Hack100

Simple, Flexible d100 Gaming

 Hack100
Simple, Flexible d100 Gaming

Release 1.02

January 2022

Text Copyright © 2021-2022 Joe Carruthers. All rights reserved.

Cover artwork © 2021 Joaquin Guerra, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Artwork on pages 7 & 13 © 2021 Peter Saga. All rights reserved.

Artwork on pages 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23 & 26 © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission.
All rights reserved.
 Contents
Introduction ........................................4 Example Specialisms ........................... 9
Author’s Introduction .............................. 4 Equipment.................................................... 9
Hang On … What’s a Role-Playing Random Starting Equipment........... 9
Game? ............................................................. 4 Weapons and Armour ........................ 9
Dice ................................................................. 5 Encumbrance......................................... 9
Game Genres................................................ 5 Tasks....................................................10
hack100rpg.com ......................................... 5
Task Rolls .................................................. 10
Acknowledgements ................................... 5
Performing a Task Roll ................... 10
Player Characters ...............................6 Difficulty Modifiers ............................... 10
Character Creation .................................... 6 Criticals and Fumbles............................ 11
Background and Motivation ............ 6 Criticals................................................. 11
Abilities ................................................... 6 Fumbles ................................................ 11
Specialism ............................................... 6 Effects of Criticals and Fumbles .. 11
Health ....................................................... 6 Opposed Tasks ......................................... 11
Equipment .............................................. 6 Resolving an Opposed Task ........... 11
Name......................................................... 6 Combat ................................................ 12
Backgrounds and Motivations .............. 7
Combat Overview ................................... 12
Random Examples ............................... 7 Combat Sequence .................................... 12
Group Motivations .............................. 7
Initiative ............................................... 12
Abilities ......................................................... 8
Movement and Actions................... 12
Starting Abilities .................................. 8 Ranged Attacks .................................. 13
Ability Bonus ......................................... 8
Melee Attacks ..................................... 13
Specialisms ................................................... 9 Calculate Damage.............................. 13
Choosing Specialisms .......................... 9
Apply Damage .................................... 13
Starting Specialisms ............................ 9
 Repeat .................................................... 13 Specialisms (Optional)...................... 25
Weapons ..................................................... 13 Innate Characteristics (Optional) . 25
Armour........................................................ 14 Health .................................................... 25
Movement .................................................. 14 Movement ............................................ 25
Engaging and Disengaging ................... 15 Equipment (Optional) ...................... 25
Subduing ............................................... 15 Notes (Optional) ................................. 25
Tactical Withdrawal ......................... 15 Example NPCs .......................................... 26
Running Away .................................... 15 Goblin [20%] ........................................ 26
Criticals and Fumbles in Combat ...... 15 Wolf [30%] ............................................ 26
Health.................................................. 17 Optional Rules .................................. 28
Zero and Negative Health ............... 17 Player Characters ..................................... 28
Recovering Health ............................. 17 Non-Human Characters .................. 28
Powers ................................................ 18 Tasks ............................................................ 29
How Powers Work ............................. 18 Advantage and Disadvantage ........ 29
Using Powers ....................................... 18 Luck Points .......................................... 29
Powers Example: Spellcasting ........ 20 Health .......................................................... 30
Powers Example: Shapeshifting .... 21 Insanity and Corruption ................. 30
Powers Example: Berserking .......... 21 Effects of Insanity .............................. 30
Improvement.................................... 22 Effects of Corruption ........................ 30

Improving Abilities and Specialisms 22 Effects on Health ............................... 31

Experience Checks ............................. 22 Recovery ............................................... 31

Experience Rolls ................................. 22 Improvement ............................................ 31

New Specialisms ....................................... 22 Training ................................................ 31

Non-Player Characters ................... 24 Index ................................................... 32

Creating Non-Player Characters ......... 24

Description ........................................... 24
Background and Motivation .......... 24
Base Ability Value ............................. 24
Modified Abilities (Optional) ........ 24
 Introduction
Author’s Hang On … What’s
Introduction a Role-Playing
I have always liked percentile-based role- Game?
playing games. The early editions of the
popular d100 systems were the staples of Ah! This isn’t the place to answer that
my formative adventuring back in the question. This book assumes that the
1980s. In terms of game mechanics, reader is already familiar with the
percentile systems provide an unmatched concept of role-playing games.
clarity over the likelihood of an action's
success or failure. They also tend to be Fortunately, there are plenty of online
more flexible, avoiding rigid character resources, including examples of play, to
classes and levels. fill in any such gaps. Start by searching
for “what is a tabletop role-playing
However, many d100 systems are also game?” (as opposed to a computer role-
relatively detailed, particularly in their playing game) and you will be well on
use of skills. The 2018 edition of the your way.
original percentile-based role-playing
game has a character sheet that runs to
four pages and features nearly one
hundred individual skills. That’s fine if
you’re prepared to invest the time needed
to create such detailed characters. My
personal preference is for something
more streamlined. Hence this ruleset.

Hack100 is a system in which characters

can be created in minutes and the vast
majority of in-game actions are covered
by around a dozen, rather than dozens of,
skills. It is also very flexible, eschewing
standard lists of professions, skills, spells
and monsters in favour of a freeform
approach.

4
Dice Game Genres
Hack100 uses ten-sided dice. These are Hack100 has not been written with a
either rolled individually to generate a particular genre of game in mind. It is
number between 1 and 10 (a roll of zero intended to be a generic system.
is a 10) or in pairs with one die
designated as the “tens” and the other as There is sufficient flexibility in its
the “units” to generate a number between approach to aspects such as character
1 and 100. creation, skills, powers, equipment and
monsters that it should be possible to run
So, for example, if the “tens” die rolls an 8 most traditional genres without too much
and the units die rolls a 2, then the trouble, including fantasy, sci-fi and
overall result is 82. Zeroes on both dice is cosmic horror.
a roll of 100. For greater clarity, ten-sided
dice are available that label the "tens" die
in multiples of 10.
hack100rpg.com
In describing dice rolls, the usual For more resources relating to Hack100,
conventions are followed: including a blog that provides a
commentary on the development of the
 d10 is shorthand for a ten-sided die. game, visit hack100rpg.com.

 d100 is shorthand for using two ten-

sided dice to generate a number
Acknowledgements
between 1 and 100 (as described
Hack100 is, of course, inspired by many
above).
of the role-playing games that came
 2d10 means roll two ten-sided dice before it. However, certain specific aspects
and add the results together to of Hack100 are particularly indebted to
generate a number between 2 and 20. the work of Steve Perrin, Ray Turney &
Friends (percentile system), Christian
 3d10+4 means roll three ten-sided Mehrstam (system flexibility), Newt
dice, add the results together, and Newport (one-sentence character
then add 4 to the result to generate a backgrounds) and Gavin Norman
number between 7 and 34. (presentation).

 A d5 can be simulated by rolling a

d10 and dividing the result by two,
rounding up.

5
 Player Characters
Character Creation Specialism
Specialisms (page 9) are abilities that
Player character creation in Hack100 is require a level of innate talent, training
quick and easy. The following six steps or expert knowledge. Starting characters
summarise the process. Further details have a free choice of one Specialism at
are provided on the pages that follow. 2d10+30%.
A character sheet is available for “Supernatural” Specialisms, such as
download at hack100rpg.com. magic, are known as Powers (page 18).

Background and Motivation Health

Write a single sentence to describe the Health (page 17) is a measure of the
character’s Background and their general well-being of a character.
Motivation for adventuring (page 7).
To calculate a character’s Health, add
Abilities their Toughness Bonus and their
Willpower Bonus, and then multiply the
Roll 2d10+20% for each of the character’s result by two.
ten Abilities (page 8).
e.g. if Toughness = 28 and Willpower = 41,
A further 20% may then be added to one then Health = (2 + 4) x 2 = 12.
Ability, and 10% to one other.

Physical Abilities: Strength, Agility, Equipment

Stealth, Toughness. The Referee and player agree upon a
plausible set of starting equipment for the
Mental Abilities: Perception, Reasoning,
character based on their background
Influence, Willpower.
(page 9).
Combat Abilities: Melee, Ranged.
For each item carried, the carrying
Each Ability has an associated Bonus location must be clearly stated.
equal to its “tens” value.
Name
e.g. if Strength = 32%, Strength Bonus = 3.
Give the character a name and they are
ready to start adventuring.
6
Backgrounds and Random Examples

Motivations For inspiration, the table below can be

used to generate random Backgrounds
and Motivations. Pick an option (or roll
Every character should be summarised
1d10) for each column.
with a single sentence that describes their
Background (which may be related to Not all of the combinations will
their Specialism – see page 9), and their necessarily make sense, so adjust,
wider Motivation for adventuring. elaborate or re-roll accordingly.
This gives the character context without
the need for lengthy biographies and Group Motivations
backstories. Whilst different characters within a
group may have a range of Backgrounds,
It also provides the Referee with plot
it often makes sense for two or more
hooks for future adventures.
members of a group to share a
Motivation. This provides a common
cause for adventuring.

Example Backgrounds and Motivations

Background Motivation
1 ambitious author/poet avoiding a specific item [details].
2 bored captain/pilot documenting answers [about …].
3 exiled explorer escaping from a specific person [details].
4 idealistic mercenary fighting for a specific place [details].
5 old missionary investigating a specific organisation [details].
A(n)
6 penniless mystic pursuing justice [for …].
7 pious noble representing knowledge [about …].
8 rebellious priest researching revenge [for/against …].
9 vengeful scientist resisting the truth [about …].
10 young soldier seeking wealth.

7
Abilities Starting Abilities
For a starting character, each Ability has
The relative strengths and weaknesses of a base value of 2d10+20%. However, to
a character are described by ten Abilities. reflect individual aptitudes, 20% may be
These represent common attributes, added to any one Ability, and 10% to one
characteristics, skills and knowledge other. A character’s Abilities will increase
possessed, to varying degrees, by all. as they become more experienced.
Each Ability has an associated percentage
value. The higher the value, the more Ability Bonus
likely a character is to succeed when Each Ability has an associated Bonus
undertaking a task related to that Ability. equal to its “tens” value. For example, if a
character’s Strength is 32, then their
Strength Bonus is 3.

Summary of Abilities

Ability Description Examples of Use

Lifting, pushing or pulling a heavy object;
Strength Brute strength
holding back a crushing trap; arm wrestling
Jumping; balancing; climbing;
Agility Physical dexterity
dodging
Moving silently, travelling without leaving
Stealth Ability to pass unnoticed
tracks; blending into a crowd
Resisting the effects of poison, disease or
Toughness Physical resilience
harsh environments; extended exercise
Finding hidden objects; spotting small
Perception Powers of observation
details; reading the intentions of others
Comprehending complexity; recalling
Reasoning Mental dexterity
details from memory; resisting an illusion
Haggling; intimidating; extracting
Influence Powers of persuasion
information; persuading others
Resisting temptation; maintaining morale;
Willpower Mental resilience
overcoming fear
Striking and parrying with hand weapons;
Melee Close combat skills
brawling; martial arts
Throwing knives; shooting bows; firing
Ranged Throwing/shooting skills
guns

8
Specialisms Equipment
In addition to their ten Abilities, which In Hack100, there is no "shopping list" of
are common to everyone, characters also standard goods for new characters.
have a small number of Specialisms. Rather, the player and the Referee agree
upon the equipment a given character
Specialisms are abilities that require a might reasonably expect to own based
certain amount of innate talent, training, upon the campaign setting and the
or expert knowledge. They are an aspect character's Specialism, Background and
of the character that differentiates them Motivation.
from the majority of other people in their
world. Random Starting Equipment
Choosing Specialisms If there is a preference for introducing a
random element to starting equipment,
There is no fixed list of Specialisms in then assume that each new character has
Hack100. Rather, they are agreed between the travelling clothes they are wearing,
the Referee and the player. They might together with 1d10 other items (including
relate to a character's vocation. Or they any weapons or armour) and 5d10 units
might derive from some prior teaching or of currency.
training.
Weapons and Armour
In the same way as Abilities, a character's
relative competence in a given Specialism The effectiveness of different types of
is expressed as a percentile number. weapons and armour is described in the
Combat chapter on pages 13 and 14
Extraordinary or supernatural respectively.
Specialisms, such as magic, are known as
Powers (page 18). Note that wearing armour imposes an
Agility penalty (page 14).
Starting Specialisms
Encumbrance
New characters begin with one Specialism
(or Power) at a starting percentage of There is no quantitative encumbrance
2d10+30%. system in Hack100. Instead, each
character must specify, on their character
Example Specialisms sheet, where each item of equipment is
stored about their person.
Archaeology, Bushcraft, Demonology,
Divination, Engineering, Fire Magic, IT, By requiring characters to declare how
Languages, Locksmithing, Medicine, they are carrying each item of equipment,
Musicianship, Occult, Pickpocketing, it immediately makes it obvious as to
Piloting, Telekinesis, Theology, etc., etc. whether this seems plausible. It also helps
to visualise the character.

9
 Tasks
Task Rolls Difficulty Modifiers
Whenever a character’s action has a non- Sometimes the Referee may decide that a
negligible chance and consequence of certain Task Roll is either easier or more
failure, the Referee should call for a Task difficult than usual. This could be for a
Roll. variety of reasons including the
prevailing local conditions, the specialist
Performing a Task Roll nature or complexity of the task, or the
fact that someone (or something) is
1. Select the Ability or Specialism that is actively trying to disrupt the
most relevant to the task at hand. undertaking.
This provides the base Target
Percentage. In such cases, a Difficulty Modifier is
applied to the Target Percentage.
2. The Referee may then adjust the base
Target Percentage by a Difficulty Difficulty Modifier
Modifier.
Difficulty Modifier
3. Roll 1d100. If the roll is less than or Trivial Automatic Success
equal to the Modified Target Easy +20%
Percentage, the task is successful.
Normal -
Otherwise, the task fails.
Hard -20%
4. A roll of 01-05 is always successful. A Very Hard -40%
roll of 96-00 is always a failure (except
with Opposed Tasks – see page 11). Where multiple factors are in play, the
Difficulty Modifier represents the net
5. A roll that is a success and a double is effect of those factors. For example, the
a Critical (e.g. 11, 22) and brings extra Referee may decide that the net effect of
benefits. A roll that is a failure and a trying to shoot a large, but distant, target
double (e.g. 99, 00) is a Fumble and is a zero modifier.
there will be additional consequences.

10
Criticals and Opposed Tasks
Fumbles Situations will arise in which there is a
need to pit an Ability of a character
Sometimes things will go better or worse against an Ability of an adversary. For
than usual. example:

Criticals  A character attempting to sneak past

a guard would pit their Stealth Ability
A successful Task Roll that is also a against the guard's Perception Ability.
double (e.g. 11, 22) is a Critical and the
character receives some extra benefit.  A character attempting to hold a door
shut would test their Strength Ability
This might mean that the task is against the Strength Ability of
performed particularly well or quickly, or whoever (or whatever) was trying to
that it brings some additional (but open the door.
related) advantage.
 A character trying to bribe someone
In combat (page 15), it could result in might pit their Influence Ability
additional damage being inflicted or an against the target's Willpower Ability.
opponent dropping their weapon.
Such “contests" are known as Opposed
A non-combat example would be a Tasks.
critical Influence Task Roll leading to the
target divulging additional important Resolving an Opposed Task
information.
Each competitor performs a Task Roll as
Fumbles usual, but rather than there being a
pass/fail outcome, the two results are
Conversely, a failed roll that is also a compared.
double (e.g. 99, 00) is a Fumble and
something has gone badly wrong. A Critical beats an ordinary success,
which beats an ordinary failure, which
Weapons are dropped, bowstrings snap, beats a Fumble.
unintended offence is caused, or tasks
generally take longer or are performed In the case of a tie, the highest roll wins if
more noisily. both were successful (Criticals or ordinary
successes). The lowest roll wins if both
Effects of Criticals and Fumbles were unsuccessful (Fumbles or ordinary
failures).
For both Criticals and Fumbles, players
should be encouraged to offer suggestions Only the winner of an Opposed Task
as to the nature of the outcome. receives the extra benefits of a Critical.
Nevertheless, the Referee’s decision on Similarly, only the loser suffers the
such matters is final. penalties of a Fumble.
11
 Combat
Combat Overview Combat Sequence
Combat in Hack100 uses the task Combat takes place over a series of
resolution system described in the rounds in the following sequence.
previous chapter.
Initiative
A Ranged Task Roll is used to determine
whether an attack with a missile weapon Each combatant rolls for Initiative on
is successful. 1d10 + their Agility Bonus.

An Opposed Melee Task Roll is used to They then act in Initiative order, highest
resolve close-quarters combat. first. Tied Initiatives act simultaneously.

In addition to these Task Rolls, it is also A combatant may decide to delay their
necessary to introduce: activity until later in the round.

 An Initiative system for deciding the Movement and Actions

order in which combatants act.
Each round, a combatant may move up to
 A means of determining the Damage their Movement allowance and take one
inflicted by a successful attack, Action.
factoring in the effects of different
weapons and armour types. Movement is discussed on page 14.

An Action is something that requires a

combatant’s full attention. For example,
making an attack, using a Specialism,
retrieving something from a backpack, or
administering first aid.

This Movement and Action may take

place in any order. Movement may also
be split on either side of an Action
provided a combatant's total Movement
is not exceeded.

12
Ranged Attacks Weapons
Missile attacks are made using a Ranged
Task Roll. Every weapon has a Damage Modifier – a
value that is added to the “tens” die of a
successful attack roll when determining
Melee Attacks
Damage.
Close-quarters attacks are made using an
Opposed Melee Task Roll. The table below lists some typical
Damage Modifiers that Referees can use
The defender may oppose using either as the basis for the weapons in their
their Melee Ability (an attempt to parry) game. These values can be adjusted or
or their Agility Ability (an attempt to expanded accordingly to suit particular
dodge). preferences.

In order to be able to parry using their Weapon Damage Modifiers

Melee Ability, a combatant must have an Damage
appropriate weapon or shield. For Weapon
Modifier
example, whilst parrying “Unarmed” is
fine in a fist fight, it’s probably not Unarmed 0
against a sword. Improvised +1
Sling +2
Calculate Damage Dagger +2
The Damage from a successful attack is Bow +3
calculated as the “tens” die from the Task 1-Handed Sword +4
Roll plus the net Damage Modifier due to
Crossbow +4
the attacker's weapon and the defender's
armour. 2-Handed Sword +5
Hand Gun +6
Typical Damage Modifiers for Weapons
Rifle +7
(page 13) and Armour (page 14) are
provided in the tables that follow. Laser Pistol +8
Laser Sword +9
Apply Damage
Any resulting Damage is deducted from
the defender's Health (page 17).

Repeat
When all combatants have acted, a new
round starts.

13
Armour However, armour is also, to varying
degrees, cumbersome. It therefore reduces
Agility and Movement when worn.
Armour provides the wearer with a Characters may not wear armour that
negative Damage Modifier, reducing the takes their modified Agility below zero.
effect of any hits received. A shield can
also be used to further reduce Damage. Again, Referees should feel free to amend
Details are provided in the table below. or expand the armour table to suit their
own game setting

Armour
Damage Agility Movement
Armour
Modifier Penalty Penalty
None 0 0 0
Leather -1 -10% -1
Chain Mail -2 -20% -2
Plate -3 -30% -3
Shield -1 -10% -
Modern Body Armour -4 -10% -1
Futuristic Power Armour -6 -20% -2

Movement
Standard unarmoured characters may Movement is reduced by any armour a
move up to 8 squares in each combat character is wearing as indicated in the
round in addition to taking one Action. table above. Armour also provides a
negative Difficulty Modifier to any
A “square” is the space occupied by an Agility Task Rolls whilst worn.
average-sized character, e.g. 5 x 5 feet, 1.5
x 1.5 metres, 2 x 2 yards, or whatever the Referees should feel free to modify
Referee decides. Movement rates accordingly. Some
creatures may be naturally faster or
Characters may move before their Action, slower. Terrain may also affect
or after their Action, or they may split Movement, e.g. wading through water,
their Movement on either side of their climbing steep stairs, clambering over a
Action. They may also forego their Action wall, or traversing a crowded room.
and take a second move (i.e. up to a total
of 16 squares for a standard unarmoured
character).

14
Engaging and Criticals and
Disengaging Fumbles in Combat
As soon as one combatant makes a Melee As discussed in the chapter on Tasks,
Task Roll against an opponent, the two there are no pre-defined benefits or
are said to be Engaged in combat. Once penalties attached to Criticals and
Engaged, there are three main ways in Fumbles. The Referee, with input from
which a combatant can Disengage. the players, is free to decide, on a case-by-
case basis, the additional consequences of
Subduing Criticals and Fumbles as befitting the
narrative of the game.
A combatant is free to disengage if they
are able to subdue their opponent, even if However, because combat is likely to be a
only temporarily. For example, by relatively frequent source of Criticals and
knocking them over, rendering them Fumbles, some suggested outcomes are
unconscious, or otherwise incapacitating offered in the table overleaf. These are
them. just examples. There are many more
possibilities depending upon the exact
Tactical Withdrawal situation within a game. For example, if a
character is standing on a table whilst
The combatant may make a controlled fighting and rolls a Fumble, then perhaps
tactical withdrawal by moving up to half the table collapses from underneath
of their Movement allowance directly them.
away from their opponent(s). This counts
as both their Movement AND their Remember, only the winner of an
Action for the round. The disengaging Opposed Task receives the extra benefits
combatant may still oppose any attacks of a Critical. Similarly, only the loser
upon them during that round by suffers the penalties of a Fumble.
attempting to parry or dodge.
In general, the intention is that whilst
Running Away Criticals and Fumbles should tip the
balance of a fight in favour of one
The combatant may simply turn and flee combatant or another, they shouldn't
at up to twice their Movement allowance necessarily be decisive in determining the
directly away from their opponent(s), eventual outcome of an encounter.
foregoing any Action that round. Each
Engaged opponent gets an Easy (+20%)
free attack that the disengaging
combatant may NOT oppose.

15
 Example Criticals as an Attacker
In melee, the attacker adds their Strength Bonus to the calculated
Mighty blow!
Damage.

A missile attack adds the shooter’s/thrower’s Ranged Bonus to the

Precise shot!
calculated Damage.

Finds the gap! The defender's armour is ignored when calculating Damage.

Knocked down! The defender is pushed to the ground.

Disarmed! The defender's weapon or shield is dislodged from their hand.

Example Criticals as a Defender

Disarmed! The attacker's weapon is parried from their hand.

Driven back! The attacker is pushed back, disengaging them from combat.

The defender's parry inflicts Damage upon their attacker, calculated

Counterattack!
in the normal way.

The dodging defender wrong-foots the attacker creating an opening.

Sidestep!
The defender's next attack has an Easy (+20%) Difficulty Modifier.

Example Fumbles as an Attacker

Dropped! The attacker drops their weapon.

Breaks! The attacker's weapon breaks.

Lost! The attacker's thrown weapon misses and is permanently lost.

The attacker inadvertently injures themselves, with Damage

Ouch!
calculated in the normal way.

Example Fumbles as a Defender

Dropped! The defender drops their weapon or shield.

Breaks! The defender's weapon or shield breaks.

Trips The defender trips and falls whilst attempting to dodge.

16
 Health
Health is a measure of the general well- Recovering Health
being of a character. In Hack100, there
are two main ways in which a character Characters recover Health naturally at a
can lose Health: rate of 2 Health per day, 4 if resting fully.

 From physical damage, e.g. through Health may also be replenished through
combat, falling, or some other the use of a relevant Specialism, such as
mishap. medicine or magic. It is left to the Referee
to determine the effectiveness of such
 Through the draining effects of using interventions. A “heroic" game will
an unusual, “supernatural", typically be more generous than a “gritty"
Specialism, e.g. magic, psionics, game when it comes to Health recovery.
shapeshifting, etc. Such Specialisms
are referred to as Powers. As a guide, it is suggested that everyday
Specialisms such as First Aid should be
Powers are discussed in more detail in the limited to one application per character
next chapter (page 18). For now, it is per day, with each successful application
enough to know that the loss and restoring 1-5 Health (in addition to any
recovery of Health from using Powers natural recovery). This will require a
works in the same way as it does for successful Task Roll. A Critical
physical damage. automatically recovers 5 Health, whilst a
Fumble causes 2 points of further
Zero and Negative Health damage, negating any natural recovery.

When a character's Health reaches zero, The effectiveness of a restorative Power

they fall unconscious. When their Health should be proportional to the Health
reaches a negative value equal to their invested in it by the applicant. For
Toughness Bonus plus their Willpower example, each point of Health committed
Bonus, they die. by the Specialist might restore 2 Health
to the beneficiary. A Specialist cannot
heal themselves in this way.

When a character's maximum Health

goes up due to an increase in their
Toughness or Willpower Ability, these
additional points are added to their
current Health total.

17
 Powers
A Power is any form of extraordinary or Using Powers
supernatural Specialism.
In Hack100, there are no predefined lists
It might be the ability to cast spells or of Powers. Instead, a flexible approach is
perform miracles. However, it could also adopted based on an open-ended
encompass a wide range of other special collaboration between the players and the
abilities such as shapeshifting, psionics, Referee.
berserking, prophesying, etc.
The exact effects of a Power, in terms of
As with all Specialisms, Powers are its effect, intensity and duration, along
Abilities that differentiate an individual with the associated Health cost, are
from the vast majority. Unlike regular agreed upon at the point of use, with the
Specialisms, Powers go beyond rational Referee always having the final say.
everyday understanding.
The procedure for using a Power is as
How Powers Work follows:

The underlying consequence of using 1. The character describes the desired

Powers is that they are mentally and/or effect of using the Power.
physically draining.
2. Taking into account the nature of the
As such, whenever a character uses a effect, as well as its intended intensity
Power there is an associated Health cost. and duration, the Referee rules on the
The more significant the Power, the associated Health cost.
higher the Health cost.
3. The Referee may also impose a
Therefore, characters with Powers must Difficulty Modifier for the upcoming
manage their use carefully. Do the Task Roll if the desired effect seems
benefits of using a Power in a given particularly challenging in
situation outweigh the detrimental effect comparison to the scope of the
on the character's Health? associated Power. Similarly, a player
might accept a higher Difficulty
Modifier in return, for example, for a
lower Health cost.

18
4. Steps 1-3 are repeated until the player 7. The Health cost applies only AFTER
and the Referee reach a negotiated the effects of the Power have been
agreement on the balance between the applied in full. For temporary Powers
effect of the Power, the corresponding with a fixed duration, this means the
Health cost and any Difficulty point at which the Power’s effects
Modifier. This isn't intended to be a expire. For Powers that have a
prolonged bargaining exercise. Rather permanent effect, this means the
it is the Referee and the player point at which the effect is applied.
reaching an agreement on the use of
the Power. The Referee ultimately 8. A Critical means that the Power only
makes the final ruling. costs 1 Health. A Fumble means that
the Power consumes the full Health
5. The character makes a Task Roll cost, but nothing happens.
against the relevant Power.
It is recommended that the Referee keeps
6. If the Task Roll is successful, the a record of negotiated Power uses. This
Power takes effect. Otherwise, nothing will save time when the Power is used in a
happens. similar way again. It also provides a
benchmark or precedent for future Power
usage.

19
Powers Example: Spellcasting 5. Perform a magical attack (e.g. fireball,
lightning bolt). Normal Difficulty.
A common application of Powers in Costs 1 Health per point of Damage
fantasy games will be the casting of spells. (ignores the target's armour).
Instantaneous.
With regards to the specific wording of a
given spell caster's Power, it is 6. Magically influence someone to do
recommended that very broad definitions something. Normal Difficulty.
(e.g. “Magic") are avoided in favour of Opposed Task Roll: caster's Power vs
narrower areas of focus (e.g. “Fire Magic", target's Willpower. Cost 2 Health.
“Illusionism", “Necromancy", etc.). This Each additional 1 Health provides a
will help to keep the range of a given spell +5% Difficulty Modifier to the caster's
caster's ability within well-defined Task Roll. Lasts for one encounter.
boundaries, and also ensure that their
magic use has a distinctive flavour. All of the above are just illustrative
examples. Players and Referees should
Below are some examples of typical negotiate their own spell effects and their
magical effects. For each, suggestions are associated costs as they occur in the game.
provided as to how they might be
handled in Hack100, particularly Overall, the Difficulty and Health cost
concerning their Difficulty and Health should be proportional to the effect
cost. All, of course, require a successful whilst remaining consistent with the
Task Roll against the relevant Power. Referee's approach to magic within their
game. High fantasy settings in which
1. Create a magical light equivalent to a magic is commonplace should be more
torch or lantern. Easy (+20%) generous when it comes to Health costs
Difficulty. Costs 1 Health per hour. than low fantasy worlds where magic is
rare.
2. Magically move an object. Easy (+20%)
Difficulty. Costs 1 Health per kg per Optionally, a Referee might decide that
minute. there are additional requirements for
successful spell casting - wands, staves,
3. Magically increase a weapon's damage spell books, ingredients, the ability to
or armour's protection. Normal voice or gesticulate, etc. The presence or
Difficulty. Costs 2 Health per absence of such factors would probably
additional point of affect the Difficulty Modifier of the
damage/protection. Lasts for one associated Task Roll.
encounter.
A similar approach can be taken with
4. Restore Health to someone else. other abilities that manipulate the world
Normal Difficulty. Costs 1 Health per around a character such as miracles
2 points of Health restored. bestowed by deities, psionics, etc.
Instantaneous. A caster cannot heal
themselves in this way.

20
Powers Example: Shapeshifting Powers Example: Berserking

With a “Shapeshifting” Power, the “Berserking” works similarly to

character can transform voluntarily into shapeshifting except that the
another creature, often an animal such as transformation may not be under the full
a bear, a wolf, or an eagle. In doing so, control of the character. Usually, the
they retain their intellectual capacity and transformation is triggered in some way -
awareness but swap their physical perhaps by the character becoming
capabilities for those of the creature. As a injured or angry. The effect is usually to
result, some of their Abilities undergo a increase the character's physical
temporary adjustment. characteristics, often quite dramatically:

For example, for a bear:  Strength increases by 20%.

 Strength increases by 20%.  Toughness increases by 40%. Health

increases accordingly (although,
 Toughness increases by 20%. Health again, any existing Damage is
increases accordingly (although any retained).
existing Damage is retained).
 Strength Bonus is added to Melee
 Influence through non-verbal Damage.
communication only.
The Referee should decide how easy or
 Melee becomes a claw or bite attack difficult it is for the berserking state to be
with a +5 Damage Modifier. triggered and recovered from. For
example, it might be triggered by a failed
 No Ranged attack. Willpower roll upon receiving Damage
for the first time in any given combat.
 No armour.
Similarly, a successful Will Power roll
It is suggested that the Task Roll to
may be needed to stop berserking. This
perform the shapeshift should be of
may be attempted once per round. A
Normal Difficulty and that the
berserking character will start to attack
transformation should last a maximum
their own side once all the enemies in a
of 1 hour and cost 8 Health (upon
fight have been dealt with!
reverting to the character's normal form).
The Health cost of Berserking is 10% of a
No further attempt to shapeshift may be
Character's total Health per round of
made that day. Of course, the Referee is
combat. The usual rules regarding zero
free to adjust these parameters as
and negative Health apply.
befitting their game world.

Lycanthropy would work similarly,

except it would be beyond the control of
the character. The transformation at each
full moon would be unavoidable.
21
 Improvement
Improving Abilities Experience Rolls

and Specialisms At the end of each play session, an

Experience Roll is made for each Ability
or Specialism that has an Experience
As characters utilise their Abilities and
Check against it.
Specialisms, they will improve.
To make an Experience Roll, the player
Experience Checks rolls 1d100. If the result is greater than
the current value of the character’s
When a character makes a successful Task
Ability or Specialism, it increases by
Roll against an Ability or Specialism, an
1d5%. Only one Experience Roll may be
Experience Check is awarded. This
made for each Ability or Specialism per
represents the character learning through
session.
application. The box next to the Ability
or Specialism on the character sheet
should be ticked.

For an Experience Check to be awarded,

there must have been a meaningful
consequence of the Task Roll failing. For
example, practising swordplay against a
training dummy would not yield an
Experience Check. New Specialisms
When a Task Roll has a positive
Characters may acquire new Specialisms
Difficulty Modifier (making the Task Roll
during play. This will generally result
easier – page 10), an Experience Check is
from training, research, or an in-game
only awarded if the successful roll is equal
event.
to or less than the Ability or Specialism
(not the Modified Target Percentage). There will often be an associated cost in
terms of time, money and/or favours. A
For Opposed Tasks (page 11), only the
suitable teacher may also be required. The
winner receives an Experience Check and
Referee should determine such details on
only if their Task Roll was successful (i.e.
a case-by-case basis.
a Critical or an ordinary success). If the
winner’s roll was an ordinary failure or a Newly acquired Specialisms have a
Fumble, no Experience Check is awarded. starting value of 4d10%.
22
23
 Non-Player Characters
Creating Non- why the NPC is being encountered and
what their possible reactions to the player
Player Characters characters might be.

Continuing our goblin example, we have:

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are the “a wolf handler of the Splintered Skull
inhabitants of the game world tribe tasked with guarding the entrance to
encountered by the player characters the tribe's lair”.
whether friendly, indifferent or hostile,
including creatures and monsters.
Base Ability Value
In keeping with Hack100’s flexible Specify the NPC's Base Ability Value, a
approach, there is no standard list of general percentage that is assigned to all
“monsters”. Rather a ten-step of their Abilities (apart from those
methodology is presented for quickly modified in Step 4 below).
creating any NPC. The intention is to
ensure that all NPCs have clear and For our goblin, a relatively weak creature,
consistent rationales for their presence in we assign a value of 20%.
the game.
Modified Abilities (Optional)
Description
Based upon the NPC's description,
Write a single evocative sentence that Background and Motivation, modify any
describes the player characters' first Abilities that are meaningfully higher or
impressions of the NPC. lower than their Base Ability Value.
So, for example, rather than introducing Unless the NPC is particularly significant,
an NPC as simply “a goblin”, instead it’s there should be no need to modify more
described as “a short, green-skinned than a couple of Abilities. The Base
humanoid with large pointed ears and a Ability Value should be adequate for
mouth of sharp teeth”. most aspects of the NPC, particularly
those that are peripheral to their core
Background and Motivation role.

In the same way as for player characters, Our goblin is a guard, so we raise their
write a single sentence that describes the Melee and Toughness Abilities to 30%.
NPC's Background and Motivation. This
provides the Referee with a rationale for
24
Specialisms (Optional) Movement
Again, based on the NPC's Background As described in the combat chapter (page
and Motivation, add any Specialisms (or 14), standard characters can normally
Powers) that meaningfully differentiate move up to 8 squares in a given round in
them from others in the world. Assign addition to taking one action. If the NPC
whatever percentage value to that is significantly faster or slower than this,
Specialism that seems reasonable. update their Movement value
accordingly.
We give our goblin a "Wolf Handling"
Specialism at a value of 60%. This Movement is not only relevant to
represents the goblin's ability to combat. The relative speed of an NPC will
successfully control a wolf that has been also be important in pursuits or races.
trained to respond to simple commands.
We leave our goblin's Movement as 8.
Innate Characteristics (Optional)
Equipment (Optional)
Some creatures and monsters will have
Innate Characteristics - instinctive List any equipment or possessions the
actions they are naturally capable of NPC is carrying about their person.
performing without the need for a Task Include armour, weapons, money and any
Roll. Sharks can swim, pterodactyls can personal effects of interest. For ease of in-
fly, cobras have venomous bites, etc. List game reference, include the Damage
any such innate characteristics that are Modifiers of any armour and weapons.
likely to be relevant to the game.
We give our goblin leather armour, a
Our goblin can see in the dark so we list spear, 1d5 coins, a wolf-tooth necklace
"Night Vision" as an Innate Characteristic. and a stolen silver broach. It will also
have a wolf companion, but that will be a
Health separate NPC.

Health is calculated in the usual way by Notes (Optional)

summing the NPC's Toughness Bonus
and Willpower Bonus and then Finally, add any remaining details about
multiplying the result by two. the NPC that are relevant to the game.

Our goblin has a Toughness of 30% and a This might include relevant information
Willpower of 20%, giving it a Health of the NPC possesses, their recent activity
(3 + 2) x 2 = 10. within the context of the adventure, or
particular loyalties, phobias, prejudices or
weaknesses.

25
Example NPCs
As examples, here are the full descriptions of our goblin wolf handler and its trusty hound.

Goblin [20%] Wolf [30%]

A short, green-skinned humanoid with A mangy-looking creature with matted
large pointed ears and a mouth of sharp flea-ridden fur, slobbering chops and
teeth piercing yellow eyes

Background & Motivation: A wolf- Background & Motivation: Divided

handler tasked with guarding the loyalties between its handler and an
entrance to the tribe's lair insatiable appetite for fresh meat

Abilities & Specialisms: Melee 30%; Abilities & Specialisms: Bite 40% [+3]
Toughness 30%; Wolf Handling 60%
Innate Characteristics: Acute sense of
Innate Characteristics: Night vision smell

Health: 10 Health: 12

Movement: 8 Movement: 12

Equipment: Leather armour [-1], spear Equipment: Collar and leash

[+3], 1d5 coins, wolf-tooth necklace,
silver broach (stolen) Notes: Trained to respond to simple
commands from its handler (“Attack!”,
Notes: Was a member of the raiding “Stay!”, “Go find!”, etc.), but only if the
party that attacked the village last night handler makes a successful Wolf
(hence the stolen broach) Handling Task Roll

26
 Appendix
Optional Rules

The following rules are all non-essential.

Some add content that is useful for certain game genres.

Others are rules or concepts that are commonly found in tabletop roleplaying games but
which don’t necessarily align with the author’s vision for Hack100. However, some
Referees may wish to incorporate them.

27
 Optional Rules
Player Characters  Dwarfs are strong and tough but not
particularly agile or stealthy.

Non-Human Characters  Elves are nimble and perceptive but

slight and somewhat cold and aloof.
The core rules assume that player
characters are human or human-like.  Halflings are inconspicuous and
However, in some game genres, surprisingly strong-willed. However,
particularly fantasy and science fiction, their lack of size and strength is a
non-human characters may be an option. disadvantage in melee combat.

The easiest way to accommodate non- Innate Characteristics (page 25) can be
human characters is by employing the used to capture other non-human traits.
same Modified Abilities and Innate For example, Dwarfs and Elves typically
Characteristics used for Non-Player have Night Vision.
Characters (pages 24 - 25).
Generous Referees might also allow
As examples, the table below presents
additional non-human innate
Modified Starting Abilities for the classic
Specialisms at a suitable percentage, e.g.
fantasy non-humans. The modifications
accentuate their archetypes, so: Forest Lore for Elves, Stone Lore for
Dwarfs, etc.

Example Modified Starting Abilities – Dwarfs, Elves and Halflings

Ability Dwarf Elf Halfling
Strength 2d10+30% - 2d10+10%
Agility 2d10+10% 2d10+30% -
Stealth 2d10+10% - 2d10+30%
Toughness 2d10+30% 2d10+10% -
Perception - 2d10+30% -
Reasoning - - -
Influence - 2d10+10% -
Willpower - - 2d10+30%
Melee - - 2d10+10%
Ranged - - -
28
Tasks Luck Points
As an aid to long-term character and
Advantage and Disadvantage campaign development, some Referees
may wish to introduce Luck Points into
As an alternative to applying fixed their games. Luck Points provide a safety
Difficulty Modifiers to Task Rolls (page net for characters against unfortunate
10), some may prefer to use Advantage dice rolls.
and Disadvantage dice.
The procedure for using Luck Points in
When a Referee decides that a given task Hack100 is as follows:
is significantly easier than usual, the
character concerned is said to have  At the start of every session, each
“Advantage”. This means that when player rolls 1d5-1 to determine their
making their d100 Task Roll they may character’s Luck Points.
roll two “tens” dice along with their
“units” die and pick whichever “tens” die  A Luck Point may be spent to re-roll
gives the most favourable result. any Task Roll.

Similarly, if a particular task is deemed to  Each re-roll replaces the previous

be significantly more challenging than result (so it might be worse).
normal, the character has “Disadvantage”
and the Referee picks the least favourable  Multiple Luck Points may be spent on
of the two rolled “tens” dice. the same task.

In both cases, the choice of “tens” die may  Luck Points may only be spent by the
be influenced by Criticals and Fumbles character performing the Task Roll.
(Page 11) and combat damage (Page 13).
 Any unspent Luck Points at the end
For extremely easy or difficult tasks the of each session are lost. A character's
Referee could even award a second Luck Points are re-rolled at the start
Advantage or Disadvantage Die, with the of the next session.
best/worst of the three “tens” dice used.

For Task Rolls with Advantage, an

Experience Check is only awarded if the
roll would have been successful with any
“tens” die.

Overall, the use of Advantage and

Disadvantage dice tends to be somewhat
quicker and easier than applying
Difficulty Modifiers. However, it is also
much less transparent with respect to
quantifying the percentage change in the
likelihood of success of a Task Roll.
29
Health Any accumulated Insanity points then
provide a negative Difficulty Modifier to
certain Task Rolls as decided by the
Insanity and Corruption Referee on a case-by-case basis. This is
most likely to affect Mental Abilities,
Whilst a character's Health reflects short- particularly Reasoning, Influence and
term variations in their physical and Willpower. However, for Task Rolls where
mental wellbeing, some games rely on the horrific insight accumulated by the
tracking the longer-term deterioration of character might be an advantage, the
adventurers as they confront things that negative modifier should not apply. It
are best left alone. This includes the loss might even provide a positive modifier.
of sanity in horror games as characters
are exposed to traumatic events or cosmic
Effects of Corruption
threats. It also covers the physical or
spiritual corruption that results from Whilst sanity typically deteriorates due
dabbling in the darker arts. to a character witnessing horrific events,
Corruption typically results from some
To accommodate such effects in Hack100, sort of "dark deal" with nefarious forces.
additional character attributes are In pursuit of knowledge, power or wealth,
introduced – Insanity and Corruption. corrupt characters (knowingly or
These typically start at 0% (unless, unknowingly) sacrifice a part of their
through their Background, a character body or soul. This leads to mental and/or
has some pre-existing exposure). They physical deterioration. It might even lead
then accumulate percentage points to visible manifestations of their
during play at a rate determined by the corruption (e.g. mutations).
Referee. Mechanically, Insanity and Corruption is accumulated in the same
Corruption both provide negative way as Insanity and again provides a
Difficulty Modifiers to selected Task negative Difficulty Modifier to certain
Rolls. Task Rolls. However, depending on the
nature of the Corruption, it can
Effects of Insanity potentially influence a wider range of
Insanity points are gained by witnessing Abilities. Physical Corruption might
traumatic, horrific, or utterly alien scenes affect Strength, Toughness or Melee Task
or concepts. Each such exposure has the Rolls. Mental corruption would be likely
potential to increase a character's current to affect Willpower Task Rolls,
Insanity total. The Referee should decide particularly when dealing with the source
on the increase in Insanity for each such of the character's corruption. Equally
event. It might be a fixed number or a though, depending on the nature of a
random amount (e.g. d5%, d10%) character's dark deal, a Referee might
depending on the severity of the trauma.
decide that Corruption provides a
A successful Willpower Task Roll might
positive modifier to certain Task Rolls
reduce or even completely mitigate
against a given increase. (e.g. to a Demonology Specialism).
30
Effects on Health Recovery
A Referee might also decide to adjust a At the Referee's discretion, it may be
character's maximum Health based on possible for a character to reduce their
the net value of their Willpower minus levels of Insanity or Corruption.
their Insanity.
Successful therapy might be effective in
e.g. a character with a Toughness of 43, a reducing Insanity. Corrupt characters
Willpower of 35 and 6 Insanity points may come to realise the error of their
would have a Health of (4 + 2) x 2 = 12, ways and overthrow their corrupting
where the "tens" die of the Willpower influence (although this should not be
contribution is based on 35 - 6 = 29. easy and would most likely be a major
plot arc of a game).
Similarly, for characters whose
Corruption negatively influences their
Toughness or Willpower.

Improvement
 At the end of the month, the trained
Training Ability or Specialism is increased by
At the Referee’s discretion, characters 1d5%.
may also train up their existing Abilities
 No Ability or Specialism may be
and Specialisms in the downtime between
increased to more than 70% through
adventures. However, if this is allowed, it
training.
is recommended that the following
restrictions are imposed: Training is not intended to be the
primary route for character development.
 All training requires a teacher. The
Certainly, it should never get in the way
more specialised the training, the
of adventuring. Rather, it is something to
harder it will be to find suitable
be done between adventures. If necessary,
tuition. Locating the provider of any
the Referee can control access to training
training might form the basis of an
through the non-availability of teachers -
adventure in its own right.
they might be busy with other students,
 Each block of training lasts 1 month. sick, away, or otherwise preoccupied.

 The cost of the training is specified by

the Referee.

 Only one Ability or Specialism may

be trained at a time.

31
 Index
Abilities ............................................................. 8 Experience Checks .......................................22
Agility ........................................................... 8 Experience Rolls...........................................22
Improving Abilities .............................. 22 Fumbles...........................................................11
Influence ...................................................... 8 in Combat .................................................15
Melee............................................................. 8 Game Genres ................................................... 5
Perception ................................................... 8 Health ..............................................................17
Ranged .......................................................... 8 Recovering Health .................................17
Reasoning .................................................... 8 Zero and Negative Health....................17
Stealth ........................................................... 8 Initiative .........................................................12
Strength........................................................ 8 Innate Characteristics ................................25
Toughness ................................................... 8 Insanity and Corruption ...........................30
Willpower.................................................... 8 Effects on Health ....................................31
Ability Bonus .................................................. 8 Recovery ....................................................31
Actions............................................................ 12 Luck Points ....................................................29
Advantage ..................................................... 29 Melee Attacks ................................................13
Armour ........................................................... 14 Motivations ..................................................... 7
Backgrounds .................................................... 7 Movement ......................................................14
Base Ability Value ...................................... 24 Non-Human Characters ............................28
Berzerking ..................................................... 21 Non-Player Characters ...............................24
Combat ........................................................... 12 Opposed Tasks ..............................................11
Criticals .......................................................... 11 Parrying ..........................................................13
in Combat ................................................. 15 Powers ..............................................................18
d10 ...................................................................... 5 Ranged Attacks.............................................13
d100.................................................................... 5 Running Away ..............................................15
Damage........................................................... 13 Shapeshifting ................................................21
Damage Modifiers Specialisms ....................................................... 9
Armour...................................................... 14 Improving Specialisms .........................22
Weapons ................................................... 13 New Specialisms ......................................22
Dice ..................................................................... 5 Spellcasting ....................................................20
Difficulty Modifiers ................................... 10 Subduing .........................................................15
Disadvantage ................................................ 29 Tactical Withdrawal ...................................15
Dodging .......................................................... 13 Task Rolls .......................................................10
Encumbrance .................................................. 9 Training ..........................................................31
Engaging and Disengaging ...................... 15 Weapons .........................................................13
Equipment ....................................................... 9

32
 Hack100
Simple, Flexible d100 Gaming

Hack100 is an old-school flavoured percentile-based tabletop role-playing

game in which characters can be created in minutes and the vast majority of
in-game actions are covered by around a dozen, rather than dozens of, skills.

It is also extremely flexible, eschewing standard lists of professions, skills,

powers and monsters in favour of a freeform, collaborative approach.

The intention is to provide a streamlined system that is quick, easy and

intuitive to use. This allows a game to flow naturally with minimal
interruptions for the referencing of rules.

● Classic percentile-based d100 system.

● Suitable for most genres of role-playing game – fantasy, sci-fi, cosmic

horror, etc.

● Includes full rules for:

○ Character creation and development.
○ Task resolution.
○ Combat.
○ Special powers (e.g. magic).
○ Customised non-player characters and monsters.

hack100rpg.com