Core Game Loop
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) follows a fundamental gameplay cycle that guides how players and the Game Master interact:
- Describe the Situation: The Game Master presents the current scene, environment, and circumstances.
- Player Decision: Players describe what their characters want to do or attempt.
- Resolution: If the outcome is uncertain, the Game Master calls for a test (ability check, attack roll, or saving throw) using the d20 system.
- Consequence: The result of the test determines what happens, and the situation evolves based on the outcome.
- Repeat: The cycle continues as the new situation prompts further decisions and actions.
This loop forms the foundation of all gameplay, whether characters are exploring a dungeon, negotiating with NPCs, or fighting monsters.
Modes of Play
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) organizes gameplay into three distinct modes, each with its own pacing and mechanical focus:
Downtime Mode
Downtime occurs between adventures or during extended periods of rest. Characters pursue individual activities such as crafting, research, training, or social interactions. Time passes in days, weeks, or months. Downtime allows characters to recover resources, pursue personal goals, and develop their capabilities outside of active adventures.
Exploration Mode
Exploration mode covers travel, investigation, and discovery. Characters move through environments, interact with the world, and make decisions about where to go and what to investigate. Time passes in minutes or hours. The Game Master describes locations and situations, and players decide how their characters explore, search, and interact with the environment.
Encounter Mode
Encounter mode handles structured, time-sensitive situations such as combat, chases, or other scenarios requiring precise timing. Time passes in rounds, with each character taking turns. On your turn, you can move up to your speed and take one action. Encounter mode provides clear rules for initiative, turn order, and action resolution. (An optional 3 Moments variant system is available for groups wanting more tactical granularity—see the Combat rules.)
The Game Master determines which mode applies at any given time, and the game can shift between modes as the situation changes. For example, exploration might transition to encounter mode when combat begins, then return to exploration or downtime afterward.
Dice and Tests
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) uses the d20 for nearly all resolution.
All actions, attacks, saving throws, and ability checks are d20 tests. Some spells grant advantage (roll 2d20, take highest) or disadvantage (roll 2d20, take lowest) to d20 rolls. Damage is resolved as hits.
Abilities and Properties
In You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT), each character has three core abilities:
- Fitness represents physical capability, coordination, and endurance.
- Insight represents rational thinking, perception, and knowledge.
- Willpower represents force of personality, mystical power, and mental resilience.
The value recorded for each ability is the modifier applied to all related tests, attacks, and defenses.
In addition to abilities, characters track three core properties:
- Hit Points (HP): Represents a character's physical health and resilience. HP is calculated as: class start Hit Points + Fitness modifier + (level - 1). Damage reduces HP, and when HP reaches 0, the character must make Death Saves. See Hit Points and Scale for details.
- Spell Power (SP): Represents a spellcaster's magical capacity. SP equals 3 × spellcasting ability modifier. Spellcasters spend SP to cast spells and regain it through rest and Recovery Points. See Magic and Spell Resources for details.
- Life (hearts): Represents a character's lifeforce. Each character starts with 3 hearts. When a character reaches 0 HP, they must make Death Saves; failing a Death Save costs one heart. Restoring a lost heart requires one long rest. See Life and Death Saves for details.
Determining Ability Modifiers
When you create a character, choose one of the following methods to determine your ability modifiers. In both methods, you work only with modifiers; you do not track ability scores.
Fixed Array
Assign the modifiers +2, +1, and +0 to Fitness, Insight, and Willpower in any order. No ability can start higher than +2.
Point Allocation
You start with 3 modifier points to distribute among Fitness, Insight, and Willpower.
- Starting value per ability: 0
- Maximum per ability: +2
- Minimum per ability: −1
- You may “borrow” points by lowering an ability below 0, down to a minimum of −1.
Proficiency and Advantage
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) uses a stacking advantage system. When you are proficient with something (such as a weapon, armor, skill, or saving throw), you gain advantage on related rolls. Advantage means you roll two d20s and take the higher result.
Advantage can stack. If you have multiple sources of advantage, you roll additional d20s and take the highest. For example, if you have proficiency (1 advantage) and another source grants advantage, you roll 3d20 and take the highest. This is called "stacking advantage."
Disadvantage works similarly but in reverse—you roll multiple d20s and take the lowest. Advantage and disadvantage cancel each other out on a one-to-one basis.
Your proficiency level determines how many advantage dice you gain:
- Proficient: You have advantage (roll 2d20, take highest)
- Expert: You have double advantage (roll 3d20, take highest)
- Master: You have triple advantage (roll 4d20, take highest)
Proficiency is typically granted by your class, background, or talents.
Skills and Ability Checks
All ability checks are made directly with Fitness, Insight, or Willpower. Classes, backgrounds, and talents can grant specific skills; only those listed skills benefit from the character's proficiency advantage, granting you advantage on ability checks made with that skill.
The core ability always forms the basis of the roll. Skills indicate where a character has additional training or talent and make explicit why the character is good at a particular task. Record only the skills the character actually possesses. This approach keeps character sheets compact and supports clear, consistent roleplaying.
New or setting-specific skills can be attached to classes, backgrounds, or talents, making You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) flexible and easy to expand.
Talents
Talents represent the specific ways an adventurer has improved over the course of their adventures. Talents are divided into three categories: magic talents, martial talents, and technical talents. Your class typically determines which talent lists you have access to.
Talents are gained in two main ways:
- When a character chooses their background during character creation, they select one talent from a list of options provided in the background.
- When a character class grants an Improvement, they choose a talent from the list specified by their class features—assuming the character meets any necessary prerequisites.
Magic Talents
Most magic talents affect a character's spellcasting abilities, but they also include features that strengthen the mind and defend against harmful magic effects.
Martial Talents
Martial talents affect a character's combat abilities, including enhancements to overall fitness and the ability to wield weaponry.
Technical Talents
Technical talents affect a character's noncombat abilities, granting utility-based improvements to social encounters, exploration, and object interactions.
Note: You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT)'s talent system is based on the talent system found in Tales of the Valiant and the Black Flag Reference Document. For detailed talent descriptions and complete talent lists, refer to those sources or consult with your Game Master.
Hit Points and Scale
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) uses a compressed hit point scale. Player characters track hit points using the following expression:
Damage and healing are expressed in hits (or wounds) rather than raw numbers.
| Class | HP | Class | HP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificer | 8 | Paladin | 10 |
| Barbarian | 12 | Ranger | 10 |
| Bard | 8 | Rogue | 8 |
| Cleric | 8 | Sorcerer | 6 |
| Druid | 8 | Warlock | 8 |
| Fighter | 10 | Wizard | 6 |
| Monk | 8 |
Level Advancement
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) characters advance from level 1 to level 10. Each level provides a noticeable increase in power and ensures that class progression, including spellcasting progression, remains coherent and easy to track.
Attacks and Defense
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) resolves combat with a single attack roll and fixed damage in hits. On a successful attack roll with a weapon, the target takes 1 hit. A critical hit deals 2 hits. Weapons provide bonuses to hit, not to damage.
- On a failed attack roll: The attack deals no damage.
- On a natural 1: The attacker suffers a critical failure, and the target immediately makes a reaction counter‑attack.
- On a natural 20: The attack deals 2 hits and triggers exploding dice—roll again. If you roll another natural 20, you deal 2 hits again and roll again. This effect stacks, allowing multiple critical hits in a single attack.
When a creature attacks a player character, the character makes a Defense roll:
d20
+
Defense bonus
The Defense roll is made against a target number determined by the Game Master. For a creature that would normally attack at +X to hit, the target number is 11 + X. Your Defense roll total must meet or beat the attack's target number to avoid damage.
- On a failed Defense roll (roll total below target number): The character takes 1 hit.
- On a natural 1: The attack becomes a critical hit, and the character takes 2 hits.
- On a natural 20: The character takes no damage and can immediately make a reaction counter‑attack.
Weapon Proficiency
Weapons are divided into two categories: simple weapons and martial weapons. Your class determines which weapon categories you are proficient with.
Proficiency Benefit: If you are proficient with a weapon, you gain advantage on attack rolls made with that weapon (roll 2d20, take highest). If you are not proficient with a weapon, you do not gain advantage—you only roll a single d20 for your attack roll.
Weapon Attacks
Weapon attack rolls use the following formula:
d20
+
weapon bonus
+
ability modifier
+
(advantage if proficient)
Example: Weapon Attack Roll
A fighter with Fitness +2 and a shortsword (attack bonus +2) who is proficient with martial weapons makes an attack roll with advantage (roll 2d20, take highest) + 2 (weapon) + 2 (Fitness) = highest of 2d20 + 4.
On a hit, the attack deals 1 hit of damage. You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) assumes that better weapons improve the chance to hit, while spells generally increase the number of hits dealt and/or apply additional effects.
Armor and Defense
Wearing armor increases your Defense bonus, which improves your Defense roll when you are attacked. When a creature attacks you, you make a Defense roll (d20 + Defense bonus). Your Defense roll total must meet or beat the attack's target number to avoid damage.
Base Defense
If you aren't wearing armor, your Defense bonus equals your Fitness modifier.
When you wear armor, you use the Defense bonus listed with that armor type instead. See the Armor table in the Gear section for specific Defense bonuses.
Armor Proficiency
Armor is categorized into three weights: light, medium, or heavy. Your class determines which armor categories you are proficient with.
You can wear any armor regardless of proficiency, but wearing armor from a higher category than you are proficient with imposes penalties:
- Stacking Disadvantage: For each step higher in category than your proficiency, you gain one level of disadvantage on all d20 rolls while wearing that armor. For example, if you are proficient in light armor and wear medium armor, you have disadvantage (roll 2d20, take lowest). If you wear heavy armor while only proficient in light armor, you have double disadvantage (roll 3d20, take lowest).
- Fitness Checks: You have disadvantage on all Fitness ability checks while wearing armor you aren't proficient with.
- Defense Rolls: You have disadvantage on Defense rolls because you are less practiced at moving effectively in that armor.
- Spellcasting: You have disadvantage on spellcasting rolls while wearing armor you aren't proficient with.
The armor categories are ordered from none to heavy, with each step representing increased protection and restriction:
| Armor Category | Step |
|---|---|
| None | 0 |
| Light | 1 |
| Medium | 2 |
| Heavy | 3 |
For complete armor statistics, properties, and descriptions, see the Gear section.
Weapon Mastery
Weapon mastery effects are achieved through improvised actions. Players are encouraged to describe creative uses of their weapons, and the Game Master can adjudicate these as improvised actions. This approach puts the focus on player creativity and narrative description, allowing for dynamic and engaging combat encounters.
The following list of weapon masteries serves as inspiration and examples for what players might attempt as improvised actions. These are not automatic abilities but rather suggestions for creative weapon use that players and Game Masters can reference when describing combat maneuvers:
| Mastery | Description |
|---|---|
| Cleave | When you hit a creature, you can attempt to strike another creature within reach with the same attack. |
| Graze | When you miss with an attack, you still deal a small amount of damage (typically 1 hit on a near miss). |
| Nick | When you make an attack, you can attempt a quick, light strike that might allow for an additional action. |
| Push | When you hit, you can attempt to push the target away from you, potentially moving them or knocking them prone. |
| Sap | When you hit, you can attempt to daze or stun the target, potentially reducing their effectiveness. |
| Slow | When you hit, you can attempt to slow the target's movement or actions. |
| Topple | When you hit, you can attempt to knock the target prone or off balance. |
| Vex | When you hit, you can attempt to create an opening or advantage for your next attack. |
Remember: these are examples for inspiration. Players should describe what they want to accomplish, and the Game Master determines the appropriate test, difficulty, and outcome based on the situation and the rules for improvised actions.
Actions and Time (Encounter Mode)
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) uses a straightforward action economy during encounters. On your turn, you can:
- Move up to your speed
- Take one action (Attack, Cast a Spell, Dash, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Search, Use an Object, etc.)
- Interact with one object for free (draw a weapon, open a door, pick up an item, etc.)
- Activate one class feature free action if you have an ability that grants it (such as Rage or Circle of the Moon's Wild Shape)
You can move before, after, or during your action, and you can split your movement. For example, you can move 10 feet, take your action, then move another 20 feet.
Reactions: In addition to your action and movement, you have one reaction per round. A reaction is a special response to a trigger, such as casting shield when you're hit by an attack, using counterspell to interrupt an enemy's spell, or using a readied action when its trigger occurs. Your reaction refreshes at the start of your turn. Reactions can be used on your turn or anyone else's turn, whenever the triggering event occurs. See the Reactions section in the Combat rules for details.
Spellcasting: Casting a cantrip or leveled spell typically uses your action. Some spells can be cast as reactions (such as shield or counterspell) and don't use your action—they use your reaction instead.
Variant: For groups that want more tactical flexibility, an optional 3 Moments System is available. In that variant, each turn consists of 3 Moments that can be spent more granularly on movement, attacks, and spellcasting.
Magic and Spell Resources
You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) measures a caster's capacity with Spell Power:
The Spell Power cost of a spell equals its spell level. A spellcaster spends Spell Power to cast spells and regains it through rest and Recovery Points.
Example: Magic Missile
Magic Missile costs 1 Spell Power to cast and creates three missiles. Each missile deals 1 hit of damage, automatically hits, and ignores defenses. Each additional Spell Power spent when casting Magic Missile creates one extra missile.
Spells can also apply additional effects, such as fire, frost, control, or movement, as described in their individual entries.
Resolve
Resolve represents a character’s growing determination and focus after setbacks. Each time a character fails a d20 test—no matter the type of roll—the character gains 1 Resolve. Resolve can accumulate, up to a maximum of 4.
When a character with 4 Resolve fails a d20 test, roll a d4. The result becomes the character’s new Resolve value, replacing the previous total. Resolve is then available as a resource to interact with advanced rules, features, or optional systems defined elsewhere in You-Meet-In-A-Tavern (YMIAT) (for example, to boost rolls or activate special abilities).
Recovery Points and Rest
During a short rest, a character gains a pool of Recovery Points equal to the character’s level. The player can spend Recovery Points to restore hit points and/or Spell Power in any combination. Unspent Recovery Points remain available for later short rests until they are used.
A character’s maximum Recovery Points equal the character’s level. During a long rest, a character regains half of their total Recovery Points (rounded up),
Restoring Hearts: Restoring a lost heart requires one long rest. During this rest, however, no HP is restored; HP must be regained separately through spells, healing, or other effects. Only when the number of hearts is back to 3 does a long rest also restore HP again. The order of recovery during a long rest is always: first hearts, then HP. See the Life and Death Saves section for more details on hearts and death saves.
Spell School Expertise
Some spellcasters specialize in particular schools of magic. A character with expertise in a spell school gains double advantage (roll 3d20, take highest) on spell attack rolls for spells of that school, and targets of those spells have disadvantage (roll 2d20, take lowest) on saving throws against them.
The number of spell schools in which a caster is proficient is equal to their spellcasting ability modifier divided by 2, rounded up.