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Gameplay🔗

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Scenes🔗

A game session is played in scenes that fall into three broad states.

  • Adventuring. Activities like delving, exploring, investigating, scrutinizing, and traveling.
  • Encounters. Activities like fighting or interacting with characters, monsters, and other beings.
  • Downtime. Activities occurring between adventures, like carousing, crafting, research, and training.

The gamemaster sets each scene and manages the transition from one scene to another, often with cues from the players.

Rounds🔗

Once the gamemaster sets the scene, it may be necessary to divide it into rounds, granting each character a turn to resolve their actions. The next round begins once all turns are finalized. This process continues until the scene is concluded.

During encounters, each round takes approximately 6 seconds of in-game time, with 10 rounds in a minute. During other scenes, a round may take minutes, hours, days, or longer to finalize, per the gamemaster.

Initiative🔗

This process determines who takes their turn first within a round. This ruleset uses copy needed here

Actions🔗

Some character actions are routine and effortless, while others are contested or pose a more significant challenge; during such instances, a check is called to validate each action.

Checks🔗

For actions and reactions, a check is performed by rolling a d20 at or under a target number (TN), derived from the relevant attribute adjusted for the challenge level.

Target Number (TN) = Relevant Attribute - Challenge Level

Challenge Level🔗

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Attributes🔗

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Strength. Used in melee combat to attack and block or resist effects that physically move or bind. Strength Skills: Climb, Force, Leap.

Dexterity. Used in ranged combat to attack and evade effects that can be dodged or outmaneuvered. Dexterity Skills: Balance, Sneak, Tumble.

Constitution. Used in melee combat to charge. Also used to resist fatigue, illnesses, toxins, and debilitating effects. Constitution Skills: Dash, March, Swim.

Intelligence. Resist mental assaults and effects that alter the mind. Intelligence Skills: Learn, Reason, Recall.

Wisdom. Resist illusions, subterfuge, and effects which alter the senses. Wisdom Skills: Heal, Notice, Ride.

Charisma. Resist persuasion and effects that diminish self-control. Charisma Skills: Influence, Perform. Trick.

Reaction Check🔗

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The Target Number equals your character's attribute for the action, adjusted for the challenge rating. The check succeeds if the roll is less than or equal to the target number. The check fails if the roll exceeds the target number.

The Challenge Rating modifies the target number according to the action type.

Contested Uncontested

Trait Check🔗

An action check covers all actions, such as attacking, climbing, sneaking, and riding. The base target number equals your character's key ability for the trait. For some actions, alternate traits may be available. For example, an attempt at persuasion could use Charm, Deceive, or Reason, depending upon the method employed. Also, some traits could employ a different ability, such as Dexterity or Intelligence for Perform. In each instance, the gamemaster will mediate appropriately. Below are the common traits listed under their key ability. Be aware each character class adds more traits to this list.

  • Strength. Climb, Force, Jump.
  • Dexterity. Balance, Sneak, Tumble.
  • Constitution. March, Run, Swim.
  • Intelligence. Learn, Lore, Reason.
  • Wisdom. Heal, Notice, Ride.
  • Charisma. Charm, Deceive, Perform.

Challenge Ratings🔗

There are three challenge ratings for action checks.

  • Controlled. You are in control, and the situation is favorable; as such, you have advantage.
  • Risky. You are taking a chance; the situation balances out, neither favorable nor unfavorable.
  • Desperate. You are not in control, and the situation is unfavorable; as such, you have disadvantage.

Attack Check🔗

An attack check covers all attack actions, such as melee, ranged, and spells. The base target number for an attack check equals the key ability minus the opponent's challenge rating (CR). A higher challenge rating lowers the target number, making the attack check more difficult. Be aware creatures don't make attack checks; a character must dodge their attacks by making an evasion check. If no evasion check is made, an attack automatically hits.

Evasion Check🔗

An evasion check is made when a character needs to evade a creature's attack or a special effect. The target number for an evasion check equals the key ability minus the challenge rating (CR) of the creature or effect. A higher challenge rating lowers the target number, making the evasion check more difficult.

  • Strength. Block attacks with shields or weapons and contend with forces that could move or bind.
  • Dexterity. Dodge, parry, or out-maneuver attacks and forces.
  • Constitution. Resist fatigue, toxins, and other forces that affect physical health.
  • Intelligence. Resist mental assaults and forces affecting the conscious, rational mind, and mental health.
  • Wisdom. Resist illusions and forces affecting the senses and how things are perceived.
  • Charisma. Resist persuasion, domination, and forces affecting the character's instincts and willpower.

Distances🔗

Self. XX Reach. You're within reach if you are a few steps away. Fighting occurs within reach (approx. 10'). Outreach. XX Close. You're close if you are only a move action away. Near. XX Distant. XX Remote. XX

Initiative🔗

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