LD50 RPG + D12/D20 Iconic Prompt/Oracle Table

Iconic Prompt / Oracle is a solo gaming tool that replaces text-based prompts with intuitive icons, generated by rolling two 12-sided or 20-sided dice, sparking creative and immersive storytelling.

Icons, except harp (by myself) by Lorc, Delapoiute, JohnSmith and Barrymanilow, used under a CCBY 3.0 license, game-icons.net

No AIs were harmed during production of this table.

LD50_Rulebook.pdf features a minimalist 3-page solo RPG framework to use with this table.

Let’s be honest: Hit Points are a scam. They pretend to measure survival, but really they’re just a boredom meter. A goblin scratches you for 5 HP. You shrug. Life goes on. Maybe you’re bleeding out, maybe you’re fine—but HP doesn’t care. It never did.

Enter LD50: a minimal, high-lethality RPG where death is always on the table. No HP. No fudged abstractions. Instead, we use Chance To Die (CTD)—a clear, transparent number that actually models what’s happening: the risk of your character not surviving their next action. Succeed, CTD drops. Fail, it rises. Fail below CTD? Congratulations, you’re dead.

Why is CTD better than HP?

1. Honest mechanics: You know your survival odds, not some vague “5 HP left” nonsense.

2. Narratively meaningful: Every failure or success shapes your story, adding complications or advantages.

3. Easy to simulate reality: d20 resistance classes + percentile CTD increments let you model combat, survival, and hazards realistically without math gymnastics.

4. High tension: Every choice matters. Every roll is a dramatic gamble. HP can’t do that.

Gameplay in LD50 is elegant: roll a D100 prompt → pick D8 Action + D6 Approach → check D20 Resistance → resolve CTD. Odd = complication, even = clean success, fail below CTD = death. Simple. Brutal. Honest.

In short: HP pretends. CTD tells the truth. If you want RPGs where every decision counts, failure matters, and survival isn’t guaranteed, LD50 isn’t just an alternative—it’s a revelation.