TOMAGOMB

Description::A home brew roleplaying system, TOMAGOMB (Thoughts On Making A Game Of My Books) was created by Mark Burton (Lord Rumfish) in the summer of 2001 (8/4/01) and has been continuously in the process of perfection ever since. With every person who plays the system, refinement and creation take place, so I would be remiss not to dedicate the TOMAGOMB roleplaying system to each and every one of them. While this is a numerous list (and I lack eidetic memory), this includes: Jason H., James A., Frank R., John C., Raymond C., Robert C., Brian M., Angela E., Melanie G., various of the Western Kentucky University gamers of the 2001-2002 semester (Sam, Daniel, Kai, Brian again, Dane, Jody?, and others whose names escape me), Will W., Jessie S., Jonathan S., Phillip M., Tim, James S., Angela M., Brandi B., and others, as I am quite certain my foggy memory has left out a few. I hope my brevity in naming each of you respects your privacy adequately, though feel free to edit in your proper name if it suits you, or to edit down to either initials or no last name if you desire less visibility. Again, I thank you all for humoring me and suffering through rules changes (i.e., the nerfbat). I hope you've all had some fun along the way, with more to come. ^_^

Loosely based on GRAMPS (a bastard child of GURPS), the TOMAGOMB system is very flexible and versatile, albeit difficult to balance and occasionally oversimplified. The main selling factor of TOMAGOMB vs. other roleplaying systems is the fun factor. Every campaign I've ran in TOMAGOMB was an enjoyable success. People enjoy leveling, and it goes to 60 levels (with level 50 being somewhat near to level 20 in D&D).

Statistics
Statistics are the numerical measure of a character and their main attributes. TOMAGOMB is a system of varied stats, including basic stats that are possessed by every character, and rarer stats known only to a select few.
 * Base statistics
 * Strength
 * Dexterity
 * Fortitude
 * Mental Aptitude
 * Luck
 * Special statistics
 * Piety
 * Life Spirit
 * Martial Discipline

Races
Main article here - Character Races

The worlds of TOMAGOMB are filled with a myriad of sentient creatures who, if properly motivated, can decide to become adventurers. To consider playing one of these races, peruse the list and find one that interests you.

Classes
Main article here - Character Classes

Within the confines of TOMAGOMB, a character class is a group of skills and abilities which describe a profession. For instance, a warrior would know how to use weapons, armour and learn combat tricks. Conversely, a rogue would know lots of skills, mostly surrounding how to be sneaky and steal things while a mage would have little skill in either of these things, having concentrated his focus on the acquisition of knowledge, both mundane and arcane. Virtually anything is available, ask your DM if the class you want isn't already made.

Skills and Proficiencies
Main article here - skills

Skills are the accumulated professions, talents and spheres of knowledge which comprise much of what a person is and does outside of their raw abilities and puissance in combat. Conversely, proficiencies are the abilities of a character to wear armor and wield weapons in combat. If you missed the link at the top, the TOMAGOMB Items page is a good companion to skills and proficiencies.

Advanced Abilities
Main article here - Advanced Abilities

As each character becomes experienced and proficient in their fields, there are certain, special powers or attributes which become available for the choosing. In TOMAGOMB, these are called Advanced Abilities (AA's). These AA's help either broaden a characters horizons or further hone their focus as they become more experienced.

Levels
Base statistics at level 1 cap at 13. Characters level 2 through 9 can only raise a statistic to 16. Characters 10 through 19 can only raise a statistic to 17. Characters at 20 or above are limited to an 18 statistic for Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude, and Mental Aptitude; and a cap of 20 for Luck, Piety, Life Spirit and Martial Discipline. Racial modifiers affect these caps as normal.

For example, a Dark Elf has racial modifiers of +2 Dexterity and -2 Fortitude. In the table to the right, we show how the Dark Elf's racial modifiers affect each level's maximum statistic.

At level 1, you start with 0 XP and once you’ve earned 1000 XP, you level up to 2. Every 1000 XP, you gain another level - it’s that simple. As you level, the DM decides what constitutes the XP characters gain, as experience is relative. Level 60 is the maximum level in Tomagomb.

At level 1, you start with your class's full hit points for your first hit die, you spread your 58 stat points amongst your class's stats, spend any skill points and pick your weapon and armor proficiencies as appropriate to your starting class. Every level after 1st, you roll your hit die to gain hit points, rerolling any die roll of 1. At level 2 and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a stat point to spend. Based on your class, you will gain extra attacks and your dodge will improve. See the class attack and dodge tables in the Class section for more information, especially regarding multiclassing.

Alignment
Lawful		Neutral		Chaotic Good		Neutral		Evil

The alignments are not as critical in Tomagomb as they are in D&D usually; only in a handful of cases does your alignment generally matter for game mechanics. It is more of an issue for flavor and personality of characters.

Magic
Main article here - magic

Magic is one of the very foundations of a fantasy RPG, and TOMAGOMB is no exception. What follows is a discussion on how magic works in TOMAGOMB, the types of magic and the philosophy behind it.

Initiative
When the GM determines that combat rounds need to begin, he/she will ask the players to roll an Initiative check, and the GM will roll for the NPCs and/or monsters involved. This is done on a 1d10 to give greater emphasis to those who are faster or trained to react more quickly. Add your Dex score to the 1d10 roll, plus any special modifiers (such as the level 1 fighter AA Quick or the bonus from 16 M.D.) to determine your initiative. The highest number goes first, followed in descending order. In the case of a tie, a tiebreaker roll must be had by all parties on the same initiative number. The winner goes first (mark it as, say, 18.7 for the winner of a tiebreaker on 18 initiative, for instance), followed by the others in the order of the tiebreaker (18.5, 18.3, 18.1, etc.).

Special Actions with Initiative: You may choose to delay your action until a certain point in the round, such as making a coordinated attack with a group member or waiting until someone gets injured so you can heal them. This reactive playstyle is good for some types of characters and in some situations. If you wait until everyone else has gone, you can either finally take your turn at the end of the round or you can skip your turn for the round and deign to immediately go first at the start of the next round (at which point you could start waiting again if you so choose!). Whatever initiative you wait until to act, that is the initiative you will go at in subsequent rounds.

Combat Rounds
In Tomagomb, each minute comprises 10 rounds of combat. A round is divided into two main actions, plus any number of free actions. Main actions are: moving, attacking, performing a skill, casting a spell. Free actions are: drinking a potion (once per round; more than once is a main action), lay on hands, activating some AA’s, speaking a few words, and many other things.

The DM has the option of conducting the main action one of two ways, but not both ways.

1st Option (recommended, if vague): When a character divides their time into two main actions, it seems realistic that they could move for half of the round, then still take half of their number of attacks as their second main action. In fact, could the character attack one enemy, move a partial distance, and then spend an appropriate number of their attacks in comparison to the time it took to move that distance? The DM must draw the line and adjudicate such situations, but this free and open-form adaptable combat maneuvering is fun and not as complicated as most would think. If in doubt, round down the available attacks after gauging the time spent out of the round. Players and DMs with attention to detail and strong tactical preference might not like this option, either because it is too easy to exploit, too difficult to continuously calculate, or the foundation of the combat turn seems shaky. In which case…

2nd Option (less fun, very stable): A main action consists of either one movement (detailed in Speed, below), one spell casting, one skill use, or half of the character’s number of attacks, rounded down (if you haven‘t attacked at all this round, minimum 1 attack, or 2 attacks if dual-wielding). If a full round is spent attacking or moving, nothing is rounded down for hexes moved or attacks made.

''Side Note: What’s to stop low-level characters from using one move in addition to their “full attack” of one attack every round? Or a mage from casting a spell, then attacking once? The Answer: Nothing is stopping them. Go ahead. Have fun.''

Speed
As mentioned, your base speed is (Dex/2, rounded down) x 5 ft. / action. If your Dex reaches 21+, you gain a +5 ft. speed increase per point rather than every other point. But just what does this mean in terms of how fast your character can move in combat and in travel? If your character is just moving every round (such as traveling), they are probably walking, which means they use both actions each round to walk.

Walking - Halve your character’s normal speed for this action, rounded down. For casual travel, your character is assumed to be walking, i.e., using every round to double-move at walking speed, which maintains your full base speed. A character can generally walk for 8 hours with no ill effects.

Forcing yourself to walk further requires a Fortitude save with a -2 penalty for each hour beyond 8 hours. If you fail this save, you will automatically advance to being fatigued until you take an extended rest. If you continue while fatigued, you must make the same Fortitude save with an additional -2 penalty for being fatigued. If you fail, you become exhausted until you take an extended rest. If you still continue, you must make the Fortitude save as above with a -4 penalty for being exhausted (this replaces the fatigued penalty). If you fail that save, you automatically fall unconscious and take an extended rest if possible no matter where you lie. If your rest is undisturbed, you awaken fatigued during the next day. If your rest is disturbed, you will be exhausted as before, but with the length of time you slept taken off of your forced march. After you take an extended rest, you will still be fatigued the next day after forcing yourself to unconsciousness in this manner.

Jogging - You can also think of this speed as "base speed." Your character moves at their listed normal speed for this action. For casual travel, this means you move at double your usual speed each round (using both actions to jog for a round). You can still change direction however you wish during a jog. Unless noted otherwise, you can jog for a number of minutes equal to twice your Fortitude score. For combat, you are assumed to be at least jogging, as your life is on the line. (Who walks during combat, really?)

Running - Your character moves at 1.5 times their listed normal speed for this action, rounded down. In casual travel, this means you move at x3 your normal listed speed per round, and you can run this fast for a number of minutes equal to your Fortitude score. In combat, if you move at this speed the round counts as 2 rounds towards combat fatigue, and you can only veer up to 90 degrees from running a straight line, and it must be done gradually.

Sprinting - Your character moves at 2x their listed speed for this action. In casual travel, you move at x4 your speed, but you can only run this fast for a number of rounds equal to twice your Fortitude score. In combat, any round you move at this speed counts as 4 rounds towards combat fatigue, and you can only veer up to 3 hex rows from a straight line, and even then it must be done on a gradual curve.

Attacking
Attack Roll - When your weapon or attack form is within range of the target, you roll a 1d20 against your Dexterity. If you rolled equal to or less than Dex, it is a hit unless the target dodges. If you rolled a natural 1, it is a critical hit for double damage (usually) unless the target dodges, and the target halves their dodge on a critical hit, rounded down. A roll of 20 is a critical failure, usually entailing either a few points of self-inflicted damage (GM discretion, usually no more than 1d4 unavoidable damage) or a Luck roll to determine if something worse happens, such as tripping to fall prone or dropping your weapon 10 feet away. After your attack connects, roll your weapon damage dice plus any modifiers, such as Strength for melee weapons, M.D. for any physical weapon, AA's or magical bonuses.

Armor Class - Your armor class, or AC, provides a direct reduction in physical damage taken. AC doesn't guard against elemental damage (fire, holy, shadow, etc.) or against called shots made in an unarmored area, but other than that AC simply reduces the damage by the exact number you possess.

Ranged Combat - When using a weapon at range, you may still make your usual number of attacks unless noted otherwise (such as with crossbows). Keep in mind that you are limited by the amount of ammunition (or number of thrown weapons) that you are carrying. Some extremely low damage weapons, such as blowguns and shuriken, can be used at -2 Dex accuracy to penetrate armor. This ignores the target's AC from armor and shields, but not from innate resilience. Damage bonus (such as from M.D. or magic enhancement) can still help you overcome the target's innate resilience. In borderline cases on monsters, the GM should use common sense: you can shoot between a dragon's scales, but there is no weak point on a stone golem.

All ranged weapons have a range increment, given in feet (divide by 5 for number of hexes). When shooting beyond the first range increment, you take a -2 Dex accuracy penalty for each increment beyond the first. For instance: a throwing axe that travels 60 ft. is at a -4 Dex penalty to hit, since it has traveled two increments of 20 ft. beyond the original distance. Backstab attempts may only be done within the first range increment. The maximum distance a weapon may be fired is 5 x the range increment (100 ft. for a 20 ft. increment, 250 ft. for a 50 ft. increment, etc.), which would be at a -8 Dex penalty for accuracy.

Aiming is possible with a ranged weapon. By aiming at a target for a full round, the next ranged attack against that target gains a +3 bonus to Dex for accuracy. A partial aim can also be made as a main action for a +2 bonus (this will be particularly advantageous at low levels when the character can only make one attack per round). In TOMAGOMB Modern, weapon advancements will allow some weapons to gain more than a +3 bonus for accuracy. This may theoretically be possible on specialized weapons in normal TOMAGOMB, such as crossbows with scopes, but they would be more expensive.

Most thrown ranged weapons will list special rules for being used in melee combat. If you are actually trying to SHOOT someone in an adjacent hex, you take a -4 Dex accuracy penalty and lose 1 attack for the turn, minimum 1 attack.

Critical Hits and Critical Misses - When you roll a critical hit with a weapon (typically a roll of 1), you multiply the damage you deal by your critical multiplier (most things have a multiplier of x2 unless noted otherwise). Critical hits are also harder to dodge: the target's dodge is halved, rounded down, so it is difficult but not impossible to dodge one of these deadly attacks.

Critical misses are sometimes disastrous (a roll of 20). When you make such a roll, follow up with a Luck check. If you succeed Luck, you simply missed. If you fail the Luck check, something bad happens. You might take 1d4 unavoidable damage, you might drop your weapon, you might trip and fall prone, etc., and this is up the GM's call for what he feels is appropriate. As a final note: if you have either 20+ Dex or 20 Luck, a roll of 20 is simply a miss, not a critical miss.

Special Combat
Backstab - Thieves, assassins and even bards can sometimes perform this special maneuver in combat, under the right circumstances. First, the target must be unaware of you in some way, which typically comes from two reasons. One, you are successfully in stealth and the target did not detect you. Two, you are behind the target in combat and the target is not trying to focus their attention on you (often referred to as "flanking"). If you are making a ranged attack, you can only backstab within the first range increment.

Once this circumstance is met, you may make a single backstab attack (or a pair if you are dual-wielding, one with each weapon). Backstabs can only be attempted once per round normally. It works as a normal attack, except that the target usually cannot attempt to dodge. AC applies to your attack, though not shield AC. If successful, you roll weapon damage, add all appropriate damage modifiers, and then multiply the result by your backstab modifier. This total damage amount is THEN applied against the target's AC and defenses and dealt accordingly. A successful backstab attempt always knocks you out of stealth, while a failed one simply calls for the target to make another perception check against your stealth. A critical failure on this attack always gets you noticed. A critical hit gets you noticed too... if the target survives. Multiply your damage as for a critical hit (all modifiers, etc.), and THEN multiply THAT amount by your backstab multiplier (critical backstabs are beautiful, terrifying things).

If the target begins paying attention to you in combat, you cannot backstab him, though you can spend a move action to leave and another action to enter stealth (if the GM rules that the target does nothing more than follow you doggedly by making a readied action, you will be SOL on trying this as well). This is why it pays to have friends, of course. If the target is wasting his time chasing you around, then the ranger is likely filling him full of holes in the meantime. You can, of course, outdistance the target. If you outdistance him by more than twice his speed, you can THEN attempt a stealth check even if he's dogging you. There's also the option of combat fatigue... wearing him down. For that you'd need high Fort. though. For the most part, it helps to have someone else draw the aggression (or "aggro") off of you so that you can do your job of killing the target more effectively. In fact, bards (with a very low backstab progression that doesn't even start until level 30) might never draw such aggro as they probably aren't outdamaging the warrior or monk even after backstab attempts.

It's worth noting that some weapons list a Stealth Penalty (SP) and Backstab Penalty (BP), or can't be used in stealth or to backstab at all. You can always try to backstab someone you are flanking in combat, even if the weapon can't be used in stealth, but the BP always applies against your backstab. BP's reduce the multiplier of your backstab for the weapon, or even make it impossible to achieve such accuracy.

Crushing Blow - As a main action, you can rear back for extra power on your next melee or thrown attack. That attack has double your Str modifier on damage (so a two-handed weapon has 3 times your Str modifier added total) assuming the attack lands. If it misses, the attempt is wasted. Attempting a crushing blow pushes you one round closer to combat fatigue any time you use it.

Defensive Fighting - Sometimes you will want to sacrifice offensive capability for defense. At the beginning of your turn in the combat round, you may opt to enter a defensive fighting stance. If you do, you take -4 Dex accuracy to all attack rolls, but you gain +10% dodge. Spellcasters gain SCP (Spell Casting Penalty) 0, meaning they roll against Dex (minus 0) for each spell they cast or lose it. This is in addition to the attack penalty. These bonuses and penalties last until the beginning of your next turn, when you can change how you're fighting. You can take it a step further and enter a total defense, sacrificing all attacks and spellcasting to focus on your defense. You gain +20% dodge for doing so, and it takes a main action each round of total dedication. Your other main action can be used to move your speed or run, but not sprint.

Disarm/Trip Attacks - These specialized maneuvers can allow you to take an enemy's weapon or cause them to fall prone. On the most basic level, they work similarly to a grapple: first you roll a Dex check to "hit" with your attack, with a -2 accuracy penalty because you're targeting a smaller specific area. You then roll a Str, Dex or M.D. faceoff (whichever is highest) against your opponent's Str, Dex or M.D. (again, whichever is highest). If you succeed, you may spend a main action after the attack to take one item they are holding (but not one strapped to them, such as a backpack or a belt), or for tripping, cause the target to fall prone. If you don't have a main action left, you can declare to spend the first one of your next turn doing so. This means you normally are unable to disarm or trip multiple opponents in the same combat round.

Fatiguing Strike - This is a special maneuver which can be performed with any legitimate attack form that requires a Dex roll to hit. Instead of the attack's normal effect, you force the target one round further into combat fatigue on a successful hit. This occurs due to a number of factors - you may be literally knocking the wind out of them, or your well-placed feints may be causing them to waste more movement and effort than normal to keep up. If your target dodges, the attack has no effect as usual - they saw through your feint and/or got out of the way of your fatiguing strike.

Grappling - This advanced combat technique allows one to more easily deal with physically weak opponents (spellcasters often fit this description). To start a grapple, you spend one attack attempting to grab the opponent (a Dex check, as normal). This attack deals no damage, and may be dodged as normal. You then begin a faceoff with the opponent (still using the first attack). You roll a Str or M.D. check (which ever is highest), and they may roll a Str, Dex, or M.D. check (which ever is highest) to escape. The one who succeeded by more (i.e., rolled under by more) wins the faceoff: if they win, you have to start over, and if you win they are successfully grappled. For each size larger one opponent is than the other, they get a +4 bonus to this opposed check.

If you can make more attacks during the round, the second attack (and subsequent attacks) can be used to either deal grappling damage (an automatic hit with either unarmed damage or armor spikes, just roll damage), or to attempt a pin. Attempting a pin requires the use of a main action, rather than one attack, so interestingly it can be done even if the character normally gets just one attack. On the other hand, it can cut into your number of attacks significantly at higher levels (you can make half your number of attacks, rounded down, per main action when not doing a full-round attack). A pin attempt calls for yet another faceoff with the opponent, which if successful is very hard to break out of. Note also that an opponent can damage you the same way you damage him from a regular grapple. In a pin, you control the battle and cannot be attacked by the pinned opponent.

From a normal grapple, an opponent may make one attempt per main action to break free. They may use either the faceoff rules, or a regular Dodge check, with a -10% penalty for each point the winning grappler made the faceoff by. From a pin however, the opponent must either break free making a faceoff check with a -4 penalty, or a Dodge check with a -20% penalty for each point the grappler succeeded the faceoff by, also a main action per attempt. If they break from the pin, they are still in the grapple, however, and must go from there to escape (or they might choose to attack you in grapple fashion).

Finally, note than being pinned puts both characters effectively in prone, and also that the characters may not dodge any attacks while grappling. While grappling can be very useful, it is not a wise choice against many foes.

Improvised Weapons - When throwing a weapon that has no range increment, or using an object not listed with damage specs as a weapon, your character is using an improvised weapon. For throwing melee weapons with no range increment, use this simple rule: -4 Dex accuracy penalty (unless you have Improvised Weapons proficiency), and a range increment of 10 ft. thrown.

Using non-weapons as weapons is a much more difficult scenario, requiring the GM's adjudication. Use the -4 Dex accuracy penalty (unless you took the Improvised Weapons proficiency), then figure out the weapon's general size. Compare the weapon to the lowest-damage weapon of the same size category for damage, then reduce the damage die by one grade. For example:


 * Tiny Weapons: (Unarmed 1d4) = Improvised Weapon 1d3
 * Small Weapons: (Dagger 1d4+1) = Improvised Weapon 1d4
 * Normal Weapons: (Club 1d6) = Improvised Weapon 1d4+1
 * Big Weapons: (Shortspear 1d8) = Improvised Weapon 1d6
 * Massive Weapons: 1d6 / 100 lbs., or use GM's best judgment

The GM may rule that your weapon has special properties, depending on the size, shape, awkwardness, etc. of it. A length of chain might be improvised as a poor spiked chain, a bucketfull of razorblades might get +2 crit. range and deal 2d8 damage (though it would only make one attack and be hell to pick up later!), etc. The GM should feel free to be cruel with SP and BP on improvised weapons, though anything of size Small or less likely has no penalty (or advantage).

Partial Aim - This maneuver can be done with melee weapons as well as ranged weapons. Essentially, assuming you are within range of your target, you spend a main action readying your strike. If you do, then in your next main action the first attack you make gets a +2 Dex bonus on the attack roll to hit your target.

Optional Rule: Called Shot - You may target a specific region of the creature's body when attacking (a called shot), which can cause extra maladies to your opponents such as reduced speed, reduced accuracy, or even a killing blow. Most hits are assumed to fall around the torso region, so that doesn't require a called shot, although aiming for the heart certainly would. For arms, legs or around the head in general, the called shot imposes a -4 penalty to Dex for the attack roll. If this attack hits, the subject should have penalties such as: losing -1 or more Dex for purposes of dodge and speed (legs) or accuracy (arms) or even -1 or more AC for hitting a shield arm. The GM will determine such penalties on a case-by-case basis. For the hands, feet, groin or specifically the face, the called shot takes a -6, but has increased penalties for the subject such as being unable to wield a weapon or shield, taking a -1/2 or more penalty to movement or eventually not being able to walk or stand, or substantial penalties from pain or loss of the senses (eyesight blurring, hearing deadened, etc.), such as -2 to Str, Dex and/or M.A. depending on the injury. For extremely deadly and difficult attacks (the heart, the eye, the jugular or windpipe, major arteries, etc.), the called shot takes a -8 (or more depending on the subject's armor, and some called shots may be ruled impossible), but if it lands the subject must make a Fortitude save with a -1 penalty for each 5 points of damage dealt or die either instantly or in the next few rounds and be helpless in the meantime. If the subject makes their save, the attack was not deadly but likely crippling, causing difficulty breathing (triple each round towards combat fatigue), losing an eye (-4 to visual perception checks, -2 Dex for accuracy and -1 Str for pain), or severe bloodloss (the attack is upgraded to a critical hit!).

Be forewarned that the target of a called shot may still dodge as normal, so this method of play definitely has drawbacks for accuracy!

Optional Rule: Related Proficiencies - If the GM allows it, you may have some proficiencies act as "related," in whatever way the GM sees as making sense. When you are trying to wield a weapon you lack the exact proficiency for, the GM may rule that one of your other proficiencies reduces the -4 Dex penalty depending on how related the proficiencies are (default -2). Some examples:


 * Dagger and One-Handed Blade default to each other at -2 Dex accuracy
 * One-Handed Blade and Two-Handed Blade default at -2
 * Scythes and Two-Handed Axe default at -2
 * Sickles and Axe default at -2
 * Scythes and Polearms/Quarterstaff default at -2
 * Crossbows can default to Siege Weapons (because of ballistas) at -2
 * Ballistas (only) can default to Crossbow at -2
 * Axes and Maces/Hammers/Clubs in the same size range default at -2

There are more possible interactions of reduced penalties among the weapon types, this is just to get you started. While it makes some sense in gameplay terms, it is more complex, and truly the best way to wield a weapon is to just be proficient with it.

Extra Attacks Table

Monks – Every 8 levels

Fighters, Rangers (except with the bow is every 10), Paladins – Every 12 levels

Thieves, Bards, Assassins – Every 15 levels

Druids, Clerics, Shaman – Every 20 levels

Wizards, Sorcerers, Mages – Every 30 levels

Dodge Table

Monks - % = Dex + Level

Thieves, Rogues, Bards, Rangers – Dex + 1 / 2 levels

Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians – Dex + 1 / 3 levels

Druids, Clerics, Shaman – Dex + 1 / 4 levels

Wizards, Magi – Dex + 1 / 5 levels

Combat Fatigue
Most fights are easily over in less than a minute. For more extended combat, however, characters may begin to suffer the effects of combat fatigue. It is assumed that any given character can maintain combat for a number of rounds equal to twice their Fortitude score before suffering ill effects. Some conditions (wearing Thick Hide armor, moving faster than a jog) can cause the rounds to count further against the threshold for combat fatigue.

Once this threshold is passed, the character is fatigued. They may not move faster than a jog, get -1 to their Strength, Dexterity and Mental Aptitude scores, and their dodge is halved (rounded down). If combat continues during this fatigued state for a number of rounds equal to twice the character’s Fortitude score, they become exhausted.

Combat exhaustion is a deadly state. Characters may only walk to move, get an additional -1 to Str, Dex, and M.A., and they cannot dodge. Should combat continue through exhaustion for a number of rounds equal to twice the character’s Fortitude score, the character goes unconscious for 1d6+1 minutes.

To completely recover from fatigue, a character must spend 5 minutes doing nothing but resting, or 10 minutes doing no more than slow walking. To recover from exhaustion, a character must spend 30 minutes doing nothing but resting, or an hour doing no more than slow walking. If the character eats a significant snack or a meal while they rest, cut fatigue recovery down to 3 minutes, and exhaustion recovery down to 15 minutes. Sometimes this isn't an option though, so to simply stave off further levels of exhaustion during combat the character can find a safe place and take a break. During any round in which the character did not cast a spell, manifest a power, make an attack, perform any strenuous action or move more than 10 ft. total, that round actually subtracts a round from advancing combat fatigue. This round reduction can never result in reversing existing fatigue conditions, only staving them off, and it cannot help you accrue "negative fatigue," you can only go back to the beginning of the state you started in.

Status Effects
Poisoned - Some poisons are so potent they do not allow a Fort save, however most do allow one. When a character is poisoned, they lose a set number of HP each round for a set duration. The same poison can only affect a character once (except by DM discretion), however any number of poisons can take effect at once and their effects stack, causing the character to lose varying amounts of HP by varying durations at the same time. As this can make bookkeeping difficult, try to keep the number of different poisons in your campaign to a minimum unless the player enjoys that sort of notation.

Fatigue - Covered in the Combat Fatigue section, above.

Exhaustion - Covered in the Combat Fatigue section, above.

Unconscious - There are two forms of unconsciousness, voluntary (sleep, etc.) and involuntary (knocked out, exhausted to unconsciousness, etc.). In either form of unconsciousness, the character is helpless and prone (see below for descriptions of these conditions). For voluntary consciousness, the character can still attempt perception checks with a -6 penalty and can be awakened by any ally spending one action. Obvious noise or vibration (such as battle) allows a perception check with a +6 bonus to awaken. However, involuntary unconsciousness does not allow perception checks, and even if a character tries to vigorously awaken the unconscious individual they roll a Fort or M.A. save (whichever is higher) with a -6 penalty to awaken that round, or they remain unconscious. If the character is actually dealt damage in this state, they may roll either a Fort or M.A. save with a bonus equal to the damage dealt to awaken. Any other conditions the character is still affected by (such as exhaustion) will still be in effect upon awakening, so assume the number of rounds they were unconscious were "rested" rounds that rewind the exhaustion, minimum of at least 3 more conscious rounds.

Helpless - The character can take no action to defend themself or move, including dodge, and lose -2 AC (to no less than 0 AC) as their weak points are accessible. Further, every attack made against characters in this state automatically hit unless critically failed. Finally, characters may use a round to line up an automatic critical on the helpless character, and if the character possesses a backstab multiplier it is considered a critical backstab. After taking the damage from this auto-crit, the character must make a Fortitude save with a -1 penalty for each 10 points of damage dealt or die instantly.

Prone - The character has fallen to the ground and lies prone, lowering their defenses (this can be caused by tripping, slipping, etc.). The character loses -10% Dodge and -1 AC (to no less than 0 AC), and takes a -4 penalty to Dex for making attacks from the prone position. A character may spend one action to rise from prone to standing, though they remain in the same hex.

Blind - The character takes a -4 penalty to Dex and is unable to dodge or make visual perception checks. When the character makes an attack, assuming they are targeting the correct hex, the target creature (if blind) has their dodge set to 40% due to sheer miss chance, or if the target creature can still see, they either add +20% to their dodge or use 40% dodge, whichever is higher.

HP, Dying and Death
What do hit points represent? Are they a straight measure of the character's physical body taking damage? Why can some characters sustain hellish damage for several minutes while others crumple under a single blow? The answer is, hit points represent several aspects of the character, including stamina, combat training to lessen the weight of a blow, and yes, the body's actual physical ability to withstand pain and damage. In later levels when characters have many more HP, assume that the first third or half of their HP might not be any serious physical wounds, just exertion, muscle strain, fatigue and a few scrapes and scratches. Major damage (like a high-damage critical) probably does inflict a wound, regardless of when it happens, but a high HP character can better shrug it off and recover through training and their body's innate resilience.

What about dying and death? A character begins to die when their HP reaches 0 or less. At zero HP, a character only has one action per round instead of two, and at negative HP they begin to die from bloodloss, internal injuries, shock, etc. and fall unconscious. Each round that a character remains at negative HP, they must roll a Fortitude save with a -4 penalty or lose one more HP. Once this save has been rolled successfully, the character is stable for the next 5 minutes, at which time they must save again. If that save fails, the process starts over. If that save succeeds, the character is no longer dying and fully stabilizes. A character is dead when they reach a negative HP score equal to their Fortitude score (so healthier characters have a little more buffer zone on this end of the HP spectrum as well).

Items in development

 * Items
 * Spell lists. A work very much in progress.
 * A work to be long in progress, the Monstronomicon.
 * A thought taking shape, the TOMAGOMB Vampire.
 * Or the inkling of an idea, TOMAGOMB Modern. Look out, it's growing!
 * An inkling's inkling, TOMAGOMB Supers.
 * A simple system has simple needs for a character sheet, this is one possibility that could be improved (download and print): [[Image:TOMAGOMB Character Sheet 2.jpg|TOMAGOMB Character Sheet]]