Unbound Tales is a new tabletop role-playing game I am working on, that differs from other RPGs in a few significant ways:
It uses 2d10 for action resolution, rather than 1d20. Aside from hard bonuses, it also uses a mechanic called “favour and slight” that instructs the player to roll one additional die and then discard the lowest (“favour”) or the highest (“slight”). This is used in place of fixed bonuses or penalties for situational modifiers, though fixed bonuses and penalties are still used for underlying difficulties.
There are no critical results, nor partial success or partial failure. Everything is either a success or a failure. But even on a failure, the character usually gets at least a bit of result.
Rather than spell slots, it uses a variety of resources, typically one for each class, that charge up generally one per turn.
It has only five levels, though each level has five upgrades that must be selected to complete the level. The upgrades can be selected in any order, but none can be selected again until all five have been selected (and the next level gained).
Its initiative is side-based, with each side choosing which character will act next when it is that side's turn. Its action economy is based on a six-second turn, with any action a character might take requiring from one to six seconds to complete.
It includes a Prestige system that influences social mechanics. Characters can gain Prestige with different factions as quest rewards. Prestige grants small permanent bonuses, but can be expended on a long-term basis to gain immediate significant benefits.