Welcome to Cychosys.com!

Here you will find the Cychosys Roleplay System core rules and settings. In the forum, you can hang out with the Cychosys designer and playtesters, get any questions answered, provide feedback about the system, and generally have a good time.

What Is Cychosys?

Cychosys is a roleplay system. With it, you can create characters and run role-playing games (RPGs). Cychosys is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate almost any type of character and campaign, be it super heroes, traditional fantasy, horror, science fiction, etc.

What makes Cychosys different from other systems?

Cychosys distinguishes itself from other RPGs in several aspects.

Cychosys offers a great deal of flexibility in creating and advancing player characters (PCs). There are no character templates you must follow, no skill packages you must purchase, and no waiting for your PC to advance (level). You can define your PC in great detail, using abilities as specific as Pilot-Helicopter or as general as Shoot. The same goes for choosing personality traits, combat maneuvers, and even armor! The only limits are your imagination (and your GM’s approval).

For GMs, Cychosys offers relief from endless tables dictating bonuses and penalties for every minor occurrence. The GM can easily handle such details on the fly, relying on only a few simple components based on a single framework.

Cychosys is optimal for application to worlds of your own design—its openness frees you from trying to shoehorn your campaign into the rules of a more stringent system. Further, non-player characters (NPCs) are relatively easy to maintain, and can be as generic or as detailed as you’d like.

How does Cychosys work?

Cychosys is a point-based system. Each player builds his of her PC from a set number of Experience Points (XP) and then advances the PC by gaining more XP. XP are gained by rolling certain values while completing tasks. XP can be spent at almost anytime on almost anything your PC wants or needs. You don't have to save points for weeks, waiting to creep up one level--Cychosys PCs grow at a steady rate throughout the campaign.

PCs are built by spending XP to gain Natures, Skills, and Finesses that serve to define the PC. Natures define your PC’s key traits, be they Physical (eg, Strong, Agile), Mental (eg, Savant, Perceptive), or Emotional (eg, Charismatic, Manipulative). Skills define what things your PC can do (eg, Charm, Swim, Meditate), and finesses represent specific training your PC has (Hack-Cutlass, Research-Chemistry, Speak-Latin). XP can also be spent tailoring your armor, your weapons, and even special moves (Tricks)—you don’t have to remember Armor Values and Spell capabilities because you define them!

Cychosys is somewhat unusual for an RPG in using one twelve-sided die (1d12) rather than a twenty-sided die (1d20). Extensive playtesting revealed that 1d12 was preferable to 1d20 in Cychosys for several reasons:

  • It keeps totals in a reasonable range
  • It works well with the system mechanic for XP gain.
  • The mechanic allows for a dramatic mix of extraordinary successes and failures (although not always interpreted as critical results).
Who can use Cychosys?

Cychosys is ideal for gamers who want to have more freedom over the control and development of their characters and their game. The point-based development allows players to build & tailor their PCs however they like, without the limitations of character templates or having to wait to level-up, and the absence of set tables dictating difficulties and encounters allows the GM more freedom in running the campaign.

Cychosys is ideal for experienced gamers who want full control over their own worlds and characters. The lack of set rules for things such as determining range, the composition of spells, etc., may be troublesome for less experienced gamers who want such aspects set in stone, thus allowing them to focus on running their game.

Is Cychosys easy to learn?

Due to its openness, Cychosys does take some getting used to at first. Still, Cychosys can be mastered by everyone—even those who have never played any RPG before.