Character Creation

Character Level

A character’s level is determined by their lowest combat stat, as follows:

(Lowest total stat)/10, rounded down

In effect, this means that at character creation, a character is level 1, and gains a level when their lowest
stat is 20 and every 10 points after that. This is not the lowest stat at the time of creation - a character
has to have all stats past the next level threshold before their level increases.

Level affects how often a character can use certain game abilities. Further details are given in the
appropriate sections, but the following things are all influenced by a character’s level:

● Recovery Rolls
● Weapon-based special abilities
● Improvised Semblance effects

Stats
Stats come in two categories: Interaction and Combat.

INTERACTION STATS:

Interaction stats are used when interacting with the world and the people in it. Each one starts at 1, and
can be increased to a maximum of 10. At character creation, each player has 6 additional points to
allocate between all Interaction stats however they wish. No single stat can be higher than 5 at character
creation.

When it comes to determining if you can do something outside of combat - convince a teacher to give
you extra credit, keeping watch for an extended period of time, spotting a Grimm stalking you in the
forest, etc. - you compare your rank in the relevant stat to the Target Number of the obstacle you're
trying to overcome. No rolls are made for this; either you're skilled enough to succeed or you're not.
GMs may opt to grant partial success if a stat is within 1 or 2 points of the Target Number, if nobody in
the party has a high enough stat or if the player comes up with a clever way to make up for their
shortcoming.

Charm - Charm is how well you interact with others and convince them to see things your way. A person
with high charm is able to convince all but the most mindless of beings to do just about anything,
including defusing combat before it begins.

Discipline - Discipline is a measure of how firmly you can stick to your guns or devote yourself to a
course of action. Someone with high discipline is rarely swayed by the charms of another, and can
maintain focus on monotonous activities (like studying).

Perception - Covers visual and auditory perception, as well as reading people and knowing if you're
being lied to. A person with high perception is rarely surprised, whether by traps and ambushes or in
deceptive social situations.

COMBAT STATS:

Combat stats are used when engaging in a fight with someone, whether that be another human, a
Grimm, or an automaton of some sort. Each one starts at 10, and can reach a maximum of 50. When
attempting to attack an enemy, protect yourself from harm, or use your Semblance in battle, combat
stats are key. Every 10 points in a combat stat grant you 1 six-sided die (d6) to roll. The total number of
dice available to you is called your Dice Pool. Your roll is compared to the Target Number of your enemy.
If your total is greater than the Target Number, you succeed.

Your stat totals also act as a pool of resources you can spend to give yourself a better chance at success.
By temporarily reducing your relevant stat by 1 point, you can gain an extra d6 for a single roll. This can
be done multiple times on a single roll, granting you extra dice up to your total Dice Pool maximum.
However, if your stat is reduced to a lower increment of 10, you lose access to one of the d6 in your Dice
Pool for the remainder of the encounter (your dice pool can only drop to 0 if the stat is 0). You can
choose to spend points and roll extra dice after rolling the dice from your pool, but before the GM tells
you the results of the roll.

0 = Unable to take an associated action

1-10 = 1d6
11-20 = 2d6
21-30 = 3d6
31-40 = 4d6
41-50 = 5d6
Attack - Attack is a measure of how well you can deal damage in a fight. No matter what style you
employ - brute force, finesse, or accurate ranged combat - your Attack stat determines how successful
you are when trying to hit your foe. A character with high Attack is able to do more damage on average
than one with lower Attack.

Defense - Defense measures how well you avoid getting hit by enemy attacks, as well as how much
damage they do if they do hit. Whether blocking the blows with a shield, deflecting them with a
well-timed parry, or avoiding the hit entirely, your Defense stat is what you rely on to stay in the fight. A
character with high Defense is able to avoid damage entirely or reduce the damage they take if they do
get hit more reliably than one with lower Defense.

Aura - Aura is a measure of how well you've trained yourself to use the innate power of your soul. Aura is
used both to power your Semblance and as your second line of defense, should your Defense score not
be enough. A high Aura score lets you soak up more hits and use your Semblance more often, and to
greater effect. Reducing your Aura to use your Semblance reduces your Hit Points as well.

RECOVERING POINTS:

A number of times per day equal to their Character Level, a player can make a Recovery Roll, taking a
moment to catch their breath and regain some lost stat points. Roll 1d6 and the result is the number of
points they may allocate between spent Attack and Defense points as they wish. Aura/HP can only be
recovered in this fashion if the character’s Attack and Defense pools are full. Making a Recovery Roll
takes no Action Points in combat, but can only be done during the player’s own turn.

Additionally, spent points are recovered while resting outside of combat. A short rest between
encounters will recover half of your spent points, while a night of sleep will recover you fully.
PATHS:
Your character's Path is the specialization they choose to focus on in battle. As Huntsmen and
Huntresses, all characters are training to do battle with Grimm, but everyone will go about it in a
different way. Each Path increases its primary stat (Striker - Attack; Defender - Defense; Aura Specialist -
Aura) by 10. In addition, the player chooses one of the other two stats to increase by 5. The final
remaining stat is increased by 1, and is referred to as your Deficient Stat.

Striker - The team's dedicated attacker, a Striker focuses on hitting the enemy and doing more consistent
damage than any other path. No matter what manner of attack they focus on, a Striker typically acts
aggressively in battle, aiming to bring down foes rapidly.
Increases Attack by 10
Increases either Defense or Aura by 5
Increases the remaining stat by 1.

Defender - As the party tank, a Defender is able to avoid, block, or otherwise mitigate damage from
enemy attacks, and can also focus the enemy's attention away from their teammates. Defenders typically
view success in a fight in terms of how healthy their allies are at the end of it.
Increases Defense by 10
Increases either Attack or Aura by 5
Increases the remaining stat by 1.

Aura Specialist - An Aura Specialist focuses more on perfecting their use of Aura than on weapons or
defense. An Aura Specialist can be a diverse fighter capable of simultaneously soaking up hits and
dealing damage, using their Semblance to control the fight, or tending to the wounds of their allies.
Increases Aura by 10
Increases either Attack or Defense by 5
Increases the remaining stat by 1.

Sub-paths:
After choosing your Path, you must also choose an additional Sub-path depending on the Path you
chose. Each Path has two Sub-paths, each of which has one base ability and more optional abilities.
Select one of the optional powers, which will also be granted to your character. Currently, there is no way
to learn additional abilities beyond the original choices, but that will probably change when
advancement rules are added.
Striker Sub-paths

Melee Fighter - A melee-focused Striker who devotes the bulk of their time to fighting enemies at close
range. While they do have the capability to fight with ranged weapons, a Melee Fighter will always be
more deadly when up close and personal.

Basic Ability - Full-round Attack: By spending 4 Action Points, a Melee Fighter can make a single attack
against an enemy in the same zone at twice their current dice pool. Attack Points can be spent on this
attack as usual, up to the Melee Fighter’s normal maximum. Since this is considered a single attack, a
weapon’s bonus (or penalty) to attack rolls applies only once, but the extra dice rolled increase damage
as usual.

Optional Abilities:
● Riposte: Once per combat round, a Melee Fighter who succeeds on a Defense roll against an
enemy attack can make a free attack costing no Action Points against them in retaliation. This
can happen at any point, regardless of whether the Melee Specialist has taken their turn yet, and
Attack Points can be spent on the roll as normal.
● Cleave: Once per combat round, a Melee Fighter can make a single attack roll which affects two
enemies within the same zone. The attack roll, however, is halved and each half is compared
individually to the enemies’ Target Numbers to calculate damage. Attack Points can be spent on
the roll as normal, but this ability can’t be used in conjunction with a Full-round Attack.

Ranged Fighter - A Striker who prefers to stay removed from the battle, raining attacks on their enemies
at a safe distance. A Ranged Fighter is not necessarily defenseless in melee, but if given the chance will
make an effort to disengage from their enemies and continue attacking from afar.

Basic Ability - Full-round Attack: By spending 4 Action Points, a Ranged Fighter can make a single attack
against an enemy in the same zone at twice their current dice pool. Attack Points can be spent on this
attack as usual, up to the Ranged Fighter’s normal maximum. Since this is considered a single attack, a
weapon’s bonus (or penalty) to attack rolls applies only once, but the extra dice rolled increase damage
as usual.

Optional Abilities:
● Overwatch: By foregoing their turn entirely, a Ranged Fighter can hone in on a single zone and
enter into an extremely focused state. Until their next turn, the Ranged Fighter can make a free
attack any time an enemy moves into or out of that zone. These attacks cost no Action Points,
but due to the focus needed to attack while continuing to observe the zone, no Attack Points can
be spent on any of these attacks.
● Disengage: Once per combat round, a Ranged Fighter who succeeds on a Defense roll against an
enemy attack can move up to one zone at no Action Point cost.
Defender Sub-paths

Commander - An inspiring presence on the battlefield, capable of bolstering allies and increasing morale.
A Commander is most effective on the front lines, staying in the thick of combat where they can be
visible to all. Having a Commander around makes everyone on the team more effective at what they do.

Basic Ability - Inspire: Once per combat round, a Commander can choose to roll 1d6 and add it to an
ally’s roll. Like spending stat points, this choice can be made after the roll is made. It costs no Action
Points to do so and can be done at any point, regardless of whether the Commander has taken their turn
or not.

Optional Abilities:
● Dazzling Display: When a Commander succeeds on an Attack roll against an enemy, they boost
the morale of allies within 1 zone of the Commander. Until the Commander’s next turn, all
affected allies gain a bonus on Attack rolls equal to the number of dice in the Commander’s
Attack pool. This bonus does not stack with multiple successful Attack rolls.
● Inspiring Defense: When a Commander succeeds on a Defense roll against an enemy’s attack,
they boost the morale of allies within 1 zone of the Commander. Until the Commander’s next
turn, all affected allies gain a bonus on Defense rolls equal to the number of dice in the
Commander’s Defense pool. This bonus does not stack with multiple successful Defense rolls.

Tank - A combatant focused entirely on avoiding and mitigating damage. A Survivalist thrives in the thick
of combat, commanding the attention of enemies and soaking up damage that would otherwise find its
way to their teammates.

Basic Ability - Cover: Once per combat round, a Tank can move between an ally in the same zone and an
attacking enemy, taking a blow that would have harmed their ally. The Tank takes half the damage the
ally would have taken with no chance to make their own Defense roll.

Optional Abilities:
● Taunt: Once per combat round, a Tank can choose an enemy within 1 zone of their own. They
challenge that enemy, commanding their attention and forcing that enemy to spend their next
turn targeting the Tank. This ability requires a single Action point. Note: In the case of
particularly simple automatons or extremely focused human/faunus enemies, the GM may
decide this ability doesn’t work. These exceptions should be exceedingly rare, but in some cases
it is impossible to divert an enemy’s attention.
● All Out Defense: By foregoing their turn entirely, a Tank can focus all of their energy on defense.
Until their next turn, they take half damage from any attack that hits them. This includes the
damage the Tank would suffer by protecting an ally with their Cover feature.
Aura Specialist Sub-paths

Dust Expert - A versatile fighter capable of carrying and utilizing dust in innovative and deadly fashions.
While all Huntsmen can make use of Dust, a Dust Master takes this ability to new heights every time they
step onto the battlefield. As long as they have Dust, a Dust Master can adapt to any situation with ease.

Basic Ability - Efficient Use: Any Dust effect in combat costs half of the Dust Points it would normally
cost. If this would reduce it to less than 1, it still costs 1 point but the duration or effect is doubled.

Optional Abilities:
● Dust Scavenger: A Dust Expert’s Recovery Roll recovers spent Dust Points as well. They are still
only allowed a single roll per combat, but in addition to restoring Stat Points, half of the roll’s
result is added to your Dust Point total (minimum 1). You cannot carry more than your maximum
in this fashion.
●

Aura Fighter - A combatant who uses Aura not only for defense, but offense as well. An Aura Fighter
learns to project their Aura to damage their enemies, trading durability for extra damage.

Basic Ability - Soul Burn: An Aura Specialist turns their Aura into a potent tool. After a successful attack
or defense roll, they can spend a number of Aura points up to twice the current dice pool for the
relevant roll, adding that amount to the roll’s total.

Optional Abilities:
● Unarmed Combat: As long as an Aura Fighter has Aura remaining, they can make attacks even
without their weapon. These attacks are melee only, and don’t have the bonuses a weapon
would have, but use the Attack stat and allow for Attack points to be spent as normal.
● Regeneration: An Aura Fighter is so reliant on their Aura, they have learned to recover it more
efficiently in battle. An Aura Fighter with this ability can use their Recovery Roll to restore Aura
even if their other stats aren’t full.
HIT POINTS:
Hit Points are determined by your Aura. Every living being besides Grimm have an Aura to protect them.
Human and Faunus characters have a base of 10 HP generated by their Aura. Huntsmen and Huntresses
(or others trained in Aura use) have more:

10+(2xAura Score)=HP

Thus, a character with an Aura of 20 would have 50 HP, while one with 11 would only have 32. However,
this comes with a downside: Using your Semblance requires you to expend Aura. This has the
unfortunate added effect of decreasing your HP when you use it, and when at 0 HP your Semblance will
become unavailable to you until you recover.

While at 0 HP, every 10 points of damage dealt to a character will inflict a Wound (minimum 1). A
Wound represents a serious physical injury that will take time and treatment to heal properly. If a
character accumulates 3 Wounds at the same time, they die.
Weapons
Weapons are the tools you use to fight your foes. Though they're referred to as "weapons" by the rules,
just about anything can be considered a weapon, from a typical sword and shield to a trumpet. All that
matters is that a player character is able to fight much more effectively with their chosen weapon than
without it.

When creating a weapon, the default assumption is that is has some ranged and melee capabilities. A
default weapon can attack any enemy up to 2 zones away with no other restrictions. Restricting a
weapon to a single mode (melee or ranged) changes how often a character can use the bonuses granted
by its type, but lock it to certain ranges. A melee weapon can only attack enemies in the same zone, and
a ranged weapon cannot attack enemies in the same zone. In exchange, the special abilities granted by
the character’s chosen weapon type can be used 1 additional time per day for each Character Level. In
addition, ranged-only weapons can attack have their range increased by one additional zone (1-3, no
attacks in the same zone).

Light Weapons are an exception to the above range rules. A default Light Weapon can only attack targets
up to 1 zone away, and a ranged-only Light Weapon can only attack up to 2 zones away.

There are four types of weapons to choose from. Each type has a special ability that can be used a
number of times per day equal to the wielder’s Character Level (or twice that for a single-range weapon):

OFFENSIVE:
An offensive weapon is built to take an enemy down as efficiently as possible. Sacrificing defense for
power, an offensive weapon is the build of choice for a character who wants to do as much damage as
possible.
An offensive weapon can be made to deal double damage on all attacks in a round of combat, but the
wielder takes double damage from all sources until their next turn.

DEFENSIVE:
A defensive weapon is one designed to protect the wielder from all manner of harm. Sacrificing offense
for durability, a defensive weapon is the build of choice for a character who wants to ensure they survive
a confrontation with any foe.
A defensive weapon can be made to deal half damage on all attacks in a round of combat, but the
wielder takes half damage from all sources until their next turn.

BALANCED:
A balanced weapon is built for versatility, allowing the wielder to attack and defense effectively - though
not as well as either specialized type. A balanced weapon fits into any fighting style, helping a character
make good on their strengths and shoring up their weaknesses at the same time.
A balanced weapon can be made to generate 1 free Momentum die for each successful attack in a round
of combat, but it gains no bonuses or penalties to damage dealt or taken.
LIGHT
Light weapons are built for speed and ease of use, allowing for a trained wielder to strike more often and
move around the battlefield more easily while doing so. Their light construction makes them strictly less
effective than the other weapon types, but sometimes the sheer number of strikes they can provide can
easily make the difference in a fight.
A light weapon can be made to deal half damage on all attacks in a round of combat, but the wielder
only needs to spend a single Action Point for each attack.
Semblances

A Semblance is a special power, almost always unique to the character it belongs to. A Semblance is a
manifestation of one's Aura that allows one to do amazing things; a Semblance may allow one to push
their strength past human limits, move too quickly for the eye to follow, project Aura in the form of an
attack, manipulate gravity, or any number of other abilities. In very rare cases, a Semblance may be
hereditary, but as far as the general populace (and a gaming group) is concerned no two Semblances are
alike.

For player purposes, a Semblance can be thought of as a sort of broadly themed spell that they can get
different effects out of by spending Aura. They can attempt anything they can conceivably think of within
that theme, but whether such a thing is possible - and if so, how difficult it will be to achieve - is up to
the GM. A character with super speed, for example, could use that ability to more easily make a jump
across a wide chasm, but they'd be hard pressed to justify using that same ability to stop a speeding
train.

Semblances can be utilized in three ways: Passive Effects, Active Effects, and Improvised Effects.

Passive Effects cover either: bonuses which are always active, such as Yang's ability to get stronger just
by getting hit or Nora's ability to absorb electricity; or abilities that are so routine that they can be
utilized in the blink of an eye, such as Blake's shadow clones. A player must spend 1 point of Aura each
time a Passive Effect is utilized, but can choose not to use it even if a situation would allow for it.

Active Effects cover abilities that take Action Points, such as Weiss's glyphs, Pyrrha's magnetism, or
Ruby's super speed. A player must spend 2 Action Points and 3 points of Aura each time they use an
Active Effect.

Improvised Effects cover any use of a Semblance that hasn't been established as an Active or Passive
effect. This may be a new, creative use of a Semblance, or simply attempting to push the effectiveness of
an ability that's been used before beyond its normal limitations. Examples include Weiss helping Ruby
run up a cliff face by using an extreme number of glyphs, Emerald attempting to fool two people at the
same time instead of one, or Weiss and Ruby working together to fire ice bullets at an enemy.

The GM is the final arbiter of what can be allowed from an Improvised Effect, but a general rule of
thumb is that in combat, its effect should be more rewarding than if the player had spent their turn
taking normal actions. To balance this, an Improvised Effect requires 2 Action Points, can only be used a
number of times per day equal to the Character Level, and costs 5 points of Aura to use, representing the
extreme effort the character expends pushing themselves or the excess energy wasted when trying
something new.

When designing a Semblance for a starting character, choose one Passive Effect and one Active Effect.
Character progression will allow for more effects to be learned over time.

NOTE: As the Semblance mechanics allow for the most creativity and are the least constrained by any
rules, the GM has a daunting task in keeping them properly balanced. Semblances cost Aura to use,
which lowers HP accordingly, so using a Semblance in combat should be rewarding.

Using a Semblance’s Active Effect in combat should pack at least as much of a punch as spending those
two Action Points attacking. Using an Improvised Effect should be roughly equivalent to spending an
entire turn attacking. This makes it easy to judge direct damage effects of a Semblance, but a bit trickier
to judge how effective a more unconventional use. When in doubt, err on the side of the player. RWBY
D6 is meant to be a system that rewards creativity.

Semblances are impossible to completely codify, as ideally everyone’s will be unique and players are
encouraged to design the Semblance that they want their characters to have. However, for those who
need help thinking of something or would rather not think too much about it, here are some examples:

INSERT EXAMPLES:
Dust
Each player in RWBY D6 is given an allowance of Dust for use during play. This serves as an abstraction;
there will be no micromanaging of different types of Dust. Instead, Dust Points can become any type of
Dust a character might carry whenever the player decides to use them.

A player's Dust allowance starts at 10 points. There may be ways to increase this base allowance added
as more testing is done.

A player's allowance of Dust points is assumed to be refilled completely during any downtime. However,
players will often find themselves running low on Dust during missions, without any means of
conveniently refilling their stock. In these cases, depending on the location and enemies being fought, a
GM can determine that the players are able to scavenge a certain amount of Dust.

Fights that contain human/faunus or robot enemies is likely to yield a fair amount of scavenged Dust. A
fight with only Grimm, though, won’t give the players as much, if any at all.

Like Semblances, Dust as a concept in RWBY is an extremely broad one. Just among the main four, we've
seen characters reload with specialty bullets, channel dust for pseudo-magical effects, empower strikes,
and use Dust to significantly alter the use of a Semblance. As such, like Semblances, the rules for Dust
will be rather loose, relying on players and GMs to come to an agreement on just how powerful Dust
effects should be. The effects available for use via Dust are numerous, but as a rough guideline consider
some of the following possibilities:

● Reload with a magazine of bullets of some elemental type; the next X attacks have an elemental
effect (1 point per reload)
○ Fire = Incendiary: Ignites the target on a successful hit, causing continuous damage in
the following turns
○ Wind = High Force: The bullet is accompanied by a wave of concussive force, moving the
enemy against their will
○ Ice = Freezing: The bullet freezes part of the target on impact, restricting its movement
○ Electricity = Anti-Machine: The bullet is electrically charged, causing damage to
mechanical systems on impact
● Achieve some sort of minor pseudo-magical effect, such as: (2 points per use)
○ Cover the battlefield with slippery ice
○ Create a field of force to forcibly deflect an enemy attack
○ Attack at range, even with a melee-only weapon
○ Buffet the enemy with wind, distracting or disarming them
● Augment a Semblance, altering the normal effects (3 points per use)
● Create a powerful pseudo-magical effect, such as: (4 points per use)
○ Summon a stormcloud that rains down sharp shards of ice
 ○ More to come

In addition, Dust can be used for a constant effect. RWBY mentions the practice of sewing Dust into
clothing; we also have at least one character who fights with Dust blades, though we have no concrete
knowledge of what special effects that provides. Though we have little to go on in the way of solid
knowledge, a safe assumption is that it provides some sort of constant passive bonuses, such as:

● Protection from damage of a certain element.

● Strengthen other Dust effects of a certain element
● Add minor on-hit effects to melee attacks

Imbuing clothing or weaponry with Dust (semi)permanently lowers a character's Dust allowance, but
provides constant and (semi)permanent lesser effects. Given time to re-outfit themselves, players can
gain back the loss of Dust allowance, but doing so also makes them lose the bonuses.
Advancement
Advancement in RWBY D6 is handled with a milestone system. Simply put, this means that rather than
gaining experience points and leveling up, characters just get stronger as they achieve new things and
make progress in their stories. There are three types of milestones: Minor, Significant, and Major. Each
milestone grants the players a choice of bonuses to increase their character's capabilities, and each
comes at different points in the game. If a player wishes to advance in a way not listed in the rules, the
GM can choose to allow it at a proper milestone, but such cases should be handled carefully and typically
should be an exception to the rule. The effects of each type of milestone and the conditions for achieving
them are detailed below:

Minor Milestone
Minor milestones are meant to represent the natural progression of a character as they become more
comfortable with their abilities and gain experience in everyday life. A minor milestone comes at the end
of a session of play, though if the GM feels that a discovery or achievement mid-session is worth a
milestone they can award one during play. Alternatively, if a session is spent mostly wasted, a GM might
rule that a milestone isn't warranted. These should always be exceptions to the rule, though. Granting
too many minor milestones can make characters rather powerful, but holding back on them goes against
the spirit of high action and competent heroes that RWBY D6 wants to embody. In general, just give a
minor milestone to the party at the end of a session of play. A minor milestone can grant ONE of the
following bonuses:

● Increase one Combat Stat (with the exception of your deficient stat) by 1 point. This increase
cannot push you to a new dice pool threshold - if you have a stat of 20, you cannot increase it to
21.
● Increase one Interaction Stat by 1 point
● Increase Dust Allowance by 1 point

Significant Milestone
Significant milestones represent new experience gained by overcoming challenges and pushing
themselves past their normal limits. Significant milestones come after players win hard-fought victories
against dangerous, influential foes, or perhaps after uncovering and solving a major mystery plaguing
their lives. A significant milestone should almost always come at the end of a session that wraps up one
chapter of an arc. Perhaps the characters defeat a powerful enemy, but learn that foe was only a
subordinate working for a much more dangerous individual. A significant milestone grants the bonuses
of a minor milestone, and ALSO grants ONE of the following bonuses:

● Increase one Combat Stat (including your deficient stat) by 3

 ● Increase one Combat Stat at the top of its current increment by 1, pushing it into a new
threshold and increasing any relevant dice pools.
● Gain a new Passive Effect for your Semblance
● Change from one sub-path within your chosen path to the other

Alternatively, a player has the OPTION of using both their minor AND significant milestones to learn the
second ability in their chosen sub-path, but not in the one they haven't chosen.

Major Milestone
Major milestones represent truly life-changing or defining experiences. Exposing and rooting out a major
crime ring, thwarting a plot to flood a city with Grimm after a climactic battle, or overcoming a truly
powerful foe that's been plaguing the characters for some time. A major milestone comes at the end of a
story arc, and grants an impressive increase in power. In addition to gaining the bonuses of both a
significant AND minor milestone, a significant milestone grants ONE of the following bonuses:

● Raise any combat stat by 5. This can push the stat into a new dice pool threshold, granting it any
relevant increase.
● Raise any two combat stats by 3. This cannot push the stats into a new dice pool threshold
(though if it increases them to their current maximum, your significant milestone can be used to
push one of them past.)
● Gain a new Active Effect for your Semblance

Alternatively, a player has the OPTION of using all of their milestones - minor, significant, AND major - to
choose the following bonus:

Learn one of the optional sub-path abilities from the sub-path within your chosen path you aren't a part
of. For example, a Commander could choose to take the Taunt ability from the Tank sub-path
Enemies
In RWBY D6, there are three types of enemies the players are likely to face, and each enemy belongs to
one of three tiers used to determine their general strength. The type of the enemy determines several of
its characteristics, and the tier determines how much of a challenge it should pose to an average party.

All enemies have two Target Numbers: one for Attack, and one for Defense. The Attack TN determines
what number a player needs to meet or beat to hit the enemy with an attack, and the Defense TN
determines the same for avoiding the enemy's attack. These TNs are determined partially by the enemy's
tier and partially by the enemy type. These base values can then be adjusted as the GM sees fit to make
weaker or stronger enemies for the party to face.

TIERS
The enemy's tier determines its general threat level. Bear in mind that this is relative to the power of the
players; as they grow in power, what was once threatening enough to be considered a mid-boss could
easily be reduced to fodder, and what was once fodder might not even be worth running an encounter
for. No accomplished, professional Huntsman or Huntress is going to lose to a pack of juvenile
Beowolves, but a student might find too many to be quite dangerous and to a normal citizen, even one
might be considered a Boss encounter.

Fodder
● Meant to act as a nuisance in battle, though can be a threat if ignored
● Low TNs, can be defeated easily
● Almost always encountered in great numbers

Fodder is meant to be encountered in numbers. No matter what their TNs may be, an enemy in the
Fodder tier has no HP. Instead, it follows the Wound system that a PC is subject to when at 0 HP. Every
increment of 5 points of damage deals 1 Wound to the enemy, and when the enemy accumulates 3
Wounds it is defeated.

Mid-boss
● Stronger than fodder; roughly on par with an individual player character
● TNs should be slightly above the players’ average rolls when spending no Stat points; have some
staying power unless the party spends Stat points against them
● HP = Attack TNx5
● Possibly has a small special trait/skill (or, if human/faunus, possibly a Semblance)
A Mid-boss is almost always encountered in the company of plenty of Fodder. Mid-bosses are meant to
be enemies roughly on par with an individual player character, though the lack of Stat Pools to
strengthen themselves with makes them somewhat inferior. In a 1v1 fight, a full-strength player should
be able to win against a Mid-boss by only spending a moderate amount of Stat points, or taking a small
amount of damage.

Typically, a Mid-boss will have some small special trait, skill, or ability that sets them further apart from
other enemies. These should amount to short-lived or situational boosts to their TNs, limited-use attacks
that target multiple characters, or possibly minor Semblance powers.

Boss
● Very strong; should be fairly dangerous even to a group at full strength
● TNs should be roughly 1.5x the average numbers a party can roll without spending Stat points;
difficult to hit or defend against without spending Stat points
● HP = Attack TNx10
● Always has one or more special traits, skills, or Semblance.

A Boss can be encountered alone, or with accompanying Mid-boss or Fodder type enemies. Bosses are
meant to be a challenge even for a full party of player characters. A Boss enemy should generally be
near-impossible to defeat 1v1, unless the player is capable of coming up with some creative way to swing
the fight in their favor. A full party should be able to take one down in a fight by spending a significant
amount of Stat points, taking a fair amount of damage, or both.

A Boss should almost always have some sort of special, unique ability. A human or faunus Boss will have
a Semblance, and a Grimm or automaton will have at least one powerful ability specific to their species
or type. These should amount to a fully developed Semblance, and should be capable of dealing
significant damage to multiple targets, disabling targets in some way, or altering the battlefield in the
Boss's favor.

TYPES

GRIMM
● Has no Aura
● Attracted to negative emotions
● Almost always mindless
● Each species has some special trait

The creatures of Grimm are found anywhere you can find civilization. Though very little is truly known
about them, what is known is unsettling, to say the least. They live entirely to kill humans and faunus,
despite the apparent lack of any biological need to do so, and are attracted to negative emotions,
drawing them to communities where fear, hatred, or despair are prevalent.
As an enemy type, Grimm are creatures defined solely by physical capabilities. Beowolves attack with
sharp claws in large packs, Ursa rely on overwhelming power and thick hide, and giant Nevermores
propel deadly, javelin-like feathers across entire battlefields.

HUMAN/FAUNUS
● Has an Aura capable of protecting them
● Fights with weapons like the players
● May have access to a Semblance

Humans and faunus are found primarily in one of the four kingdoms, though small villages, camps, and
roving bands may be found in the wilderness. Their motivations are as varied as they are, but typically all
of them will do what they can to secure the basic necessities for survival above all else.

As an enemy type, humans and faunus come in many varieties, but usually fight with a weapon and use
at least basic tactics to try and turn the fight to their advantage. Though they are physically inferior to
Grimm, they make up for their shortcomings with tenacity, resourcefulness, and the ability to manifest
their Aura to aid them in battle. Some may even have a Semblance, making them capable of powerful
unique abilities.

AUTOMATON
● Has no Aura
● AI is usually advanced enough to follow complex orders, but doesn't allow for individual thought
● Tend to be built with superiority in numbers in mind, rather than individual strength

Automatons are manufactured soldiers built mainly for superiority in numbers. They're employed
primarily by the kingdoms as a means of defending their borders from Grimm without risking human
lives, but some may find themselves in the hands of private owners.

In most cases, automatons are physically superior to humans and faunus, but individually can't stand up
to many Grimm. As they lack an Aura and contain many moving parts, they are somewhat easier to
defeat than the tougher Grimm or a human/faunus protecting themselves with Aura. To make up for
this, they are deployed in great numbers, overpowering even superior foes with a relentless, mechanical
offensive.

As an enemy type, automatons will follow complex, but rigid, programming. They are able to react and
adapt to many common battlefield scenarios, but a creative foe can take advantage of their inability to
think outside the box. They fight with weapons like a human or faunus, but may have special custom
equipment that allows for unique abilities.
Combat

Damage

A player deals damage equal to [(Attack roll result+weapon bonus)-enemy Attack Target Number)],
unless otherwise stated. If a player's attack hits, it deals a minimum of 1 damage.

An enemy deals damage equal to [(enemy Defense Target Number -(Defense roll result+weapon bonus)],
unless otherwise stated. If an enemy's attack hits, it deals a minimum of 1 damage.

Action Economy

Participants have 4 Action Points per round in combat. These points can be spent for various effects.
Some guidelines for determining the cost of an action are as follows:

Examples of actions that cost 1 Action Point:

● Moving a single zone (unimpeded)
● Attacking with a light weapon
● Making a Recovery roll

Examples of actions that cost 2 Action Points:

● Attacking an enemy
● Using your Semblance
● Moving one zone while impeded (enemies, rough terrain, carrying something heavy)

Regardless of if a person ends their turn with Action Points remaining, they are only given 4 per turn.
Unspent points are wasted.

Once per combat round, a player can spend 1 Action Point to take an offensive or defensive stance,
granting a +1 bonus to the relevant stat and -1 penalty to the opposite. This stance lasts until the player's
next turn.
Distance and Movement

In combat, the battlefield is divided into zones. Every character in the same zone can interact with each
other as normal, without having to spend any actions to reach each other. Moving from one zone
requires to another requires action points as follows:

● The first time each turn you move from one zone to the next unimpeded, it costs 0 Action Points
● Each zone moved after the initial movement costs 1 Action Point
● Each zone you try to move from (but not into) which contains enemies or hazards costs 1
additional Action Point

Generally, the only factor limiting movement is a player’s Action Point reserve. However, a GM may
determine that a certain move is impossible without some assistance or special maneuver, such as
running up a vertical cliff face.

Initiative

Unless incapacitated, every character and enemy participating in combat gets 1 turn per round in which
they can act. When a character finishes their turn, they choose from among the remaining participants
who gets to act next.

While a player can choose to pass the next turn to another player, enemies must pass initiative back to
the players unless all of the players have acted for the round. This means that if the players all take their
turns at the beginning of the combat, they then have to deal with every enemy taking their turns in
sequence.

Unless the players are caught by surprise, the initiative order always allows them to go first.

Momentum

During a combat, it is possible for exceptional performance to swing the momentum of a fight towards
one side or another. When making an Attack or Defense roll, any die that lands on a 6 adds a single die to
the player’s Momentum Pool. A player’s maximum Momentum Pool is calculated as follows:

(Maximum Attack Pool)+(Maximum Defense Pool)

During combat when an ally makes an Attack or Defense roll, a character can spend points from their
Momentum Pool to add to that ally’s total pool for the roll. The ally rolls additional dice equal to the
number of Momentum points spent, and adds the total to their roll. Any Momentum Dice rolled in this
way can add to the Momentum Pool of the player being aided, if those dice land on a 6 as well.
A player can spend points from their Momentum Pool to add dice to their own rolls, but at twice the
cost. Every 2 points a player spends on their own roll allows them to roll a single additional die for the
action.

However, Momentum can swing in favor of the enemies as well. For every dice that lands on a 1, (INSERT
VARIOUS BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN HERE.)
CREDITS LIST
While many games influence the creation of RWBY D6 in some way or another, the biggest inspirations
I've had so far come from the following systems:

Magical Burst:

I took a lot of inspiration from Magical Burst's character creation system: 6 stats, split between
noncombat and combat; vague specializations that affect how you play without constraining you to a
rigid build; and the HP and Wound system.

I also have so far lifted the Initiative mechanics from it wholesale, as I LOVE the system Ewen Cluney
used for it.

And, to a lesser extent, Magical Burst was the first game to ignite my love for d6 systems instead of
D&D's d20 or nWoD or L5R’s d10s.

Numenera:

Among many things about Numenera, one of my favorites is the system for designing
enemies/traps/social encounters/literally everything else the party would go up against. Each enemy has
a level, which is multiplied by 3 to determine the number a player needs to roll to hit, avoid, influence, or
otherwise affect it.

Individual monsters CAN have exceptions built into them, which allows for customization, but the fact
that the base design relies entirely on rolling to meet or beat a single number makes designing
encounters MUCH easier on the GM than any other system I've ever seen. I’ve altered it to be different
from Numenera’s (and will likely change it even further as time goes on) but the core of it is still the
same.

Fate:

I more or less pulled the movement/distance rules straight from Fate, as far as I recall them. Since I did
so from memory (and worked them into my current action economy) they’re probably a bit different, but
I love the idea of loosely defined zones rather than strict grid-based combat like in D&D.
Contact Me:

If you have any questions, comments, feedbacks or critique, let me know! The best way to do so would
either be posting or commenting on the RWBY D6 subreddit, as that’s where I’m chronicling all my
efforts anyway. If you’d rather send something more private, you can also just send me a message on
Reddit directly.