Attributes
Your character has 8 attributes: Agility, Charisma, Dexterity, Endurance, Intellect, Resolve, Strength, Wisdom.
Agility: balance, celerity, flexibility, grace, reactivity, speed
Charisma: allure, appeal, eminence, leadership, manipulation, presence
Dexterity: accuracy, aim, finesse, hand-eye coordination, sleight of hand
Endurance: durability, health, recovery, resilience, toughness
Intellect: aptitude, cunning, guile, ingenuity, logic, memory, reason, smarts
Resolve: composure, determination, faith, fortitude, spirit, willpower
Strength: brawn, muscle, physical power, strength
Wisdom: alertness, awareness, insight, instincts, senses, vigilance, wit
Assign the following array to your attributes as you see fit: 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4. You can choose to reduce the 4 to 3 and increase the 1 to 2, but don't have to.
DICE ROLLS
Whenever you attempt to take any action that could feasibly result in failure and has some impact on the story or scene, you roll a number of dice equal to your most appropriate attribute for the action against a target number (TN) determined by the Game Master (GM). You then count how many of the dice result in a success. You need a number of successes equal to or greater than the TN to accomplish the task.
EPIC SUCCESS & FAILURE
If you get more successes than is necessary, you get a critical success, typically granting you additional effects for every success you get beyond the TN. If you get a number of successes that's less than half the TN, then you get a critical failure suffering a detrimental effect for every success below half the TN that you got.
ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE
Whenever circumstances would give you the edge in an action, you gain an advantage on that dice roll. This could be something simple like making a melee attack against a flanked target or while you have the high ground or using an electricity attack against a target standing in water. Consequently, when the circumstances are not in your favor you gain disadvantage instead.
- Bonuses and Penalties: For every advantage you have, you get +1 die to your dice pool, to a maximum of twice your normal dice pool before advantages and disadvantages. If you have a disadvantage you cut your dice pool in half or get -1 die to your dice pool, whichever is worse. Every disadvantage beyond the first is just a -1 die to your dice pool. Advantages and disadvantages cancel each other out.
Minimum Dice: If a penalty would normally reduce your dice pool below 1, you instead roll more dice for every penalty beyond this amount and take the lowest single die result. For example, if your dice pool were 3 and you had a -4 penalty, the first -2 reduces your dice pool to the minimum of 1 die leaving a remaining -2. Thus, you'd roll +2 more dice than the minimum for 3 dice total and then take the lowest roll of the three die as a result of the penalty.
Clash of Wills
Whenever you attempt to use coercion, diplomacy, intimidation, persuasion, or even mind control, it's called a clash of wills. You make a Charisma attack against the target's Resolve. For every success you get, the target becomes compelled to obey whatever behavior you insisted on. If you the thing you're asking them to do is beneficial to them (within their view of what's right and wrong and beneficial) then you have advantage on this. If it's detrimental, you have disadvantage. If it's completely against their beliefs, you have overwhelming disadvantage.
Game of Wits
Whenever you attempt to Ambush or Surprise another character or use Subterfuge, Tactics, Traps, or Trickery, you engage in a game of wits. You make an Intellect attack against the target's Wisdom defense (Wisdom * 3).
Swing of the Sword
Whenever you attempt to make a physical attack against a target, you attempt to swing a sword. You make a Dexterity attack against the target's Agility defense (Agility * 3).
Test of Mettle
Whenever you attempt to overwhelm a target's resilience, you engage in a test of mettle. The target must make an Endurance check against the difficulty rating of the ailment they're afflicted with.
Test of Strength
Whenever you attempt to overwhelm a target with brute strength, you engage in a test of strength. You make a Strength attack against the target's Agility (Agility * 3) or Strength defense (Strength * 3), whichever is higher.
A Game of Cat and Mouse
Whenever you attempt to sneak up on a target, you engage in a game of cat and mouse. You make an Agility check against the target's Wisdom (Wisdom * 3).
Advancement
Every time you overcome a significant and dangerous challenge, you're granted 1 or more ability points by the GM. For every 10 ability points you SPEND, you get a +1 increase to one attribute of your choice up to a maximum of double your lowest attribute score.
For example, if your lowest attribute was 4, the highest ability or attribute you could have would be 8.
Your lowest attribute score is often used as a measuring stick for how powerful you are overall.
GAME PLAY MODES
Gameplay is split into three modes: actions scenes, exposition scenes, and downtime.
- Actions scenes represent immediate danger such as battle, chase scenes, or escape scenes.
- Downtime represents pauses in adventure where characters essentially do everything that would normally be done as part of a montage or time skip in a movie or show. They can craft, rest, train, study, etc.
- Exposition scenes function like actions scenes but don't require the use of alacrity as each round represents about 1 minute of time rather than 6 seconds. Exposition scenes typically involve socializing, debating, exploring, solving mysteries, etc.
ACTION SCENES
At the start of every scene, the GM calls for a particular check, usually WISDOM if the threat was hidden or AGILITY if it you were able to sneak up on the threat. You can spend ALACRITY (AP) to put EFFORT into your initiative roll. You act in initiative order with the highest going first, second highest going second, etc. just like any other turn-based game. Any time an effect adjusts your initiative, the creator of the effect can allow you (or force you) to reroll your initiative.
ACTING IN INITIATIVE
Every round on your turn you can spend AP equal to 1 + your ability cost to take a simple action with that ability. Some activities require multiple actions to be completed and you can take multiple actions during your turn if you like. However, the AP cost of performing more than one action on your turn increases by 1 for each action you take: 1 + ability cost AP for the 1st, 2 + ability cost AP for the 2nd, 3 + ability cost AP for the 3rd, 4 + ability cost AP for the 4th, etc. You can never take more actions in one round than your AGILITY, including reactions you took. Your action limit resets at the start of your turn.
DEFLECT
If you wield a weapon or shield and have an ability associated with it or if you have an ability that can conjure physical effects to block attacks, you can spend FOCUS POINTS (FP) or WILLPOWER POINTS (WP) to effectively create the same effect as the DODGE action but your maximum is ACUMEN (if using FP) or SPIRIT (if using WP) instead of AGILITY. Just be aware that FP and WP recover at a slower rate than AP. If you have multiple abilities that can aid with this, its possible to invest FP in one ability and WP in another for a combined deflection pool.
DODGE
During your turn you can use an action to invest AP into DODGING attacks up to a maximum equal to your AGILITY. The AP invested serves as temporary hit points against all attacks made against you before the start of your next turn. You can take multiple actions to do this to increase the pool, but multiple actions are costly.
EFFORT
Any action you take which you can put forth great effort into, allows you to spend a certain resource on it (usually Alacrity or Focus). If you choose to put forth effort into an action before you roll, you add +1d6 to your pool per point spent to a maximum of double your base pool. If you choose to do this after you've rolled but before the GM reveals the result of the roll, you get +1d6 to your pool per 2 points spent.
INTERRUPTION
However, you can spend AP at any time to attempt to interrupt someone else's action if you're aware of it. The AP cost is equal to the ability cost of the ability you're using to interrupt + the ability cost of the ability they're using to do so. You then roll initiative against them to see if you succeed. If you fail, their action finishes but your action does interrupt the rest of their turn.
SNEAK ATTACK
If you attack a creature that is unaware of you or otherwise caught off-guard or unable to defend themselves, you not only get +1d6 to the die pool, you ignore their DODGE and DEFLECTION pools going straight for their hit points.
SUPERHUMAN EFFECT
If the action you want to take would create superhuman effects, you must invest WILLPOWER or use up CHARGES to do it. This doesn't mean you always spend willpower to do magic, but only when you do something that a well-trained person couldn't do. For example, using Telekinesis to lift a book in the air or throw a rock would not cost willpower because you could've done that with your hands. Using it to do this while your hands are full or while you're tied up WOULD require willpower or using it to life something heavier than even a strong human could life would also require willpower. The amount you must spend is equal to the ability point cost of the ability you're using. If you're not using an ability, you simply can't do anything superhuman.
Using Attributes
Clash of Wills: Whenever you attempt to use Coercion, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Persuasion, or even mind control, it's a clash of wills. You make a Charisma attack against the target's Resolve Defense (Resolve * 3).
Game of Cat and Mouse: Whenever you attempt to sneak up on a target, you engage in a game of cat and mouse. You make an Agility check against the target's Wisdom (Wisdom * 3).
Game of Wits: Whenever you attempt to Ambush or Surprise another character or use Subterfuge, Tactics, Traps, or Trickery, you engage in a game of wits. You make an Intellect attack against the target's Wisdom defense (Wisdom * 3).
Strike: Whenever you attempt to make a physical attack against a target, you attempt to strike. You make a Dexterity attack against the target's Agility defense (Agility * 3).
Test of Mettle: Whenever you attempt to overwhelm a target's resilience, you engage in a test of mettle. The target must make an Endurance check against the difficulty rating of the ailment they're afflicted with.
Test of Strength: Whenever you attempt to overwhelm a target with brute strength, you engage in a test of strength. You make a Strength attack against the target's Agility (Agility * 3) or Strength defense (Strength * 3), whichever is higher.