Adventure

While I’m sure we all love the fantastic battles of Dragon Ball, DBU is, at its heart, a role playing game. There are plenty of things you should be doing outside of Combat Encounters and this section of the ARC Guide exists to help facilitate those all-important non-combat role playing sessions.

Adventure

Below is a set of advice on how to use the various mechanics of the DBU system outside of a Combat Encounter. As always, these are mere suggestions from our experience with this system. An ARC may feel free to ignore these entirely and run it how they will, but we hope that these suggestions will, at the very least, spark ideas on how an ARC would like to run a DBU campaign.

Skills

Outside of a Combat Encounter, it’s generally believed that Skills are king. For most encounters, you will be using Skills in response to situations that require them. You may be asked to use Acrobatics to put on a stunning display of movement to wow a disinterested crowd (Apprentice), or perhaps Knowledge (Science) to become aware of Blutz Waves, their effects on Saiyans, and how that could perhaps lead a Super Saiyan to an even greater power (Expert).

A general suggestion regarding Skill Checks is to not inform the players of the Difficulty Category, as certain Characters with particularly high Skill Ranks in said Skill may opt to try and ‘take over’ for a Skill Check, undermining the other player’s attempt. Of course, after a failure, they can do this anyways but generally you should allow even Characters with a low Skill Rank to attempt a Skill Check by their in-character actions, as they could always score a Critical Result.

Difficulty TNs. It can be a little hard to understand what Difficulty Category you would give to some Skill Checks outside of a Combat Encounter. The easiest way to look at it is this: the category names, such as ‘Novice’, ‘Apprentice’, ‘Qualified’, ‘Expert’, etc… represent the level of Skill that would be required to do this feat on the galactic scale of the Dragon Universe. This is a scale designated for the intense highs and lows of Dragon Ball, both in power and shows of skill (such as multiple Characters being able to create machinery that influences the flow of time in one way or another) and as such, you should generally be rather liberal with how effective certain Skill Checks are – especially for any Skill Checks that do not use Scholarship, Insight or Personality as their main Attribute.

Of course, it is ultimately up to your ARC to decide what Difficulty Category each Skill Check should be based on the scale of their campaign and what they would like each Character to be capable of, but for a general idea, here are some examples we think may help:

• Perception to hear a distant voice (Apprentice).
• Knowledge (Profession) or Survival to till farmland (Apprentice), this could become (Novice) if a Character has something that could make it easier – such as the Four Witches Technique or being of the Enormous Size Category.
• An Intimidation Check to stop a mob of ‘heroes’ from attacking you (Expert), though it may become (Novice) if you’ve already shown your excessive strength through eliminating one of them.
• A Piloting Skill Check to take a Spaceship through a group of comets for more expedited travel, or to escape a threat (anywhere from Apprentice to Master, depending on how dangerous you want the route to be).
• A Clairvoyance Skill Check to read the deep intricacies of a Character’s Alignment, even over a huge distance (Expert).
• A Stealth Skill Check to attempt to sneak by distracted guards (Apprentice), perhaps even (Novice) if there’s cover.
• A Knowledge (History) Skill Check to remember something about your chosen topic (Apprentice), though if it’s something very niche that only few people could know then it may perhaps be (Expert).
• A Creature Handling Skill Check to tame a dinosaur could be (Expert), though if you’ve proven your physical superiority in some manner or another, then it could be dropped down to (Apprentice).

In essence, don’t be afraid to make Skill Checks something that may be very hard for the players to beat every now and then (though it should generally be a rare circumstance), but allow them to reduce their Difficulty Category by using their role play to improve their circumstances. As the last example showed, a dinosaur is a fearsome creature who, in the Dragon Ball world, would typically be an apex predator. Taming one would not be easy, yet a comical show of strength establishing the player as a more dominant and fearsome entity could make the creature more submissive out of a survival instinct! Or, just because it’s funny. As long as it fits your campaign, don’t be scared of adding in some laughs here and there (as long as it’s something you think your players will actively enjoy).

Scaling Skill Checks. Sometimes, a Skill Check isn’t exactly ‘pass/fail’. You might be using Knowledge or Investigation to try and gain information on a runaway Bio-Android or trying to use Persuasion to help drag a bunch of unruly Saiyans into your plan to storm a tyrant’s ship. These situations are not ‘all or nothing’, you may find out some small pieces of information to help inform you on your next move but miss out on some others, or only gain a small following of Saiyans rather than gain all of them or none of them. For Skill Checks like this, do not set a typical Difficulty Category, but instead allow for varying degrees of success based on which Difficulty Categories were exceeded by the Skill Check.

For instance, if in the two examples shown, you could set a general Difficulty Category requirement of ‘Apprentice’ to gain at least some information or to encourage at least one Saiyan to follow in their plans, but for each Difficult Category met by the Skill Check above that, you give more information and more Saiyan companions respectively. At a Master or Grand Master, maybe they find enough clues to directly lead them to the Bio-Android or gather enough Saiyan allies to form a Minion Horde (see – Horde Battle rules).

Using Crafting. Crafting in the DBU system is fairly simple, mainly due to the system’s inherent focus on the ‘Z’ and above level of Dragon Ball. There are some ways to make it more interesting, however:

When making a Vehicle or Battle Jacket, you could break the Crafting process down into several steps – requiring Skill Checks to move materials, break them apart, and put the different sections together. If you do this, try to focus each segment on each player’s different Skills, allowing everyone to participate.

You could require Characters to find special materials to create certain pieces of [Tech], which can be a small adventure in and of itself.

If not for materials themselves, you could have Characters work for money to purchase the necessary materials, allowing for fun events such as having the super powered players work as bodyguards for a day!

You could have Characters hunt for Blueprints, or gain them as rewards for their actions and otherwise limit which [Tech] they can produce without them.

Ability Checks

Attribute Checks. While Skill Checks are important, sometimes they do not cover everything. If you can’t find a fitting Skill, then ask your player to make an Attribute Check! Just roll 1d10 plus their Score in whatever relevant Attribute. Rather than following the usual Difficulty Categories that Skills use, just think of a fitting Target Number (TN) for the difficulty of the task ahead – make sure you keep your Attribute Score Limit in mind for that Character’s Tier of Power. Sometimes, it’s fine to even suggest that Characters could use one of multiple Attributes for an Attribute Check.

An example of an Attribute Check could be Snakeway! At a low Power Level (such as 1 or 2, which Goku would have been when first taking on the challenge), it could be a really daunting challenge. You may not have a Character roll for it later, but right now? Do they have the speed or stamina to accomplish it? In such cases, just ask them to roll! Maybe give a TN like 12 based on the limit of Attribute Scores for Tier of Power 1 being 8. Then, since it’s either speed or stamina, you say that the players can use either Agility or Tenacity! Let’s say that Goku has an Agility Score of 6 at Power Level 1, so he makes his roll. 1d10+6 vs a TN of 12! On a result of 6 or higher, he made it all the way across Snakeway with no difficulties, but unfortunately he rolled a 3. That means that our hero had to take a break. This is a chance to add some more spice to the journey: maybe he falls to Hell? Maybe a charming princess is living on Snakeway, only to be revealed to be a vicious monster that wants to consume him? If he passed the check, none of these filler adventures would occur, but since he failed, why not make it interesting?

Transformations and Attribute Checks. Let’s not forget about Transformations and how they can impact Attribute Checks. Generally, since Attribute Scores increase much slower than the big boost you get from Transformations, consider applying these rules to still make those Attribute Scores count:

• If you want to make those MP choices feel like they have an impact when making an Attribute Check, you can add in the AMB from their relevant Attribute on their Manifested Powers, though I’d usually halve (rounded up) this result just so a large set of MPs doesn’t completely trivialize any task.
• A similar sentiment can be made with Alternate Forms, Enhancement Powers and Legendary Forms! To keep things simple, why not simplify their AMB for what Attributes they do increase to match their Tier of Power Requirement? That way, going Super Saiyan gives a +2 to any Ability Check that uses Agility, Force, Tenacity, Insight or Magic, but going Super Saiyan 3 would give a +4 to those Attribute Checks.

Social Interactions

Dealing with Non-Player Characters (NPCs) is an especially important aspect of role play outside of a Combat Encounter. Players can form alliances, turn enemies into friends, gain special benefits, and maybe even be taken under the wing of an NPC as an apprentice.

Generally, the core rule of thumb with dealing with social interactions between Characters is to play those Characters. Allow their personalities to decide what is effective and what is not, prioritizing what Characters have said rather than what they roll with any dice. Of course, this is still a dice-centric game, so you shouldn’t be scared of having some key decisions come down to rolls, either!

Skill Checks in Social. You should allow players to request the ability to roll Skill Checks such as Persuasion, Intimidation, Intuition, Bluff, Performance, or Perception freely in social exchanges, though do not allow another player to make the same Skill Check immediately after one has just been done to not undermine that evolution of the encounter. Someone who blunders their Persuasion and now has to try and talk out of it is good role play, it allows for fantastic moments where people have to think on their feet and can either spiral into a ridiculous scenario or be a tense, emotional moment where a Character has to drop the pretenses and just speak honestly to try and sway someone. Good role play should always be rewarded, and social encounters are a wonderful way to scout out potential scenes for Karma Point rewards.

To set the Difficulty Category for any of these Skill Checks, you can simply decide based on the personality of the target and how they are feeling about what was actually said. Players may not be as eloquent as their Characters, so rolling is always important for that aspect, but what is said cannot be overlooked either. Consider both of these factors when deciding the appropriate response from the NPC targeted by their Skill Check.

Below is an example of using multiple Skill Checks in a social encounter to help paint the picture:

• A Saiyan has managed to contact the Northern Kaio to request information about a threat – specifically what planet they’re on and how the planet is holding up against their onslaught. The Northern Kaio seems reluctant to give out information, but the player can’t tell much more from the ARC’s depiction of the Character. So, since they know they have high Intuition, they want to roll an Intuition Check to see if they can tell what emotion is behind the Northern Kaio’s reluctance. The ARC knows that the Northern Kaio has seen the horrors inflicted by the Saiyan race and therefore is not fully trusting of one, but due to that, their intent is fairly obvious so they make it an Easy Skill Check. It wouldn’t be Very Easy as the Kaio is still an ancient being with a long history of talking to people they are concerned about, but it’s still obvious enough that the Saiyan has no problem picking up on it.
• The Saiyan, now aware that there are hints of fear and overall concern in the voice of the Kaio, puts it down to their being a Saiyan. There’s a few things they can do here, but the player wants a more educated guess. So, they ask to make a Knowledge (History) Skill Check to check on what atrocities the Saiyans have inflicted on the Northern Section of the Universe. As a Saiyan themselves, one raised by braggart Saiyans, the ARC decides this is another Easy Skill Check. The Saiyan may not have a lot of Scholarship, but their two Skill Ranks in History gives them a 50/50 chance to pass it. Unfortunately, they fail. They could use a Karma Point to increase their chances, but they’ve spent 2 in the last Combat Encounter and want to reserve their remaining 4 Karma Points for when they need them.
• Without more information to go on, the Saiyan can only speak from the heart. They detail their experiences fighting against the threat, how they’ve learned from the mistakes of their people and how they’re not sure if any planet will be safe from this threat unless they (and their friends) track down and finish this now, before it’s too late. It’s an emotional speech, taking from the previous encounters they’ve had and friends they’ve lost during the campaign. As such, when the player asks to roll for Persuasion, the ARC simply declares that it’s already a success. It was an in-character moment, done well and deserving of the success. They could have let him roll and give a Karma Point instead, but they felt like it meant more in the moment to have the Kaio swayed by their heartfelt words. With the information given by the Kaio, the Saiyan relays what they’ve found out to their party, who now know exactly where the threat is and that the planet they’re on is fighting back against them, giving them just enough time to get there. A final thanks is given to the Kaio, before the players head to the planet at full speed.

Combat Mechanics outside of Combat

Outside of a Combat Encounter, it can seem difficult to use your Traits, Unique Abilities, and other Maneuvers. Below is a general guide on how to make use of your Character’s non-Skill abilities outside of a Combat Encounter.

Combat Recovery. Combat Recovery should not be allowed out of Combat, as it is meant to symbolize taking a breather and attempting to regain stamina while in Combat – typically by talking to your Opponent. You already regain energy and such through the rest of the Recovery rules (see – Attacking & Conditions) for being out of a Combat Encounter.

Traits and Maneuvers. Traits and Maneuvers can be used freely outside of Combat Encounters, but are not bound by their actual effects. The effects of any Traits are used entirely within a Combat Encounter capacity, and instead application of Traits outside of a Combat Encounter entirely comes down to what they represent. For example, a Majin may be able to do really funky things in the more narrative space of adventure, casually tearing bits of their body off due to their ability to regenerate! When trying to apply your Traits, your ARC may ask for Saving Throw or Skill Checks, but if you have an appropriate Trait then perhaps ask for the difficulty of your check to be decreased due to this factor.

Unique Abilities. Generally, the easiest way to use Unique Abilities is to allow them to be used narratively, based on what the Unique Ability grants. You do not need to spend Ki Points or be limited by time when using a Unique Ability outside of the pressures of combat, unless your ARC deems it a stressful situation or an abuse of your Unique Abilities (in which case, it should still have its KP Cost halved).

Don’t feel too limited by what Unique Abilities do in a Combat Encounter, you should feel free to use them as creatively as possible. Use Gravity Manipulation to cling to a ceiling like Spider-Man, use Precognition to guess the results of a lottery draw, use Position Change to swap two objects when a Character is not looking… Unique Abilities grant you lots of creative freedom out of combat! If your ARC wants a limit, they can require you to make suitable Skill Checks when using your Unique Abilities in this method, but generally go crazy! This is a role playing game, outside of combat is the perfect time for your imaginative schemes to shine!

Attacking outside of Combat Encounters. At what point does an ambush become a Combat Encounter? Well, if all of the players jump out at the same time against an enemy (or a group of enemies against a player), then you could follow the rules for a Surprise Round (see – Actions & Combat) but if a player uses an Attacking Maneuver against a Character with no warning, or in a way that would blow everyone’s cover, that’s a different matter.

Follow the typical rules for that Attacking Maneuver against the target, then simply start a Combat Encounter immediately afterwards if any enemies remain. Usually, if a Target did not see this coming, they should suffer from Guard Down against this Attacking Maneuver.

If it was a one-off punch, such as to knock sense into someone, or if no one else will enter into a Combat Encounter as a result of it – don’t feel the need to include it.

Rewarding Players

Giving Power Levels is one way to reward players, as Progression will show, but there are other ways you can reward players for their good deeds and by making choices to befriend NPCs. Don’t feel pigeonholed into thinking Power Levels are the only reward; the system has a large number of tools that can be used to make Characters feel as if their actions mattered and to encourage further role play of that ilk.

You could grant Karma Points, Bases, Minions, Vehicles, Weapons, special Qualities to Weapons or Apparel, ways to use the Downtime or Fighting Style Optional Rules or even just grant them potential Allies for upcoming battles. Get creative, your players will likely enjoy a more creative reward than just being given a Power Level each time they complete an objective.