The Balance

by D. Brad Talton Jr.

A guide to using Balance-based resolution for Roleplaying Games

What is the Balance?

The Balance is a freeform resolution tool that was designed for Mystic Empyrean, but which
can be used for any freeform Role-Playing Game, and is especially appropriate for High Fantasy
games.
There are nine different elements in the balance. Seven of these represent the stats, skills, or
natural elements within the game. These are collectively called the basic elements. The remaining two
are wildcard elementsone is a Universal Success, called Anima, and the other is a Universal Failure,
called Aether. The seven basic elements have a relationship to one another that is determined by their
position on an alignment wheel (also explained below).
 Each player and the GM will have a Balance Tool, which takes the form of a deck of cards or a
bag of tokens. The player balances are called Personal Balances, and the GM's balance is called the
World Balance. Powerful NPCs, bosses, and significant monsters may also have their own Personal
Balances, at the discretion of the GM.
Each player character possesses a personal balance. The personal balance determines what his
concentration is of each different element. Typically a player character will have between 1 and 5
points in each of the elements of the balance. The higher a character's concentration of an element, the
greater his odds of success with actions aligned to that particular element become.

The Elements
Mystic Empyrean uses the following nine elements, which are appropriate for High Fantasy
Campaigns. Other campaigns may wish to change the names of the elements.
Fire The element governing strength and power.
Light The element governing discovery and pure knowledge.
Electricity The element governing inspiration and practical knowledge.
Water The element governing adaptability and personal relationships.
Stone The element governing defense and permanence.
Darkness The element governing secrets and stealth.
Air The element governing leadership and business relationships.
Anima The Universal Success element. Anima represents creation, becoming, and birth.
Aether The Universal failure element. Aether represents oblivion, destruction, and death.

Alignments
Every action within a Balance-based world is aligned with one of the basic elements. A fire
action is aligned with light and air, and opposed by stone and water. The alignment wheel to the right
shows the relationships of each element to the others. There are four levels of alignment
Perfect every element is perfectly aligned with itself and with the Universal Success element
Anima.
Outside every element has an outside alignment with its two adjacent elements on the wheel.
Neutral every element has neutral alignment with the two elements that are two steps away
from it on the wheel.
Opposition every element is opposed to the two elements that are opposite it on the wheel,
and to the Universal Failure element Aether.

Resolving with the Balance

Every action within the game world that has a chance of failure is called an attempt. Each
attempt has an elemental alignment with one of the seven basic elements in the Balance. The GM will
tell you which element your proposed action is aligned with. To determine whether an attempt resolves
or not, a player should draw once from his personal balance, and compare how close his draw is to the
alignment of the attempt.
 Perfect Success a draw that exactly matches the alignment of the action or is a Universal
Success element is a perfect success. The action succeeds better than expected.
Outside Success a draw that has outside alignment with the action is an Outside Success. The
action succeeds as well as it could be expected to, under the circumstances.
Neutral Success a draw that has neutral alignment with the action is a Neutral Success. It
succeeds only if it is not being opposed by outside forces, and is not very difficult.
Failure a draw that is opposed to the alignment of the action or is a Universal Failure element
is a failure. The action does not succeed. Furthermore, the GM may retaliate with an attack or
hazard from the world, if the action was dangerous.

Difficulty Levels
To increase the difficulty of an attempt, the GM may decide to break it down into multiple
attempts. For example, swinging across a chasm while dodging arrows from enemy warriors could be
seen as two attempts (one to swing successfully, and one to dodge). The GM might even stipulate an
additional attempt, to jump from the rope and land successfully, if the situation warrants.

Opposed Draws
For attempts that are directly opposed by a party, and where only one party can claim success
(such as a player attacking a monster, who is trying to dodge away), an opposed draw is used. Both
parties should determine the alignments of their actions (in the example above, fire for attacking and
water for dodging). Both players make a draw and compare their results. A higher result type wins the
opposed draw, with a second draw being used to break ties. If both parties fail or have neutral success,
the action ends with neither gaining ground (in situations where this is possible) or with both losing
ground (if appropriate).

Retaliation
When the time comes for the game to fight back against the players, the GM can make draws
from the world to determine what actions are taken by enemies,
and how successful they are. These will normally, but not
always, be opposed draws.

Building a Balance Tool with Cards

To use a card-based balance, the player needs nine
different kinds of cards, each one representing a different
element from the Balance. A set of 17~20 cards of each element
should be sufficient for most 5-player gaming groups. The
balance deck should be shuffled between turns.
If you are printing your own Balance Cards, you might
take the time to make notes on them of actions, ideas, or terms
associated with the elements they represent. The premium
Balance cards from Level 99 Games come preprinted with such
ideas and quotes. The ideas, actions, and quotes on these cards
can be used to generate new story twists during gameplay, or
help determine what the players discover on their adventures.
Building a Balance Tool with Tokens
To make a token-based balance, the player needs nine colors of tokens, each one a different
element of the Balance. A set of 17~20 tokens, much like cards, should be sufficient for a 5 player
group. You will also need an opaque bag for each player, and one more for the world. Any draws
should be returned to the bag between turns.

Buying a Balance Tool

Level 99 Games offers premium balances through our online Game Crafter Store at
http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/mystic-empyrean-balance-card-set. The Premium Balance Tool
comes with 160 elemental cards, enough for most 5 player parties. Additionally, it contains blank cards
which can be used to create your own unique plot twists, and a Balance board that provides a quick
reference for determining action alignments.

You can download the free Mystic Empyrean Preview Game at

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=87785. Just substitute the Balance rules in
this document for the dice variant included in the Preview Game, and you're playing Empyrean the way
it was meant to be played! Check out www.mysticempyrean.com for updates and the latest news!