Frightening Firearms

Frightening Firearms

Description: Used primarily in settings where firearms are rare and a new innovation. The sound of a firearm being discharged around creatures that are not part of a firearm-using culture can force a morale check or similar fear effect.

Find it in: Lamentations of the Flame Princess

Keywords: Dangerous, Exploration, Gritty, Tactical, Tense

Genres: Crime, Dark Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Pulp

Gear Quality

Gear Quality

Description: Equipment has a means of tracking its quality and state of Repair. As it wears down it lowers in its quality rating. Often uses Depletion Dice, and often includes Depleting Armor.

Find it in: Delve 2e, The Black Hack, Tiny Dungeon 2e

Keywords: Dangerous, Exploration, Gritty, Horrific, Tactical, Tense

Genres: Crime, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Military, Post-apocalyptic, Survival Horror, Western

Timed Initiative

Timed Initiative

Description: Players have a limited time to declare their action. If they do not have one to declare, they default to a defensive action.  Often used in conjunction with Simultaneous initiative. 
Find it in:  Dungeoncraft, Dungeon World
Keywords: Dark, Gritty, Dangerous, Fast-Paced
Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Post-apocalyptic, Low Fantasy 

Simultaneous Initiative

Simultaneous Initiative

Description: Players declare their actions without establishing initiative; the GM resolves all events in a phase order as if they happened nearly simultaneously. Creates a situation where combat is realistically confusing. 
Find it in:  Dungeoncraft, Dungeon World
Keywords: Dark, Gritty, Dangerous, Fast-Paced
Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Post-apocalyptic, Low Fantasy 

Carousing

Carousing

Description: Characters may spend a randomized amount of treasure to go on a bender, earning XP or other rewards. Causes a roll on a random table to describe events and the Fallout of the character's wild debauch. 
Find it in:  Ultraviolet Grasslands and the Black City, DCC HUBRIS, GLOG
Keywords: Exploration, Light-Hearted
Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Western, Post-apocalyptic

Depleting Armor

Depleting Armor

Description: Armor is subject to depletion dice or a similar mechanism to become weaker over time as it is used. 
Find it in:  the Black Hack, Shadowrun 
Keywords: Gritty, Dangerous, Dark, Survival
Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Cyberpunk, Western, Post-apocalyptic, Horror

Depletion Dice (Light)

Depletion Dice (Light) 

Description: Using a modification of the depletion dice, combustible light sources can be given a variable duration. 
Find it in: The Delve 2e
Keywords: Rules-Light, Fast-paced, Dark, Tense
Genres: Sword & Sorcery, Western, Low Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Horror 

Lingering Injuries and Dismemberments

Lingering Injuries and Dismemberments

Description: Once knocked out of commission in combat, a character has a chance of suffering lingering or permanent injuries that create penalties to the character or stat reductions. 
Find it in: Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, the Black Hack, GLOG
Keywords: Dark, Gritty, Pulpy
Genres: Sword & Sorcery, Pulp, Military, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction

Rescues

Rescues

Description: A character may sacrifice their turn and a resource like luck to leap to another NPCs aid, catching them at a cliff's edge, pushing them out of the way of a car, taking a bullet for them. Etc. PC preforming the rescue may be subject to taking damage themselves. 
Find it in: Low Fantasy Gaming
Keywords: Tactical, Swashbuckling, Heroic, Pulpy
Genres: Sword & Sorcery, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Pulp, Superhero, Military

Combat Exploits

Combat Exploits

Description: During Combat characters may declare special effects of a combat attack, like disarming, knock back, tripping, blinding, etc., and on a successful attack, a die roll may resolve this effect. More severe or permanent effects may require special Luck checks or limited resources. Missed exploits prevent further exploits against a target until players gain  new tactical advantage. 
Find it in: Low Fantasy Gaming
Keywords: Tactical, Swashbuckling, Heroic, Pulpy
Genres: Sword & Sorcery, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Pulp, Superhero, Western

Mighty Deeds of Arms

Mighty Deeds of Arms

Description: Combat-oriented characters may declare special effects of a combat attack, like disarming, knock back, tripping, blinding, etc., and get variable success based on a roll of a die. 
Find it in: Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG
Keywords: Weird, Fantastical, Dark, Tactical, Swashbuckling 
Genres: Sword & Sorcery, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Pulp, Superhero

Let the Mail be Rent

Let the Mail be Rent

Description: Sacrifice Armor effectiveness to reduce damage. 
Find it in: Right Here
Keywords: Fantastical, Tactical, Heroic, Cinematic, Swashbuckling 
Genres: Sword & Sorcery, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Science Fiction, Post-apocalyptic, Pulp