Saving Throw

Save = d20 ≤ Attribute Score

  • STR: power, endurance, physicality
  • DEX: flow state, reflex, finesse
  • WIL: concentration, presence, mental resilience
  1. Player declares action with potential for meaningful failure.
  2. Referee sets attribute for the Save.
  3. Referee communicates position and consequences of failure.
  4. Player rolls d20 Save, attempting to roll under or equal to Attribute Score.
  5. Referee describes the outcome of the Save.

Time

  • Round: ~10 seconds, used during combat.
  • Scene: ~10 minutes, used during exploration of a site, like a dungeon.
  • Watch: ~8 hours, used during overland travel and exploration of the wilderness.
  • Cycle: 1-4 weeks, used between sessions to represent downtime activities.

Guard

Guard (GD) represents dmg avoidance while on guard in combat.

Burden

PCs have 10 inventory slots called burden, representing various belts, backpacks, satchels, etc. Full burden reduces GD to 0. Most items take up 1 slot.

  • Bulky: 2 slots
  • Petty: 0 slots (but lots may take up a full slot).

Currency (silver pennies) up to 500 is petty. Anything above takes up a burden slot.

Burden may fill with Fatigue and other effects. Special rules may apply for clearing some effects. Others are permanent.

Fatigue

  • Occupies 1 slot.
  • Added to Burden for not resting, spellcasting, special abilities, and more.
  • 1 Fatigue is cleared after eating a simple meal. All Fatigue is cleared after eating a balanced meal.
  • All Fatigue is cleared after resting for a full Watch.
  • If no slots are available, the player must drop an item to fill the slot with Fatigue.

Deprivation

  • If deprived of needs (food, water, sleep, etc), you cannot restore Ability Scores or Guard.
  • If deprived for more than a day, add a Fatigue to Burden.

Damage and Healing

  • Resting for a scene and consuming a ration or meal restores all GD. STR/DEX/WIL dmg recovered 1 pt / full day spent resting. Medical aid speeds this up.
  • If an attack reduces GD to exactly 0, you suffer a Scar.
  • Some attacks reduce DEX and WIL as well.
  • 0 STR = death; 0 DEX = paralysis; 0 WIL = delirium

Combat Rounds

  1. PCs make a DEX save to act first before enemies.
  2. Enemies make actions simultaneously.
  3. All PCs make actions simultaneously, followed again by the enemy, alternating rounds.
  4. One side is destroyed, surrenders, or flees.

PCs can move as part of their action. Actions include

  • Attacking
  • Reloading
  • Moving again
  • Combat maneuvers

Attacking

Attacker rolls weapon die. Armor subtracts dmg. Remaining hits GD.

  • Multiple attackers vs single target: Roll all dice, keep the single highest result.
  • Multiple weapons: roll all dice and keep the single highest result.
  • Impaired attacks: 1d4 (including unarmed)
  • Enhanced attacks: 1d12
  • Blast: Hit all area targets, separate roll/target.

Retreat = DEX save + safe destination to flee to.

Critical Damage Save

Damage that bypasses Guard and Armor decreases the target’s STR by the amount remaining.

Critical Damage Save: STR save using their new STR score.

Critical Damage: Character can do nothing but grasp for life. Left untreated, they die within the hour.

Adventure Scenes

  1. Party declares their actions.
  2. Referee describes what happens.
  3. 1 player rolls the Site Die and referee decrements Site Clock by that amount.

Site Clock and Site Die

The Site Die starts as d6. The Site Clock starts at 20.

  • Below zero, a random encounter occurs.
  • At 3, an encounter omen is found.
  • At exactly zero, reset Site Clock to 3.
  • After resting, increment the Site Die 1 step.

Light

A light is on as long as someone spends their turn maintaining it. Light can be set down during a fight, but it can always be targeted by enemies.

Panic

WIL Save when in darkness, surrounded by foes, facing a great fear, or suffering dmg to WIL.

Panic = 0 GD + attacks impaired.

Exploration Watches

  1. Party selects exploration actions (traveling, supplying, exploring, resting, etc.)
  2. Referee describes what happens.
  3. Referee rolls the Wilderness Event die.

Exploration Events

  • 1: Random encounter 1d4 turns away
  • 2: Threat to party resources
  • 3: Change in weather
  • 4-6: Nothing happens

Downtime Cycle

  1. Each player selects a downtime action.
  2. The referee describes the outcome.
  3. The party resupplies, including recruiting hirelings, buying pets or mounts, and looking for rumors.
  4. Referee rolls the Downtime Event die.

Downtime Actions

  • Must not endanger the party or self.
  • Cannot be done while recovering attribute score loss.
  • May require a tracker of 1-5 milestones and a cost for each milestone.
  • Potential actions include training a skill, training an animal, researching, crafting, making connections, researching a rare item.

Spells

Spells are petty. As spell scrolls, they are expended on use. Spells can be copied into grimoires (bulky).

  • You have Magic Dice (d6) equal to empty burden slots
  • To cast, invest MD up to a maximum of 4. Based on spell, refer to number and sum of dice used.
  • On 4-6, add a Fatigue. On doubles, suffer a mishap. On triples, suffer a doom.