Character Creation
The following steps will bring your character to life. Complete them in any order, so long as every step is completed:
Choose your Path. Regardless of which you choose, you'll begin with 3 Life Points and a score of 4 in each Trait.
Apply Your Path’s Starting Bonus. This is the first real boost to your Traits.
Calculate Your Life Points. Add your Path's Life Point Bonus to your starting 3 Life Points. For example, a +3 bonus gives you 6 Life Points total.
Claim Your Starting Talent. Each Path provides a unique Starter Talent that gives special bonuses during roleplay or combat.
Gear Up. Choose one Treasured Possession that means the world to your character. It provides a bonus to applicable rolls. Then, list any Common Items you carry.
Prepare for Battle. Create up to four Weapons and assign their Range based on the examples provided. Add Armor if your character wears it.
Attain Power. Choose two starting Powers if your character would possess them. If you'd rather not, leave your Power Trait at 0 and put those 4 starting dice into other Traits instead. However, if you decide not to assign Powers to your character during Character Creation, you can't add dice to your Power Trait until Level 6.
Give your character a name and fill in any personal details that make them unique.
Leveling Up
Your character will get stronger as your game progresses. After significant Milestones, your GM will tell you it's time to level up. When you level up:
On EVEN LEVELS (2, 4, 6, etc.), add two extra dice to your Traits (you can split these between different Traits if desired, or add both to one) and gain a new Power.
On ODD LEVELS (3, 5, 7, etc.), you gain 2 Maximum Life Points (up to a Maximum of 50) and create a new Talent with your GM. Once your Life Points have reached their cap of 50, you may instead Upgrade an existing Talent with your GM's approval.
Every TEN LEVELS (10, 20, 30, and so on), you gain an extra Action to use in combat.
Player characters are capped at Level 40, at which point their character has reached their maximum potential and will no longer level up. While Paths, Talents, and other bonuses may alter the following, a Level 40 character will have attained at minimum: 78 Trait Dice, 20 Talents, 45 Life Points, and 25 Powers.
Mastered Traits
A Trait score cannot be raised higher than 10 dice. When a Trait reaches 10, it becomes a MASTERED TRAIT and gains Exploding 6s. Whenever you roll a 6 on a Mastered Trait, you can immediately roll an additional die per 6. For example, you roll a Mastered Trait and get a 6. You add a success and roll an extra die. That extra die is another 6. You add a second success and roll again. This time, you roll a 3. The chain ends. In total, that single 6 generated 2 successes.
In addition to this, once you've capped all nine Traits, you continue gaining Talents at every level instead of alternating between Traits and Talents at even/ odd levels.
Talent Upgrades
Once your Maximum Life Points reach 50, Odd Levels no longer grant additional Life Points. Instead, you may Upgrade an existing Talent. Work with your GM to improve a Talent you already have. For example, Increasing a +1 bonus to +2, removing or loosening a usage limit (e.g., "once per Encounter" could become "once per Round"), or expanding the Talent's scope to cover additional situations.
Your GM has final say on what constitutes a fair upgrade.
Paths
Paths determine where your skills lie at the beginning of your adventure. There is a Path tied to each of the 9 Traits, as well as a Pathless option for those who prefer a blank slate.
Your Path gives you bonuses to specific Traits, but doesn’t lock you into playing a certain way. Think of them as starting points, not predetermined routes.
Artisan
You're clever and resourceful, using your knowledge of magic or science to bring ideas to life.
- Key Trait: Sage
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Sage, then add 1 to either Awareness or Survival
- Starting Talent: Battle Partner — When combat begins, pick an ally to partner with. You automatically enter Shared Combat with them, and gain a +2 bonus on one roll per Round.
- Life Point Bonus: 2
Brute
You're powerful and intimidating, excelling at dealing damage, taking a beating, and utilizing your raw strength.
- Key Trait: Endurance
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Endurance, then add 1 to either Might or Survival
- Starting Talent: Battle Fury — When you drop below half your maximum Life Points, you gain a +2 to all Endurance and Might rolls until the current Encounter/ Scene ends.
- Life Point Bonus: 4
Courier
You're lightning-fast, fighting primarily by staying one step ahead of your opponents.
- Key Trait: Swiftness
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Swiftness, then add 1 to either Subterfuge or Survival
- Starting Talent: Haste — You can move to anything "Near" without using an action and to anything "Far" in a single action. You can also use Swiftness instead of Might when wielding melee weapons.
- Life Point Bonus: 2
Hunter
You're a master tracker whose reflexes and experience allow you to anticipate attacks others don’t see coming.
- Key Trait: Awareness
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Awareness, then add 1 to either Sage or Swiftness
- Starting Talent: Uncanny Reflexes — Once per Encounter you can automatically dodge one attack without rolling.
- Life Point Bonus: 3
Nomad
Deeply connected to the world around you, you thrive in the wilderness and live off the land with ease.
- Key Trait: Survival
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Survival, then add 1 to either Endurance or Might
- Starting Talent: Natural Survivor — When making Endurance rolls to Endure, 1s no longer subtract from successes. You can also use your Survival score instead of Swiftness when determining your place in Initiative.
- Life Point Bonus: 3
Pathless
You can become anything you want, limited only by your imagination, the story world, and your GM.
- Key Trait: Selected by Player
- Starting Bonus: Add 2 dice to any of the 9 Traits
- Starting Talent: Create a Starting Talent with your GM
- Life Point Bonus: 3
Performer
You're deeply charismatic, using your skills to entertain, inspire, seduce, persuade, and demoralize.
- Key Trait: Charm
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Charm, then add 1 to either Power or Sage
- Starting Talent: Captivating Performance — Once per Round, you can use your Charm instead of Might, Power, or Swiftness for a single attack roll.
- Life Point Bonus: 2
Shade
You're stealthy and cunning, excelling at moving subliminally against your enemies.
- Key Trait: Subterfuge
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Subterfuge, then add 1 to either Charm or Swiftness
- Starting Talent: Vanishing Act — Once per Encounter, become undetectable for a single Round. No Awareness roll can detect you during this time. You also gain a +1 to any roll you make while undetected.
- Life Point Bonus: 3
Spellweaver
You wield magic or advanced technology to bend reality to your will.
- Key Trait: Power
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Power, then add 1 to either Awareness or Sage
- Starting Talent: Empowered Prodigy — Begin with 3 additional Powers.
- Life Point Bonus: 2
Warrior
You're a skilled and formidable fighter who dominates the battlefield with their strength.
- Key Trait: Might
- Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Might, then add 1 to either Endurance or Survival
- Starting Talent: Crushing Blow — Once per Round, you can double the damage dealt by a single attack.
- Life Point Bonus: 3
Items, Weapons, & Armor
Your gear is an extension of your character's abilities. Each COMMON ITEM you carry gives you a +1 bonus to relevant dice rolls. These items don't increase your Trait scores themselves, but give you extra dice when you use them. For example, a rope would help you climb a tree (+1 to Swiftness) but won't help you spot a hidden door. These bonuses can push your total dice rolled above the Trait cap of 10.
You can carry as many Common Items as your GM allows.
| Example Item | Example Bonus |
|---|---|
| Lantern | +1 to Awareness rolls based on sight |
| Grappling Hooks | +1 to Swiftness rolls while climbing |
| Lock-picks | +1 to Subterfuge when picking locks |
A TREASURED POSSESSION on the other hand is something deeply important to your character. It grants a +2 bonus instead of +1. If another character uses your Treasured Possession, they don't get the +2 bonus as the item is only special to you (and is treated as a Common Item in their hands). As always, your GM will stop unreasonable uses of this item.
| Example Treasured Possession | Example Bonus |
|---|---|
| Grandfather's Pocket Watch | +2 to Awareness rolls related to time |
| Lucky Coin | +2 to any Charm roll |
| Old Family Sword | +2 to Might rolls when wielding as a weapon |
Weapons
You can select a weapon from the table below or create one of your own, using the following examples as a guide to determine its proper assigned range. Regardless of type, all weapons can either impose a Tribulation or deal 1 point of damage per success.
| Example Weapon Type | Assigned Range |
|---|---|
| Knives, Clubs, Staffs, Mauls, Swords, & Improvised Weapons | Close |
| Short Bows, Shotguns, Pistols, Ray Guns, Grenades, & Thrown Weapons | Near |
| Spears, Javelins, Long Bows, Rifles, & Rocket Launchers | Far |
Armor
While not required, Armor improves your defenses but reduces your mobility/ response time. Only one type of armor can be worn at a time.
| Armor Type | Endurance Bonus | Swiftness Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Light | +1 to Endurance | -1 to Swiftness |
| Mid-Grade | +2 to Endurance | -2 to Swiftness |
| Heavy | +3 to Endurance | -3 to Swiftness |
Talents
Talents are unique abilities that define your character. When creating a new Talent, work with your GM to forge one that fits both the vision for your character and the game's balance. Your GM has final say on what works.
New talents cannot:
- Permanently increase Life Points.
- Add more than a +2 Bonus to any Roll.
- Allow you to move beyond Far in a single action.
Talent bonuses can however push the total dice rolled above the Trait cap of 10. If you're finding it difficult to develop a Talent, the following can be adopted, or used as starting points to create your own:
Elemental Affinity: You connect deeply with one element (fire, water, earth, or air). Gain +1 to all rolls involving your chosen element.
Heightened Senses: When Impaired, you may still roll half your Awareness dice to sense the world around you.
Lucky Streak: Luck follows you. Gain a +1 to Charm rolls in games of chance or when making guesses.
Magical Adaptability: At the start of each session, you can swap up to three Powers on your character sheet for others you don't currently have.
Silent Movement: You gain +1 to Subterfuge rolls when moving quietly.
A Player Character can possess no more than 20 Talents. After reaching the maximum number of Talents, you can instead upgrade previous Talents as referenced in Leveling Up.
Powers
Powers can be used no matter which Path you follow, and can even be added to weapons by Enchanting them. Like weapons, any power can be created, so long as the GM agrees and a Range/ Definition is settled on.
The number of successes you roll determines how strong your Power's effect is. With one success, you might pull a weapon to yourself using Telekinesis. With five or more successes, you could lift an entire ship. The final outcome always depends on both your dice roll and your GM's judgment.
As per the rules in Combat, when you use a Power offensively, each success deals 1 point of damage. If you're using a Power to impose a Tribulation, you need to roll enough successes to overcome your target's Opposing Roll. If you roll more successes than they do, your Power takes effect and they gain the Tribulation.
At the end of this section are a few examples of Powers that work equally well as the result of magic or advanced technology. These powers can either be added directly to your character sheet, or used as inspiration to create your own Powers.
A character can possess no more than 25 Powers, though they may alter the Powers listed on their sheet at any time.
Enchantments
You can add Powers as Enchantments to any weapon. Enchanting a weapon allows it to take on the abilities of the Power, but does not increase its damage per success. For example, a sword enchanted with Fire Mastery deals 1 point of damage per success, but can also set the environment/ enemies on fire, imposing the Burning Tribulation.
You can Enchant or Disenchant a weapon at any time, including during combat, which counts as a single action. When you use a Power to enchant a weapon, you can't use that Power separately until you remove it from the weapon. An Enchantment stays active even when the weapon is sheathed or after an Encounter ends.
| Example Power | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Arcane Bulwark | Close | Create an energy barrier that blocks attacks. On a successful Opposing Roll, all damage is negated. |
| Fire Mastery | Near | Generate and control flames/ plasma. Can be used to impose the Burning Tribulation, or deal damage. |
| Heal Wounds | Far | Restores yours or another’s Life Points by 1d6 per success. |
| Invisibility | Close | Bend light around yourself to become unseen, requires Power rolls after taking an action to move. |
| Telekinesis | Near | Move objects with your mind/ gravitational manipulation. Can be used to impose the Grappled Tribulation. |
| Teleportation | Far | Instantly transport across space by folding reality up to Far. |
Crafting NPCs
GMs can create NPCs using the same system as player characters. For major NPCs, Enemies, BBEGs and the like, consider building them up to Level 15+. Give them Trait Scores, Talents, and Powers (if appropriate) that match their importance in your story.
Minor characters can be simpler, with just the essentials needed for their role in the adventure. If you find yourself in need of a quick NPC on the spot, the table below can be used to determine Trait Scores and Life Points. Simply decide how dangerous you want the NPC to be, then use the corresponding row from the table.
Key Traits should be chosen to complement the NPC's role. For example, a guard might prioritize Might and Endurance, while a spy would prioritize Subterfuge and Awareness. For Talents and Powers, you can choose appropriate ones from their sections, or create simple ones that better suit the NPC.
| Danger Level | Trait Scores | Life Points | Talents & Powers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | All Traits at 4, one key Trait at 5 | 8 | N/A |
| Moderate | All Traits at 6, two key Traits at 7 | 20 | One Talent and One Power |
| Serious | All Traits at 8, two key Traits at 9 | 40 | Two Talents and Three Powers |
| Deadly | All Traits at 9, three key Traits at 10 | 70 | Three Talents and Five Powers |