RPG:Non-combat mechanics

Combat may have an ugly tendency to be at the forefront of most roleplaying games, there are always going to be mechanics outside of combat.

Lockpicking
From time to time, adventurers will run into locked doors, and unless there is a magician in the party who can cast a spell that opens the lock, the lock will have to be picked, unless they found the key earlier. This is where lockpicking comes in.

Normally, characters cannot pick locks - that is, not without a feat that enables lockpicking. In the main archmodule, this is enabled by the Lockpicking feat. When lockpicking is enabled for a character, they can attempt to pick a lock, during which they must roll either a single 20-sided dice, four 5-sided dices or five 4-sided dices - or, in a videogame, a random number must be generated between 1 and 20. This number is measured against the character's dexterity - if the character's dexterity is greater than or equal than this random number, the lockpicking is a success. Otherwise, it is a failure. The aforementioned random number is also manipulated by the tier of the lockpicker's feat, as well as other circumstances: DMs can also add constant numbers to ( or detract constant numbers from ) the random number, or even multiply or divide them to simulate more difficult-to-pick locks.

Lockpicking can only be done with " picks " - failing to pick a lock means losing that pick.

Pickpocket
Pickpocketing is to steal a small item ( interpretation up to the DM/GM ) from an NPC's - or another player character's - inventory, while undetected by the target. As with all of the aforementioned non-combat abilities that involve a dice roll, pickpocketing is impossible for characters who do not have a feat that enables it. Like with the other dice-rolling abilities, when the character attmepts to pickpocket, they must roll a d20 dice ( or the sum of four d5 dices, or five d4 dices ) - or, in case of a video game, use a random number generator to generate a number between 1 and 20. When the received number is smaller than the character's dexterity, the pickpocket attempt is succesful. Otherwise, it is a fail, and the target is alerted.

Traps
It is inevitable that as adventurers explore castle ruins and age-old dungeons, they will run into traps the villains have set for them. These traps will vary from mildly annoying to outright deadly. So how will adventurers avoid them?

The answer is simple: by a game mechanic. By default, characters cannot detect any traps other than the most obvious ones ( interpretation up to the GM/DM ), and cannot disarm any traps, meaning that once they detected a trap in the first place, their only course of action is to try to walk around them and not step into them, if possible. But with a certain feat - called " Security " in the main archmodule - not only their ability to detect traps improve, but they also gain the ability to disarm traps.

When disarming traps, a d20 dice ( or the sum of four d5 dices, or five d4 dices ) must be rolled - or alternatively, for videogames, a random number between 1and 20 must be generated. When the received number is smaller than the character's dexterity, the disarming is a success, and the character can put the disarmed trap into their inventory if they want, potentially rearming it at will. If the disarming attempt is a failure, the trap activates and does its damage to the one who attempted to disarm it.

Naturally, at DM discretion, constant numbers can be added to or detracted from the aforementioned randomly generated number - or it can be even multiplied or divided, to simulate trap that are harder or easier to disarm.

Enchantment
Enchantments put various magical effects on items - usually weapons and armour, but literally any kind of items can be enchanted. The effects can vary from passive stat boosts to activated effects - even granting the one who has equipped the item the ability to cast a spell from that item is not out of the realms of possibility, even if the equiper can"t do any magic otherwise.

Naturally, characters by default cannot put any enchantments on their items - they need a feat that enables that ability. Once enabled, characters are met with the ability to enchant items, with enchantments being divided into three classes: Class C ( the weakest ), Class B ( stronger ) and Class A ( the strongest ) enchantments.

While modules will provide some example enchantments, it will be largely up to DM discretion to decide what kind of enchantment belongs to which class. Additionally, some items may be cursed! That is, some enchanted items might provide negative effects on its wearer/user instead of positive ones.

Alchemy
Alchemy is the art of combining ingredients to create potions which offer various effects, depending on the ingredient in question. Potions can be divided into Class D ( weakest ), Class C ( stonger ) , Class B ( even stronger ) and Class A ( strongest ) potions. Each module will offer a list of example potions and for each tier, but otherwise, it will be up to the DM/GM to decide which ( plot-relevant ) potion belongs to which tier.

By default, characters can only craft Class D potions, but feats will enable stronger tiers of potion-making - in the main archmodule, that tear is called Alchemy.