DC) of a skill test, or the Saving Throw Difficulty Class (Save DC) of a spell caster, depending on the situation.
| d20 Type | Difficulty Target |
|---|---|
| Attack Roll | Armor Class (AC) |
| Skill Test | Difficulty Class (DC) |
| Saving Throw | Saving Throw Difficulty Class (Save DC) |
Sometimes, you may simply see "any d20 test". This means the effect could apply to any of the types of rolls: Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, and Skill Tests. Often times, if an effect allows you to apply a bonus to a d20 test, the effect will tell you the circumstances you can apply that effect to.
Occasionally, a rule will allow you to make Non-Standard rolls. The most common of these are allowing you to use your Offence Bonus in place of your Skill Bonus for Skill Tests in combat actions. In these non-standard rolls, it is important to note if you are specifically making attack rolls, skill tests, or saving throws, regardless of which bonus you apply.
Thus, if you are allowed to use your Skill Bonus in place of your Reflex Bonus in a Saving Throw, you are still making a Saving Throw for all intents and purposes.
Situation, or situation dice, are extra dice you roll when you are in a favorable (or unfavorable) situation. Situation works on a sliding scale from –5 to +5, and unless you have Situation, you are at 0 situation. Unlike flat bonuses and penalties, situation stacks, regardless of the source.
During your adventures, if something grants you a favorable condition, you may gain +1 or more situation, just as unfavorable conditions would grant you –1 or more situation. All of these situations add or subtract from each other until you reach your current situation. Once you do, you will roll an extra dice in addition to your d20 roll, and either add or subtract that dice from the result of your d20 after adding your modifiers