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PLAYING THE GAME
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WELCOME TO ADVENTURE AND INTRIGUE
* A role-playing game is conversation about characters taking risks in a shared imagined world.
* A Game Master (GM) describes scenes and challenges, and players say how their characters respond.
* Dice are used when an outcome is uncertain, dangerous, contested, or important to the story.
* These rules use 20-sided dice (d20s) and common, square six-sided dice (d6s).
* Character are rated with levels (LVL) in roles, noting abilities and ideas to make decisions.
* A character may have one role or several roles, gaining one special ability per level in a role.
* Levels roles also affects a character’s total hit points (hp), Attack Bonus, and Defense Bonus.
RULES OF STORYTELLING
* Players make choices from their characters’ point of view: what they want, know, and fear.
* Play often comes from acting on personality, motives, loyalties, flaws, and limited information.
* Time in the game is elastic: it can be stretched, compressed, slowed down, sped up, skipped, or shown out of order.
* Round: About 6 seconds of character time, used for moments of danger and intense action.
* Scene: A focused event or location, typically lasting from 1 to 10 minutes.
* Travel: Getting from one location to another over hours or days.
* Downtime: Hours, days, or weeks spent between urgent events.
* Montage: Summaries of routine actions that don’t need to be played out in detail.
* Flashbacks: An event that happened earlier that reveals something about a current situation.
RULES OF SAFETY
* An X-Card is used to flag uncomfortable content and steer play away from it.
* Any player may tap or display an X-Card to stop, reset, and redo a scene.
* The X-Card changes tone and topics, not outcomes from dice or decisions.
* More info from creator John Stavropoulos: https://shorturl.at/YG3UJ
RULES OF CHARACTER CREATION
* If starting with novice Level 1 characters, assign +1 to either a character’s Attack Bonus or Defense Bonus.
* Assign one level to a role, add +1 to the character’s starting hit points, and choose one ability in that role.
* Start with 1 role point to use the character’s role ability.
Higher-Level Characters
When starting with an experienced character, begin at Level 1, then apply the following steps once for each additional level.
* Increase one new or existing role by +1 LVL.
* Gain hit points from the role that was increased.
* Choose one new ability from the role that was increased.
* Increase either Attack Bonus or Defense Bonus by +1.
* Gain 1 additional role point.
RULES OF ACTION
* Levels grant dice roll bonuses to specific actions (d20) or effects (d6).
* To use a role ability, a player expends one role point (RP).
* Characters have a number of role points equal to all their levels in roles.
* Hazards and opponents are rated by their difficulty number (Diff).
* Players make all rolls. A result equal to or higher than Diff+10 is a success.
* A d20 roll of a 20 is always an exceptional success, while a roll of 1 is always a complicated failure.
* When in doubt, the target number to succeed with any effort is 15.
* A success should move the game forward as a character intended.
* A failure should create danger, cost, or a new choice, rather than simply stopping the action.
* A character regains 1d6 role points per hour of rest within the story’s timeline.
* For any rule noting a “half” value, round down the nearest whole number. If the result is 0, there is no effect.
Action Dice Rolls
* Actions: Roll d20 + appropriate role LVL vs. opposing Diff+10 (or default of 15).
* Initiative: Roll d20 + best role LVL and possible ability modifiers; those over 15 act before opposition, 14 or less after.
* Attack: Roll d20 + Attack Bonus vs. a target’s Diff+10 to hit and cause damage.
* Defense: Roll d20 + Defense Bonus vs. attacker’s Diff+10 to avoid attacks, half hazard damage, stop a condition, or ignore an effect.
* Chance: Roll d20, no modifiers. Highest roll among characters in a scene gains a benefit, or the lowest suffers a threat.
* Other Odds: Roll dd20. For example, 10% chance, roll 19 or higher; 50%, roll 11 or higher.
RULES OF COMBAT
* Every character has an Attack Bonus and a Defense Bonus.
* Each round during combat, each character takes one turn.
* During a turn, a character may attempt one action and move (up to 10 meters or 30 feet), or do no actions but double move (20 meters or 60 feet).
* Making defense rolls against attacks and hazards are never counted as actions during or between turns.
Order of Turns
* Actions in a round are resolved in groups of characters with initiative totals higher than 15, then opponents, then characters with initiatives of 14 or less.
* Within a group, characters choose the order in which they move and take actions.
* A character rolling to act before opponents may choose to wait to move or act until after the opponents’ turn.
* After each character and opponent has taken a turn, the round ends and initiative for the next round is re-rolled.
Defense Rolls
* A character targeted by an attack or hazard makes a defense roll (d20 + Defense Bonus). A result equal to or higher than Diff+10 is a success.
* Armor grants a defense roll bonus against melee and ranged attacks: +2 for light armor, +4 for medium, +6 for heavy; stack an additional +1 for a shield.
* A defense roll of a 1 on the d20 automatically fails and suffers double damage, regardless of other modifiers.
* A defense roll of a 20 on the d20 automatically avoids all damage and effects.
* A successful defense roll means a target avoids all damage from an attack, reduces hazard damage by half (round down), stops a condition, or ignores an effect.
Attack Rolls
* Attacks can be melee (unarmed or hand-held weapons), ranged (shooting a bow or firearm), or psychic (supernatural mental powers).
* Ranged attacks are either set by the weapon type or ability description. Weapons at “shooting” range suffer a -2 “to hit” modifier (attack roll or Diff value).
* A character making a “to hit” attempt on a target makes an attack roll (d20 + Attack Bonus). A result equal to or higher than the target’s Diff+10 is a hit that causes damage.
* An attack roll of a 1 on the d20 causes no, regardless of other modifiers, and causes a new complication for the attacker or story.
* An attack roll of a 20 on the d20 automatically hits and causes maximum damage (as if 6 on all d6s), regardless of other modifiers.
Ranges
* Touching: Held, grappled, connected
* Melee Range: Up to 2 meters (6 feet) (unarmed attacks, hand-held weapons)
* Short Throwing Range: 20 m (60 feet) (hand axes, javelins)
* Long Throwing Range: 55 m (180 feet) (light crossbows, shortbows)
* Short Shooting Range: 110 m (360 feet) (longbows, pistols, shotguns) (-2 attack modifier)
* Long Shooting Range: 600 m (2,000 feet) (rifles, beam weapons) (-2 attack modifier)
Damage Rolls
* Successful attacks cause one effect die (d6) of total damage to one or more hit targets.
* Role abilities, weapons, circumstances, or special attacks may add bonus damage.
* An attacker may choose to divide total damage among one or multiple targets that are within range and under the attacker’s “to hit” roll. (For example, a d6 roll of 4 may be 4 damage to one target, 2 damage to two targets, or 1 damage to four targets.)
* Damage reduces a target’s hit points (hp). At 0 hp, living things are defeated and objects are broken.
* Defeat may mean death, capture, unconsciousness, disgrace, transformation, madness, or another result that fits the story.
* A character regains 1d6 hit points per hour of rest within the story’s timeline.
Weapon Damage
* 1d6-2 (no damage if 0 or less): Human punch, kick, headbutt.
* 1d6-1 (no damage if 0 or less): Club, dagger, javelin, sling stone, staff, torch.
* 1d6: Crossbow, hand axe, lance, longbow, mace, pistol, short bow, short sword, spear, war hammer.
* 1d6+1: Battle axe, flask of burning oil, rifle, sword.
* 1d6+2: Beam weapon, pole arm, shotgun, two-handed axe, two-handed sword, two-handed maul (hammer).
* 1d6+5: Grenade.
* 1d6+10: Rocket launcher, hurled boulder.
* 1d6+20: Bolt of lightning during a storm.
* 1d6+30: Light artillery, LAW (light anti-tank weapon), small missile, trebuchet.
* 1d6+40: Heavy artillery (155mm Howitzer), far future portable plasma gun.
* 1d6+80: Starship beam cannon weapons (laser turrets).
RULES FOR CHARACTER CONDITIONS
The GM may give a character a lingering condition when they fail badly, rolling a 1 when avoiding harm, face a strange danger, or suffer a dramatic consequence.
* Ablaze: Suffer 1d6-2 damage at the start of each turn until fire is put out.
* Afraid: Unable to approach danger or resist intimidation without hesitation.
* Bleeding: Suffer 1d6-2 damage at the start of each turn until the wound is treated.
* Blinded: When making d20 rolls involving sight, roll twice and use the lowest rolled number.
* Broken Gear: Important equipment is damaged, jammed, lost, unreliable, out of fuel, or unusable.
* Charmed: Must treat another as a trusted friend, ally, or fascinating person unless harmed by that person.
* Confused: Each round, 50% chance of doing nothing or some useless action during turn.
* Hexed: Suffer -3 on d20 attack and defense rolls.
* Cursed: When making d20 rolls, roll twice and use the lowest rolled number.
* Deafened: When making d20 rolls involving hearing, roll twice and use the lowest rolled number.
* Dominated: The GM or another player controls the character’s actions.
* Exhausted: Movement speed drops to half, must rest one round per minute or take 1 damage..
* Exposed: Revealed, vulnerable, out of cover, publicly identified, or placed in obvious danger.
* Grappled: Move at half speed, must make an action roll to break free.
* Haunted: Troubled by ghosts, memories, guilt, visions, nightmares, or an unseen presence.
* Hunted: Pursued by enemies, predators, authorities, monsters, rivals, or other active threats.
* Infected: Suffer -3 on d20 rolls while sickened by disease, parasites, corruption, mutation, or spreading contamination.
* Intoxicated: Suffer -3 on d20 rolls requiring balance, focus, judgment, or careful speech.
* Lost: Unable to navigate back to a travel’s start, safety, civilization, or an intended destination.
* Paralyzed: Cannot move, speak, or take physical actions involving movement; mental actions are possible.
* Petrified: Cannot move, speak, attempt actions, or be aware of surroundings; do not age; fail all defense rolls but reduce any damage taken by 10 points.
* Pinned: Cannot move, must make an action roll to break free.
* Poisoned: Make a defense roll to avoid damage once per minute for 1d6 minutes.
* Prone: Knocked to the ground, must use half movement rate to get back up, gain +3 to defense rolls against ranged attacks, -3 against melee attacks.
* Shamed: Socially disgraced, humiliated, dishonored, blamed, or made vulnerable to judgment.
* Shocked: In pain, bleeding, movement speed drops to half, and suffer -3 on all rolls.
* Stunned: When making d20 rolls, roll twice and use the lowest rolled number.
* Unconscious: Cannot move, speak, attempt actions, or be aware of surroundings; fail all defense rolls.
* Wanted: Sought by law, enemies, bounty hunters, creditors, cults, nobles, gangs, or authorities.
RULES OF ROLE ABILITIES
* A character may spend 1 action point in a round to use one role ability.
* Spending the action point does not count as an action by itself unless its description says “as an action.”
* When more than one bonus could apply to the same roll (attack, defense, damage), use only the single highest bonus. (For example, +2 from an ability, +1 from equipment, and +3 from magic add +3, not +6.)
* Do not add multiple bonuses together unless a rule clearly says they stack.
* Duration: Unless noted otherwise, an ability lasts for at least 1 round. If role LVL exceeds the target’s Diff, it lasts for additional minutes equal to the difference. (For example, a LVL 5 ability against a Diff 2 target lasts for 3 minutes.)
* Range: Distance to a target is LVL x 3 meters (LVL x 10 feet) unless a different range is listed. Such abilities do not suffer range penalties on “to hit” rolls.
* Area: The detail “nearby” means within 10 meters (30 feet) of the character or a specific point within range.
* Asking Questions: When an ability allows for asking questions, the GM’s answer must fall within that source’s knowledge. If an answer is impossible, a different question may be asked instead.
* Unwilling Targets: Anyone may resist the effect of an ability. The character must roll d20+LVL equal to or higher than the unwilling target’s Diff+10 to cause the role effect.
* Even if a target successfully resists, the attempt still costs the character a role point.
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RULES FOR THE GAME MASTER
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RULES FOR NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPCs)
* Each NPC has a Difficulty rating (Diff 1 for ordinary bystanders, Diff 2 for threatening beings, and on up).
* Actions: Use a target number of 10+Diff when opposing actions in the NPC’s competence, else the target number is only 10.
* Combat: Use Diff+10 to determine attack and defense roll target numbers.
* Damage: NPC attacks cause 1+Diff damage per attack a character fails to avoid with a defense roll.
* Hit Points: Diff x 4.
* Exceptions: Some NPCs may have higher or lower values for specific abilities or movement due to special traits.
NPC Examples
* Difficulty 1 (Ordinary): Bystanders, servants, animals, nuisances, weak monsters.
* Difficulty 2 (Threatening): Armed people, trained beasts, medium predators, minor monsters.
* Difficulty 4 (Dangerous): Professional fighters, large predators, serious monsters.
* Difficulty 8 (Deadly): Elite killers, supernatural hunters, apex predators, legendary monsters.
* Difficulty 15 (Titanic): Giants, dinosaurs, huge monsters, siege-scale threats.
* Difficulty 30 (Legendary): Dragons, undead archmages, demon lords, colossal monsters.
* Difficulty 60 (Catastrophic): Small kaiju, giant mechs, city-block destroyers.
* Difficulty 120 (Apocalyptic): Large kaiju, world-beasts, living disasters, godlike titans.
NPC REACTIONS
When encountering strangers, roll d20 and apply modifiers as appropriate.
* 1 to 2: Murderous. Hate or fear. Tries to kill the characters.
* 3 to 4: Violent. Tries to injure or imprison the characters.
* 5 to 6: Hostile. Harasses the characters, seek to undermine their support.
* 7 to 8: Threatening. Insults or commands the characters to go away.
* 9 to 10: Suspicious. Distrusts the characters, takes protections against them.
* 11 to 12: Wary. Moves to avoid confrontation with the characters.
* 13 to 14: Curious. Interested in characters but keeps cautious distance.
* 15 to 16: Neutral. Treats the characters fairly, but offers no help without reason.
* 17 to 18: Friendly. Shares information and help to characters if not costly.
* 19 to 20: Immediate Loyalty. Tries to join the characters and help in any way.
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS, POISONS, AND DISEASES DIFFICULTY
* Difficulty 1 (Ordinary): Bad weather, darkness, slippery ground, smoke, mild cold or heat, spoiled food, insect bites, minor infections, weak venom, shallow water, thorny brush.
* Difficulty 2 (Threatening): Heavy rain, strong winds, thick fog, unstable footing, smoke inhalation, freezing water, desert thirst, tainted food, infected wounds, animal venom, mild disease, minor radiation or magical corruption.
* Difficulty 4 (Dangerous): Blizzards, sandstorms, deep water, fast rivers, cliff falls, fire, cave-ins, toxic fumes, poisonous plants, snakebite, serious infection, plague exposure, heatstroke, hypothermia.
* Difficulty 8 (Deadly): Avalanches, flash floods, volcanic ash, burning buildings, deep-sea pressure, arctic exposure, lethal poison, deadly gas, severe radiation, virulent plague, supernatural disease, cursed wounds.
INVESTIGATIONS
When a character closely studies a situation, searches for clues, interviews sources, or researches a subject, roll d20. The result determines how long it takes to gain the answer to one question asked of the GM. Every answer is true and should change or confirm a character’s understanding of a situation or topic. If something cannot be answered due to lack of evidence, extreme secrecy, or uncertain outcomes, the question does not count toward the number allowed from the roll.
* 1 to 4: No new information learned.
* 5 to 8: Ask one GM question per day of study, up to a maximum of 2 days.
* 9 to 12: Ask one GM question per hour of study, up to a maximum of 4 hours.
* 13 to 16: Ask one GM question per 10 minutes of study, up to a maximum of 1 hour.
* 17 to 20: Ask one GM question per minutes of study, up to 10 minutes.
Suggested questions types may include:
* Facts: What is true here?
* Changes: What happened here recently or is missing?
* Leads: What should we investigate next?
* Threats: What is dangerous or hidden?
* Contradictions: What does not fit?
* Opportunities: What can we use to our advantage?
* Connections: How does this relate to someone or something else?
CHASES
Determine the starting distance between the pursuer and the evader, then roll d20 per round. When the distance between sides becomes equal to or greater than triple the faster side’s speed per round, the evader escape. If the distance drops to zero, the pursuer catches the evader.
* 1 to 4: Increase distance by the evader’s movement rate.
* 5 to 8: Increase distance by half of the evader’s rate.
* 9 to 12: Pursuer and evader remain same distance apart.
* 13 to 16: Decrease distance by half of the pursuer’s rate.
* 17 to 20: Decrease distance by the pursuer’s movement rate.
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OPTIONAL TRACKERS
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STRESS
* Fear is the body learning that survival has a price. When a character faces panic, helplessness, exhaustion, isolation, violence, injury, pursuit, starvation, suffocation, body horror, or the death of a companion, mark 1 Stress.
* At 3 Stress, suffer -1 on rolls involving fear, pain, fatigue, panic, concentration, or keeping calm under pressure.
* At 6 Stress, the GM may force a panic response, breakdown, freeze, flight, rage, despair, reckless action, collapse, or dangerous mistake.
* A night of safety, rest, medical care, companionship, warmth, food, carousing, or escape from danger may remove 1 Stress, but scars, trauma, and survival instincts may remain.
SANITY
* The truth is more dangerous than any monster. When a character witness the impossible, reads forbidden lore, encounters an impossible eldritch entity, suffer a terrible revelation, or realize humanity’s place in the universe, mark 1 Madness.
* At 3 Madness, suffer -1 on rolls involving fear, dreams, obsession, memory, or resisting the Mythos.
* At 6 Madness, the GM may force a breakdown, hallucination, phobia, obsession, fugue, possession, or terrible act of misplaced certainty.
* A night of safety, professional care, confession, companionship, or destroying an eldritch threat may remove 1 Madness, but forbidden knowledge never fully leaves one’s mind.
HEAT
* Illegal and undercover jobs create consequences. Mark 1 Heat when a covert team leaves witnesses, trips alarms, kills high-profile targets, burns a fake digital identity, angers a gang, steals major pay or data, exposes government secrets, or embarrasses a powerful world faction (crime syndicate, spy agency, multinational corporation).
* At 3 Heat, suffer -1 on rolls involving hiding, travel, purchases, social trust, or avoiding law enforcement.
* At 6 Heat, the GM may choose a consequence: A bounty goes live, a safehouse is burned, a gang wants revenge, or an ally sells the character out.
* Lying low, paying bribes, changing identities, doing favors, burning evidence, or framing someone else may remove 1 Heat.
HONOR
* In some stories, honor is duty, reputation, self-control, loyalty, obligation, and the burden of being seen. Mark 1 Dishonor when characters betray their lord, break an oath, flee a rightful duel, shame their family, insult a superior, harm the helpless, lie publicly, or place desire above duty.
* At 3 Dishonor, suffer -1 on rolls involving command, reputation, loyalty, courtly or official trust, or resisting shame.
* At 6 Dishonor, the GM may force a consequence: A higher power demands an explanation, a rival gains leverage, a retainer abandons service, a duel is demanded, a religious organization refuses aid, or a loved one is endangered. In extreme cases, the character may be ordered into exile or put under a death warrant.
* An apology, loyal service, public victory, ritual purification, confession, sacrifice, or honorable duel may remove 1 Dishonor.
DUELS OF HONOR
* When two warriors face each other in a formal duel, both sides act with deadly focus.
* Roll initiative as normal. The winner may attack first or force the opponent to speak first.
* A successful attack in a duel may inflict 1 damage, disarm the foe, scar them, humiliate them, or force surrender.
* A duel may be fought with swords, words, poetry, archery, tea ceremony, law, or silence.
* Killing the wrong person in a duel may create Dishonor, even if you win.
MAGIC DRAIN
* If magic is real, dangerous, and useful until it bites back. When a character uses a magical ability in a reckless, exhausting, corrupted, or desperate way, mark 1 Drain.
* At 3 Drain, suffer -1 on rolls involving magic, spirits, focus, healing, or resisting exhaustion.
* At 6 Drain, the GM may force a backlash: suffer 1 h.p. damage, a spell mutates, a toxic spirit demands payment, or the character’s aura becomes easy to track.
* Rest, meditation, ritual cleansing, reagents, a safe lodge, or help from a spirit may remove 1 Drain.
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BENCHMARKS
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* These rules assume “+0” is a default for ordinary people in the story’s universe.
* Abilities, conditions, and traits that increase or decrease an ability can use these benchmarks for comparisons.
MOVEMENT BENCHMARK SCALE (distance crossed in base movement per round)
* -5 Movement: 2 m (5 feet)
* -4 Movement: 3 m (10 feet) (creeping pool of ooze)
* -3 Movement: 5 m (15 feet) (crawling human, ooze cube)
* -2 Movement: 6 m (20 feet) (badger, basilisk, swarm of insects, zombie)
* -1 Movement: 8 m (25 feet) (small humanoid, child)
* +0 Movement: 10 m (30 feet) (medium humanoid, adult human)
* +1 Movement: 11 m (35 feet) (fast humanoid)
* +2 Movement: 12 m (40 feet) (bear, eagle in flight, giant, pony, tiger, wolf)
* +3 Movement: 14 m (45 feet)
* +4 Movement: 15 m (50 feet) (camel, centaur, deer, fire elemental, lion, panther)
* +5 Movement: 17 m (55 feet)
* +6 Movement: 18 m (60 feet) (horse on the ground, winged humanoid in flight)
* +7 Movement: 20 m (65 feet)
* +8 Movement: 21 m (70 feet)
* +9 Movement: 23 m (75 feet)
* +10 Movement: 24 m (80 feet) (dragon, giant eagle, or griffon in flight)
* +11 Movement: 26 m (85 feet)
* +12 Movement: 27 m (90 feet) (air elemental, winged horse in flight)
* +13 Movement: 29 m (95 feet)
* +14 Movement: 30 m (100 feet)
* +15 Movement: 32 m (105 feet)
* +16 Movement: 33 m (110 feet)
* +17 Movement: 35 m (115 feet)
* +18 Movement: 36 m (120 feet) (roc in flight)
* +44 Movement: 75 m (250 feet) (length of NYC city block, uptown/downtown street-to-street)
+ +84 Movement: 135 m (440 feet) (length of NYC city block, crosstown avenue-to-avenue)
Vehicle Speeds
* +12 Movement: About 16 kph (10 mph)
* +29 Movement: About 30 kph (20 mph)
* +47 Movement: About 40 kph (30 mph)
* +64 Movement: About 65 kph (40 mph)
* +82 Movement: About 80 kph (50 mph)
* +100 Movement: About 100 kph (60 mph) (common rural driving speed limit)
* +170 Movement: About 160 kph (100 mph) (top speed of semi-tractor trailer)
* +205 Movement: About 190 kph (120 mph) (top speed of a common sedan car)
* +240 Movement: About 225 kph (140 mph) (top speed of a standard motorcycle)
* +310 Movement: About 290 kph (180 mph) (top speed of a high-performance motorcycle)
* +380 Movement: About 355 kph (220 mph) (top speed of a sports car)
* +400 Movement: About 370 kph (230 mph) (top speed of a racing car)
* +1,350 Movement: Mach 1 (1,235 kph, 770 mph at sea level)
STRENGTH BENCHMARK SCALE
* -4 Strength: Carry 1 kg (2.5 lbs.), lift 5 kg (10 lbs.)
* -3 Strength: Carry 3 kg (6 lbs.), lift 11 kg (25 lbs.)
* -2 Strength: Carry 5.5 kg (12 lbs.), lift 22 kg (50 lbs.)
* -1 Strength: Carry 11 kg (25 lbs.), lift 45 kg (100 lbs.)
* +0 Strength: Carry 18 kg (40 lbs.), lift 70 kg (150 lbs.)
* +1 Strength: Carry 25 kg (55 lbs.), lift 100 kg (225 lbs.)
* +2 Strength: Carry 40 kg (85 lbs.), lift 150 kg (340 lbs.)
* +3 Strength: Carry 55 kg (125 lbs.), lift 230 kg (500 lbs.)
* +4 Strength: Carry 85 kg (190 lbs.), lift 340 kg (760 lbs.)
* +5 Strength: Carry 130 kg (285 lbs.), lift 520 kg (1,140 lbs.)
* +6 Strength: Carry 190 kg (425 lbs.), lift 780 kg (1,700 lbs.)
* +7 Strength: Carry 225 kg (500 lbs.), lift 1 ton
* +8 Strength: Carry 450 kg (1,000 lbs.), lift 2 tons
* +9 Strength: Carry 680 kg (1,500 lbs.), lift 3 tons
* +10 Strength: Carry 1 ton, lift 4 tons
* +11 Strength: Carry 1.5 tons, lift 6 tons
* +12 Strength: Carry 2.25 tons, lift 9 tons
* +13 Strength: Carry 3.25 tons, lift 13 tons
* +14 Strength: Carry 5 tons, lift 20 tons
* +15 Strength: Carry 7.5 tons, lift 30 tons
* +16 Strength: Carry 11 tons, lift 45 tons
* +17 Strength: Carry 16 tons, lift 65 tons
* +18 Strength: Carry 25 tons, lift 100 tons
* +19 Strength: Carry 37 tons, lift 150 tons
* +20 Strength: Carry 55 tons, lift 222 tons
* +21 Strength: Carry 85 tons, lift 340 tons
* +22 Strength: Carry 125 tons, lift 500 tons
* +23 Strength: Carry 190 tons, lift 760 tons
* +24 Strength: Carry 300 tons, lift 1,200 tons
* +25 Strength: Carry 425 tons, lift 1,700 tons
* +26 Strength: Carry 625 tons, lift 2,500 tons
* +27 Strength: Carry 950 tons, lift 3,800 tons
* +28 Strength: Carry 1,400 tons, lift 5,700 tons
* +29 Strength: Carry 2,100 tons, lift 8,650 tons
* +30 Strength: Carry 3,200 tons, lift 13,000 tons
* +31 Strength: Carry 4,700 tons, lift 19,000 tons
* +32 Strength: Carry 7,500 tons, lift 30,000 tons
* +33 Strength: Carry 11,000 tons, lift 44,000 tons
* +34 Strength: Carry 16,000 tons, lift 65,000 tons
* +35 Strength: Carry 25,000 tons, lift 100,000 tons
* +36 Strength: Carry 37,500 tons, lift 150,000 tons
* +37 Strength: Carry 56,000 tons, lift 225,000 tons
* +38 Strength: Carry 85,000 tons, lift 340,000 tons
* +39 Strength: Carry 125,000 tons, lift 500,000 tons
* +40 Strength: Carry 190,000 tons, lift 760,000 tons
* +41 Strength: Carry 275,000 tons, lift 1.1 million tons
* +42 Strength: Carry 425,000 tons, lift 1.7 million tons
* +43 Strength: Carry 625,000 tons, lift 2.5 million tons
* +44 Strength: Carry 950,000 tons, lift 3.8 million tons
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FANTASY ROLES AND RULES
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CLERIC (4 h.p. per LVL)
* Augury: As an action, ask a celestial power LVL number of questions and receive true and useful answers. When there is no answer, a different question may be asked.
* Blessing: As an action, add +1 to LVL number of people, or +LVL to one person, for all their d20 rolls for LVL number of rounds.
* Bounty: As an action, instantly conjure a day’s worth of food, water, and warm clothing for LVL people.
* Brew Potion: Create a potion that allows anyone who drinks it to replicate one Cleric ability you know. Work takes 1 day per LVL of effective ability, up to your LVL as a maximum. The potion may only be used once.
* Charismatic: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving appeal, confidence, inspiration, and leadership for LVL minutes.
* Command: As an action, force a person to hesitate, retreat, cooperate, or surrender for a duration. Suicidal orders are ignored.
* Divine Judgment: Instantly inflict LVLx2 damage on one undead or demon within range.
* Heal: As an action, restore LVL hit points or or remove a lingering physical condition on one target, or restore 1 hit point on LVL nearby targets.
* Inspire: Add +1 to LVL allies, or +LVL to one ally, on one d20 roll made within LVL rounds.
* Protection from the Unholy: For the duration, undead and demons cannot willingly approach within 3 meters (10 feet) of you or one protected person. The protection ends early if the protected person harms one of them.
* Raise Dead: Restore 1 h.p. to a corpse than has been dead less than LVL days. This is not a quick task: You must work continuously for one hour per LVL or Diff of the creature raised. Stopping for more than one hour spoils all work.
* Rite: As an action, purify food, water, a corpse, a room, a weapon, a shrine, or a cursed object for LVL days.
* Sanctuary: As an action, protect one target from supernatural attacks, fear, possession, curses, or evil influence for LVL minutes.
* Turn Undead: As an action, force one or several undead or demons to retreat away from you for a duration.
* Wise: Add +1 to d20 rolls involving empathy, courage, insight, resolve, willpower for LVL minutes.
Druids
* Animal Friendship: One ordinary beast treats you as harmless, friendly, or commanding for a duration.
* Beast Shape: Transform yourself into a natural beast of LVL or lower Diff for LVL minutes. Your hit points do not change.
* Call Lightning: Inflict LVLx2 lightning damage on one target outdoors beneath the sky, or 3 damage on LVL nearby targets.
* Entangle: Cause roots, vines, mud, grass, or branches to give the Pinned condition to LVL nearby targets for LVL rounds.
* Nature Lore: Ask the land, animals, plants, weather, or spirits of nature LVL questions and receive true and useful answers.
* Neutralize Poison: End one poison, venom, disease, rot, blight, or contamination if its LVL or Difficulty is equal to or less than your LVL.
* Pass Without Trace: Add +LVL to rolls for you and LVL companions to move quietly, hide tracks, or travel unseen through wilderness for LVL minutes.
* Speak with Animals or Plants: Communicate with beasts, trees, fungi, crops, or wild growth for LVL minutes.
* Weather Rite: Calm, summon, or redirect fog, wind, rain, heat, cold, thunder, or natural fire in a small area for LVL hours.
* Wilderness Instinct: Add +LVL to d20 rolls to track prey, find shelter, sense weather, locate water, avoid natural hazards, or identify dangerous beasts for LVL hours.
FIGHTER (5 h.p. per LVL)
* All-Out Assault: Make two attacks in a turn, but the closest enemy immediately gets a free attack against you.
* Battle Fury: Add +LVL damage to each of your successful attacks, but suffer -3 on defense rolls, for LVL rounds.
* Combat Reflexes: Add +LVL to your initiative rolls for LVL rounds.
* Evasion: In or out of your turn, instantly add +LVL to one defense roll or save roll if the threat can be dodged.
* Intimidate: Scare off ordinary people to flee from you for a duration.
* Petition the Crown: Ask a royal sovereign LVL number of questions and receive true and useful answers. When there is no answer, a different question may be asked.
* Rally: Allies get +1 on their save rolls (or +1 Diff to resist for NPC allies) for LVL rounds if they are within 3 meters (10 feet) of you.
* Strike to Kill: Instantly add +LVL to one attack roll, adding +LVL damage if it hits.
* Tactics: Allies get +1 on their attack rolls (or +1 Diff to attack for NPC allies) for LVL rounds if they are within 3 meters (10 feet) of you.
* Shake It Off: Instantly reduce damage against you by LVL, or end one lingering condition caused by pain, fear, poison, exhaustion, or shock.
* Strong: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving physical prowess, brawn, and encumbrance for LVL minutes.
* Dextrous: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving agility, balance, quickness, and precision for LVL minutes.
* Tough: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving health, constitution, vigor, and stamina for LVL minutes.
* Charismatic: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving appeal, confidence, inspiration, and leadership for LVL minutes.
* Inspire: Add +1 to LVL allies, or +LVL to one ally, on one d20 roll made within LVL rounds.
* Shield Ally: Instantly take damage meant for an adjacent ally, reducing that damage by LVL.
* Courtly Grace: Add +LVL to rolls involving etiquette, heraldry, command, persuasion, noble customs, or formal introductions for LVL minutes.
* Defensive Riding: Add +LVL to defense rolls for yourself and your mount against attacks, falls, charges, or battlefield hazards for LVL rounds.
Barbarians
* Danger Sense: Add +LVL to defense rolls against traps, ambushes, explosions, falling rocks, or other sudden dangers for LVL minutes.
* Endurance: Ignore hunger, thirst, cold, heat, fatigue, forced marches, and the Exhausted condition for LVL hours.
* Fearless: Add +LVL to d20 rolls against fear, charm, panic, intimidation, or supernatural awe for LVL minutes.
* Rage: Add +LVL damage to melee attacks for LVL rounds, but you cannot cast spells, hide, retreat calmly, or use delicate tools during the rage.
* Savage Blow: Instantly add +LVLx2 damage to one successful melee attack against a target with the Paralyzed, Pinned, Prone, Shocked, Stunned, or Unconscious condition.
* Wilderness Instinct: Add +LVL to d20 rolls to track prey, find shelter, sense weather, locate water, avoid natural hazards, or identify dangerous beasts for LVL hours.
Monks
* Deflect Missiles: Instantly reduce damage from one missile, thrown weapon, or small projectile by LVL; if reduced to 0, you may catch it.
* Flurry of Blows: Make two unarmed attacks in one turn.
* Iron Body: Reduce incoming damage by LVL for one round, or ignore pain, poison, disease, hunger, thirst, or exhaustion for LVL hours.
* Ki Strike: Add +LVL to one unarmed attack roll and +LVL damage if it hits. The attack counts as magical.
* Leap of the Clouds: Add +LVL to rolls for jumping, climbing, balancing, falling safely, or running across narrow or unstable surfaces for LVL minutes.
* Meditation: Ask your inner spirit, former master, sacred text, or perfect memory LVL questions and receive true and useful answers.
* Purity of Body: End one Poisoned, Infected, Paralyzed, Afraid, Charmed, or Confused condition affecting you.
* Stunning Blows: For LVL rounds, targets hit by your unarmed attack suffers the Stunned condition.
* Still Mind: Add +LVL to saves against fear, charm, illusion, possession, pain, or madness for LVL minutes.
* Step of the Wind: Move twice as far, run across water, slip through enemies, escape bonds, or disengage without retaliation for LVL rounds.
Paladins
* Divine Sense: Sense undead, demons, celestials, cursed places, consecrated ground, holy relics, or supernatural evil within range for LVL minutes.
* Divine Smite: Instantly add LVLx2 damage to one undead or demon hit by your melee attack.
* Lay On Hands: As an action, restore half LVL hit points on one target or 1 hit point on LVL nearby targets.
* Oath: Add +LVL to d20 rolls against fear, charm, temptation, pain, corruption, or oath-breaking for LVL minutes.
* Protection from the Unholy: For the duration, undead and demons cannot willingly approach within 3 meters (10 feet) of you or one protected person. The protection ends early if the protected person harms one of them.
* Sacred Mount: Summon and command a loyal mount for LVL hours. Its Diff is equal to your LVL.
* Turn Undead: As an action, force one or several undead or demons to retreat away from you for a duration.
* Vow: Add +LVL to attack and damage rolls against one named enemy for LVL rounds unless you attack another target first.
Ranger
* Animal Companion: Gain the aid of one loyal beast of Diff equal to your LVL or less for LVL hours, or command an existing companion to perform a dangerous task.
* Heal: Instantly restore LVL number of hit points or remove a lingering condition for one target, or restore 1 hit point to LVL nearby targets.
* Hunter’s Mark: Choose one nearby target to always know its position and gain +half LVL damage against it for LVL rounds.
* Nature Lore: Ask the land, animals, plants, weather, or spirits of nature LVL questions and receive true and useful answers.
* Neutralize Poison: End one poison, venom, disease, rot, blight, or contamination if its LVL or Difficulty is equal to or less than your LVL.
* Pass Without Trace: Add +LVL to rolls for you and LVL companions to move quietly, hide tracks, or travel unseen through wilderness for LVL minutes.
* Sneak Attack: Add +LVL to one attack roll and inflict LVL×2 damage against a target that does not expect the attack.
* Wilderness Instinct: Add +LVL to d20 rolls to track prey, find shelter, sense weather, locate water, avoid natural hazards, or identify dangerous beasts for LVL hours.
MAGIC-USER (2 h.p. per LVL)
* Alter Memories: As an action, change, erase, blur, restore, or rewrite one recent memory in a nearby creature for LVL hours.
* Animate Dead: As an action, raise LVL corpses into animated skeletons or zombies (Diff 1) to obey simple commands for LVL hours.
* Animate: As an action, cause up to LVL objects of loose materials (earth, sand, water) to act like Diff 1 creatures, or merge into one animation of LVL Diff. equal to your LVL or less, to act as if alive and obey for the duration. It obeys you for LVL rounds before becoming inanimate again unless it is slain before that time.
* Apport: As an action, teleport one unattended object within range into your hand or some open space nearby.
* Armor: As an action, create a visible aura around yourself or one nearby target that acts like light armor (+2 Defense Bonus) for LVL hours.
* Astral Travel: As an action, create an invisible and intangible projection that can fly through solid objects at your movement rate for up to LVL minutes. You may also view and travel into the astral plane. While projecting, your astral form is alert but your physical body is unconscious.
* Banish: As an action, force a spirit, elemental, demon, or other non-earthly entity with a Diff equal or less than your LVL to teleport back to its native realm.
* Barrier: As an action, raise a transparent force field or solid wall of stone, ice, fire, or other substance around a some or all of a nearby area. The barrier can be attacked and can take LVLx3 hit points of damage before vanishing, otherwise it lasts for LVL rounds.
* Blink: As an action, allow yourself to teleport your movement rate instead of moving during each turn for up to LVL rounds.
* Body Swap: As an action, switch minds with one touched willing creature for LVL minutes.
* Brew Potion: Create a potion that allows anyone who drinks it to replicate one Magic-User ability you know. Work takes 1 day per LVL of effective ability, up to your LVL as a maximum. The potion may only be used once.
* Channeling: Ask a local spirit or cosmic entity LVL number of questions and receive true and useful answers. When there is no answer, a different question may be asked.
* Charm: As an action, one targeted living creature treats you as a trusted friend, ally, or fascinating stranger for a duration.
* Clairvoyance: As an action, see or hear a distant place you know, name, touch, or strongly imagine for LVL minutes.
* Confuse: As an action, one nearby being gains the Confused condition for a duration.
* Conjure: One object weighing less than LVL kg (LVLx2 lbs.) and worth less than LVL in gold pieces appears in your hand. It vanishes in LVL minutes.
* Deadly Blast: As an action, inflict 1d6 damage on LVL nearby targets or LVLx2 damage on one target through one of the following: acid, cold, entropy/aging, fire, or lightning).
* Detect Magic: As an action, sense spells, enchantments, curses, magical creatures, and enchanted objects within range for LVL minutes.
* Dimensional Portal: As an action, open a doorway-sized hole to another planet, plane, or dimension that allows LVL number of human-sized beings to cross over during one round.
* Disease: As an action, give one nearby target the Infected condition for a duration.
* Dispel Magic: As an action, cancel one spell, curse, magical trap, summoned force, or supernatural effect created by another being if its LVL or Difficulty is equal to or less than your LVL.
* Drain Lifeforce: As an action, cause one touched living creature to lose LVL hit points, and you immediately heal the same number of hit points.
* Duplication Casting: Create LVL intangible copies of yourself nearby lasting for LVL rounds. Each individual copy vanishes if it is attacked or touched. Attacker may mistakenly target a copy; roll randomly as needed (d6 if up to five copies, d20 if more and re-roll unneeded numbers); a roll of a 1 means the real you was attacked.
* Enchant Armor: Add a permanent +1 defense roll magical bonus to one set of armor. Work takes 30 days minus LVL days (at least 7 days). A +2 set of armor takes 300 days minus LVLx5 days, and +3 armor takes 3,000 days minutes LVLx10 days (again, at least 7 days).
* Enchant Item: Create a magical item that allows anyone who uses it to replicate a specific Magic-User ability you know. Work takes 1 week per LVL of effective ability, up to your LVL as a maximum. The item may be used d6 times, but other magical abilities can restore expended charges up to its original limit.
* Enchant Weapon: Add a permanent +1 attack “to hit” and damage magical bonus to one weapon. Work takes 30 days minus LVL days (at least 7 days). A +2 weapon takes 300 days minus LVLx5 days, and a +3 weapon takes 3,000 days minutes LVLx10 days (again, at least 7 days). A batch of 10 pieces of ammunition (magic arrows or bullets) also counts a “one weapon” for this ability.
* Familiar: Summon or command a cat, raven, toad, rat, owl, spider, snake, imp, or spirit familiar for LVL hours.
* Fluid Form: As an action, turn yourself into a liquid and flow through pipes, cracks, water, and narrow openings for LVL minutes.
* Fly: As an action, you gain the ability to move through the air at will, as a speed equal to LVL meters (LVLx3 feet) per turn for LVL minutes.
* Glamour: Change your face, voice, age, apparent sex, shadow, scent, or posture for LVL hours.
* Haste: As an action, you or one nearby person may take two actions and move at 20 meters (60 feet) per turn, or 40 meters (120 feet) without action, plus gain a +2 magical bonus to defense rolls for LVL rounds.
* Hedge Step: Vanish through mist, brambles, shadow, a crooked path, or a fairy road and instantly reappear somewhere you could plausibly have reached in LVL minutes of walking.
* Illuminate: As an action, make a non-living object glow like a torch for LVL hours, or cast on a creature’s eyes leaving it Blinded for a duration.
* Illusion: As an action, create a believable image, sound, disguise, phantom, false wall, or sensory trick that lasts for LVL minutes.
* Inspire: Add +1 to LVL allies, or +LVL to one ally, on one d20 roll made within LVL rounds.
* Intelligent: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving deduction, logic, memory, reason, and wits for LVL minutes.
* Invisibility: As an action, make yourself or one nearby target, along with any carried gear, invisible for LVL minutes. The target can still be heard, leave footprints, and might give non-visual signs.
* Mind Probe: Telepathically force one target to think to you the true answer to one question, reveal a hidden memory, or expose a buried motive.
* Open and Shut: One lock, door, window, or other portal either becomes impossible for anyone by you to open for LVL hours, or one such locked or magically sealed portal instantly opens if its creator’s LVL is equal to or less than your LVL.
* Paralyze: One targeted creature within range gains the Paralyzed condition for a duration.
* Polymorph: As an action, transform another creature’s body into a different kind of creature for the duration. The target’s hit points do not change.
* Recharge Magic: As an action, one nearby magical item with a limited number of uses regains one expended use.
* Regeneration: Cause one nearby creature to heal hit points equal to half your LVL each turn in a round for LVL rounds. Missing body parts will also regrow.
* Reincarnation: Bring new life to a corpse than has been dead less than LVL days. This is not a quick task: You must work continuously for one hour per LVL or Diff of the dead creature. Stopping for more than one hour spoils all work. The new body takes on a random form; roll d6: 1, an animal; 2, a monster; 3, man of a different species; 4, woman of a different species; 5, a man of the same species; 6, a woman of the same species. The new body will have 1d6 character levels, but never higher than the original level when slain.
* Sage Advice: Ask a learned expert LVL number of questions and receive true and useful answers. When there is no answer, a different question may be asked.
* Shapechange: As an action, transform yourself into a different kind of creature over the course of LVL rounds. You may change forms once per round for the duration. Your hit points do not change.
* Shield: Instantly re-roll a defense roll or block one missile, spell, trap, blast, or supernatural attack with a sudden magical barrier.
* Shroud: As an action, block all light and sound within a 5 meter (15 foot) sphere within range for LVL minutes. Creatures within have the Blinded and Deafened conditions until leaving that space.
* Sleep: As an action, put several enemies to sleep, with their total Diff equal to your LVL. They wake after LVL minutes, or immediately due to loud noises or being shaken.
* Steal Senses: As an action, make one nearby creature suffer the Blinded and Deafened conditions for a duration.
* Stun: As an action, make one nearby creature suffer the Stunned condition for a duration.
* Suggestion: Plant a believable idea, request, rumor, or course of action in one listener’s mind for a duration. Suicidal commands are ignored.
* Summoning: As an action, cause up to LVL creatures of Diff 1, or one creature with Diff equal to your LVL or less, to appear and obey for the duration. Creatures with Diff lower than your LVL remain longer before vanishing.
* Suspended Animation: As an action, enter a deathlike trance without food, water, air, aging, bleeding, or disease progression for LVL weeks.
* Telekinesis: Move, hold, drag, or suspend one object or willing target that weighs up to LVL x 60 kg (LVL x 130 lbs). The object or target moves at a rate of 1 meter (3 feet) per round for LVL rounds.
* Telekinetic Barrage: As an action, make ranged attacks on LVL enemies within range with telekinetically hurled debris, loose weapons, furniture, stones, glass, or other objects. Each hit does 1d6-1 damage. The attack may be repeated once per round for LVL rounds.
* Telekinetic Disarm: As an action, telekinetically pull, knock away, or seize one weapon, tool, device, or object from a target with a LVL or Diff equal to or less than your LVL.
* Telekinetic Strike: As an action, inflict LVLx2 damage on one target with a shove, crush, thrown object, invisible blow, or pressure wave.
* Telepathy: Allow up to LVL number of individuals to mentally communicate with each other within range for LVL minutes.
* Teleport: As an action, instantly vanish and reappear in a place you can clearly see, remember, or sense up to LVL km (LVLx1.5 miles) away.
* Turn to Stone: One targeted creature within range gains the Petrified condition for a duration.
* Unleash Chaos: As an action, you cause a weird random event. Roll d6: 1, the ally closest to you loses 1d6 hit points; 2, you lose additional 1 role point; 3, you suffer an obvious but harmless mutation lasting 1d6 hours; 4, nearby weather becomes unnatural for 1d6 hours; 5, you immediately regain 2 role points; 6, you immediately regain 1d6 hit points and 2 role points.
* Wall Crawling: Move across walls and ceilings at your normal speed for LVLx10 minutes.
* Ward: Instantly become aware when a hostile or supernatural creature comes within LVL meters (LVLx3 feet) of a specific point you touch. The ward lasts for LVL days.
* Weather Control: Change wind, rain, fog, storms, heat, cold, snow, or seasonal weather in a 3 km (2 mile) radius for LVL minutes.
* Webbing: As an action, you fill one nearby area with sticky webs that leaves those stuck inside Pinned for up to LVL rounds. As an action, a trapped character may make a defense roll (or GM rolls d20+Diff for each NPC) of 15 or more to break free and move out of the webbing.
* Wise: Add +1 to d20 rolls involving empathy, courage, insight, resolve, willpower for LVL minutes.
* Wizard Lock: As an action, seal one door, chest, gate, book, portal, or passage against ordinary entry for LVL hours.
Sorcerer
* Elemental Resistance: Reduce either acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage to you by LVL h.p. per hit for LVL minutes.
* Metamagic: Increase one property of your next Magic-User ability by +LVL Level for either its range, duration, number of targets, or damage, or use it without obvious words or gestures.
* Wild Surge: Increase effects of your next Magic-User role ability by +1 LVL, but something random happens. Roll d6: 1, the ally closest to you loses 1d6 hit points; 2, you lose 1 additional role point; 3, you suffer an obvious but harmless mutation lasting 1d6 hours; 4, nearby weather becomes unnatural for 1d6 hours; 5, you immediately regain 1 role point; 6, the LVL of your next Magic-User ability use is increased by +3 instead of +1.
Warlock
* Eldritch Blast: Inflict 3 damage on LVL nearby targets or LVLx2 damage on one target through force, shadow, flame, madness, frost, or star-fire.
* Forbidden Bargain: Ask your patron, familiar, grimoire, or nightmare LVL questions and receive true and useful answers, though the answers may be unsettling.
* Hex: One nearby target gains the Hexed condition, -3 on d20 attack and defense rolls, for a duration.
* Invoke Patron: Force one lesser spirit, demon, faerie, ghost, or cultist to hesitate, obey, bargain, retreat, or reveal itself for a duration.
* Mask of Many Faces: Change your voice, appearance, shadow, scent, or aura for LVL minutes.
* Pact Boon: Summon a pact weapon, familiar, book, or charm that grants to +1 on Magic-User abilities for LVL hours or until taken off your person.
* Witchsight: See invisible creatures, spirits, curses, magical disguises, secret doors, or true forms within range for LVL minutes.
* Curse: Inflict one target with either the Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhausted, Infected, or Poisoned condition for a duration.
ROGUE (3 h.p. per LVL)
* Acrobatics: Add +LVL to rolls for climbing, leaping, balancing, or moving through danger for LVL minutes.
* Burst of Speed: For LVL rounds, add 3 meters (15 feet) to your movement speed, or double when moving in a turn with no other actions.
* Charismatic: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving appeal, confidence, inspiration, and leadership for LVL minutes.
* Deception: Add +LVL to d20 rolls getting LVL ordinary people to believe a false statement for a duration.
* Dextrous: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving agility, balance, quickness, and precision for LVL minutes.
* Disguise: Add +LVL to d20 rolls to pass as another person or harmless stranger for LVL hours.
* Evasion: In or out of your turn, instantly add +LVL to one defense roll or save roll if the threat can be dodged.
* Intelligent: Add +LVL to d20 rolls involving deduction, logic, memory, reason, and wits for LVL minutes.
* Read Languages: Add +LVL on a special d20 roll when first seeing unknown writing; on a result of 15 or more, you can read the text.
* Sneak Attack: Add +LVL to one attack roll and inflict LVLx2 damage against a target that does not expect the attack.
* Spot Details: Tell clues, valuables, weak points, traps, lies, useful tools, and hidden threats apart from ordinary details for LVL minutes.
* Stealth: Add +LVL on rolls to hide and move at half speed unnoticed for LVL minutes when concealed, in darkness, in a crowd, or behind cover.
* Thieves’ Cant: Communicate secretly with other rogues through coded slang, gestures, and double meanings that outsiders do not understand.
* Thieving: Add +LVL on rolls to open or disable any ordinary lock, door, trap, alarm, or security device.
Assassins
* Poison Use: Working for 10 days minus LVL days (at least 1 hour), you create a one-hit poisoned weapon or one-use dose that adds LVL damage or causes either the Paralyzed, Intoxicated, or Unconscious condition for a duration.
* Silent Kills: For LVL rounds, you attack without making a sound if your targets have a LVL or Diff equal to or less than your LVL.
* Set Trap: As an action, you set up a trap that makes an attack of d20+your LVL on the first person to come within 0.5 meter (about 2 feet) of it. The trap causes 1d6+LVL damage to the target.
Bards
* Inspire: Add +1 to LVL allies, or +LVL to one ally, on one d20 roll made within LVL rounds.
* Charm Audience: As an action, cause LVL listeners to gain the Charmed condition toward you for a duration.
* Countercharm: Allies within 3 meters (10 feet) get +LVL on d20 rolls against fear, charm, madness, music, illusions, or mind control for LVL rounds.
* Cutting Words: Instantly subtract LVL from one enemy’s attack, Defense, save, or damage roll if they can hear you.
* Heroic Song: Allies get +1 on attack rolls, Defense rolls, or saves for LVL rounds while they can hear you perform.
* Lore: Ask a scholar, legend, song, court record, old tale, or local rumor LVL questions and receive true and useful answers.
* Song of Rest: After a safe rest with your performance, restore LVL hit points divided among any number of nearby companions.
* Suggestion: Plant a believable idea, request, rumor, or course of action in one listener’s mind for a duration. Suicidal commands are ignored.
* Vicious Mockery: Inflict 1d6+LVL damage on a nearby target if it knows your language and hears your insult or satire.
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HORROR ROLES AND RULES
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THE ILLUSION OF REALITY
* The world you know is a lie. Most people live inside the Illusion: jobs, streets, laws, families, money, television, hospitals, churches, police, and all the little routines that keep them asleep.
* Witnessing a crack in the Illusion may call for a Save.
* Stability is the fragile belief that your life, body, memories, and identity are real.
* Mark 1 Instability when you witness the impossible, suffer trauma, betray someone you love, indulge an obsession, discover a hidden truth, kill in cold blood, encounter an supernatural creature, or remember something from beyond the Illusion.
* At 3 Instability, suffer -1 on rolls involving fear, memory, identity, temptation, addiction, or resisting supernatural influence.
* At 6 Instability, the GM may force a breakdown.
* Rest, therapy, intimacy, ritual cleansing, confession, revenge, drugs, denial, or returning to an old routine may remove 1 Instability, but may also deepen the Illusion.
Breakdown Examples
* You lose time.
* You wake somewhere impossible.
* You harm someone without remembering.
* You see the true form of a place or person.
* An obsession takes control.
* A dead person speaks through you.
* Your body changes.
* An angel, demon, or forgotten god notices you.
* You remember something that destroys your former life.
Cracks in the Illusion of Reality
* A room is larger inside than outside.
* A familiar person has no face.
* A street leads to a place that cannot exist.
* A machine is made of bone.
* An angel is watching from behind the walls.
* A demon has been wearing someone’s life.
* A childhood memory belongs to someone else.
* A wound opens into another world.
* A door appears where there was only concrete.
* You remember a past life from a time before the current Illusion.
REALITY PARADOX RULES
* Mark 1 Paradox when you use obvious magic, openly defy the local paradign consensus, change reality in front of mundane witnesses, or force an effect beyond what the Illusion can bear.
* At 3 Paradox, suffer -1 on rolls involving magic, perception, spirits, technology, or resisting backlash.
* At 6 Paradox, the GM may unleash a backlash.
* Acts of humility, grounding rituals, meditation, confession, repair, service, sleep, or time spent in a safe chantry may remove 1 Paradox.
Parabox Backlash Examples
* You take 1d6 damage to hit points (no defense roll allowed).
* Your spell mutates.
* A spirit notices you.
* A machine, relic, or focus fails.
* Reality brands you with an impossible flaw.
* You vanish for a scene.
* Your magic works too well and causes a worse problem.
* A paradox spirit, rival mage, or nightmarish eldritch horror comes looking.
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SCIENCE-FICTION ROLES AND RULES
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FASTER-THAN-LIGHT STARSHIP TRAVEL PER DAY (24 Hours)
* +0 FTL Speed: 0.003 light year (1c, speed of light, “warp 1”)
* +1 FTL Speed: 0.5 light year (“jump 1” or “warp 5”)
* +2 FTL Speed: 1.0 light year (“jump 2” or “warp 6”)
* +3 FTL Speed: 1.5 light years (“jump 3”)
* +4 FTL Speed: 2.0 light years (“jump 4” or “warp 7”)
* +5 FTL Speed: 2.5 light years (“jump 5”)
* +6 FTL Speed: 3.0 light years (“jump 6” or “warp 8”)
* +7 FTL Speed: 3.5 light years
* +8 FTL Speed: 4.0 light years (“warp 9”)
* +9 FTL Speed: 4.5 light years (“warp 9.2”)
* +10 FTL Speed: 5.0 light years (“warp 9.6”)
* +17 FTL Speed: 8.5 light years (“warp 9.9”)
* +40 FTL Speed: 20.0 light years (“transwarp”)
* +1,275 FTL Speed: 2,550 light years (“quantum slipsteam drive”)
* +5,000 FTL Speed: 5,000 light years (“class 4 hyperdrive”)
* +5,000 FTL Speed: 10,000 light years (“class 3 hyperdrive”)
* +7,500 FTL Speed: 15,000 light years (“class 2 hyperdrive”)
* +10,000 FTL Speed: 20,000 light years (“class 1 hyperdrive”)
* +12,500 FTL Speed 12,500: 25,000 light years (beyond “class 1,” “0.5 past light speed”)
* +20,000 FTL Speed 20,000: instantaneous anywhere (time and relative dimensions)
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EXAMPLE CHARACTERS
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ROBIN HOOD
11th century outlaw, leader of The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest, famed champion to the poor and infamous bane to the usurper Prince John, his corrupt sheriffs, and England’s greedy nobles.
Roles
* Fighter 5, Rogue 2
* 31 Hit Points (regain 1d6 HP per hour of rest)
* 7 Role Points (regain 1d6 RP per hour of rest)
* +5 Attack Bonus (d20+bonus versus target’s Difficulty+10 to hit them and cause damage)
* +2 Defense Bonus (+4 with armor) (d20+bonus versus target’s Difficulty+10 to avoid damage)
* Damage by weapon or attack type (total may be divided among multiple hit targets)
Role Abilities (spend 1 Role Point per each use)
* Bardic Inspiration: Add +1 to 5 allies, or +5 to one ally, on one d20 roll made within 5 rounds. Targets must be within 6 meters (50 feet).
* Evasion: In or out of turn, instantly add +5 to one defense roll or save roll if the threat can be dodged.
* Pass Without Trace: Add +5 to rolls for you and 4 companions to hide, move quietly, avoid tracks, or escape pursuit for 5 minutes.
* Strike to Kill: Instantly add +5 to one attack roll, adding +5 damage if it hits.
* Sneak Attack: Add +2 to one attack roll and inflict +4 damage against a target that does not expect the attack.
* Spot Details: Tell clues, valuables, weak points, traps, lies, useful tools, and hidden threats apart from ordinary details for 5 minutes.
* Stealth: Add +2 on rolls to hide and move at half speed unnoticed for 2 minutes when concealed, in darkness, in a crowd, or under cover.
Equipment
* Greenwood leathers (light armor, give +2 to defense rolls against melee and ranged attacks)
* Longbow (1d6 damage, no penalty to attack up to long throwing range (55 m or 180 feet), -2 “to hit” attack up to short shooting range (110 m or 360 feet))
* Sword (1d6+1 damage, melee)
* Dagger (1d6-1 damage, melee)
* Staff (1d6-1 damage, melee)