We have a lot of announcements to make this month, so make sure to check out the April announcements! We have a brand new, themed thread contest to celebrate all of the new members who have joined our lovely little cat land over the last months, as well as two event reminders, a new organized archives board, a weather update, and our usual round of monthly plot and clan updates. As the weather warms up with the arrival of spring, we also want to encourage all of our members to take some time and step outside! It's been a long winter, and we all deserve some time with nature. Cheers to all!
The Apostles is a warrior cats roleplay based in northern Wisconsin. On Lake Superior, the wild cats have made the Apostle Islands their home. It is on these islands - Rocky Island and South Twin Island - that the clan and tribe cats have lived in a peace and harmony that ebbs and flows with the tide.
But as the tides turn, so does the truce that binds them to one another; and as the water raises, a darkness follows, an evil that will end in bloodshed and violence.
Dice is an optional system for members who want to incorporate luck and chance into their battles, hunts, or other random events across the site and in-characters threads.
PLEASE NOTE: Dice rolls are completely and 100% OPTIONAL. Other than the success/failure (or, in the event of a critical, stunning success or absolute failure), results are open to interpretation.
The Basics
Rolls will be based on a 20-sided die (or D20). Whenever you roll a die, this is called a “check."
- Success is determined by the number you roll. - Your roll may be modified based on your character’s age and health. - If you roll a 10 or lower, your check fails. - If you roll an 11 or above, your check succeeds. - If you roll a 1 or a 20, something interesting may happen.
When you write a post, you will need to create an empty post with your dice roll only, then edit your post based on the dice roll you received. Dice rolls cannot be previewed. Your dice roll will stay the same, even if you edit your post.
Staff will be monitoring post logs to ensure that dice rolls are not “cherry picked” -- meaning, you cannot post your dice roll, delete your post, and then re-roll to try again, or create multiple posts and delete all but your best roll. You get one chance per round. That’s it. Don’t cheat.
To roll a dice, use the following code and remove the *:
[*roll=1d20+/-modifer]
For example:
[*roll=1d20+1]
This will result in:
c8|Ks_JF1d20+1
Modifiers
We do not use stats here at The Apostles. There are no Strength or Defense scores to keep track of. We aim to keep things as simple as possible, given that this is an optional system. However, we do use modifiers to help even the odds based on character status (age and injuries, if any).
These modifiers do stack. For example, a young apprentice (-1) with a major injury (-2) would have a -3 modifier to their roll results, and a warrior (+2) with a minor injury (-1) would have a +1 modifier to their roll results.
A minor injury/illness might include: impaired vision in one eye, impaired hearing in one ear, deep scratches, broken claw(s), a minor cold
A major injury/illness might include: complete blindness, complete deafness, broken bones, open wounds, or greencough.
See the table below for more information.
Status
Modifier
Under 6 moons (kits)
-3
Over 100 moons (elder)
-2
Cats with a major injury/illness
-2
6 - 9 moons (young apprentices)
-1
Cats with a minor injury/illness
-1
10 - 12 moons (apprentices)
0
13 - 24 moons (young warriors)
+1
25 - 49 moons (warriors)
+2
50 - 99 moons (senior warriors)
+3
Criticals
There are special cases for rolling exactly a 1 or a 20, called criticals. Essentially, you rolled very well or very poorly, and as a result something interesting may happen. To find out, we need to confirm the crit with a second dice roll.
When rolling a 1 or 20, modifiers will not negate criticals. For example, an apprentice who rolls a 20 will technically have rolled a 19, but they will still have the opportunity to confirm the critical. Likewise, a young warrior who rolled a 1 must also confirm their critical, even though their modifier would result in a roll of 2. Their second dice roll to confirm the critical will include modifiers, however.
Rolling a 20
If you roll a 20, this is a critical success. You must roll again to confirm the success. If the second dice rolls an 11 or higher, you confirm the crit success. Your can show off your cat’s luck in a masterful way (an elegant prey catch, a victory over a predator etc.). If the second dice rolls a 10 or lower, you still succeed, but there will be no extra flourish to your post.
In these examples, Samplepaw is an apprentice of 10 moons and has no modifiers (to make it easier to understand).
Example #1: Confirming the Success
Samplepaw is hunting a mouse. She leaps for it. Samplepaw rolls a 20. It’s a crit success.
Her RPer adds a second dice to the post.
She rolls a 15. Since this is above 10, she has confirmed the success.
She pounces on the mouse with grace and style. It never saw her coming and she kills it on impact.
Example #2: Standard Success
Samplepaw is hunting a mouse. She leaps for it. Samplepaw rolls a 20. It’s a crit success.
Her RPer adds a second dice to the post.
She rolls a 3. Since this is below 10, she has not confirmed the success.
The mouse hears her coming and begins to run, but she catches it nonetheless.
Rolling a 1
If you roll a 1, this is a critical failure. You must roll again to confirm the failure. If the second dice rolls a 10 or below, you confirm the crit fail. Your cat has suffered a minor injury or embarrassment and must deal with this in their next reply. The actual circumstances of the failure is up to you to decide -- your cat can trip, fall, get sand in their eyes, pull a muscle, etc. Example #1: Confirming the Failure
Samplepaw is hunting a mouse.
Samplepaw rolls a 1. It’s a crit fail. Her RPer adds a second dice to the post.
She rolls a 5. Since this is below 10, she has confirmed the failure.
She not only misses the mouse, but she is not able to stop in time and crashes into the tree behind it, hitting her head. Example #2: Standard Failure
Samplepaw is hunting a mouse.
Samplepaw rolls a 1. It’s a crit fail. Her RPer adds a second dice to the post.
She rolls an 11. Since this is above 10, she has saved herself from a critical failure.
She misses, but does not injure herself in the process.
HUNTING DICE RANGE
The ranges listed below are merely a guide and created to help members interpret dice rolls. Members are still allowed creative freedom with the roll.
When using dice to determine the success of a hunting attempt, the result of the dice can be interpreted follow this guide:
Result
Range
Miss, character injures self
1-2
Character misses, no injury
3-4
Catches prey, sloppy kill
5-10
Catches prey, normal kill
11-16
Catches prey, expert kill
17-19
Catches prey, legendary kill
20+
13 - 24 moons (young warriors)
+1
25 - 49 moons (warriors)
+2
50 - 99 moons (senior warriors)
+3
Universal Action form
This dice roll form is required for any dice roll with the exemption of battle rolls. This standardizes an action role across the site.
[b]Action:[/b] desired actions here (successful hunt, detect a predator, overhear a conversation) [b]Action roll:[/b] roll a 1d20 +/- modifier
Final Notes
As a reminder, this is again an OPTIONAL system. You do NOT have to use dice if you do not want to! They are meant to assist with ideation and nothing more.
1d20+1·1d20+1
Thievingstar | Rockjaw | Swansong | Gnat Who Flies In Eyes (WIP) | Viperkit | Fadingkit
While an action, such as a hunt, follows the Universal Dice rules without issue, battles between two cats require a more substantial set of rules and components to ensure a battle that is both fair and driven by luck and chance.
Dice in battle are optional and both members must agree to use them before they engage in battle. Members can use the Universal Dice Rules in battle, however, both must agree to this method.
Similar to the Universal Dice Rules, battle rolls are open for interpretation as long as the results are agreed upon by any party impacted by the dice. This means that if your character is about to seriously injure another character due to a dice roll, you must check with that character’s player first.
Communication and agreement is key.
If you cannot agree upon the in-character consequence of your dice roll with another player, please contact a staff member for mediation.
The Basics
The battle system has three different components to ensure a fair battle between two evenly or unevenly matched cats:
Attack roll
Damage roll
Health Points (HP) bar
Similar to the Universal dice roll, the attack roll will be for one move or one check. This is based on a 20-sided die (or D20) and includes critical successes/failure. Please note that checks in battles have a different success/failure rate than the universal rules. This is to ensure that attacks are more likely to be successful so that the battle moves more quickly.
If in battle and you roll a 5 or lower, your attack misses.
If in battle and you roll a 6 or above, your attack hits.
The damage roll will determine the strength of the attack and the amount of HP the other cat will lose from the hit. This is based on a 12-sided die (or D12). This does not include a success/fail rate.
The health points (HP) will determine the overall length of the battle, and similar to modifiers, will be determined by age.
With this system, an average battle between two evenly matched cats is around 10-15 posts in length. A battle between two unevenly matched cats is closer to 6-10 posts in length.
Health Points
HP determines the overall length of the battle thread. We recommend that cats should consider a retreat once their HP has reached below 1/2 of their overall HP. For example, a warrior with 60 HP should consider a retreat at 30 HP.
When a cat is below 1/2 of their HP in battle, the in-character post should reflect this (exhaustion, noticeable wounds, sluggishness, etc.) That said -- a character does not have to retreat if it does not reflect their characterization. A determined or hot-headed character may choose to continue the battle despite their odds.
When a character reaches 0 HP in battle, this does not mean the character dies (unless the member wants them to die). Characters can either black out from the attack or admit their defeat and lose the battle. This depends on the context and characterization.
Make sure to communicate with the other member to ensure an agreed upon battle conclusion.
See the table below for the HP value you should use in combat:
Status
HP
Under 6 moons (kits)
20
6 - 12 moons (apprentices)
40
13 - 143 moons (warriors)
60
144+ moons (elders)
50
Hit Points are tracked and deducted by each player for their own cat. Your opponent does not track your HP. You do.
Criticals
Similar to the Universal Dice Rules, the attack roll in the battle system can be affected by criticals and will need to be confirmed in battle.
Note: When confirming a critical success or failure in battle, the dice must be rolled at the very bottom of the post in an edit. If you do not do this, the attack or damage roll may change.
This is an unfortunate bug in the dice system that we cannot fix.
Rolling a 20
If you roll a 20, this is a critical success. You must roll again to confirm the success. If the second dice rolls an 11 or higher, you confirm the critical success.
In the battle system, a critical success equals x2 damage in battle. For example, if a cat rolls a 6 for their damage roll, then their new damage roll will be 12, and the opponent will have to -12 from their HP.
This is also reflected in the in-character thread as the cat will be able to use a move that matches the new damage roll. Remember to communicate with your battle partner to determine an agreed upon wound or battle outcome.
If the second dice rolls a 10 or lower, you do not confirm the attack, and the cat simply hits their opponent as normal.
Rolling a 1
If you roll a 1, this is a critical failure. You must roll again to confirm the failure. If the second dice rolls a 10 or below, you confirm the critical failure.
Unlike the critical success, a critical failure does not impact the dice roll; instead, the cat will embarrassingly miss their attack and look foolish in battle.
If the second dice rolls a 11 or higher, you do not confirm the critical failure, and your cat merely misses the attack. However, they do not look like an absolute idiot.
BATTLE DICE RANGE
The ranges listed below are merely a guide and created to help members interpret dice rolls. Members are still allowed creative freedom with the roll.
*In the case of Confirmed Crit Success, the damage is multiplied by 2 and the roleplayer has the freedom to make the attack as legendary as they choose. In the case of Confirmed Crit Failure, the character misses their attack and can even cause damage to themselves.
In battle, when rolling for damage, the result of the dice can be interpreted following this guide:
Result
Range
Minor Damage (light scratches, bites, etc)
1-4
Moderate Damage (causes bleeding, etc)
5-9
Major Damage (causes scarring, etc)
10-12
Extreme Damage (causes scarring, injured cat recieves -2 in next attack and damage roll modifier)
13+
Battle System form
This battle system form is required for each post in a battle thread where the members both agree to use the dice. Don't forget to remove the asterisk before the roll command.
[b]Attack move:[/b] Write the desired attack here. Members can write the move before or after the rolls have been determined. It does not matter. [b]Attack Roll:[/b] [*roll=1d20+/-modifier] [b]Damage Roll:[/b] [*roll=1d12+/-modifier] [b]Character HP:[/b] character HP
Final Notes
As a reminder, the battle system, like the Universal Dice Rules, is OPTIONAL. Both members have to agree to the system before the battle starts. If one member does not want to use dice in battle, then the other member has to agree.
Dice are meant to be entirely fun! and should be used to enrich a thread. If there are any issues with the dice, or other members are using them unfairly or against the rules, contact a staff member.
BATTLE EXAMPLE: WARRIOR VS. WARRIOR WITH EQUAL STATS
The example below demonstrates a battle between two warriors who both have 0 modifiers and 60 HP.
An average battle between two warriors lasts between 10-15 posts +/- based on their modifiers. This example is a little longer due to the higher rate of miss rolls and small damages; however it correctly demonstrates both a critical success and missed moves.
BATTLE EXAMPLE: APPRENTICE VS. SENIOR WARRIOR WITH UNEVEN STATS
The example below demonstrates a battle between an apprentice who has a -1 modifier and 40 HP and a senior warrior who has a +3 modifier and 60 HP.
This fight is exponentially shorter than the previous example due to the uneven stats. The senior warrior is easily able to defeat the apprentice in 3 moves.
Using the apprentice vs. senior warrior fight as an example, we will show you the most effective way to write a battle post based on dice rolls.
This will not dictate how you write your prose in any creative sense; but rather, it will show you the most effective format to construct your post for a fight.
First Post:
The first post in a battle should establish the context and first move in the fight. Copy the battle form from the guide, paste it into reply, write out the rolls with the appropriate modifiers, and then click 'Post Quick Reply' or 'Create Post.'
After you have viewed your rolls, construct your post based on the dice. If your character rolls a 1-5, like Modelpaw, then edit the post and remove the damage roll since it did not hit.
For the actual in-character post, the apprentice in this situation would make their move on the senior warrior. Either the apprentice can demonstrate the miss in their post or the warrior can miss it at the start of their own post.
Make sure to communicate with your battle partner for specific wounds, and do not roleplay the reaction of the other cat.
Second Post:Copy/paste the form into the reply box, write out the rolls, hit reply or create post, and then evaluate the dice rolls to determine the post.
In this example, the senior warrior is not hit by the apprentice, so presumably they avoid the attack, and then they make their own move based on the dice rolls.
Samplestar rolled a 12 for an attack and 14 for damage with the addition of the 3+ modifier. Based on the rolls, this is a substantial attack on the apprentice.
For the attack the senior warrior will then make their move on the apprentice and deliver the actual hit somewhere near the end of the post, so the apprentice can respond to it at the start of their own reply.
Third post:
Copy/paste the form into the reply box, write out the rolls, hit reply or create post, and then evaluate the dice rolls to determine the post.
In this example, the apprentice able to make a pretty decent hit on the warrior based on their 17 attack and 6 damage.
After Modelpaw recovers from the warrior's front swipe, they can move to deliver their own attack, in this case a leg chomp. This post, like the others, should end with the apprentice latching onto to the warrior's leg and sinking in their teeth to deliver the blow.
Fourth post:
Copy/paste the form into the reply box, write out the rolls, hit reply or create post, and then evaluate the dice rolls to determine the post.
In this example, Samplestar take -6 damage but then delivers their own powerful attack against the apprentice. They make a 14 attack and 10 damage move on the apprentice.
Presumably, Samplestar shakes the apprentice off and then kicks them squarely in the head and ends the post.
Conclusion:
Continue to fight using this method until one of the cat retreats or blacks out with a HP of 0. We recommend to have character retreat once they are below 1/2 their HP, so they are not entirely disabled; however, this depends on the cat and their characterization.
In this example, the apprentice continues to attack the senior warrior despite their obvious disadvantage, and then later retreats once their HP is at 7. The senior warrior, on the other hand, hardly takes any damage at all.
