At this point, a fair warning is probably in order. In all likelihood you cut your teeth on another game system and have either picked this game up as a curiosity or plan to move to HackMaster as a temporary or permanent change of pace. The more you play HackMaster, the more you will come to realize that it behaves differently than other games. For most games, having some preconceived notion of what to expect or background experience makes the transition easier. This is often not so with HackMaster; in fact, complete gaming newbs sometimes command a distinct learning-curve advantage over their seasoned RPG counterparts. This is because while HackMaster plays like an old-school game, its fluid mechanics more closely models real-life than any previous edition (old or new school).

1. Hackmaster 5th Edition Character Creation Sheet
2. Hackmaster Character Creation
3. Hackmaster 5th Edition Character Creation Free

Here are some things you will find different about HackMaster than other games:

• You needn’t ever wait for your turn – the whole game is based on the ‘seconds’ system, much like timekeeping in the real world. If your character wants to take an action or change his mind in the middle of an action, by all means, do it! No sense in standing around.
• Both shields and armor make it easier for foes to hit your character – they simply absorb damage and deflect blows, making your character less likely to be injured. Just like in real life!
• Characters use an active defense (and roll to defend as well as attack) reflecting the fact that you would actively try to dodge a blow in combat, not simply hope your opponent misses.
• A low roll isn't the end of the world. So you rolled a six against that orc? Don't whine about missing until the GM rolls for the orc's defense. You still have a chance – he may roll a five on his defense.
• Going first and fastest is not always best. Charging into a group of surprised foes may be great for the first strike, but it may also be a way to find yourself surrounded if your allies aren't as quick as you.
• Being surrounded or even outnumbered is a very bad thing. Taking on multiple foes, even if far inferior to your character, can be bad news. A large group of orcs will be a tough fight even for high-level characters, when in other games this would be a cakewalk. Well, it wasn’t one in the Mines of Moria and it won’t be one in HackMaster, either.
• Ranged weapons don’t work quite as well in real-life (or for low level characters) as they do in most recent RPGs. Frankly, I’d rather be shot with an arrow from a longbow than hit with a broad sword if forced to make that choice. Think about it.
• Individual characters cannot do everything and no character is an island. HM is a game of hard choices for each character. You need a TEAM of characters with complementary skills and abilities. HackMaster really is a game where you need to know the answer to the question, 'Who's Watching Your Back?'
• Each character class has a specific role. Fighters fight and should be in front. Mages should be kept out of melee at all costs. Thieves should be on point but ready to let the fighters take the lead in combat. Clerics are the party's all around support. Each role is important to party survival. Playing a thief (or worse, a mage) like a fighter just gets the character… and sometimes the party… killed.
• All the min/maxing during character creation doesn't mean a thing if you don't use your brain during the game. That spreadsheet that managed to save you 4 BPs on your mage/thief’s Skilled Liar skill doesn't mean much if you try to straight-up melee a troll.
• In fact, there are no perfect characters. There is no chart that shows you how to pick the best skills or choose the best weapon – it’s all a matter of preference and there there are many different ways to create a great character.
• 3d6 in order does NOT mean you usually get an unplayable character – HackMaster drags the average 3d6 character ability back to 10-11 from 15-16.
• Intelligence is important in melee – it increases your chance to hit an enemy. That’s why the stupid giant can be defeated by the clever warrior.
• You can never tell the outcome of a battle before it starts. Just because your fighter is at full hit points, killing that goblin with the spear is never a sure thing.
• Simply because you've encountered goblins/kobolds/zombies in other games doesn't mean they're just as easy to defeat in HackMaster.
• The GM is not out to kill you – he’s out to kill you if you are foolish. A tactical withdrawal is a perfectly acceptable option because far more often than in other games, you’ll wind up in over your head.

In the end, the best advice I can give you is that HackMaster is a game of difficult choices. You will never have enough building points to buy everything you want (or even need). There is no one ‘no-brainer’ weapon that every combatant should use, nor is there one class that bests them all. The BEST advice is to just play the game with an open mind, ready to learn. Nothing brings out the genius of HackMaster like actual play. During play you begin to see how well the system flows and works. This is a Game written by people who love to play it.

Game Informer to help explain. Character creation - Official Shadowrun Wiki ELI5 5th edition character creation So I just got the 5th edition core rulebook. I loved all the Shadowrun computer games, and I've played and loved d&d, so I thought jumping into the tabletop shadowrun would be great. This turned out longer than I thought. Well, my take is that HM5 is neither old school gaming nor humorous. Instead, Kenzerco made a lavish, fancy-boy, douche edition, wannabe D&D knockoff. Fifth Edition Character Sheets. More info Starter Set Character Sheets. More info Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League.

Start Playing HackMaster Right Now

• HackMaster Basic Free RPG

  Just download the game right now!

• HackMaster Quick-Start Rules v 1.2

  If you don't like using the pregenerated characters in Basic, this document will aid you in quickly generating a HackMaster character so you get get to the good stuff (killin' monsters) right away.

• HackMaster QuickStart Guide

  This 41 page fan-produced supplement will give you everything you needto play your first hero, and quickly.

Free Adventures

• White Palette, Ivory Horns

  White Palette, Ivory Horns is a free PDF adventure for the HackMaster Basic RPG! A classic adventure in the old-school tradition, White Palette, Ivory Horns takes place in and around the village of Vew (near Frandor's Keep), on the edge of the untamed Legasa Peaks, and features a variety of challenges designed for three to five 1st level characters. It's an excellent first adventure for novice HackMaster players.

• The Mysterious Shrine

  This scenario is a plug-in for Frandor's Keep and provides an additional adventure opportunity for players to uncover the secret behind a mysterious shrine.

• The Training Dungeon

  This is a tiny dungeon designed to teach the basics of dungeon crawling to newbie players. Produced by Firby

• The Hunt for the Red Wolf

  This dungeon crawl is intended as a stepping stone between “White Palette, Ivory Horns” and the Frandor’s Keep campaign It is designed for a group of 4 1st level characters. Produced by Firby

• AS1: A Simple Task

  Kurt Evans devised this little scenario when he first introduced his group to HackMaster. It was the initial session of a campaign that is still on-going. The intention is for players to be introduced to combat in a non-deadly scenario, and to also go through a variety of skill checks in order to help them familiarize themselves with HackMaster. This will definitely have some use for folks who want to run demos!

Record Sheets for your new PC

• Standard HackMaster record Sheet

  This simple 2 page sheet is an excellent general purpose tool to keep track of your character

• Alternative HackMaster record Sheet

  This alternate character sheet employs the 'combat rose' data blocks that appear in the Hacklopedia of Beasts.

• Alternative record sheet with no spells

  This alternate character sheet uses the 'combat roses' but also has extra space for more weapons. It's useful if you're not a spellcaster.

• HM character sheet for computer/tablet

  If you prefer to manage your PC on a laptop or tablet, this is the sheet for you. It's meant to be used like an app with navigation buttons, etc and not simply paged through like a paper document. Thanks Steve Lawrence! See this thread if you have any difficulties. F1 2015 pc game patch download.

• Pregen Character Sheet Template

  This is a form-fillable pdf template character sheet. It's an ink hog but it is mainly meant to look nice and be simple and clear for newer players.

Gameplay

• Combat Example

  This 9 page Knights of the Dinner Table comic has an ancillary purpose in providing a visual example on running combat in HackMaster.

• Combat Example #2

  This 12 page full-color Knights of the Dinner Table comic provides an advanced example on running combat in HackMaster.

• Special Combat Moves flowcharts

  Evan Dewey created a series of flowcharts to illustrate the 'Special Combat Moves' found in HackMaster Basic Plus and the Player's Handbook. You mayfind these beneficial if you're more visually oriented.

• Combat Rose graphic

  If you want your own blank copy of the “combat rose” quick info graphic featured throughout the Hacklopedia of Beasts, click here. (File is a hi-rez JPG).

• Trap Gear ICON

  If you want your own blank copy of the “trap rose” quick info graphic featured on p. 200 of the GameMaster’s Guide, click here. (File is a hi-rez PNG).

• Android Count Tracker App

  This kewl app by koolkat keeps track of combat for you. Read this thread for more information.

• Interactive HM Combat Cheat Sheet

  This interactive, touch/click enabled PDF is a handy reference for information about running combat in HackMaster. All at the touch of a finger..

• Interactive Critical Hit Book

  Steve Lawrence put these together to run on an iPad to resolve Critical Hits and Fumbles. It doesn't do the math for you but speeds up getting to the result pretty well if you have a pdf reader that can use the embedded links.

• HackTrack System

  The HackTrack system is an absolutely indispensible tool for GMs that facilitates tracking of multiple monsters/opponents during combat. There are several PDFs inside the .zip file including the original instructional article from KoDT #178.

• Tally Whacker

  Gross beat vst crack. This form-fillable PDF tool assists the GM in tracking experience points and honor during gameplay

Miscellaneous

• Kingdoms of Kalamar pronunciation guide

  HackMaster’s default setting, the Kingdoms of Kalamar, is a fantasy world that presents a range of cultures and languages. As in the real world, the pronunciation of all place names may not be intuitively obvious to English speakers – Americans can look to La Jolla, CA or Sioux Falls, SD for examples in their own backyard of places that break customary phonetics. This guide should help you out if you’re having trouble pronouncing certain words.

New to HackMaster?

• HackMaster Basic Foreword by Gary Jackson

  A few words by the man himself!

• HackMaster Basic Walk Through

  What's HackMaster all about? Download this document and take a closer look at the game!

• On Dice

  We take dice seriously and so should you! This essay contains everything you ever wanted to know (and probably some things you didn’t) about the all-important vessels of luck!

Fan Produced Game Aids

• Excel Character Sheet v1.0.8

  Ryan Sanborn has updated his Excel character sheet for use with your HackMaster Basic game.

• Healing Worksheet v2

  Chris Holmes has updated his worksheet for tracking how long your character's wounds take to heal (including all adjustments permitted). Prompted by several 25+ hp wounds he received, it now handles wounds up to 40 hp. That's nearly enough for Jolly Blackburn's dwarf.

GameMaster's Guide

The HackMaster GameMaster's Guide is now back in stock as an affordably priced softcover.

HackMaster Player's Handbook

This 400 page hardcover expands upon HackMaster Basic with new races, classes, skills, talents and spells with advancement opportunities to 20th level.

Hacklopedia of Beasts

This is it, the definitive work by the esteemed sage Greytar. Within these pages he catalogues a collection of the most varied and interesting creatures that populate the Kingdoms of Kalamar. A stunning 384 page hardcover that sets a new standard for monsterous cyclopedias.

Combo Specials

We offer discounted specials if you wish to pick up several books at once. Click the link above to automagically teleport to a page with our bundled offerings.

HackMaster Basic (FREE)

This starter (yet fully forward compatible) edition of HackMaster features simplified rules perfect for initial play to 5th level. It is a complete game (231 pages) with player and GM sections, a selection of 70+ monsters and 3 scenarios ready to explore.

HackMaster Basic Plus

This inexpensive PDF expands upon the free version with added rules, combat options, spells and advancement to 10th level.

Hackmaster 5th Edition Character Creation Sheet

These PDFs expand upon the cleric classes presented in the Player's Handbook. Each book features 3 new clerics and a wealth of supplemental game info.

Hackmaster Character Creation

The Player's Handbook is also available in digital format.

Hackmaster 5th Edition Character Creation Free

The Hacklopedia of Beastsis also available in digital format.