Welcome to the Middle Lands

The Middle Lands are a world under strain. Borders shift. Old powers linger where they should have faded. Faith, magic, and ambition press against one another, and the cost of survival is never evenly paid. Most people live ordinary lives, hoping never to draw the attention of war, monsters, or the unseen forces that move just beyond understanding. This game is about the people who don’t get that luxury. The Middle Lands is a tabletop roleplaying game focused on dangerous choices, lasting consequences, and growth shaped by hardship. Characters are capable but vulnerable. Violence is risky. Magic is powerful, but it leaves marks. Every victory carries weight, and every failure leaves something behind. You are not playing legends untouched by consequence, you are playing people who endure and are changed by doing so.

WHAT KIND OF GAME IS THIS?

The Middle Lands is a conversation-driven, cooperative roleplaying game. One player takes the role of the **Game Master (GM), who presents the world, its dangers, and its people, and applies the rules fairly. All other players each control a single character navigating that world. Play unfolds through description, decision, and consequence:

• The GM describes a situation.
• Players describe what their characters do.
• When the outcome is uncertain or dangerous, dice are rolled.
• The results are interpreted through the fiction.
• The world responds.

The rules exist to support tension, uncertainty, and meaningful outcomes. Dice are rolled when something is at stake. Success is earned. Failure matters.

HEROES, SURVIVORS, AND SCARS

Characters in the Middle Lands begin as ordinary people shaped by ancestry, background, and training. Over time, they become more capable, but never immune to harm. You will gain:

• Skills sharpened through experience
• Talents learned through training or hardship
• Scars that mark what you’ve survived
• Corruption that reflects contact with forces beyond the veil

Progression is not about becoming untouchable. It is about learning how to survive longer, choose better, and decide what you are willing to sacrifice. Some characters will retire. Some will die. Some will change so profoundly they can no longer walk the same path.

THE WORLD OF THE MIDDLE LANDS

The Middle Lands are not a single kingdom or culture, but a broad and contested world shaped by history, belief, and pressure from the unseen. Caldaryn is one continent within the Middle Lands and serves as a primary region for play. Its towns, wilds, ruins, and city-states reflect the broader tensions of the world: fading traditions, encroaching powers, and the ever-present influence of the Veil.

Core Resolution

Building Your Dice Pool

The Middle Lands uses pools of six-sided dice assembled from different sources.

Dice Pool = Ability + Skill + Bonus Dice

• Ability (1–5 dice): Your natural talent. One of the six core abilities, Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, chosen based on your approach.
• Skill (0–5 dice): Your training and experience. Athletics, Stealth, Melee Weapons, and so on.
• School Dice (1-7) When casting spells, your School rank (Evocation, Necromancy, Abjuration, etc.) fills the skill slot, School dice are your skill dice for magic. The difference is that every 1 rolled on a School die produces temporary corruption. In addition you can choose how many dice to roll between 1 and 7. You can roll up to 2 ranks higher than your current skill rank, but you receive 1 temporary corruption for every die you roll above your rank.
• Bonus Dice (0–6 dice): Anything else working in your favor. Talents, positioning, items, environmental advantages, allied assistance, or other circumstances.

Roll all your dice. Each 6 is one success.

When to Roll

Not every action requires a roll. Rolling dice means accepting the possibility of failure, and many tasks don't need that uncertainty.

Auto-pass

If all three of the following are true, the task succeeds automatically:

1. Your Skill Rank meets or exceeds the Challenge Rating or CR
2. No one is actively opposing you
3. Only pass or fail matters, extra successes wouldn't change the outcome

When you auto-pass, the cost isn't random failure. The cost is time and action economy, what you spent doing this instead of something else.

Auto-pass Examples: A Rank 3 History scholar examining a Challenge Rating 2 heraldic crest doesn't roll. They recognize the house, its allegiance, and its reputation, they've studied this. But they spent ten minutes poring over it while the convoy moved on without them. A Rank 4 Lockpick opening a Challenge Rating 3 lock doesn't roll. But it took thirty seconds, and the patrol is getting closer. A Rank 3 Climber scaling a Challenge Rating 3 wall just climbs it. But their hands are full and they can't draw a weapon until next turn.

The tension comes from what you're NOT doing while succeeding. A competent character who meets the bar shouldn't fail routine work, but routine work still takes time, and time is a resource.

Tiered Results: What Rank Reveals

Some tasks, especially knowledge, investigation, and awareness, don't just pass or fail. A more skilled character doesn't just succeed faster; they learn more. The GM can use Skill Rank to determine how much information a character gets, even on an autopass.

Example: Examining a Strange Sigil Carved into a Dungeon Wall The party finds an unfamiliar symbol etched into stone. The GM calls for INT + Occult, CR 2.

• CR 2: You know this is a binding sigil, designed to anchor something from beyond the Veil to this location. It's active.
• CR 3: All previous info, plus you recognize the dialect. This is Old Valdric notation, which means the caster was trained at the Ashen Lyceum. The binding is fraying at the edges. Whatever it's holding is testing it.
• CR 4: All previous info, plus you can estimate when it was cast (decades ago, not centuries), you notice a secondary sigil hidden beneath the first (a fail-safe, or a trap), and you have a reasonable idea of what's bound, something with enough will to erode the sigil over time.
• CR 5: You could have cast this yourself. You know exactly what's bound, how to safely reinforce the sigil, how to break it deliberately, and what would happen if you did either. You also notice the third sigil, the one the original caster hid from anyone below your level of mastery.

The GM doesn't need to prepare five tiers for every object in the dungeon. The principle is simple: higher rank means more information, richer detail, and deeper understanding. A Rank 2 character gets the facts they need. A Rank 5 character gets the facts, the context, the history, and the options no one else can see.

Roll When Any of These Apply

• The task exceeds your training. The Challenge Rating is higher than your Skill Rank. You might not be good enough, so you need luck and effort on top of ability.
• Someone is actively opposing you. A merchant resists your lie. A guard stands watch as you sneak. You are trying to hold a door closed as an enemy tries to push through. Whenever another creature's effort directly contests yours, both sides roll.
• You want more than the auto-pass gives you. If your rank meets the CR, you already succeed, and you get the information or result your rank provides. But you can choose to roll, hoping extra successes reveal deeper details, better outcomes, or options that competence alone wouldn't uncover. You keep what your rank guarantees regardless of the roll.

Special Cases

• Attacks always roll. Combat is always opposed (the defender is trying not to die) and damage always scales with successes. There is no auto-pass for violence.
• Spells always roll. School dice generate corruption on every cast, and spell effects scale with successes. Choosing to channel magic is always a meaningful risk.
• Cantrips never roll. Cantrips are defined as safe, minor magic. Their effects are fixed and carry no corruption risk. If it's a cantrip, it just works.

Difficulty

Every task that requires a roll has a Challenge Rating set by the GM, a number from 1 to 5 representing how hard the task is in absolute terms.

Determing Difficulty on Ranked Skills

To determine the Difficulty of a test, the number of successes you actually need, you need to find the difference between the Challenge Rating and your Skill Rank.

Difficulty = Challenge Rating − Skill Rank (minimum 1) If the gap is zero or negative, you auto-pass (see above). If there's a gap, that gap is your Difficulty, or the number of successes you need to roll.

Example: A Challenge Rating 4 lock.

• Rank 0 (untrained): Difficulty 4. You need 4 successes. Near impossible.
• Rank 1 (novice): Difficulty 3. You need 3 successes. Extremely difficult.
• Rank 2 (trained): Difficulty 2. You need 2 successes. Hard but achievable.
• Rank 3 (skilled): Difficulty 1. You need 1 success. Likely with a decent pool.
• Rank 4+ (expert): Auto-pass, you don't roll at all.

Each rank of training dramatically changes your relationship with a task. Skill investment always matters.

Opposed Tests

When two characters directly contest each other, a liar versus an observer, a grappler versus their target, an attacker versus a defender, both sides assemble pools and roll. Whoever gets more successes wins. Ties go to the defender (or result in a stalemate if there's no clear defender, GM determines). Neither side sets a Difficulty. You're just trying to beat the other person's result.

Example: Talking Past the Guard

Ivy tries to bluff her way past a suspicious gate guard. Ivy: CHA 3 + Deception 3 = 6 dice, she rolls 2 successes. Guard: WIS 2 + Insight 1 = 3 dice, she rolls 1 success Ivy wins. The guard buys her story and waves her through. If the guard had rolled 2 successes (a tie), the guard wins, the defender's suspicion holds.

Group Tests

When the entire party attempts the same task, there are two approaches.

Everyone Rolls

Each character makes their own test independently. Use this when individual contributions matter, searching a room, the whole party climbing a cliff, everyone helping navigate rapids in a raft.

Lead with Help

One character leads and makes the test. Each ally with at least Rank 1 in a relevant skill can grant +1 bonus die to the leader's pool. Use this when one expert guides others. A ranger leading a group through wilderness, a smith directing assistants in a forge.

Help Action

When a single hero helps another hero with a task the helping hero rolls only their ability dice to contribute. They can choose to push independently of the lead character.

Creative Pairing

In The Middle Lands, the same skill can be paired with different abilities depending on your approach. The fiction determines the pairing, not rigid rules. Describe what you're doing. The GM determines which Ability and Skill fit.

Examples

Athletics:

• STR + Athletics: Smash through a barred door with raw force
• DEX + Athletics: Sprint across rooftops during a chase, leaping gaps
• CON + Athletics: March for hours carrying an injured companion without stopping
• WIS + Athletics: Read the stone carefully and pick a safe climbing route up a crumbling cliff

Stealth:

• DEX + Stealth: Tread silently through a darkened hallway
• INT + Stealth: Plan a route through shadow and cover, anticipating patrol patterns
• WIS + Stealth: Move on instinct, freezing when enemies shift attention

Persuasion:

• CHA + Persuasion: Win someone over through warmth and personality
• INT + Persuasion: Present a logical argument backed by evidence
• WIS + Persuasion: Appeal to someone's conscience and sense of fairness

Survival:

• WIS + Survival: Identify safe berries by sight and smell
• DEX + Survival: Set snares with practiced precision
• CON + Survival: Endure freezing winds long enough to build shelter

History:

• INT + Knowledge: Recall facts from study and reading
• WIS + Knowledge: Remember a practical lesson from lived experience
• CHA + Knowledge: Leverage your academic reputation to gain access to a restricted archive

Creative pairing means no ability is ever useless. A character with high Wisdom can contribute to almost any skill test by approaching the problem through intuition and experience. A character with high Strength can solve social problems through intimidation, physical skill tests through brute force, and even knowledge tests by recalling lessons beaten into them during training. The key is describe first, then roll. The narrative determines the dice, never the other way around.

Pushing the Roll

When you fail a test, or succeed but want more, you may Push the roll. Pushing is the most important decision you'll make in play, because it's how you generate Focus.

How to Push

After seeing your result:

1. Declare you are considering pushing the roll.
2. The GM declares the consequence type. Before you decide, the GM tells you what's at stake. "Your muscles tear." "The rope frays." "The guard hears you." "The spell destabilizes." You know the risk before you commit.
3. Decide whether to Push. You can always say no.
4. Re-roll all dice that aren't 6s or 1s. Successes (6s) are locked in, you keep what you earned. But 1s are also locked in, you can't escape consequences you've already rolled.
5. Count all 1s. Every 1 in your final result, both the locked originals and any new 1s from the re-roll add to the consequences the GM declared.
6. Gain Focus. You gain 1 Focus for Pushing, plus 1 additional Focus for every 1 in your final result.

You can only Push once per roll.

The Risk-Reward Spiral

The more 1s you roll, the worse the consequences, but the more Focus you earn. A Push that produces three 1s means three consequences (painful) and 4 total Focus (powerful). The character who just took the worst beating is now loaded with momentum for a dramatic response.

This is intentional. The game rewards the players who accept punishment. A desperate Push that goes badly doesn't just hurt you, it arms you for what comes next. The Warrior who overextends and takes three hits of strain is now sitting on enough Focus to Cleave through the next wave. The Rogue who botches a Stealth Push and alerts the guard has the Focus to Shadow Step out of danger.

Consequence Examples

The GM chooses the consequence type based on the fiction. Some common patterns:

Consequences are never arbitrary. They follow from the fiction. If you're climbing a cliff and Push, the consequences should relate to the climb: handholds crumble, gear drops, you slide back partway. The GM should never declare "you take psychic damage" when you're picking a lock.

Example: Pushing a Failed Roll

Drazhic kneels before the corrupted shrine, trying to decipher dark runes carved into its surface. The symbols twist before his eyes, resisting comprehension. GM: "Make CR 3 Occult test. You have Occult Rank 1, so your Difficulty is 2, you need 2 successes." Drazhic's Pool: INT 3 + Occult 1 = 4 dice Roll: 1,3,4,6 = 1 success, one 1. Not enough successes. Drazhic's Player: "I want to Push." GM: "The runes seethe with dark energy pushing back against your understanding. Each 1 means corruption seeps in, you take 1 Temporary Corruption for every 1 you roll." Drazhic's Player: "I'll risk it." Push: The 6 is locked (success). The 1 is also locked (consequence). re-roll the 3,4 with the results 1, 6 Final Result: 1, 1, 6, 6 = 2 successes, two 1s. Success! Consequences: Two 1s in the final result. Drazhic gains 2 temporary corruption as the dark magic seeps deeper than expected. Reward: Drazhic gains 3 Focus, 1 for Pushing, plus 2 for the two 1s. The knowledge nearly broke him, but the effort fuels what comes next. GM: "The symbols meaning comes into focus, prayers to Korynth, twisted into a summoning ritual. You understand now, but something cold lingers behind your eyes. The knowledge came at a price."

Example: Pushing an Attack

Korrin swings his Maul at a heavily armored knight. He rolls his attack pool and gets 1 success, a hit, but barely. Base damage 3 against Threshold 3 armor means 0 damage gets through. He needs more successes for bonus damage. Korrin's Player: "I Push." GM: "You overcommit on the swing. Each 1 means the knight gains a step, they reposition 5 feet in a direction of their choice." Push: Korrin's original roll had one 6 (locked) and no 1s. He re-rolls the rest and picks up 2 more successes but also rolls one 1. Final result: three 6s, one 1. His damage is now 3 + 2 additonal successes = 5 against Threshold 3 armor, so 2 damage gets through and the knights armor takes 1 point of wear. The knight takes the blow, then sidesteps 5 feet toward the Mage in the back line. Reward: Korrin gains 2 Focus, 1 for Pushing, plus 1 for the 1 he rolled. Next turn, he can spend 2 Focus on Sunder to crack through the knight's armor more efficiently.

Why Pushing Matters

Pushing is the game's heartbeat. It's how Focus enters the economy, and Focus is how you activate weapon techniques, talents, and spell enhancements, every powerful ability in the game.

Never Pushing means you're safe but powerless. You'll never take Push consequences, but you'll never generate Focus either. No techniques, no talent activation, no dramatic moments. You're just rolling dice and hoping.

Always Pushing means you're powerful but battered. Every fight, you're burning HP, breaking gear, accumulating corruption, and giving enemies openings. But the worse it goes, the more Focus you earn, a brutal Push that rolls three 1s hands you 4 Focus and three consequences in the same breath.

Knowing when to Push is the core skill expression of The Middle Lands. It's not about system mastery or build optimization, it's about reading the situation and deciding whether the risk is worth the reward right now, in this moment. And sometimes the best Push is the one that goes horribly wrong, because the Focus it generates sets up the most dramatic turn of the fight.

Focus

Focus represents willpower, momentum, and the determination that builds when you refuse to accept failure. It is the currency that powers dramatic abilities in the game, weapon techniques, combat talents, and spell enhancements.

The Rules

• Focus starts at 0 at the beginning of every scene.
• Maximum Focus: 6. You can never hold more than 6 Focus.
• Focus resets to 0 when the scene ends. You cannot bank Focus between encounters.
• The only way to earn Focus during play is to Push a roll. Each Push grants 1 Focus, plus 1 additional Focus for every 1 in your final result.

Spending Focus

Focus is spent to activate abilities. Each ability lists its cost.

Extra Successes

When you roll more successes than needed, the extras matter.

In Combat (Attacks)

Every success beyond the first adds +1 damage. This is automatic, you don't choose between damage and other effects. Damage = Base Damage + (Successes − 1) A Greatsword (Base 3) with 3 successes deals 5 damage. A Dagger (Base 1) with 4 successes deals 4 damage.

On Skill Tests

Extra successes beyond the target number produce better outcomes at the GM's discretion. More information on a research roll. Faster completion under time pressure. Fewer complications. A stronger negotiating position. Better craftsmanship. The GM should reward extra successes meaningfully. "You succeed, and..." is always more interesting than just "you succeed."

Key Principles

Fiction First. Describe what your character does. The description determines which Ability, Skill, and Bonus dice apply. Build the pool from the story, not the other way around.

Autopass Respects Competence. If your character is trained enough and no one opposes them, they succeed. The cost is time and opportunity, not random failure.

Pushing Is the Heartbeat. Dramatic abilities in the game trace back to a moment where someone risked consequences to generate Focus. Power is earned through danger.

Consequences Are Real. HP, MP, equipment durability, and positioning are all resources. Pushing when you're already wounded or low on magic can spiral into danger quickly. Know when to accept a failure.

Every Choice Costs Something. Focus spent on a weapon technique can't be spent on a talent. A turn spent picking a lock is a turn not spent watching for patrols. Even autopassing a task costs the action you could have used elsewhere. The game lives in these tradeoffs.

Abilities

Abilities describe how your character acts. The innate qualities behind every roll. Each ability has a rank 0-4.

Skills

Skills represent training, practice, and expertise. They're paired with Abilities to form your dice pool. Any Ability + Skill pairing that makes sense in the fiction is allowed.

Combat Skills

Melee Weapons

• Fighting with swords, axes, hammers, spears, and other close-combat weapons
• Use for: Attacking in melee, weapon techniques, disarming, parrying, feinting

Ranged Weapons

• Fighting with bows, crossbows, slings, and thrown weapons
• Use for: Shooting at range, covering fire, trick shots, aimed shots, judging distance

Brawl

• Unarmed combat, wrestling, grappling, fist fighting, martial arts, and improvised weapons
• Use for: Punching, grappling, escaping holds, fighting dirty, tavern brawls, improvised weapons

Physical Skills

Athletics

• Running, climbing, swimming, jumping, and feats of physical might
• Use for: Scaling walls, leaping gaps, carrying heavy loads, breaking down doors, swimming across rivers, endurance running

Acrobatics

• Tumbling, balance, contortion, and agile movement
• Use for: Dodging, staying upright on unstable surfaces, escaping bonds, tight-rope walking, falling safely, vaulting obstacles

Stealth

• Moving silently and staying hidden
• Use for: Sneaking past guards, hiding in shadows, tailing someone, setting up ambushes, moving through crowds unnoticed

Endurance

• Withstanding pain, fatigue, and harsh environments
• Use for: Resisting exhaustion, enduring extreme temperatures, pushing through pain, maintaining focus during hardship, marathon efforts

Defense Skill

Dodge

• Avoiding attacks and dangerous effects through quick reflexes
• Use for: Defense rolls (rolled with DEX + Dodge + Armor dice), evading area attacks, dodging traps, getting out of harm's way
• Note: This is rolled alongside your armor dice when defending against attacks

Social Skills

Persuasion

• Convincing others through reason, charm, or appeal to their better nature
• Use for: Negotiating deals, bargaining prices, making diplomatic appeals, changing minds, making friends, inspiring cooperation

Deception

• Lying, misdirection, and creating false impressions
• Use for: Lying convincingly, disguising yourself, creating diversions, bluffing, telling believable stories

Intimidation

• Threatening and coercing through fear, presence, or implied violence
• Use for: Extracting information through threats, frightening enemies into retreat, asserting dominance, making credible threats, breaking morale

Insight

• Reading emotions, detecting lies, and understanding motives
• Use for: Sensing deception, gauging reactions, understanding what someone really wants, reading body language, detecting hidden feelings

Performance

• Acting, music, dancing, storytelling, and entertaining
• Use for: Captivating audiences, playing instruments, reciting poetry, acting a role, disguise through performance, busking for coin

Knowledge Skills

History

• Knowledge of past events, wars, political history, geography, and notable figures
• Use for: Recalling historical facts, identifying rulers and dynasties, understanding political context, knowing about past wars, geographical knowledge, recognizing heraldry

Culture

• Understanding customs, traditions, etiquette, and social norms
• Use for: Knowing proper etiquette, respecting local customs, understanding religious practices, navigating social situations, knowing what not to do, legends and folklore

Investigation

• Searching for clues, analyzing evidence, and deductive reasoning
• Use for: Finding hidden items, piecing together mysteries, forensic analysis, spotting inconsistencies, gathering evidence, following paper trails

Medicine

• Treating wounds, diagnosing illness, surgery, and anatomical knowledge
• Use for: Stabilizing dying allies, treating diseases, identifying poisons, performing surgery, diagnosing ailments, understanding how bodies work or what killed something

Streetwise

• Navigating urban environments, criminal networks, social undercurrents, and informal economies
• Use for: Gathering rumors, finding contacts, understanding local power structures, identifying illegal activity, moving unnoticed in crowded areas

Occult

• Understanding supernatural systems, rituals, planar knowledge, and the Veil
• Use for: Identifying supernatural creatures, knowing about the Veil and spirits, recognizing occult symbols, dealing with otherworldly entities

Utility Skills

Awareness

• Noticing threats and details in the moment, environmental scanning
• Use for: Spotting traps, noticing hidden enemies, hearing distant sounds, keeping watch, detecting ambushes, reading environmental tells, tracking many moving pieces

Survival

• Tracking, foraging, navigating wilderness, and weather craft
• Use for: Finding food and water, following tracks, predicting weather, navigating by stars, building shelter, reading terrain, knowing which plants are safe

Craft/Repair

• Building, forging, creating, and fixing items and structures
• Use for: Crafting weapons and tools, repairing broken gear, improvising solutions, maintaining equipment, cooking, smithing, carpentry, jury-rigging

Sleight of Hand

• Manual dexterity, pick-pocketing, and manipulation of small objects
• Use for: Picking locks, stealing items without being noticed, planting evidence, disarming traps, palming objects, card tricks, cutting purses

Animal Handling

• Calming, training, and working with animals
• Use for: Calming spooked mounts, training animals, reading animal behavior, befriending creatures, veterinary care

Operational Skills

Ride/Drive

• Controlling mounts, vehicles, ships, and carts
• Use for: Riding horses in combat, driving carts and wagons, piloting ships, chariot racing, mounted maneuvers, vehicle chases

Magic Schools

These skills are used for casting spells from their respective schools. When you cast a spell, you roll Ability + School Rank + Bonus to determine success. They also determine how knowledgeable a character is about a particular school of magic.

Abjuration

• Protection, barriers, dispelling magic, wards
• Use for: Defensive magic, breaking enchantments, magical shields, protecting allies

Conjuration

• Summoning creatures, creating objects, teleportation
• Use for: Calling creatures from elsewhere, creating temporary objects, moving through space instantly

Divination

• Gathering information, foresight, detection, scrying
• Use for: Learning hidden knowledge, seeing the future, locating things and people, detecting magic

Enchantment

• Mind control, charm, emotion manipulation
• Use for: Influencing thoughts and feelings, controlling actions, inspiring emotions, dominating minds

Evocation

• Elemental damage, force, energy projection
• Use for: Offensive magic, elemental attacks (fire, ice, lightning), raw destructive power, area damage

Illusion

• Deception, invisibility, false images, sensory manipulation
• Use for: Creating illusions, turning invisible, confusing senses, misdirection, disguises

Necromancy

• Death magic, undead animation, life drain
• Use for: Animating corpses, stealing life force, communing with the dead, weakening the living

Transmutation

• Alteration, enhancement, transformation, polymorph
• Use for: Changing forms, enhancing abilities, transforming objects, altering physical properties

Skill Ranks

Skills range from Rank 0 (untrained) to Rank 5 (Master):

Most starting characters have skills at Rank 0-3, with maybe one skill at Rank 4 if heavily specialized.

Example: A character with Dexterity 3 and Stealth 2 rolls 5 dice (3 + 2) when attempting to sneak. If they later increase Stealth to Rank 3, they'll roll 6 dice (3 + 3).

Ancestries

What Ancestries Represent

Your ancestry describes the people you were born into or raised among, and the gifts that come from that heritage. It's not a rigid box that defines who you are; it's the foundation you build on. A dwarf can be a silver-tongued diplomat, a goblin can stand their ground in heavy armor, and a human can disappear into the wilderness like a ghost. Ancestry gives you tools, not limits.

Mechanically, your ancestry grants you access to Ancestry Traits: passive abilities, reactions, and specialized techniques that grow stronger as you invest experience into them. At character creation, you choose 2 Rank I traits. Over time, you can upgrade these traits to Rank II and Rank III, unlocking deeper expressions of your heritage or your defiance of it.

Ancestry Trait XP Costs

• Rank II: 8 XP
• Rank III: 12 XP

You cannot skip ranks. To reach Rank III, you must first unlock Rank II.

Dual Ancestry

You may choose two ancestries instead of one, representing a character caught between worlds: a half-elf navigating human cities and elven groves, a dwarf raised by halflings, an orc with goblin cunning in their veins.

If you choose dual ancestry:

• You are considered both ancestries for any narrative or mechanical purpose
• You choose 1 Rank I trait from each ancestry (2 traits total)
• You may only upgrade the traits you chose at creation; you cannot add new ancestry traits later

Dual ancestry characters often find unique synergies: Dwarf/Goblin tinkerers, Elf/Human wanderers, Halfling/Veil-Marked hearth mystics. They could also embody the tension of two worlds pulling them in different directions.

Using Ancestry Traits

Each trait is divided into three ranks, unlocked through XP:

• Rank I: Your starting expression of this gift. Always available once chosen.
• Rank II: A deeper, more refined version of the trait. (8 XP)
• Rank III: The capstone, a powerful, defining ability. (12 XP)

Traits are categorized by their function to help you identify synergies and build your character intentionally:

• Combat: Offense, defense, or tactical advantages in fights
• Exploration: Movement, Awareness, wilderness survival
• Social: Interaction, deception, influence, negotiation
• Utility: Crafting, problem-solving, versatility
• Magic: Spellcasting support, corruption resistance
• Survival: Recovery, resilience, endurance

Dwarves

Dwarves are a proud and resilient people, deeply tied to the mountains and the earth beneath. They dwell in the Deepholds, vast subterranean cities carved into mountainsides where the ring of hammers on anvils echoes through glittering stone halls. Known throughout the Middle Lands as master craftspeople, dwarves forge weapons and armor of unparalleled quality, their works sought after even by the expanding human city-states. Though slow to trust outsiders, especially the encroaching humans who covet their resources and skills, dwarves value loyalty and honor above all. Guided by the teachings of Thargrim the Forgefather, they see their craft as sacred work, shaping the earth's bounty into wonders that endure for generations. To most villagers, dwarves are legendary figures: reclusive mountain folk who guard ancient secrets and create marvels beyond imagination.

Ancestry Traits

Forge-Hand (Utility - Craftsmanship)

Rank I

• When you repair gear gain +1 bonus die on the test.
• During a Short Rest, you may repair 1 durability on one item without needing tools.

Rank II

• When you repair gear, restore +1 extra durability beyond what you rolled.

Rank III

• Items you regularly maintain lose 1 less durability from damage (minimum 1 durability loss). You can repair gear for allies during a Short Rest without additional time cost.

Grudge-Bearer (Combat - Damage)

Rank I

• If a creature damaged you since your last turn, gain +1 die on your next attack against that creature this round. That creature is now a "grudged foe."

Rank II

• The first time each round you hit a grudged foe, deal +2 damage.

Rank III

• When a grudged foe drops to 0 HP (killed by anyone in the party), you immediately clear one condition (Shaken, Fatigued, or similar).

Runic Constitution (Survival - Toughness)

Rank I

• +1 die on Endurance tests to resist poison and disease effects.

Rank II

• All poison damage you take is halved (round down, minimum 1).

Rank III

• Reaction: Once per scene, when you would drop to 0 HP from any source, stay at 1 HP instead and gain the Fatigued condition.

Stone-Sense (Exploration - Underground)

Rank I

• +1 die on Awareness and Investigation tests underground or in structures made from worked stone (dungeons, mines, castles, dwarven halls).

Rank II

• You cannot be involuntarily moved or knocked Prone while standing on stone or earth unless the attacker first succeeds on an opposed Strength test against you.

Rank III

• You have darkvision up to 60 ft (see clearly in complete darkness as if it were dim light).

Mountain-Born Endurance (Survival - Stamina)

Rank I

• You ignore the first point of Fatigue from environmental sources (cold, heat, thin air, forced march) each day.

Rank II

• During a Short Rest in stone or underground environments, roll +1 die when recovering HP.

Rank III

• Once per Long Rest, you may treat a failed Endurance test as if you rolled 1 success.

Clan Memory (Social - Tradition)

Rank I

• +1 die on Knowledge tests related to smithing, mining, stonework, or dwarven history. You can identify the maker's mark and rough origin of any dwarven crafted item.

Rank II

• When you invoke your clan name, lineage, or a famous ancestor during social interactions with dwarves or those who respect tradition, gain +1 die on Persuasion or Intimidation tests.

Rank III

• Once per session, you may declare that an NPC dwarf, craftsperson, or traditionalist owes your clan a debt or favor. The GM determines the scope, but it must be honored unless dramatic circumstances intervene.

Elves

Elves are an enigmatic and graceful people, deeply attuned to the natural world and its cycles. They reside in hidden enclaves within ancient forests or the ruins of long-lost civilizations, blending their lives seamlessly with their surroundings. To outsiders, elves often seem distant, even aloof, but their long lives and careful deliberation give them a perspective far removed from the hurried pace of human existence. Elves revere Ralnath, the Keeper of Shadows, seeing death not as an end but as part of a greater cycle. Many devote themselves to the pursuit of knowledge, art, and the preservation of the past. Their connection to ancient magic is subtle and mysterious, leading the expanding human city-states to view them with suspicion and fear. Most elves avoid the cities altogether, preferring the quiet and balance of their secluded homes. To villagers, elves are mystical figures, rarely seen but often blamed or credited for unexplainable events in the wilds.

Ancestry Traits

Elder Lore (Utility - Knowledge)

Rank I

• +1 die on Knowledge and Occult tests involving ancient cultures, forgotten scripts, magical history, or long-dead civilizations.

Rank II

• When you fail a Knowledge or Occult test about ancient matters, you may immediately reroll the test once without Pushing (represents accessing deep ancestral memory).

Rank III

• While attempting to decipher unknown languages or ancient texts, treat one 5 as a 6 on your test (your understanding of patterns transcends individual languages).

Sylvan Grace (Exploration - Movement)

Rank I

• In natural terrain (forests, plains, hills, wilderness), gain +1 die on Stealth and Survival tests.

Rank II

• Difficult Terrain in natural environments does not slow you. You move through underbrush, roots, and natural obstacles at full speed.

Rank III

• While in natural terrain, gain +1 die on the first attack you make each round (your connection to nature guides your strikes).

Trance (Survival - Rest)

Rank

• Your Long Rest requires only 4 hours of meditative trance instead of 8 hours of sleep.

Rank II

• +1 die on Endurance tests to resist charm and fear effects. While in trance during rest, you cannot be Surprised (you remain partially aware).

Rank III

• After any rest (Short or Long), roll +1 additional die when recovering HP and MP.

Veil-Touched (Magic - Corruption Resistance)

Rank I

• When making a Channeling test to resist Corruption, roll +1 die.

Rank II

• When you roll on the Corruption Table, you may reroll the result once. You must accept the second result (even if worse).

Rank III

• At the end of a Long Rest, reduce your Temporary Corruption by half (rounded down, minimum 0). Your elven nature helps purge magical taint.

Keen Senses (Exploration - Awareness)

Rank I

• +1 die on Awareness tests to detect hidden creatures, traps, or ambushes.

Rank II

• You have darkvision up to 60 ft, seeing in darkness as if it were dim light.

Rank III

• Reaction: Once per scene, when you would be Surprised in combat, you may spend 2 Focus to act normally in the first round (you sensed it coming).

Timeless Patience (Social - Composure)

Rank I

• +1 die on Insight tests to detect lies or read intentions. Long-lived perspective helps you see through deception.

Rank II

• When you would gain the Shaken condition from social pressure, intimidation, or emotional manipulation (not combat fear), you may ignore it once per scene.

Rank III

• During negotiations or tense social scenes, you may ask the GM one yes/no question about an NPC's true intentions. The GM must answer honestly.

Goblins

Goblins survive by being underestimated. They are clever, fast, and social in a feral way, always watching for angles, exits, pockets, lies, and leverage. Goblin communities are built on favors, scavenging, and opportunism, and their "cowardice" is usually just pattern recognition. Where larger folk see junk, goblins see opportunity. Where others see rules, goblins see suggestions. They thrive on edges: city back-alleys, dungeon margins, the spaces between law and chaos. To most of the Middle Lands, goblins are pests or thieves, but those who know better understand they're survivors who've turned scrappiness into an art form.

Ancestry Traits

Scrounger's Instinct (Utility - Resourcefulness)

Rank I

• When you search a room, body, wagon, or stash, gain +1 die to Investigation and you always find something usable on a success (even if minor: nails, wire, oil rag, overlooked coin).

Rank II

• Once per scene, produce a plausible tiny common item you "kept" (chalk, string, flint, candle stub). Gain +1 die on the next related test using it.

Rank III

• During Downtime in a settlement, you can secure a black-market source: once per visit, buy one common item at half cost or acquire it by favor (GM assigns a small complication).

Underfoot Escape (Combat - Mobility)

Rank I

• Reaction: When you would be Grappled, spend 1 Focus to slip free and move 5 ft without provoking reactions.

Rank II

• Squeezing through tight spaces is never treated as Difficult Terrain for you. You can fit through any opening large enough for a creature one size smaller.

Rank III

• Reaction: When you successfully Dodge an attack, you may move up to 10 ft as part of the same reaction (no additional cost).

Street-Warren Sense (Exploration - Urban)

Rank I

• In settlements (alleys, docks, markets, warrens), gain +1 die to Awareness and Stealth tests.

Rank II

• Once per settlement visit, you may declare you know a "back way" (roof route, maintenance tunnel, sympathetic doorman). It provides a real advantage but the GM defines the path and any risk.

Rank III

• You cannot be Surprised in settlements unless you are truly alone and exposed (GM's call).

Mean Little Grin (Social - Leverage)

Rank I

• Gain +1 die to Deception and Intimidation when bargaining, haggling, threatening, or "playing harmless."

Rank II

• Reaction: When an NPC tries to bully, dismiss, or patronize you, spend 1 Focus to turn it: you gain +2 dice on your next social test against them this scene.

Rank III

• Once per scene, when you win a social test by 2+ successes, gain +1 Focus (your victory feeds your nerve).

Night-Eyes (Exploration - Vision)

Rank I

• You have darkvision up to 60 ft; you can see in complete darkness as if it were dim light.

Rank II

• In dim light or darkness, gain +1 die to Stealth and Awareness tests.

Rank III

• Once per scene in darkness or dim light, treat one rolled 5 on a Stealth or Awareness test as a 6.

Nuisance Hardiness (Survival - Resilience)

Rank I

• Gain +1 die on Endurance tests to resist poison and disease.

Rank II

• The first time each day you would gain the Fatigued condition from travel or environment, ignore it.

Rank III

• Reaction: Once per scene, when you would drop to 0 HP, stay at 1 HP instead and immediately become Hidden if any cover or concealment exists within 10 ft (GM adjudicates).

Halflings

Halflings are a pastoral, community-focused people who value hearth, home, and the bonds that tie folk together. Most halflings live in tight-knit villages built into hillsides or nestled in quiet river valleys, their homes warm with cooking fires and the sounds of laughter. They revere Yelna the Hearthmother, and their lives revolve around hospitality, comfort, and mutual care. Though often dismissed by larger folk as simple or unambitious, halflings possess a quiet resilience and surprising luck that sees them through hardships others cannot endure. Those who leave their villages to seek adventure carry that same practical optimism with them, turning the road into a kind of home. To outsiders, halflings seem cheerful and unassuming, but beneath that easy smile lies a stubbornness and courage that has kept their communities thriving for centuries.

Ancestry Traits

Hearth-Bound Heart (Survival - Recovery)

Rank I

• On a Short Rest, roll +1 additional die when recovering HP or MP (split as you wish).

Rank II

• On a Long Rest, clear one extra condition beyond what rest normally allows.

Rank III

• After any rest (Short or Long), you start with +2 Focus (doesn't exceed your maximum).

Stout Spirit (Magic - Focus Generation)

Rank I

• When you make a Channeling test to resist Corruption, roll +1 die.

Rank II

• When you Push a roll, gain +1 additional Focus (on top of the normal +1 Focus from Pushing).

Rank III

• When you successfully cancel 1s with a Channeling test, reduce the Temporary Corruption you would gain by an additional 1 point (minimum 0).

Surefoot Scurrier (Exploration - Mobility)

Rank I

• +1 die on Athletics tests to squeeze, scramble, or climb through tight or obstructed spaces.

Rank II

• Standing from Prone costs no action (you pop right back up as part of your movement).

Rank III

• Ranged attacks against you suffer -1 die. Small targets are hard to hit at distance.

Underfoot Luck (Utility - Fortune)

Rank I

• After you Push a roll, you may reroll one die that showed a result other than 1 or 6. Accept the new result.

Rank II

• When making a test with a skill you have no ranks in, you may reroll one die from that test and take the new result (halfling luck finds a way).

Rank III

• Reaction: Once per scene, when you fail a test by exactly 1 success, you may spend 1 Focus to reroll all 1s from that test and add the new results.

Homespun Wisdom (Social - Comfort)

Rank I

• +1 die on Persuasion and Insight tests when dealing with common folk, villagers, or anyone in a domestic setting (taverns, homes, markets).

Rank II

• When you share a meal or offer genuine hospitality to an NPC, gain +1 die on your next social test with them (lasts until the next Long Rest).

Rank III

• Once per session, you may turn a hostile or unfriendly NPC neutral through patient conversation and small kindnesses (GM's call on limits; doesn't work on sworn enemies or during combat).

Second Breakfast (Survival - Stamina)

Rank I

• You may take a Short Rest in 5 minutes instead of 10 if you have food and drink available.

Rank II

• During any rest where you eat a full meal, roll +2 additional dice when recovering HP (keep all successes).

Rank III

• Once per Long Rest, you may share a meal with up to 3 allies. Each ally (including you) recovers +5 HP and clears the Fatigued condition if they had it.

Humans

Humans are ambitious, adaptable, and diverse, driven by a restless hunger to explore, conquer, and remake the world in their image. They dominate the expanding city-states of the Middle Lands, and their reach grows with each passing year. Some humans build thriving trade hubs and centers of learning; others carve out fortunes through mercenary work or political maneuvering. Not all humans are expansionists, many live quiet lives in villages, farms, and frontier outposts, but as a people, they are defined by their capacity for rapid change and relentless forward motion. To dwarves, elves, and other elder folk, humans are dangerous precisely because they are unpredictable: capable of great compassion or terrible cruelty, often within the same generation. To other humans, they are simply neighbors, rivals, allies, or kin.

Ancestry Traits

Adaptive (Utility - Versatility)

Rank I

• After you fail a test, gain +1 die on your next attempt of that same test type this scene (only once per unique test type).

Rank II

• Increase your maximum Focus by +1. Additionally, the first time you Push each scene, gain +1 extra Focus (total +2 Focus from that Push).

Rank III

• Reaction: When you would gain the Shaken condition, you may spend 2 Focus to ignore it entirely.

Frontier Hardy (Survival - Endurance)

Rank I

• On a Short Rest, roll +1 additional die when recovering HP.

Rank II

• Roll +1 die on Endurance tests against environmental hazards. Ignore the first Fatigued condition you would gain from travel or environment each day.

Rank III

• On a Long Rest, you may spend up to 3 Focus: for each Focus spent, recover +2 HP or +2 MP (split as you wish).

Opportunist (Combat - Tactical)

Rank I

• If a foe within 30 ft is Prone, Restrained, or suffering a visible negative condition, you gain +1 die on your next attack against them this round.

Rank II

• Reaction: When an ally within 20 ft hits a target and rolls 2+ successes, you may immediately move 5 ft toward that target as a free reaction.

Rank III

• Once per scene, after you roll 2+ successes on an attack, you may gain +1 automatic success on your next attack this round (capitalizing on a perfect opening).

Roadwright Sense (Exploration - Navigation)

Rank I

• +1 die on Survival tests while traveling. You cannot become lost in regions you've traversed before.

Rank II

• You ignore the first travel hazard that would affect you each journey (the hazard still affects others unless they also have this trait).

Rank III

• In civilized regions (roads, towns, farmland, trade routes), you cannot be Surprised. You always know the fastest route between two known locations and can estimate travel times with accuracy (a lifetime of roads behind you).

Driven Ambition (Social - Determination)

Rank I

• +1 die on Persuasion tests when advocating for a goal, plan, or course of action you genuinely believe in.

Rank II

• Once per session, when you fail a social test that directly relates to a personal goal or ambition, you may immediately reroll it with +1 die. You must accept the new result.

Rank III

• When you achieve a major personal goal (GM confirms significance), gain +5 XP and immediately clear all non-permanent conditions.

Stubborn Resolve (Survival - Willpower)

Rank I

• +1 die on Endurance tests to resist fear, charm, and mental compulsion.

Rank II

• When you would be forced to act against your stated principles or core belief by magic or manipulation, make an Endurance test (Difficulty set by GM). On success, the effect fails against you.

Rank III

• Reaction: Once per scene, when you fail a critical test (GM confirms stakes), you may declare "Not yet" and reroll the entire dice pool. You must accept the new result and immediately take 1d3 HP damage from sheer exertion.

Orcs

Orcs are a fierce and proud people, shaped by generations of survival in harsh, contested lands. They live in tight-knit clans in the northern wastes, mountain passes, and borderlands where only the strong and cunning endure. Orc culture values strength, but not mindless brutality, they respect battle-tested wisdom, strategic thinking, and loyalty to the clan above all. Many orc bands are raiders by necessity, but just as many are traders, mercenaries, or settlers carving out new homes in unforgiving terrain. To outsiders, orcs are often feared as fearsome warriors, but those who earn their respect find them to be steadfast allies and honorable foes. In the Middle Lands, orcs are frequently caught between human expansion and their own need for territory, leading to cycles of conflict and uneasy truces.

Ancestry Traits

Battle Trance (Combat - Momentum)

Rank I

• If you took damage since your last turn, gain +1 die on your next melee attack this round.

Rank II

• When you reduce a foe to 0 HP with an attack, gain +1 Focus.

Rank III

• While Wounded (at or below half HP), gain +1 die on Dodge rolls (fighting harder when cornered).

Raider's Eye (Combat - Awareness)

Rank I

• +1 die on Awareness tests to notice ambushes or to set up ambushes of your own.

Rank II

• Once per scene, you may ignore being Surprised. You act normally in the first round even if your allies are caught off-guard.

Rank III

• On the first round of combat when you start within 30 ft of 2+ enemies, your first attack gains +1 die for each enemy beyond the first (maximum +3 dice total).

Winter-Hard (Survival - Toughness)

Rank I

• Environmental cold imposes one less die of penalty against you (minimum 0 penalty). You suffer no penalties from ordinary cold weather.

Rank II

• Effects that would knock you Prone must first beat you in an opposed Strength test. You keep your footing on ice, shifting ground, and unstable surfaces.

Rank III

• On a Short Rest, you may clear one condition (Shaken, Fatigued, or similar) in addition to recovering HP/MP.

Wolf-Blood (Combat - Fearless)

Rank I

• +1 die on Endurance tests to resist fear and intimidation.

Rank II

• When you gain the Shaken condition, you gain +1 Focus and +1 die on your next attack this round (you channel fear into aggression).

Rank III

• You are immune to the Shaken condition caused by fear effects. Other sources of Shaken (such as certain spells or toxins) still affect you.

Clan Tactics (Combat - Coordination)

Rank I

• When you and at least one ally both attack the same target in the same round, you gain +1 die on your attack against that target.

Rank II

• Reaction: When an ally within 10 ft takes damage from an attack, you may spend 1 Focus to immediately move up to 10 ft toward the attacker as a reaction.

Rank III

• Once per round, when you hit a target that an ally also hit this round, spend 1 Focus to deal +2 damage (your combined assault finds weaknesses).

Endure the March (Survival - Stamina)

Rank I

• You ignore Difficult Terrain penalties on the first movement you make each scene.

Rank II

• During Forced March or extended travel, gain +1 die on Endurance tests to avoid Fatigue.

Rank III

• Once per Long Rest, you may push your body beyond normal limits: gain +10 ft Speed and ignore Fatigue penalties for one full scene. At the end of the scene, you gain the Fatigued condition if you didn't already have it.

Veil-Marked

The Veil-Marked carry a visible or invisible sign that reality has touched them in return. They are born at moments when the barrier between worlds grows thin: during eclipses, in places of great power, or to parents who meddled with forces beyond mortal understanding. Most navigate the world carefully, learning to hide or wield their strangeness depending on who is watching.

The Veil-Marked Rule

The Veil-Marked cannot exist alone. You must choose a second ancestry (Human, Dwarf, Elf, etc.) representing your physical lineage.

• Soul-Spliced: You automatically gain this core passive trait.
• Trait Choice: At character creation, you choose one Rank I trait from your physical ancestry and one Rank I trait from the Veil-Marked list below.

Soul-Spliced

Your soul is not fully seated in the material world, allowing you to fuel your mortal talents with the static energy of the Veil.

• Effect: When you activate a Talent or Ancestry Trait from your non-Veil ancestry that requires Focus, you may instead pay the cost in Temporary Corruption (1 point of Corruption = 1 Focus).

The Mantle (Tactical Control)

You project the "static" of the Veil into the physical world, disrupting the focus of your enemies.

• Rank I - Mantle of the Void (Reaction): Spend 1 Focus to emanate a 10ft aura of shimmering light (Radiant) or oppressive shadow (Umbral). Allies within the radius gain +1 die on their next test; enemies within the radius suffer -1 die on theirs. Lasts until the end of the round.

• Rank II - Veil Interference (Passive): While your Mantle of the Void is active, the "noise" of the Veil is deafening. Enemies within the radius cannot Push their rolls.

• Rank III - Event Horizon (Passive): Your Mantle radius increases to 20ft.

- Radiant: Any ally who starts their turn in the radius stabilizes automatically if dying. - Umbral: You and allies in the radius are considered to be in Heavy Cover against ranged attacks.

Soul-Anchor (The Sin-Eater)

You act as a lightning rod for the world's rot, protecting your companions by staining your own spirit.

• Rank I - Siphon Taint (Reaction): When an ally within 10ft would gain Temporary Corruption, you may take it onto yourself instead. If you do, you immediately gain 1 Focus.

• Rank II - Spiritual Shield (Reaction): When an ally within 10ft would gain a Mental Scar, you may interpose your spirit. You take 2 Temporary Corruption, and the ally ignores the Scar.

• Rank III - Purge the Vessel (Slow Action): Once per session, you may touch a creature and attempt to draw out their "rot." Transfer 1 point of your own Permanent Corruption to a dying or recently deceased enemy. This clears 1 point of your own Permanent Corruption.

Veil-Sight (Utility/Perception)

Your eyes see the ripples in reality before they manifest into the physical world.

• Rank I - Ghost-Sight (Passive): You see the "shimmer." You automatically detect magical auras, spirits, or active spells within 30ft. You can distinguish between the eight schools of magic by the color of the ripple.

• Rank II - Piercing the Shroud (Passive): You ignore penalties from mundane darkness, fog, or smoke. Additionally, you may spend 1 Focus to see through a solid wall or door (up to 1ft thick) for one minute.

• Rank III - The Truth of Things (Passive): You see through all illusions and mundane disguises automatically. If a creature is possessed or magically charmed, you see the "tether" controlling them.

Veil-Walk (Mobility/Phasing)

For a moment, you cease to be solid, slipping through the gaps in reality.

• Rank I - Flickering Step (Fast Action): Spend 1 Focus. You teleport a short distance (up to 10ft) to a location you can see. This movement does not provoke reactions.

• Rank II - Phase Shift (Reaction): When you would take damage from a physical attack, spend 2 Focus to become semi-incorporeal. You gain Soak 5 against that specific attack.

• Rank III - Walk the Thin Line (Slow Action): Spend 3 Focus. For the next minute, you can walk through solid objects (walls, doors, people). If you end your turn inside an object, you take 5 damage and are shunted to the nearest empty space.

Soul-Binding (Spirits/Companions)

You can tether your soul to a fragment of the Veil, manifesting a spectral echo.

• Rank I - Echo of the Beyond (Slow Action): Spend 1 Focus to summon a spectral Echo (a small animal or wisp). It cannot attack, but it can scout up to 100ft away. You can see through its eyes. It lasts until you take a Long Rest or it is destroyed (1 HP).

• Rank II - Shared Burden (Passive): While your Echo is within 30ft, you may choose to have it take a hit for you. The Echo is destroyed, but the damage you would have taken is halved.

• Rank III - Vengeful Echo (Fast Action): You can command your Echo to strike. It makes an attack using your Charisma + Occult. On a hit, it deals 1d6 spiritual damage (ignores physical armor) and the Echo vanishes.

Veil-Resilience (Corruption Resistance)

You have become accustomed to the "static," making you harder to overwhelm.

• Rank I (Passive): When you make a Channeling test to resist Corruption, roll +1 die.

• Rank II (Passive): When making a Channeling test to resist Corruption, both 5 and 6 count as successes (instead of only 6).

• Rank III (Passive): At the end of a Long Rest, reduce your Temporary Corruption by 1 (minimum 0).

Backgrounds

Your background represents your life before adventuring. It provides narrative context for who you were, 2 skill ranks distributed as you choose, starting equipment, and starting gold.

Acolyte

You served in a temple, monastery, or sacred grove. You know prayers, rituals, and the ways of your faith. Whether you still believe or have grown disillusioned, the teachings shaped you. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Insight, Persuasion, Medicine, Knowledge, or Occult Starting Equipment:

• Holy symbol (worn as amulet or carried)
• Prayer book or sacred text
• Vestments (ceremonial clothing)
• Incense (10 uses)
• Bandages (10 uses)
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin

Starting Gold: 10 gp

Artisan

You are a skilled craftsperson—smith, carpenter, weaver, potter, or glassblower. You understand materials, tools, and the satisfaction of creating something with your hands. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Engineering, Repair, Knowledge, Persuasion, or Athletics Starting Equipment:

• Artisan's tools (your trade: smith's tools, carpenter's tools, weaver's tools, etc.)
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Tool maintenance kit (oil, rags, sharpening stones)
• Work apron or heavy gloves
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 15 gp

Charlatan

You've made your living through cons, scams, and creative lying. Whether you're a fortune teller, a traveling merchant with fake goods, or a noble impersonator, you know how to read people and exploit their wants. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Deception, Persuasion, Insight, Sleight of Hand, or Performance Starting Equipment:

• Disguise kit (makeup, wigs, colored contacts)
• Fine clothes (for impersonating nobility)
• Weighted dice or marked cards
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Ink, quill, and parchment (for forgery)
• Wax and seal
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp (some of it may be counterfeit)

Criminal

You operated outside the law—you were a thief, burglar, smuggler, enforcer, or pickpocket. The skills you learned on the streets are valuable, even if the life was dangerous. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Deception, Intimidation, or Athletics Starting Equipment:

• Thieves' tools (lockpicks, wire, small pry bar)
• Crowbar
• Dark hooded cloak
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• 50 ft. rope
• Grappling hook
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 15 gp

Entertainer

You performed for crowds as an actor, musician, dancer, acrobat, or storyteller. You know how to read an audience, hold attention, and make people feel something. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Performance, Acrobatics, Persuasion, Deception, or Insight Starting Equipment:

• Musical instrument or performance prop
• Costume (flashy performer's outfit)
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Face paint or stage makeup
• Mirror (small, metal)
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp

Far-Traveler

You come from distant lands—across the sea, over the mountains, from the far reaches of the continent. You've seen things others haven't, and you know how to survive on the road. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Survival, Knowledge, Insight, Persuasion, or Athletics Starting Equipment:

• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Maps (regional, somewhat outdated)
• Map case (leather tube)
• Weatherproof cloak
• Walking stick (can be used as quarterstaff)
• Journal for recording travels
• Compass or navigation tools
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp (in foreign currency—may need exchange)

Folk Hero

You stood up to tyranny, defended your village, or saved people from disaster. You're known in your home region, and people remember what you did—for better or worse. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Athletics, Survival, Persuasion, Intimidation, or Animal Handling Starting Equipment:

• Simple weapon of your choice (already included in Step 8)
• Tool of your trade (carpentry tools, smithing hammer, shovel, etc.)
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Common clothes (well-worn but sturdy)
• Token from your heroic deed (medal, letter, memento)
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 5 gp

Guild Merchant

You were part of a merchant guild, trading goods, managing contracts, navigating commerce. You understand markets, negotiation, and the value of connections. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Persuasion, Insight, Deception, Knowledge, or Investigation Starting Equipment:

• Fine clothes (merchant's outfit with guild colors)
• Guild medallion or seal (identifies your guild)
• Backpack
• Waterskin
• Merchant's scales and weights
• Ledger (blank pages for accounts)
• Ink, quill, and parchment (10 sheets)
• Wax and seal
• Belt pouch (reinforced)

Starting Gold: 25 gp

Hermit

You lived in isolation—in the wilderness, a monastery, or a hidden refuge. Whether seeking enlightenment, fleeing something, or simply preferring solitude, you learned to rely only on yourself. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Survival, Medicine, Occult, Insight, or Knowledge Starting Equipment:

• Herbalism kit (mortar, pestle, pouches, dried herbs)
• Bedroll (well-worn but functional)
• Winter blanket (extra warmth)
• Waterskin
• Walking stick (can be used as quarterstaff)
• Journal or meditation beads
• Flint and steel
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 5 gp

Noble

You were born into wealth and privilege or earned a title through service. You know etiquette, politics, and how power works. Whether you still have that position or lost it, the training remains. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Persuasion, Insight, Knowledge, Intimidation, or Performance Starting Equipment:

• Fine clothes (noble's outfit, well-tailored)
• Signet ring (family crest or personal seal)
• Backpack
• Bedroll (high quality)
• Waterskin (silver-capped)
• Wax seal and sealing wax
• Parchment (20 sheets, high quality)
• Ink and quill
• Bottle of fine wine or spirits
• Belt pouch (embroidered or decorated)

Starting Gold: 25 gp

Outlander

You lived far from civilization—in the deep wilderness, the mountains, or the frozen wastes. You know how to track, hunt, and survive where others would perish. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Survival, Athletics, Animal Handling, Stealth, or Awareness Starting Equipment:

• Hunting trap (steel jaws)
• Fur cloak (provides warmth in cold climates)
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Hunting knife (functions as dagger, already included in Step 8)
• 50 ft. rope (hemp)
• Flint and steel
• Trophy from a great hunt (bear tooth, wolf pelt, antler)
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp

Sage

You spent years in libraries, universities, or apprenticed to a master. You value knowledge, research, and understanding how the world works. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Knowledge, Occult, Medicine, Culture, or Insight Starting Equipment:

• Ink (bottle)
• Quills (3)
• Parchment (20 sheets)
• Books (3 volumes—choose topics: history, magic theory, anatomy, philosophy, etc.)
• Reading glasses or magnifying lens
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Research notes (bound journal with your studies)
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp

Sailor

You worked on merchant vessels, fishing boats, or warships. You know ropes, knots, navigation, and how to read the weather. The sea is in your blood. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Athletics, Acrobatics, Survival, Awareness, or Culture Starting Equipment:

• Navigator's tools (compass, sextant, charts)
• 50 ft. silk rope (lighter and stronger than hemp)
• Weatherproof cloak (waxed canvas)
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Lucky charm (coin, shell, or trinket from a distant port)
• Belaying pin (functions as club)
• Marlinspike (for rope work)
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp

Soldier

You served in an army, militia, or mercenary company. You know discipline, tactics, and the realities of war. Combat is familiar, even if you've seen enough of it. Skills: Choose 2 ranks distributed among: Athletics, Intimidation, Survival, Awareness, or Melee Weapons Starting Equipment:

• Simple weapon of your choice (already included in Step 8)
• Military insignia, rank badge, or banner scrap
• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Waterskin
• Mess kit (tin plate, cup, utensils)
• Whetstone (for weapon maintenance)
• Playing cards or dice set
• Spare socks or bootlaces (practical soldier gear)
• Belt pouch

Starting Gold: 10 gp

Talents

"Survival demands more than raw ability. Talents represent specialized training, hard-won experience, and the techniques that separate the living from the dead."

Understanding Talents

Talents are universal. Any character can learn any talent, regardless of ancestry or background. The archetypes below are organizational tools and suggested builds, not restrictions.

Each talent is a single ability that grows stronger through three ranks:

• Rank I: Foundation of the ability
• Rank II: Enhanced version with new capabilities
• Rank III: Mastery expression of the ability

You must purchase ranks in order. To gain Rank II, you must first have Rank I. To gain Rank III, you must have Rank II.

Starting characters choose:

• Either 2 different talents at Rank I
• Or 1 talent at Rank II

Archetypes

General Talents

Toughness

You've survived things that would kill most people.

Rank I

• Increase your maximum HP by 2.
• Gain +1 die on endurance tests.

Rank II

• Increase your maximum HP by an additional 2 (total +4).
• When you take damage equal to or greater than half your maximum HP from a single attack, gain 1 Focus.

Rank III

• Increase your maximum HP by an additional 2 (total +6).
• Spend 3 focus when an attack would reduce you to 0 HP, remain at 1 HP instead.

Conditioning

Rigorous training has hardened you against exhaustion and affliction.

Rank I

• Gain +2 bonus dice on Endurance tests to resist poison, disease, and environmental hazards.

Rank II (Free Action):

• Spend 2 focus to ignore the effects of a non-magical condition with the exception of grappled until the start of your next turn.

Rank III (Free Action):

• Spend 3 focus to automatically succeed on an Endurance test.

Focused

You know how to pace yourself and find reserves when it matters.

Rank I (Passive):

• Your maximum Focus increases by 1.

Rank II (Passive):

• At the start of each scene, if you have 0 Focus, gain 1 Focus.

Rank III (Passive):

• Once per scene, ignore the focus cost of a talent or technique.

Grappler

You know how to control an opponent's body through leverage and positioning.

Rank

• When you hit a creature your size or smaller with an unarmed or melee attack, you may attempt to Grapple them instead of dealing damage. Make a contested Strength test. On success, they gain the Grappled condition.

Rank II

• (Fast Action) Spend 1 focus to inflict one of the following effects on a grappled creature:

- Deal damage equal to your Strength score - Knock them Prone - Move the grappled creature 5 ft. in a direction of your choice while maintaining the grapple.

Rank III:

• You may Grapple creatures one size larger than you.
• Spend 3 focus to immediately apply two Rank II effects to a creature you have grappled.

Dual Wielding

You've trained to fight with a weapon in each hand.

Rank I

• When wielding a one-handed weapon in each hand increase your armor soak by 2.

Rank II

• When you hit with an attack from both weapons on the same turn, deal +2 damage on the last hit.

Rank III

• (Reaction) Spend 3 focus after you dodge an attack while dual wielding, make an immediate fast attack against the attacker.

Expertise

Your dedication to specific skills has made you a true master. You may take this talent twice, choosing different skills each time.

Rank I

• Choose two skills, you gain expertise with those skills.
• When you Push a test using a skill with expertise, ignore one rolled 1.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus before you make a test using a skill with expertise treat 5's as a 6's.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus to re-roll all dice on a test using a skill with expertise. You must keep the second result. This can be done in addition to or before pushing.

Mounted Combat

You fight from horseback with confidence and control.

Rank I

• Gain +2 bonus dice on tests to stay mounted when struck or when your mount is spooked.

Rank II

• While mounted, gain +2 bonus dice on melee attacks against unmounted creatures.

Rank III

• Spend 3 Focus when an attack targets your mount, you may redirect it to yourself instead.

Worldly

You've traveled, worked, and talked your way through enough situations to handle most social terrain.

Rank I

• Gain +1 die on Persuasion and Insight tests.
• Spend 1 focus In any settlement, you can find a place to stay and a hot meal within an hour, at the cost of coin or a favor.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus and ask the GM one question about local customs, power structures, or dangers. The GM answers honestly based on what a well-traveled person would know or quickly learn.

Rank III

• Once per session, declare that you know someone in a settlement, an old contact, former employer, or passing acquaintance. Work with the GM to establish who they are and what they owe you (or what you owe them).

Fighter

Masters of weapons and combat who turn training into devastating battlefield effectiveness. Fighters excel with any weapon, adapt to any armor, and outlast opponents through superior technique.

Weapon Specialization

_You've mastered specific weapons, learning techniques others cannot replicate. You may take this talent two times, choosing a different weapon each time._

Rank I

• Choose one weapon type (longsword, spear, greataxe, shortbow, etc.). Gain +1 die on attack rolls with that weapon.

Rank II

• With your specialized weapon, activating that weapon's technique costs only 1 Focus instead of 2.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus to double the base damage of your weapon after a succesful attack.

Cleave

When you drop an enemy, your momentum carries through to the next.

Rank I

• (Reaction) When you reduce a creature to 0 HP with a melee attack, you may immediately make another melee attack against a different creature within reach.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus, your Cleave attack deals +1 damage. If you reduce that creature to 0 HP as well, you may Cleave again (maximum 3 total attacks per turn).

Rank III

• Spend 3 Focus, your cleave attack gains AP2
• When you Cleave, gain 1 Focus for each creature reduced to 0 HP beyond the first.

Combat Superiority

You've learned advanced maneuvers that turn attacks into tactical advantages.

Rank I

• (Reaction) When you hit with a melee attack and roll 2+ successes, spend 1 Focus to force the target to make a Strength or Dexterity test. On failure, choose one:

- Shove 10 ft. - Knock Prone - Reduce their Speed by 10 ft. until the end of their next turn.

Rank II

• Spend 2 Focus. Until the end of your turn, choose one maneuver

- Feint (your attacks ignore 1 die from enemy Dodge rolls) - Riposte (gain +2 dice on your next Dodge roll after attacking) - Lunge (your reach increases by 5 ft.).

Rank III (Reaction):

• (Reaction) When an enemy within your reach declares an attack on an ally, but before they roll, spend 3 Focus to make an immediate melee attack against that enemy. If you hit, the enemy suffers -2 dice on their attack against your ally.

Enduring Fighter

Your combat experience has taught you to push through wounds that would drop others.

Rank I

• (Slow Action) Once per scene, roll CON + Endurance. Recover HP equal to successes rolled.

Rank II

• When you use Enduring Fighter, also clear one of the following conditions: Shaken, Fatigued, or Slowed.

Rank III

• spend 3 Focus when using Enduring Fighter. Recover HP equal to double the successes rolled and gain +2 dice on all Dodge rolls until the start of your next turn.

Battle Hardened

You've survived enough fights to know how to take punishment and keep moving.

Rank I

• While wearing medium or heavy armor, gain +1 die on Endurance tests.
• When you succeed on an Endurance test with 2+ successes, gain +1 Focus.

Rank II

• When reduced to half HP or less you may spend 2 focus to gain +2 armor soak until the start of your next turn if you are wearing medium or heavy armor.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus to ignore any wear to your armor from a single attack this round.

Veteran's Presence

Your scars and bearing command respect and allow you to direct others in battle.

Rank I

• Gain +1 die on Intimidation tests when invoking your combat experience.
• Spend 1 focus In any settlement, you can find work as a guard, caravan escort, or combat trainer within a day.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus and choose one ally within 30 ft. who can see you. They gain +2 dice on their next attack or Dodge roll before the start of your next turn.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus and ask the GM one yes/no question about enemy capabilities, numbers, or tactics. The GM must answer truthfully based on what your experience would reveal.

Rogue

Masters of precision, stealth, and exploitation who strike from shadows and vanish before retaliation. Rogues succeed through cunning, agility, and ruthless efficiency.

Sneak Attack

You've learned to strike vital points when enemies are vulnerable or distracted.

Rank I (Passive): When you attack a creature while Hidden from the target, add +2 damage on a hit.

Rank II (Passive): Your Sneak Attack damage increases to +3. When you Sneak Attack with a finesse or ranged weapon, the attack also gains Armor Pierce 1.

Rank III (Passive): Your Sneak Attack damage increases to +4. When you Sneak Attack a creature that hasn't acted yet this combat, also inflict Dazed until the end of their next turn.

Opportunist

You strike when enemies are distracted, off-balance, or focused elsewhere.

Rank I

• (Reaction) When a creature within reach takes damage from an ally, you may spend 1 Focus to make an immediate Fast Action attack against that creature.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus when a creature within reach stands up from Prone, you may make a Fast Action attack against them without spending a reaction.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus when you reduce a creature to 0 HP with an Opportunist attack, gain 2 additional fast attacks.

Ghost

You move through spaces without leaving evidence you were ever there.

Rank I

• You can move quietly at half Speed or slower. Gain +2 dice on Stealth tests to move silently.
• You can communicate silently with hand signals to anyone watching you.

Rank II

• You move with purpose and are incredibly hard to track when you intend to be. Attempts to track you by mundane means require a CR5 test.
• You can now move quietly at full speed.

Rank III

• Reaction Spend 3 focus to change your position to any location within 90 ft of your current position.

Evasion

Your reflexes allow you to dodge effects that would devastate others.

Rank I

• When you successfully reduce damage to 0 with a Dodge roll, gain +1 Focus.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus before a dodge test to gain successes on both 5 and 6 on that roll and any push of that roll.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus after a dodge test to reduce damage by 1/2 rounded up.

Shadow Work

You vanish into darkness and strike from places enemies forget to check.

Rank I

• When you are in dim light or darkness, gain +2 dice on Stealth tests.
• You can attempt to Hide even when only lightly obscured (shadows, crowds, furniture) rather than requiring full cover.

Rank II

• When you attack from Hidden and hit, you may immediately spend 2 focus and make a Stealth test to become Hidden again if any concealment is available.
• Enemies do not automatically know your location when you attack from Hidden only that an attack occurred.

Rank III (Fast Action):

• Spend 3 Focus to meld into shadows within 5 ft. You become Hidden automatically (no test required) and may move up to your Speed while remaining Hidden, as long as you stay within dim light or darkness.

Second Skin

You slip into identities the way others change clothes.

Rank I

• Given 10 minutes of observation, you can mimic a person's mannerisms, accent, and bearing well enough to pass casual inspection.
• Gain +2 dice on Deception tests to maintain a false identity. You can read and fake basic credentials in any language you speak.

Rank II

• Spend 2 Focus and 5 minutes to create a cover identity, a name, occupation, and reason for being here. Maintaining this identity requires no tests for casual interactions. You may hold up to 3 cover identities at once; adopting a fourth means one old identity is burned.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus while using a cover identity, declare that this identity has history here, a contact who owes you, a reputation that opens doors, or a standing arrangement. Work with the GM to establish what your cover did in this place. This works even for identities you invented moments ago. You may only do this once per identity in any given settlement.

Ranger

Wilderness experts who combine tracking, survival skills, and deadly archery with intimate knowledge of natural environments.

Hunter's Mark

You can mark prey and focus your attacks with deadly precision.

Rank I

• Spend 1 Focus to mark a visible creature within 90 ft. as your marked target.
• Your attacks against your marked target deal +1 damage.
• The mark lasts until the marked target drops to 0 HP or you mark a different target. You can have only one marked target at a time.

Rank II

• Any skills used to track your marked target are considered 1 rank higher.

Rank III

• When you reduce your marked Quarry to 0 HP, immediately gain +2 Focus.
• You may mark a new new target as a Free Action.

Favored Terrain

You've spent so much time in specific environments that you navigate them like a native. You may take this talent 2 times, choosing different terrain each time.

Rank I - Choose one terrain type: forest, mountain, swamp, desert, urban, underground, coast, or plains. - In that terrain, gain +1 die on Survival, Stealth, and Awareness tests. - You ignore Difficult Terrain in your favored terrain.

Rank II

• In your favored terrain(s), you and allies traveling with you cannot become lost except by magical means.
• You can find food and water for the party with 1 hour of foraging (no test required) unless the environment is completely barren.

Rank III

• While in your favored terrain(s), you cannot be Surprised. If your party is ambushed in your favored terrain, you act first in the first round.

Deadly Aim

Your precision with ranged weapons approaches the supernatural through constant practice.

Rank

• When you attack with a ranged weapon and haven't yet moved, gain +1 die on your attack roll.

Rank II

• Your ranged attacks ignore light cover penalties.
• You may spend 2 Focus on any ranged attack to ignore ALL cover penalties on that attack.

Rank III

• When you hit with a ranged attack and roll 2+ successes, deal +2 damage.

Trackless Step

You move through wilderness leaving no trace.

Rank I Gain +1 die on Stealth tests in natural terrain. Tracking you in natural terrain requires a CR3 Survival test.

Rank II You and up to 5 allies traveling with you leave no tracks in natural terrain and cannot be tracked without a CR4 test.

Rank III Once per scene while in natural terrain, you may use Hide as a Free Action if any natural concealment is available.

Wilderness Survivor

Your experience in the wilds has taught you to endure conditions that would kill others.

Rank I

• Gain +1 die on tests to resist natural hazards and diseases from natural sources.

Rank II

• During any rest in the wilderness, roll +1 die when recovering HP.
• Spend 2 focus. You can identify medicinal plants and create basic remedies during a Short Rest to restore 1d6 HP to one creature..

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus in the wilderness. You may establish a fortified camp. All allies gain the following benefits:

- Heal +2 HP, +1 die on their first test the next day - The party cannot be surprised during the rest.

Ranger's Instinct

Your time in dangerous places has sharpened your senses and given you intuition for threats.

Rank I

• Gain +1 bonus die on your first attack or Dodge roll in a scene.

Rank II

• Spend 2 Focus. Until the end of the scene, gain +1 die on Awareness tests and you can sense the presence of Large or larger creatures within 30 ft. even if you can't see them.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus, you may ask the GM one yes/no question about immediate environmental dangers. The GM must answer truthfully based on what your wilderness experience would detect.

Monk

Disciplined warriors who turn body and mind into weapons through years of rigorous training. Monks need no steel to be deadly, and no armor to endure.

Martial Arts

Your body is a weapon. Through training you have learned to apply it with precision.

Rank I

• You gain an unarmed attack:

- Martial Arts (unarmed): Base Damage 2, 1 hand, 5 ft. reach, Fast Action - Stunning Blow (2 Focus): Target must pass a CR2 endurance test or become Dazed until end of their next turn. - Sweeping Strike (2 Focus): Target must pass a CR2 acrobatics or athletics test or fall Prone.

Rank II

• Your Unarmed Strike base damage increases to 3. Two additional techniques become available:

- Pressure Point (2 Focus): This attack gains Armor Pierce 2. - Driving Palm (2 Focus): Push the target up to 15 ft. If they collide with a solid surface or creature, they take 2 additional damage.

Rank III

• One final technique becomes available:

- Vital Strike (2 Focus): Target must pass an Endurance test (Difficulty 2) or become Dazed and Slowed until end of their next turn.

• Once per scene you may activate one technique without spending Focus.
• The CR of your unarmed strike techniques becomes 3.

Iron Body

Your conditioning makes flesh harder than leather, tougher than mail.

Rank I

• While unarmored, your body provides Armor Threshold 1. Unlike worn armor, this has no durability.

Rank II

• Your unarmored Armor Threshold increases to 2.
• Spend 2 focus to increase your threshold by 1 against this attack.

Rank III (Passive):

• Your unarmored Armor Threshold increases to 3.
• Spend 3 focus, when damage would exceed your threshold reduce the damage by half rounded down.

Wind Step

Your footwork and speed have been trained far beyond ordinary human limits.

Rank I

• Your Speed increases by 10 ft. while unarmored or in light armor.
• You may spend 1 Focus to Disengage as a Free Action.

Rank II

• While unarmored you ignore Difficult Terrain.
• When you move at least 10 ft. before making an unarmed attack, spend 1 Focus to add +1 bonus die to that attack.

Rank III

• While unarmored you can move across water, up walls, or across ceilings during your turn as long as you end your movement on solid ground.
• Spend 3 Focus to Dash as a Free Action.

Rapid Strikes

You can unleash multiple strikes in the span of a single breath.

Rank I

• Spend 2 Focus. Make two Unarmed Strikes against one or more targets within reach.

Rank II

• When you use Flurry, you may move up to 10 ft. between strikes without provoking reactions.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus, make 3 unarmed strikes against one or more targets.
• These strikes gain AP2

Still Mind

Your mental discipline is a wall that fear, magic, and pain cannot breach.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus to gain +2 bonus dice on tests to resist fear, charm, and compulsion effects.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus and a fast action to clear one condition.

Rank III

• Magical fear and charm effects still affect you but you gain +2 bonus dice to resist them.
• Spend 3 Focus as a Slow Action to enter perfect stillness for 1 minute: you cannot be moved, knocked Prone, or have conditions imposed on you by non-magical means.

Monastic Path

Your training encompassed philosophy, meditation, and understanding the world beyond the physical.

Rank I

• Gain +1 die on Insight tests.
• Monasteries, temples, and spiritual communities will shelter you and your companions without question.

Rank II

• After a Short Rest gain +1 Focus beyond your normal recovery.
• Spend 2 focus, ask the GM one question about the moral or spiritual nature of a situation, the GM answers honestly, though perhaps cryptically.

Rank III

• Spend 3 Focus when someone lies to you or conceals their true intentions. The GM gives you a hint about what they are hiding or what they actually want. This works even against magical deception.

Paladin

Armored champions bound by sacred vows. Paladins are not spellcasters - their powers flow from personal conviction and divine favor earned through deeds, not study.

Lay on Hands

Your touch channels healing directly through faith and will.

Rank I

• You have a healing pool equal to 3 x CHA
• Slow Action: Spend 1 focus and touch a creature to restore any amount of HP from this pool.
• Spend 5 points from the pool to neutralize one poison or disease. The pool refills after a Long Rest.

Rank II

• Your healing pool increases to 5 × your character level. When you use Lay on Hands you may also clear one condition from the target: Shaken, Fatigued, or Slowed.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus, you may draw on divine power beyond your normal pool. Touch a creature and fully restore them to half HP. You immediately gain the Fatigued condition. You may not use this ability if you are fatigued.

Wrathful Smite

You channel conviction through your weapon, burning the wicked.

Rank I

• When you hit with a melee attack, spend 1-3 Focus. Deal +1 damage per Focus spent.
• Against undead, fiends, or creatures visibly bearing corruption, deal +2 damage per Focus spent instead.

Rank II

• When you use Wrathful Smite and spend 2+ Focus, the target must pass a CR2 endurance test or become Shaken until the end of their next turn.
• Undead and fiends fail this test automatically.

Rank III

• When you reduce a creature to 0 HP with Wrathful Smite, spend 3 focus, all allies within 15 ft. who can see you gain +1 Focus.

Sense Evil

Your convictions sharpen into a perception that detects corruption and malice.

Rank I

• Spend 1 Focus. For 1 minute you sense the presence and general direction (not identity) of undead, fiends, and sources of corruption within 30 ft.
• You also detect consecrated and desecrated ground.

Rank II

• When using Sense Evil the range extends to 60 ft. You can now identify the general type of what you detect.
• Out of combat, Sense Evil can be used freely without Focus as long as you concentrate for a full minute.

Rank III

• Spend 3 Focus when using sense evil. Each detected undead or fiend must pass a CR2 endurance test or become Shaken and be unable to willingly move closer to you for 1 minute.

Oath of Conviction

Your sworn word carries weight that goes beyond social contract.

Rank I

• Spend 1 Focus and declare your oath aloud. It must be sincere and specific.
• Until the end of the scene, gain +2 bonus dice on any test that directly serves your declared oath.
• You may only have 1 oath active at a time.

Rank II

• While your Oath of Conviction is active, allies within 10 ft. gain +1 die on tests to resist fear.

Rank III

• When you fulfill a major oath (GM's determination), gain +3 Focus immediately.
• When you break an oath, lose all Focus and gain the Shaken condition until you take meaningful steps to atone.

Purity of Body

Your devotion has made your body resistant to the corruption that afflicts others.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus to gain +2 bonus dice on tests to resist poison and magically induced disease.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus, allies within 20 ft. gain +1 bonus die on tests to resist poison and disease. The effect lasts until the end of the scene, or until you fall unconscious.

Rank III

• You are immune to natural disease.
• Slow Action Spend 3 focus while touching a diseased, poisoned, or corrupted creature to immediately end one instance of disease, or poison affecting them.

Beacon of Hope

Your presence stabilizes those around you, inspiring courage and resolve.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus, allies within 20 ft. gain +1 die on tests to resist fear. The effect lasts until the end of the scene, or until you fall unconscious.

Rank II

• Fast Action: Spend 2 Focus. Choose one ally within 30 ft. Clear one condition from them immediately:

- Shaken, Fatigued, Frightened, or Demoralized.

Rank III

• Once per session, in a moment of genuine crisis where allies are failing or fleeing, you may speak. Every ally who can hear you automatically clears Shaken or Frightened. This requires no Focus but requires you to say something meaningful, in character, about why you stand.

Cleric

Vessels of divine will who channel their deity's power through ritual, blessing, and direct intervention. Clerics are armored champions of faith whose power comes from their relationship with the divine, not personal conviction alone.

Shepherd's Touch

You channel your deity's healing through communal care rather than personal touch.

Rank I

• Slow Action: Spend 1 Focus. Choose one creature within 5 ft. They roll 1d6 and regains that much HP.
• Gain 1 Corruption

Rank II

• When using Shephards Touch you now roll 1d6 + WIS
• The range is increased to 30 ft.

Rank III (Slow Action):

• Slow Action: Spend 3 Focus, all allies within 30 ft. who can see or hear you regain HP equal to 1d6 + your Wisdom score.
• Gain 3 corruption

Turn the Undead

Your faith can unmake the unliving and drive back creatures that do not belong in the mortal world.

Rank I

• Slow Action: Spend 2 Focus and present your holy symbol. All undead within 30 ft. that can see you must pass a CR2 wisdom test or become Frightened for 1 minute.
• Frightened undead must flee and cannot willingly approach you.

Rank II

• Range increases to 40 ft.
• The test is now CR3.
• Weak undead (skeletons, zombies, shadows) that fail are destroyed outright.

Rank III

• Spend 3 Focus when you use Turn the Undead.

- Weak undead are destroyed automatically. - Moderate undead (wights, wraiths, ghouls) are destroyed on a failed test. - Powerful undead (vampires, liches) become Frightened

• on a failed test all undead take 3d6 radiant damage.

Commune

You can petition your deity directly for guidance.

Rank I

• Slow Action: Spend 1 focus and ask your deity a yes or no question. The GM answers honestly based on what your deity would know and choose to reveal.

Rank II

• Slow Action: Spend 2 focus and ask one open-ended question in addition to the yes/no questions. The GM provides a genuine, useful answer.

Rank III

• In moments of crisis, your deity may reach out to you without you initiating
• the GM may offer guidance at any time if your deity has something important to convey.

Divine Authority

Your relationship with your deity gives you power to bless and curse.

Rank I

• Slow Action Spend 1 Focus. Choose one creature within 30 ft. For the next minute they receive either:

- A blessing (+1 bonus die on one type of test you choose) - or a Curse (-1 bonus die on one type of test you choose).

• Only one blessing or curse from this talent can be active on any creature at once.

Rank II:

• Spend up to 3 focus. Your Blessing and Curse may now affect a number of creatures equal to the focus spent.
• You may apply a Blessing to one creature and a Curse to a different creature in the same action.

Rank III

• Your Blessings and Curses last until the end of the scene.
• Your Blessings also grant the target +1 Focus when they succeed on a test of the blessed type.
• Your Curses also inflict Shaken on the target when they fail a test of the cursed type.

Sanctuary

You can consecrate spaces and people, making them sacred ground.

Rank I

• Slow Action Spend 2 Focus for the next minute you emit a 10 ft. aura. Undead must pass a CR 2 Wisdom test to enter.

- If you move into range they must immediately make the test. If they fail they are pushed back until they are outside the aura. - If they cannot escape the aura they take 2 un-blockable radiant damage and can make the test again on the start of their next turn.

Rank II

• You may consecrate a person instead of yourself. They instead gain the aura. You may only main one sanctuary at a time.

Rank III

• Spend 3 Focus, the aura lasts until the end of the scene and remains anchored to a location instead of moving with you.
• Allies can use a slow action while in the aura to gain 1 hp.
• Any dying allies in the aura are stabilized, but do not return to 1 hp.

Faithful Counsel

Your role as spiritual guide makes you invaluable beyond the battlefield.

Rank I

• Gain +1 bonus die on Persuasion and Insight tests when offering spiritual guidance, mediating disputes, or speaking from genuine faith.
• Temples and faithful communities will offer you shelter, food, and aid without question.

Rank II

• Spend 2 focus when you counsel an NPC through a genuine problem, they become a named contact who remembers the favor.
• Once per settlement visit, a local cleric or temple will assist with one reasonable request at no cost.

Rank III

• Reaction: Spend 3 focus when an NPC is about to do something harmful or misguided, you may attempt to counsel them.
• On 2+ successes on a Persuasion test, they genuinely reconsider. On failure, they at least pause and explain themselves.

Bard

Performers, scholars, and social operators who move through the world gathering secrets, charming crowds, and solving problems through wit rather than steel. Bards have a little of the thief in them and more than a little of the scholar._

Fascinate

Your performance can hold a crowd spellbound.

Rank I

• Slow Action: Spend 1 Focus and begin a performance. Up to 5 creatures within 30 ft. that can see and hear you must pass a CR1 insight test or become charmed
• You must continue performing each round as a Slow Action to maintain the effect. Charmed creatures can try to pass the test again at the end of their turn.

Rank II

• The number of creatures you can Fascinate increases to 8 and Difficulty increases to CR2. While creatures are charmed, allies may move through or act in the affected area without breaking the effect.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus within 10 minutes of a performance during which you charmed at least one creature, you may speak a simple suggestion. They must pass a CR3 insight test or follow it for up to 1 hour or complete it within 1 hour. This breaks if the suggestion is dangerous or directly against their interests.

Counter-Song

Your musical knowledge lets you disrupt magical and supernatural effects through performance.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus when a creature within 30 ft. declares they are going to cast a spell. They must remove 1 die from their check.

Rank II

• Slow Action: Spend 2 focus. An creature attempting to cast a spell within a 30 ft. sphere centered on you suffers a -2 dice penalty on any spellcasting tests.

Rank III

• Your counter-song now causes a -3 dice penalty on spellcasting tests in the the effected area.
• You know the name of any spell cast inside the effected area.

Legend Lore

You have gathered enough tales, histories, and obscure knowledge to be genuinely useful.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus to gain +2 bonus dice on Knowledge tests. this scene.
• In any settlement, you can find a library, scholar, local historian, or drinking hall where stories flow freely.

Rank II

• Spend 2 Focus and name a person, place, creature type, or organization. You may ask the GM for one true and useful piece of information your accumulated lore would contain.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus, you may declare that you've heard a relevant tale. Ask the GM for information about the current situation that no reasonable investigation would have uncovered quickly. The GM must provide something true and actionable, though perhaps delivered through story or metaphor.

Nimble Fingers

Your time performing for crowds taught you things beyond music.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus to gain +2 dice on a Sleight of Hand and Lockpicking tests.
• You can perform basic appraisal of items without a test in most cases.

Rank II

• Fast Action: Spend 2 Focus. Plant an object on a creature, remove an object from their person, or swap one small item for another without them noticing unless they pass a CR2 awareness test.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus. You can attempt to pick any lock without tools at no penalty.
• Fast Action: You may attempt to bypass a trap, lock, or simple mechanical obstacle rolling your full dice pool as if you had taken a Slow Action.

Working the Room

You know how to make yourself useful, memorable, and welcome anywhere.

Rank I

• When you spend at least 30 minutes performing or socializing in a new location, gain +1 die on Persuasion, Deception, and any tests to gather information.

Rank II

• Fast Action: Spend 2 Focus. In any social situation, ask the GM: "Who here knows something I need to know?" The GM identifies one person present and what general topic they know about.

Rank III

• During any Downtime in a settlement, you may perform and socialize to cover the party's living expenses for that period.
• In doing so you learn one genuine local secret if any exist.

Cutting Verse

Your words can strip dignity, confidence, and focus from a target in front of others.

Rank I

• Reaction: When a creature within 30 ft. that can hear and understand you successfully makes a test, spend 1 Focus to subtract 1 from their total successes (minimum 0).

Rank II:

• When Cutting Verse causes a creature to fail a test they would otherwise have succeeded on, gain +1 Focus.

Rank III

• Spend 2 Focus when using Cutting Verse to subtract 2 successes instead of 1. If this causes them to fail, the target also becomes Shaken until the end of their next turn.

Mage

Scholars of arcane power who reshape reality through study, precision, and accumulated knowledge. Mages are fragile and devastating in equal measure - their power demands a cost, and their talent lies in managing that cost better than anyone else.

Arcane Mastery

Deep study of a specific school lets you work with it more efficiently than others. You may take this talent a maximum of 2 times, choosing a different school each time.

Rank I

• Choose one spell school. When you cast a spell from that school, reduce any Corruption generated by 1 (minimum 0).

Rank II

• When casting a spell from your mastered school and you roll 2+ successes, gain +1 Focus back.

Rank III

• Fast Action: Spend 4 focus when casting a spell from your mastered school, you may declare a Flawless Cast before rolling. All 1s on that cast are treated as blanks rather than Corruption triggers.

Spell Surge

You can push a spell beyond its normal boundaries at significant personal cost.

Rank I

• Spend 3 Focus before casting a spell and choose one effect:

- The spell deals +3 damage - Its area doubles - Its duration doubles.

Rank II

• Reduce the Focus cost of Spell Surge to 2.
• You may now combine two Surge effects for 4 focus

Rank III

• Once per scene you may use Spell Surge without spending any Focus.
• The spell automatically generates 1 Corruption regardless of your other talents or protections.

Arcane Ward

You maintain a constant low-level magical barrier fed by your own arcane energy.

Rank I

• Slow Action: Spend 3 focus to activate your arcane ward.
• You have a Ward pool equal to twice your Intelligence score.
• When you take damage, you may reduce that damage by any amount from your ward pool.
• The pool refills at the start of each scene.

Rank II

• When your Ward pool is fully depleted in a single scene, gain +1 Focus.

Rank III

• Fast Action: Spend 3 focus when your ward is active. Any damage blocked with the ward is reflected back at the attacker.

Arcane Recovery

You have learned to draw ambient magical energy back into yourself during brief respite.

Rank I

• Once per scene you may spend 10 minutes in focused meditation to reduce your current temporary Corruption by 1 (minimum 0). Once per Short Rest.

Rank II

• When you reduce Corruption through Arcane Recovery, also regain Focus equal to the amount reduced.

Rank III

• Once per Long Rest, during Arcane Recovery you may reduce your Corruption to 0 regardless of current amount.
• You cannot cast spells in the next scene.

Magical Intuition

Your deep study of arcane theory lets you read and understand magic instinctively.

Rank I

• Spend 1 focus to gain +2 bonus dice on Occult and Investigation tests involving magical phenomena, artifacts, or effects.
• When you encounter a spell being cast or an active magical effect, you may identify its school and general nature without a test.

Rank II

• Fast Action: Spend 2 Focus and examine one magical object, effect, or creature within 10 ft. Ask the GM up to two specific questions about it. The GM answers honestly based on what your expertise would reveal.

Rank III

• When you successfully identify a spell or magical effect, you may immediately know one vulnerability or counter if there is one. The GM provides this truthfully.

Arcane Reputation

Among those who practice the arcane arts, your name carries weight.

Rank I

• When you reveal yourself as a practitioner of magic, gain +1 die on Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation tests against other spellcasters, scholars, or occultists.
• Most magical practitioners will treat you as a peer rather than a stranger.

Rank II

• In any settlement with magical activity, you can seek out a local mage, hedge wizard, alchemist, or occultist within a few hours.

Rank III

• Spend 3 focus, once per settlement, you may declare that a local practitioner has heard of you (for good or ill).
• Work with the GM to determine what they know about you and why it matters.

Scars

When the world breaks you, it leaves marks. Every scar is both a wound and a lesson learned in pain. Scars represent defining traumas, moments when your character is forever changed. They carry both power and cost, shaping who you become.

When You Gain a Scar

You gain a Scar whenever your character experiences a defining trauma:

GM Discretion: The GM can also award a Scar when the table agrees that a moment changes the character forever. Not every injury or setback is a Scar, only those that leave permanent marks.

Immediate Effects

When you gain a Scar:

1. Note the cause in your "Scars" section on the character sheet
2. Tag the Scar as Physical, Mental, or Soul
3. Gain +2 XP (the harsh lesson is valuable)

After the session ends, you will further define the effect of the Scar by choosing one from the appropriate table below (or creating your own with GM approval).

Physical Scars

Roll 1d6 or choose:

Mental Scars

Roll 1d6 or choose:

Soul Scars

Roll 1d6 or choose:

Evolved Scars

After every third Scar, your character's trauma crystallizes into something greater, strength, madness, or both. These are a combination of the 3 scars manifesting in one thematic alteration to your character.

When you mark your 3rd, 6th, or 9th Scar:

• Choose or create an Evolved Scar
• These represent how accumulated pain has fundamentally changed you
• They are darker and more powerful than normal Scars

Physical Evolved Scars

Iron Sinew Your body hardened where it once broke.

• Effect: Gain resistance to bludgeoning damage (-1 damage from such sources). Once per rest, ignore Fatigued condition for one scene.
• Cost: -1 die to Dexterity checks requiring agility or balance.

Emberbrand Pain became your shield; flame no longer frightens you.

• Effect: Immune to minor fire or heat environmental effects. Once per scene, add +1 success to any Evocation or fire-related roll.
• Cost: Your body radiates unnatural warmth; -1 die to Stealth, and you emit dim light in darkness.

Bloodwright You've learned that blood can be an offering.

• Effect: Once per scene, lose 2 HP to gain +2 automatic successes on a roll.
• Cost: Below half HP, you bleed easily: take +1 HP damage from each successful melee or ranged attack.

Iron Breath Every breath is earned; every heartbeat a choice.

• Effect: Act normally while Fatigued. Once per scene, ignore the first source of physical damage entirely.
• Cost: Recover half HP/MP from natural rest (without medical aid).

Storm Vein Your nerves carry echoes of energy, part human, part current.

• Effect: Once per day, channel latent energy: add +2d6 to a Strength or Evocation roll.
• Cost: When you roll a natural 1 on any physical check, gain Dazed until the start of your next turn (seizure).

Mind Lag You see the world a second too late… and use it to your advantage.

• Effect: Once per scene, declare "I saw this coming." Retroactively gain +1 success after results are rolled.
• Cost: When surprised or ambushed, you may move OR attack, not both.

Mental Evolved Scars

War Reflex You've turned instinct into an art.

• Effect: Gain +1 automatic success on the first roll made during combat.
• Cost: Between battles, -1 die to any Dexterity checks until you rest.

Waking Dreamer You've learned to think in the space between sleep and madness.

• Effect: Once per day, enter a trance to recover 1d6 MP without resting.
• Cost: Regain only half MP from rests. Your dreams devour your resolve.

Predator's Focus You move before thought, like a cornered beast.

• Effect: You can never be fully surprised; always act during surprise rounds.
• Cost: Roll -2 dice to resist stress or horror; your mind is always half in battle.

Guardian's Burden You swore it would never happen again.

• Effect: Once per session, when an ally within 10 ft. would drop to 0 HP, take that damage instead.
• Cost: If an ally dies nearby, gain 1 Corruption and lose 1 Focus immediately.

Ghost Recall The past never truly leaves you.

• Effect: Once per scene, recall a precise detail from any past event, even one you didn't witness, as if glimpsed through memory.
• Cost: At the start of each day, roll WIS test. On failure, begin haunted: -1 die on your first check.

Hollow Mask You've learned to mimic emotion without feeling it.

• Effect: +1 die to Deception and Insight; you read emotion by reflection.
• Cost: Cannot gain bonus Focus from roleplay or sacrifice, nothing stirs you anymore.

Soul Evolved Scars

Apostate's Strength You've replaced faith with defiance.

• Effect: Once per session, nullify a spell or power targeting you or an ally.
• Cost: You are anathema to holy wards. Cannot enter sanctified ground without harm (1 HP per round).

Confessor's Edge You know how guilt shapes the soul.

• Effect: When confronting someone about their wrongdoing, add +2d6 to Persuasion or Insight.
• Cost: When reminded of your own sins, lose 1 Focus.

False Prophet Your words ring with hollow conviction… and people believe them.

• Effect: Once per day, command a crowd or creature as if using a powerful enchantment for 2 rounds (no roll required).
• Cost: If you fail a Charisma test afterward, gain 1 Corruption. The lie stains you deeper.

Death's Interlocutor The dead answer when you call, whether you wish it or not.

• Effect: Once per day, commune with nearby corpses or spirits for truth or warning.
• Cost: -2 dice on social rolls with the living for the rest of the day; the dead speak through you in whispers.

Warden of the End** You've made peace with the world's decay.

• Effect: +1 die to resist corruption, despair, or mind-breaking effects. Once per session, end a fear or charm effect on yourself.
• Cost: Cannot benefit from Inspiration or morale boosts; hope no longer moves you.

Grave Resonance Part of you never left the other side.

• Effect: Once per day, spend 2 Focus to manifest your spirit partially outside your body, ignoring all damage for one turn.
• Cost: Each use adds +1 Permanent Corruption. You're slipping closer to the Veil.

Custom Scars

Players and GMs are encouraged to create custom Scars that fit the character's story and trauma. Guidelines for Custom Scars: Positive Effect:

• Should provide a meaningful mechanical benefit
• Typically +1 die in specific circumstances, OR
• Once per scene/day effect, OR
• Negate a negative condition

Negative Effect:

• Should impose a meaningful mechanical cost
• Typically -1 die in specific circumstances, OR
• Vulnerability to specific situations, OR
• Narrative complication

Balance: Scars should feel like a mixed blessing, powerful but costly. They're not pure upgrades or downgrades. Example Custom Scar: Physical: Frost-Touched - Nearly froze to death in a blizzard

• Positive: +1 die to resist cold damage or environmental cold effects
• Negative: -1 die on social interactions in warm environments (you're constantly uncomfortable and distracted by heat)

Scars and Character Death

When a character accumulates too many Scars, they may reach a breaking point. GM Discretion:

• If a character has 3+ Evolved Scars, the GM may discuss retirement or transformation
• The character may become an NPC, leave the party to recover, or undergo a dramatic change
• This should be a collaborative decision between player and GM

Magic & Corruption

Magic in the Middle Lands is powerful, versatile, and dangerous. Every spell draws power from beyond the Veil, a thin barrier separating the world from something vast and hungry. The price of power is corruption: a gradual staining of body and spirit that eventually consumes those who rely too heavily on the arcane. Magic is a bargain, and the terms are never quite in your favor.

The Eight Schools of Magic

Magic is organized into eight practical Schools, each representing a different manifestation of power.

Choose the listed ability that best fits how you're using the spell.

Spell Schools as Skills:

• Each School is a skill that can be ranked from 0-5 (just like Melee Weapons or Stealth)
• Your rank determines how many dice you can safely roll
• You gain spell schools from your Background or through advancement

How Spellcasting Works

Magic uses the same dice mechanic as attacks and skill tests, but with a critical difference: you choose how much power to draw, and that choice determines both effectiveness and risk.

The Spellcasting Pool

Dice Pool = Ability + School Dice (your choice) + Bonus

• Ability: Choose the most appropriate ability for the spell, fiction first.
• School Dice: You choose how many dice from your School rank to roll.
• Overcast: You can choose to add up to two dice above your rank. If you do, you gain 1 Temporary Corruption for each die above your rank immediately — before rolling. Those dice can also roll 1s, adding further corruption. Overcasting is a significant risk.

Casting Procedure

Follow these steps when casting a spell:

Step 1: Declare the Spell

Announce what spell you're casting and describe how you perform it.

Step 2: Choose Potency

Decide how many School dice to roll (1 to your Rank). More dice = more power = more risk.

Step 3: Assemble Your Pool

Add Ability + School Dice + Bonus.

Step 4: Roll the Pool

Roll your dice. Count your results:

• 6s = Successes (determine spell effect)
• 1s = Corruption (each 1 rolled adds 1 Temporary Corruption immediately — no test required)

Step 5: Spend Successes and Focus

If you scored 1+ successes: The spell hits and produces its base effect.

Extra successes can be spent on:

• Bonus Damage: Each extra success adds +1 damage (for damaging spells)
• Improving spell effects (varies by spell)

Focus abilities can be activated by spending Focus:

• Each spell lists Focus-activated abilities
• These are powerful effects that enhance or modify the spell
• You can activate multiple abilities if you have the Focus

Example: Korrin rolls 7 dice and gets 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6, 6 = 3 successes and 1 Temporary Corruption. His spell (Scorching Arc) has Base Damage 1. He spends 2 extra successes for +2 damage (total 3 damage). He also spends 2 Focus to activate "Ignite" (sets flammable terrain on fire).

Step 6: Apply Effects

Apply damage, conditions, and any spell effects.

Corruption

Magic stains those who use it. Temporary Corruption represents the immediate toll of channeling power from beyond the Veil.

Temporary Corruption Threshold

Temporary Corruption Threshold = 2 + Constitution + Wisdom

When your Temporary Corruption equals or exceeds your Threshold, you suffer a Corruption Event:

1. Roll on the Corruption Table: 1d10 + (10 × Permanent Corruption Rank)
2. Resolve the result
3. Reduce your Temporary Corruption by half your current Temporary Corruption, rounded up
4. Take a soul scar

Permanent Corruption Threshold

Permanent Corruption Threshold = 5 + CON

Each time you exceed your Temporary Corruption threshold you gain 1 permanent corruption. If you ever reach your Permanent Corruption Threshold, roll a transformation result (99+ on the Permanent Corruption Table).

Permanent Corruption Table (d10 + (10 × Permanent Corruption))

When your Permanent Corruption equals your Permanent Corruption Threshold, roll on this table. Add +10 for each time you've previously exceeded your threshold (second time: +10, third time: +20, etc.).

These changes are permanent and represent fundamental alterations to your body, mind, and soul. They cannot be easily undone — only powerful rituals, divine intervention, or completing major story arcs might offer hope of reversal.

Physical Degradation (1-30)

Withering (1-10)

1-2: Muscle Atrophy

• Your body consumes itself to fuel magic. Lose -1 STR permanently (minimum 1). Your frame becomes gaunt and skeletal. Gain +1 die on tests to escape bonds or squeeze through tight spaces (there's less of you).

3-4: Brittle Bones

• Your skeleton weakens. Lose -2 maximum HP permanently. When you take 5+ damage from a single source, you must succeed on a Difficulty 1 CON test or suffer a fracture (treat as Physical Scar). However, you no longer need to eat — magic sustains you.

5-6: Desiccated Flesh

• Moisture drains from your body. Your skin becomes papery and dry, lips crack constantly, joints creak audibly. Lose -1 CON permanently (minimum 1). You no longer produce tears, sweat, or saliva. Gain +2 dice to resist poison and disease (nothing thrives in your desiccated body).

7-8: Nerve Death

• Extremities lose sensation. Choose hands or feet: suffer -2 dice on all tests using that body part, but automatically pass pain-related tests for that area. Food has no taste. Physical sensations feel distant and muted.

9-10: Hollow Organs

• Your internal organs atrophy and harden. You weigh significantly less than you should. Lose -3 maximum HP permanently. You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe as often (once per week suffices). Healing magic is 50% less effective on you (round down, minimum 1 HP restored).

Metabolic Corruption (11-20)

11-13: Inverted Vitality

• Your body's relationship with life and death reverses. All healing effects restore -2 HP (minimum 1), but you age at half normal rate and gain +2 dice to resist disease, exhaustion, and bleeding effects.

14-16: Unnatural Endurance

• Pain no longer registers properly. Gain +3 maximum HP permanently and +2 dice on Endurance tests, but you cannot accurately judge your own injuries. Once per session, the GM may inform you that you've been ignoring a serious wound (gain a Physical Scar or immediately drop to half HP).

17-19: Stone Flesh

• Your skin hardens and takes on a grayish, stone-like texture. Gain +1 die on Dodge rolls, but your movement speed permanently decreases by 5 ft. You sink in water. Social tests suffer -2 dice (you look inhuman). You weigh twice what you should.

20: Consumption Reversal

• Food nourishes you no longer. You must drain life force to survive. Once per day, you must: damage a living creature with magic, spend 1 hour draining ambient life (plants within 10 ft. wither), or lose 1d6 HP. NPCs sense your hunger.

Grotesque Changes (21-30)

21-24: Additional Joints

• New joints appear in wrong places — extra elbows, knuckles that shouldn't exist, knees that bend backwards. Gain +2 dice on Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand (unnatural flexibility), but suffer -2 dice on all social tests with those who see you move. You must wear concealing clothing or face immediate fear/revulsion.

25-27: Asymmetry

• One side of your body grows while the other shrinks. One arm/leg is significantly longer than the other. Movement feels wrong and unbalanced. Suffer -1 die on all physical tests, but gain +10 ft. reach with attacks on your elongated side.

28-30: Corpse Mimicry

• Your body perfectly imitates life, but it's false. You have no pulse, don't breathe (though you can speak), have no body heat. Gain immunity to disease, poison, and suffocation, but healing magic no longer works (rest only). Holy water burns you (1d6 damage). Turn Undead affects you.

Mental Erosion (31-55)

Memory Corruption (31-40)

31-33: Temporal Confusion

• Past and present blur. Once per session, the GM may declare you've confused now with memory. You might think you already had a conversation, mistake an NPC for someone from your past, or forget recent events. Lose -1 INT permanently (minimum 1). Gain +1 die on History tests (the past is more real than the present).

34-36: Identity Fragments

• Core memories dissolve. Choose one: lose a Bond, forget your Ideal, or completely forget your Background (retain skills but not the narrative). Lose -2 maximum MP permanently. You may create a replacement, but it feels hollow — you know something vital is missing.

37-39: Linguistic Decay

• Language becomes difficult. Lose fluency in one language (GM chooses). When stressed or low on MP, you speak words from languages you don't know or forget common words. Suffer -1 die on social tests requiring complex communication. Gain +1 die on Occult tests (magic becomes more intuitive than words).

40: The Nameless

• You've forgotten your true name. You respond to it from habit, but it feels borrowed. Choose: lose all current Bonds and your Ideal, OR lose -5 maximum MP permanently. Gain immunity to name-based magic and scrying (you can't be found or bound by your true name).

Emotional Hollowing (41-50)

41-44: Selective Empathy

• You can no longer emotionally connect with the living, only with spirits, the dead, and Veil entities. Lose all Bonds to living people. You may only form Bonds with the deceased, spirits, or otherworldly beings. Automatically succeed on fear and charm tests from living creatures. Suffer -2 dice on Insight tests against the living (you can't read them).

45-47: Emotional Inversion

• Pain becomes pleasure, fear becomes excitement, grief becomes joy, love becomes disgust. Gain +3 dice to resist fear, sadness, and pain. Suffer -2 dice on all Persuasion and Insight tests (your reactions are wrong and disturbing). You laugh at funerals, smile at violence, weep at celebrations.

48-50: The Void Within

• All emotions become distant theoretical concepts. Gain immunity to fear, charm, and emotion-based magic. Automatically pass Endurance tests against psychological stress. But: you cannot benefit from inspiration or rallying, suffer -3 dice on all social tests, and must pass a Difficulty 2 WIS test each morning or spend the day in listless apathy (unable to initiate actions).

Obsession & Madness (51-55)

51-52: Magical Addiction

• You crave casting. When you have 5+ MP and haven't cast in an hour, succeed on a Difficulty 2 WIS test or cast a spell (any spell, even if wasteful or dangerous). Each day without casting, suffer -1 die on all tests (withdrawal).

53-54: Paranoid Lucidity

• You see patterns everywhere, and you're convinced everyone plots against you. Gain +2 dice on Investigation and Awareness tests. Suffer -2 dice on all trust-based social interactions. Once per session, the GM may have you act on paranoid suspicion (attack a perceived threat, flee from allies, sabotage a plan you think is a trap).

55: Time Fugue

• You lose hours to blackouts where you continue functioning but have no memory. Once per session, the GM may declare "you lost 2d6 hours." You wake elsewhere with no memory of how you got there. During fugues, you perform basic tasks but aren't truly present.

Soul Degradation (56-80)

56-58: Fading Anchor

• Your soul's grip on your body weakens. Gain +2 dice to resist possession and spiritual attacks, but lose -3 maximum MP permanently. Twice per session, you may become incorporeal for one round (cannot affect or be affected by physical world), but each time you must pass Difficulty 1 CHA test or lose a cherished memory.

59-61: Spirit Visibility

• You exist partially in the Veil. Spirits, ghosts, and Veil entities are always visible to you, and you're always visible to them. Gain +2 dice on Occult tests and can interact with incorporeal beings. Suffer -1 die on Awareness tests in the material world (too many distractions). Spirits constantly approach you.

62-64: Dual Existence

• You leave a translucent echo when you move, and your voice comes twice (once normal, once hollow a moment later). Automatically fail Stealth tests — your echo gives you away. Once per scene, when you'd take damage, the GM may rule your echo takes it instead (you flicker and avoid harm), but lose -1 maximum MP permanently each time.

65: Shadow Body

• Your physical form is sustained by your soul rather than biology. Lose -4 maximum HP permanently. You no longer cast a reflection in mirrors or water. You weigh half what you should. When reduced to 0 HP, your form dissipates — pass Difficulty 3 CHA test or die permanently. On success, reform after 1d6 hours.

66-69: Multiple Selves

• Your personality fragments into 2-3 distinct personas that emerge at different times (GM determines triggers: combat, spellcasting, social scenes). Each has different Traits, Ideals, and Bonds. You remember what your other selves do but they have different priorities. Lose -2 WIS permanently (minimum 1).

70-72: Ancestral Bleed

• Memories from your ancestors bleed into your consciousness. You sometimes speak archaic dialects, reference centuries-old events as if recent, or react with ancient prejudices. Gain +3 dice on History and Culture tests about your ancestry. Once per session, an ancestral personality may take over for a scene.

73-75: Soul Mosaic

• Your damaged soul has been patched with fragments from others — spirits, enemies you've killed, allies you've lost. You hear their thoughts and feel their emotions. Gain +2 dice on Insight tests (they're literally part of you). Once per session, the GM may have one of these fragments take control for a scene.

76-78: Veil-Touched Core

• A piece of the Veil has replaced part of your soul. You no longer dream — you experience the dead's memories during rest. Each Long Rest, the GM shares a vision from a deceased soul. Lose -3 maximum MP permanently. Gain +2 dice on Occult tests. Spirits recognize you as one who carries the Veil within.

79-80: Borrowed Life

• Your original soul can't sustain you — magical force animates you instead. Gain immunity to fear, aging, and effects targeting "living creatures." Must cast at least one spell per day or lose 2d6 HP (magic fuels you, not biology). Three days without casting = death-like coma until someone casts magic nearby (jumpstarts you).

Transformative Corruption (81-100)

81-84: Elemental Infusion

• Your body becomes partly elemental. Roll d4: 1-Fire, 2-Ice, 3-Lightning, 4-Acid.
• Your skin radiates the element (warm glow, frost aura, crackling energy, caustic sheen)
• Gain resistance to that element (halve damage)
• You emit the element within 10 ft. (light, cold, sparks, corrosive smell)
• Lose -3 maximum HP and -3 maximum MP permanently
• Must regularly expose yourself to your element or suffer -2 dice on all tests
• Social tests suffer -2 dice (obviously inhuman)

85-87: Ageless Stasis

• Time stops touching you. You don't age, don't need food/water/sleep (must still rest to recover). Scars never fade, your body is locked in its current state. Healing only restores HP — can't cure disease, mend bones properly, or remove poisons (they simply stop progressing). Lose -5 maximum HP permanently. Watch your friends age while you remain frozen.

88-90: Gravitational Anomaly

• Your personal gravity warps. Choose: you weigh 3x normal (sink in water, can't be moved, slow), OR you weigh 1/3 normal (blown by wind, can't swim down, float when jumping). Gain either +2 dice to resist forced movement OR +10 ft. movement speed. Social tests suffer -1 die (you move wrong). Objects you hold are similarly affected.

91-94: The Hunger

• You must consume something to survive. Choose:

- Life Force: Must damage living creatures with magic daily or lose 2d6 HP - Memories: Must magically steal/view memories weekly or lose 2d6 MP - Pain: Must witness/cause significant suffering daily or suffer -3 dice on all tests - Magic: Must drain 1d6 MP from willing/helpless spellcaster weekly or lose 2d6 MP

This hunger is constant and undeniable. NPCs sense it. You've become a predator. Lose -5 maximum HP and -5 maximum MP permanently.

95-98: Split Being

• You exist simultaneously in material world and Veil. Declare which you're primarily in as a Fast Action:

- Material: Affect physical things normally, but spirits attack freely and you automatically fail stealth against them - Veil: Incorporeal in material world (can't touch/be touched), but interact with spirits normally

Lose -6 maximum MP permanently. NPCs see you flicker and phase. Spirits see you as a beacon. Children see both versions and become frightened.

Transformation (99+)

99+: Complete Transformation Corruption has claimed you entirely. Your mortal form ends. Roll 1d6 to determine what you become:

1-2: Veil Wraith

• Your body dissolves into shadow and mist, pulled into the Veil
• You become a restless spirit bound between worlds
• Your consciousness persists but you're no longer yourself — driven by hunger, obsession, or the last emotion you felt
• The GM controls you as an NPC spirit
• You may appear in future sessions as a haunting presence, antagonist, or tragic encounter
• Your party may need to put you to rest
• Your character is lost. Create a new character.

3-4: Hollow One

• Your soul burns away entirely, leaving only an empty shell
• Your body continues to move and function, but nothing remains inside
• You speak, walk, and act, but with no personality, no memories, no desires
• The GM may use you as a vessel for spirits, Veil entities, or dark powers
• Your companions see your face but you're not there anymore
• Your character is lost. Create a new character.

5: Consumption

• Corruption doesn't transform you — it consumes you
• Your body unravels into raw magical energy over 1d6 rounds
• Those nearby feel the Veil thin as you're pulled through
• You experience a moment of terrible clarity: you see what lies beyond, and then you're gone
• The area where you died becomes a thin point in the Veil (GM determines consequences)
• Your character is lost. Create a new character.

6: The Twisted

• Your body warps into something monstrous and alien
• Roll or choose: amalgam of elements (fire/ice/lightning consuming your form), grotesque flesh-thing (extra limbs, mouths, eyes), crystalline construct (your body hardening into magical crystal), or shadow-beast (losing all solid form)
• You retain fragments of memory but are driven by base needs: hunger, rage, pain, or the desperate need to cast magic
• The GM controls you as a monster
• Your former companions must decide: try to save you (nearly impossible) or put you down
• Your character is lost. Create a new character.

Managing Corruption

Reducing Temporary Corruption

After a Corruption Event:

• Reduce by half your current Temporary Corruption, rounded up
• This happens automatically after resolving the Corruption Table result

Long Rest:

• Reduce Temporary Corruption by 1d6 during a Long Rest in a safe, calm place
• This stacks with normal corruption reduction from events

Rituals and Magic:

• Some spells or rituals can reduce Temporary Corruption
• Usually requires rare components or assistance from others
• The GM determines availability and cost

Spell Format

Spells are presented in two formats depending on whether they deal damage.

Damaging Spells

Name

• Casting Time: Fast Action or Slow Action
• Range: How far you can target
• Target: Single target or area (Cone, Line, Sphere, etc.)
• Duration: Instant or ongoing
• Base: Base Damage (scales with extra successes like weapons)
• Focus Abilities: Spend Focus to add effects (list with Focus costs)

Example: Scorching Arc

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 20 ft.
• Target: Cone emanating from you
• Duration: Instant
• Base: Deal 1 HP fire damage to all creatures in the cone. Each extra success adds +1 damage to all targets.
• Focus Abilities:

- Ignite (2 Focus): Flammable terrain/objects in the cone ignite - Smoke Bank (3 Focus): The area fills with smoke; creatures suffer -1 die on sight-based actions for a number of rounds equal to your total successes

Non-Damaging Spells

Name

• Casting Time: Fast Action or Slow Action
• Range: How far you can target
• Target: What the spell affects
• Duration: How long it lasts (often scales with successes: 1 round/success)
• Base: What the spell does with 1 success
• Focus Abilities: Spend Focus to add effects (list with Focus costs)

Example: Displacement (Illusion)

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: 1 ally or self
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: The target appears slightly offset; attacks against them suffer -1 die
• Focus Abilities:

- Blur (2 Focus): Attacks instead suffer -2 dice - Dazzle (3 Focus): An attacker that misses must succeed on a Difficulty 2 Endurance test or become Shaken until the end of their next turn

Spells and Combat Integration

Attacking with Spells

Spells follow the same attack sequence as weapons:

1. Assemble dice pool (Ability + School Dice + Gear)
2. Roll (6s = successes, 1s = 1 Temporary Corruption each)
3. Spend successes (bonus damage) and Focus (spell abilities)
4. Defender reacts (Shield Block or Defense Roll)
5. Apply damage and effects

Overwhelm for Spells

A damaging spell is Overwhelming if:

• Base Damage is 4+, OR
• Attacker spent 3+ extra successes on bonus damage, OR
• The spell is explicitly tagged Overwhelm

When a shield blocks an Overwhelming spell, it loses 2 Durability instead of 1.

Single-Target vs Area Spells

Single-Target Spells:

• Can be Blocked with shields (damage canceled, effects still occur)
• Roll once, apply to one target
• Examples: Scorching Ray, Shocking Grasp

Area Spells:

• Cannot be blocked with shields (too widespread)
• Targets in the area still roll Armor or Dodge
• Roll once, apply to all targets in area
• Examples: Fireball, Lightning Bolt

Armor Pierce

Some spells have Armor Pierce X:

• If the target uses Armor: X damage bypasses armor and goes directly to HP. The remaining damage is then reduced by Armor as normal.
• If the target uses Dodge: reduce their Dodge dice pool by X for this roll.

Spells by School

This section contains the complete spell lists for all eight schools. Each spell follows a consistent format and can be cast by any character with ranks in that school.

How to Use This Section

Spell Format:

• Casting Time: Fast or Slow Action
• Range: How far you can target
• Target: What the spell affects
• Duration: How long it lasts
• Base: Core effect (damage scales with extra successes)
• Focus Abilities: Spend Focus to enhance the spell (does not add corruption)

Remember:

• You choose how many School dice to roll (1 to your Rank)
• Each 6 = success; each 1 = 1 Temporary Corruption (automatic, no test)
• Extra successes can be spent on bonus damage or spell improvements
• Focus abilities are activated by spending Focus after the roll

Cantrips — Safe Magic by School Rank

Cantrips are minor magical abilities that require no dice roll and generate no corruption. They represent a mage's trained understanding of their school — magic so familiar it costs nothing to perform. Every mage learns cantrips as they advance in a school. They are always available and require no preparation.

Rules

• No roll, no School dice, no corruption. Cantrips are free.
• Cantrips are unlocked automatically when you reach the required rank in a school.
• You may purchase one cantrip for every rank you have in a school.
• Cantrips cannot: deal damage, heal HP, impose or remove conditions, affect unwilling creatures, provide dice bonuses, or overcome magical resistance.
• If someone resists, it requires School dice. A cantrip that targets a willing creature becomes a spell the moment the target is unwilling.
• Action type matters in combat. Outside combat, cantrips take as long as the fiction demands. In combat, each cantrip lists an action type.
• Knowledge checks (identifying spells, recognizing magical effects, understanding magical theory) are not cantrips. They are handled by the normal skill autopass system. A Rank 3 Evoker autopasses Difficulty 3 Evocation knowledge checks the same way a Rank 3 historian autopasses Difficulty 3 History checks.

Usage Limits

Every cantrip has a usage limit that reflects how often it can be used without trivializing exploration, investigation, or narrative tension.

At Will — No limit. Use whenever, as often as you want. These are the baseline of what it means to be a trained mage — convenience, comfort, and minor utility that make magic feel real.

Once Per Scene — One use per scene (a combat encounter, a social interaction, an exploration sequence). You get one chance. Choose your moment. Resets when the fiction moves to a new scene.

Once Per Rest — One use between rests (Short or Long). Using it now means not having it for the next situation. Plan accordingly.

Once Per Day — One use per Long Rest. Reserved for the most powerful cantrips — permanent alterations, major conjurations, and capstone abilities.

Once Per Target — Can be used on multiple targets per day, but only once per specific target (a particular corpse, object, location, or creature) per day. One reading. Make it count.

Cantrip Format

> Name (School Rank X) Action: Combat action type / non-combat casting time Duration: How long the effect lasts Usage: How often it can be used Effect: What it does.

Abjuration Cantrips

Threshold (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: At Will Effect: Seal a mundane container (chest, pouch, jar, box) with a magical lock equivalent to a simple padlock. Only you can open it freely. Others must force it open (STR test, Difficulty 2) or pick it (Sleight of Hand test, Difficulty 2). You may have up to 3 active Thresholds at once. Creating a new one beyond 3 dismisses the oldest.

Sentinel Chime (Rank 1) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: At Will Effect: Place a magical alarm on a doorway, window, or opening you can touch. When a creature passes through, you hear a clear chime audible only to you, regardless of distance (as long as you're on the same plane). You may have up to 2 active Chimes at once.

Shelter Ward (Rank 2) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Until next rest Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Create a dome of protective magic (10 ft. radius, centered on a point you touch). The dome blocks wind, rain, snow, and natural temperature extremes (keeps the interior comfortable). It does not block creatures, attacks, or magical effects. Visible as a faint shimmer.

Muffle (Rank 2) Action: Fast Action / 1 Minute Duration: 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Suppress your own magical aura. For the duration, you register as non-magical to passive magical detection (Veil Sight, Detect Magic effects, wards that trigger on magic-users). Active, rolled detection can still find you.

Bar the Way (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Magically reinforce a door, window, hatch, or similar closure you can touch. It becomes as difficult to force as if barred with an iron beam (STR test, Difficulty 3 to break). The reinforcement is invisible. You may reinforce up to 3 closures per casting. Creatures can still open it normally from the warded side.

Quiet Room (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute Duration: 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Create a zone of silence (10 ft. radius, stationary, centered on a point you touch). No sound crosses the boundary in either direction. Creatures inside can hear each other normally. Useful for private conversations, hiding noise, or uninterrupted rest.

Camp Ward (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Extend a Shelter Ward to 20 ft. radius with additional properties: campfire light is not visible beyond 30 ft., cooking smells are contained within the ward, and tracks within the area are magically obscured (Survival tests to track the party through this area are +1 Difficulty). Replaces Shelter Ward when cast.

Ironbind (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Permanent (until dismissed or dispelled) Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Permanently seal a mundane container with a magical lock that only you can dismiss. The lock resists forced entry (STR Difficulty 4) and lockpicking (Sleight of Hand Difficulty 4). Only rolled Abjuration magic of equal or higher rank can break it. You may have up to 2 permanent Ironbinds active.

Hearthstone (Rank 5) Action: 1 Hour Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Create a permanent minor ward on a location you own, maintain, or have been given permission to protect. Choose one effect: Sentinel Chime (permanent, unlimited range), Bar the Way (permanent), Shelter Ward (permanent, 30 ft. radius), or Quiet Room (permanent, toggled on/off by you). You may have one Hearthstone active per location. You can sense disturbances in your Hearthstone wards from up to 1 mile away.

Conjuration Cantrips

Summon Wisp (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: 1 Minute Usage: At Will Effect: Summon a tiny creature (mouse, spider, moth, small bird). It can carry a very small object (a coin, a key, a note) to a point within sight, then disappears. It cannot fight, scout meaningfully, or take complex actions.

Minor Conjuring (Rank 1) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Until next rest Usage: At Will Effect: Create a simple mundane object that fits in one hand: a candle, a piece of chalk, a length of rope (10 ft.), a key blank, a small tool. The object is real and functional but faintly shimmers with magic. It dissolves when the duration ends.

Provision (Rank 2) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Instant (consumed) Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Produce one of the following: a gallon of clean water, a simple meal for up to 4 people (bland but nutritious), or enough firewood for a campfire (4 hours). The food and water are real and nourishing.

Conjure Tool (Rank 2) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Create a mundane tool or simple item up to the size of a two-handed weapon: a hammer, a crowbar, a lantern, 50 ft. of rope, a shovel, a 10 ft. pole. Functional and real, but dissolves at the end of the duration. Cannot replicate weapons or armor.

Phantom Steed (Rank 3) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: 4 Hours Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Conjure a rideable mount (horse-sized, semi-translucent). It moves at normal mounted speed, obeys your mental commands, and can carry one rider plus gear. It cannot fight. If it takes any damage, it panics and dissolves immediately.

Waystation (Rank 3) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Until dawn Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Conjure a modest shelter (large tent equivalent) with basic furnishings: bedrolls, a table, a cold-light source. Comfortable for up to 4 people. Cannot be conjured in hostile territory during combat. Dissolves at dawn.

Fetch (Rank 3) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Teleport a small unattended object (fits in one hand, not held or worn by a creature) from a point within 30 ft. to your hand. The object must be visible to you.

Courier (Rank 4) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Send a small object (fits in one hand, under 5 lbs.) to a known location within 1 mile. The object appears at the exact spot you visualize. You must have visited the location before. Living creatures cannot be sent.

Summon Companion (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Summon a loyal animal (wolf, hawk, large dog). It follows complex verbal commands, can scout up to 500 ft., and returns to report (you understand its impressions). It will not fight and dissolves instantly if it takes any damage.

Grand Provision (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Instant (consumed) / Permanent (structure) Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Choose one: produce a feast for up to 20 people (high quality, culturally appropriate to your knowledge), OR conjure a permanent mundane structure up to the size of a small room (workshop, shed, watchtower). The structure requires 1 hour of sustained concentration to complete and is real, lasting, and solid.

Divination Cantrips

Bearing (Rank 1) Action: Free Action Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Know true north, the approximate time, and the current phase of the moon. Always available, no concentration needed.

Taster (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: By touching food, drink, or a substance, determine whether it contains natural poison, disease, or dangerous contaminants. Does not identify the specific substance — only that it's unsafe. Does not detect magical poison.

Empathic Read (Rank 2) Action: Fast Action / 1 Minute Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: By touching a willing creature, sense their general emotional state: calm, frightened, grieving, hostile, deceptive. This is an impression, not mind-reading. The target is aware you're doing this. Does not work on unwilling targets.

Diagnosis (Rank 2) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Target Effect: By touching a willing creature, determine whether they are poisoned, diseased, or cursed. You detect the presence and general category (natural poison, magical disease, curse), not the specific ailment.

Lifeline (Rank 3) Action: 10 Minutes (meditation) Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Sense whether a specific person you know well is alive. If alive, you feel their general direction and approximate distance (same city, same region, far away, or beyond your reach). No other information.

Tongues (Rank 3) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Read any written text regardless of language, including dead languages and unknown scripts. The meaning appears in your mind as you read. Deliberately encrypted or magically obscured text may still require a roll.

Lay of the Land (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes (meditation) Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Target (one fact per location per day) Effect: While meditating in a location, learn one truthful fact about it. The GM provides the most relevant or interesting detail: "blood was spilled here within a week," "this room was a treasury," "something is buried beneath the floor."

Forecast (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Predict the weather accurately for the next 24 hours within your region. At Rank 5, this extends to 3 days.

Object Reading (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes (concentration) Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Target (one reading per object per day) Effect: By holding an object and concentrating, learn its history: who made it, who owned it most recently, and one significant event it was involved in. The GM provides truthful details. More powerful or older objects may yield richer histories.

Enchantment Cantrips

Ambient Mood (Rank 1) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Project a subtle emotion into a room-sized area: warmth, calm, unease, melancholy, alertness. Creatures in the area feel the mood shift but aren't aware of a magical source. This is atmosphere, not compulsion — it sets a tone, not a command.

Gentle Touch (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Calm a non-hostile animal with a touch. The animal becomes docile for a few minutes (won't bolt, bite, or panic). Works on domestic and wild animals that aren't currently aggressive. A hostile or attacking animal requires rolled magic.

Comfort (Rank 2) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Soothe a willing creature's anxiety, grief, or agitation through focus and conversation. No mechanical effect — the creature simply feels genuinely comforted and their emotional state eases. Useful for calming panicked NPCs, frightened children, or distraught allies outside of combat.

Empathic Link (Rank 2) Action: Fast Action / 1 Minute Duration: 1 Minute Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Share emotions and brief mental images with a willing creature you're touching. No words — impressions, feelings, memories. Both parties experience the exchange. The target must remain willing for the duration.

Whisper (Rank 3) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: 1 Minute Usage: At Will Effect: Communicate a simple concept (one sentence of meaning) telepathically to a willing creature within 30 ft. They can respond the same way. Useful for silent coordination, secret messages in public, or communicating through barriers.

Dreamless Rest (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Until next rest Usage: Once Per Target Effect: Induce deep, restful sleep in a willing creature in a calm environment. They fall asleep within minutes, sleep soundly without nightmares, and wake feeling refreshed. Does not work on unwilling targets, in dangerous environments, or during combat.

Commune (Rank 4) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Hold a full telepathic conversation with a willing creature within 60 ft. Both parties can "speak" and "listen" mentally in real-time. Others cannot detect the conversation without magical means.

Clarity Aura (Rank 4) Action: 1 Minute Duration: 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Project calming clarity in a 10 ft. radius. Willing allies in the area feel focused and clear-headed. No mechanical bonuses — but useful before difficult decisions, negotiations, or when the party needs to think clearly under emotional pressure.

Mindbridge (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Establish a telepathic link with a willing creature. Range extends to 1 mile. Both parties can communicate freely at will for the duration. Only one Mindbridge can be active at a time.

Quell (Rank 5) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Calm a hostile crowd of non-combatants through 1 minute of projected serenity. The crowd stops escalating — shouting fades, thrown objects stop, panic subsides. This buys time (minutes, not hours) and does not work on creatures that are actively fighting, magically agitated, or organized for violence. This is not mind control — it's a wave of calm that gives people space to think.

Evocation Cantrips

Palm Light (Rank 1) Action: Free Action Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: At Will Effect: Create a small flame or glowing light in your palm (torch equivalent). Sheds bright light in a 20 ft. radius. Can be placed on a surface and left. Deals no damage. Dismiss at will.

Spark (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Produce a brief elemental effect: a snap of electricity, a gust of wind, a burst of cold, a pop of flame. Enough to startle, light a candle, or get attention. Not enough to harm, ignite anything larger than kindling, or affect combat.

Temper (Rank 1) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Adjust the temperature of a small quantity of food, liquid, or material you're holding. Warm a cold meal, chill a drink, dry wet clothes. Practical, not dramatic.

Hearthfire (Rank 2) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Varies Usage: At Will Effect: Light or extinguish a campfire, hearth, torch, or candle with a gesture from up to 15 ft. Fires you light burn normally using available fuel. You can also control an existing fire's intensity (low to roaring or back) but not its spread or direction.

Magelight (Rank 2) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Until next rest Usage: At Will Effect: Create a floating orb or luminous mark that sheds bright lantern-light (30 ft. radius). It hovers where you place it or follows you slowly (walking pace). You can have up to 2 Magelights active. Dismiss at will.

Thermal Cloak (Rank 2) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 8 Hours Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Warm or cool a small enclosed space (tent, small room, cave alcove) to comfortable temperature. Counteracts natural weather extremes — keeps warm in blizzards, cool in desert heat. Does not affect magical temperature effects.

Forge Breath (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute (sustained) Duration: Sustained (requires concentration) Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Generate sustained forge-level heat from your hands. Hot enough to soften metal for shaping, cauterize wounds, or bake clay. Requires tools and an anvil for actual smithing — you replace the furnace, not the smith. Cannot be directed at creatures.

Floodlight (Rank 3) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: At Will Effect: Create a powerful, persistent light source (30 ft. radius bright, 60 ft. dim). Significantly brighter than Magelight. Can be anchored to a surface or object. You may have 1 Floodlight active in addition to your Magelights.

Deep Freeze (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Chill a room-sized space to near-freezing. Useful for food preservation, cooling a fever, or making a room uncomfortable. Also: freeze up to a barrel of water solid, or melt an equivalent volume of ice. No damage to creatures.

Weather Veil (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Manage local weather in a 30 ft. radius. Stop rain from falling on your group, redirect wind, clear fog, or calm a localized snowstorm. You're shaping existing conditions, not creating new ones. The weather returns to normal when the duration ends.

Climate Control (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 8 Hours Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Heat or cool a building-sized area to a comfortable and stable temperature. A small inn stays warm through a blizzard; a cellar stays cold through summer. Replaces Thermal Cloak at larger scale.

Eternal Flame (Rank 4) Action: 1 Hour Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Create a permanent, magical light source at a location you own or maintain. Equivalent to bright daylight in a 30 ft. radius. Can be toggled on/off by you with a thought when within 100 ft. Useful for workshops, homes, or permanent camps.

Beacon (Rank 5) Action: 1 Hour Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Create a permanent light visible for miles. Used for lighthouses, signal towers, or markers. Can be tuned to a specific color. Toggled by you from any distance.

Hearth Dominion (Rank 5) Action: 1 Hour Duration: Permanent (weekly maintenance) Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Regulate temperature in a large structure (castle hall, warehouse, mine) indefinitely. The interior remains at your chosen temperature regardless of exterior conditions. Requires you to visit the location at least once per week to sustain the effect.

Illusion Cantrips

Tint (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: At Will Effect: Change the color or surface pattern of a small object you touch (your cloak, a coin, a blade). Visual only — texture and material are unchanged. Careful inspection (touching, close study) reveals the illusion.

Flicker (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: A few seconds Usage: At Will Effect: Create a brief visual effect at a point within 10 ft.: a floating spark, a shimmer in the air, a briefly visible symbol, a flash of color. Purely decorative or atmospheric. Gone in moments.

Mimic Voice (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Up to 1 Minute Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Alter your voice to sound like a different person (specific or generic) for up to 1 minute. Only affects your voice — your appearance is unchanged. Listeners who can see you may notice the mismatch.

Glamour (Rank 2) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Alter your clothing and surface appearance. Clean becomes dirty or vice versa. Fine clothes appear common. You look slightly taller, shorter, thinner, or heavier. This is a visual-only cosmetic change — physical contact reveals the truth.

Ghost Sound (Rank 2) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Create a persistent sound at a point within 30 ft.: footsteps, dripping water, a distant conversation, animal calls, creaking wood. The sound is convincing but stationary. You can change the sound once during the duration.

Trinket Mask (Rank 2) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Make a small object appear to be a different small object of similar size: a rock looks like a coin, a stick looks like a wand, a dagger looks like a letter opener. Handling or close inspection reveals the truth.

Persona (Rank 3) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Disguise your full appearance — face, build, height, clothing, voice. You look and sound like a specific individual or a generic type (a guard, a merchant, a noble). Physical contact reveals the illusion. Hostile scrutiny (someone actively trying to see through it) requires an opposed roll — at which point this stops being a cantrip and becomes rolled magic.

Phantom (Rank 3) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Create a stationary, silent, detailed visual illusion up to person-sized at a point within 30 ft. It looks real from a distance — a guard standing post, a closed door where there's an open one, a pile of treasure. A hand passes through it. Does not move, speak, or react.

Vanish Object (Rank 3) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Render a small object you're holding invisible. The object must fit in one hand. It's still physically present (it has weight, it can be felt) but cannot be seen. Dropping or placing the object doesn't end the effect.

Spectacle (Rank 4) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Create a moving, detailed illusion with sound at a point within 60 ft. It can walk, gesture, and speak words you choose in real-time (requires your concentration). It cannot interact physically — touching it breaks the illusion for that creature.

Deep Cover (Rank 4) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 8 Hours Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Maintain a Persona disguise for an extended period. Casual interaction (conversation, passing inspection, buying goods) does not threaten the illusion. Only deliberate, focused investigation forces a roll. Sleeping, taking damage, or being submerged in water ends it.

Fade (Rank 4) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Up to 1 Minute Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Render yourself invisible while standing still. You cannot move, speak, attack, or interact with anything. Any action breaks the invisibility. Useful for hiding in place, eavesdropping, or waiting for a patrol to pass.

Stage (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Create a persistent illusion covering a room-sized area (30 ft. radius). Includes sight, sound, temperature impressions, and faint smells. The illusion is convincing from any distance or angle. Physical interaction reveals the truth. You can update the scene once per hour without recasting.

True Mask (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Indefinite (until dismissed or you sleep) Usage: Once Per Day Effect: A Persona so complete that only magical detection can penetrate it without physical contact. You look, sound, and even smell like the disguised form. The disguise survives casual contact (a handshake, a pat on the back). Only sustained, deliberate physical examination reveals it. Sleeping ends the effect.

Shroud (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Render a small area (10 ft. radius) invisible from the outside. People inside can see out normally. People outside see through the area as if nothing were there. A creature entering the area sees the truth and breaks the effect for themselves only.

Necromancy Cantrips

Preserving Touch (Rank 1) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Week Usage: At Will Effect: Touch a corpse. It will not decompose for the duration, remaining in its current state. Useful for transport, delayed burial, or forensic examination. No effect on undead or living creatures.

Deathmark (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Target Effect: By touching a dead creature, sense the approximate manner of death: violence, poison, disease, magical corruption, old age. You learn the category, not specifics ("killed by a blade" not "murdered by Captain Hask").

Quieting Rite (Rank 2) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Until next Long Rest Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Perform a rite over a site or remains that puts non-hostile restless spirits at ease. A haunted room feels less oppressive. Faint echoes and cold spots fade. This does not banish, control, or harm undead — it comforts lingering impressions. Hostile or powerful undead are unaffected.

Pallor Veil (Rank 2) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: At Will Effect: Suppress the stench, visible decay, and horror of a corpse or non-hostile undead creature. It appears freshly dead (or simply sleeping, at your choice). Useful for transporting remains through populated areas, attending funerals, or preventing panic.

Deathspeaker (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute (concentration) Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Target (one question per corpse per day) Effect: Touch a corpse dead fewer than 7 days. Ask it one yes-or-no question. You receive a faint impression — a feeling of affirmation or denial — from the residual echo of the deceased. The corpse does not animate or speak. The answer is truthful but may be incomplete (the dead know only what they knew in life).

Servant of Bone (Rank 3) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Animate a single corpse for menial labor. It follows one-word commands: carry, dig, hold, pull, stand. It cannot fight, use tools skillfully, or take complex actions. It moves at half walking speed and collapses when the duration ends. Using this cantrip in populated areas may cause panic or legal trouble.

Deeper Questions (Rank 4) Action: 1 Minute (concentration) Duration: Instant Usage: Once Per Target (three questions per corpse per day; corpse must be dead fewer than 30 days) Effect: Touch a corpse and ask up to 3 questions. Answers come as brief phrases ("the tall man with the scar," "under the bridge at midnight," "I didn't see them coming"). Still limited to what the deceased knew in life. Still truthful.

Bone Gang (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Animate up to 2 corpses for menial labor. Same limitations as Servant of Bone but with longer duration and the ability to coordinate simple tasks (carry a stretcher together, dig a trench in relay, stand watch and moan when something approaches). Cannot fight.

Death Dialogue (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes (concentration) Duration: Up to 5 Minutes Usage: Once Per Target (one conversation per spirit per 7 days) Effect: Hold a conversation with the spirit of a dead creature whose remains you possess. The spirit manifests as a faint, translucent echo. It may be reluctant, confused, or hostile, but it cannot lie in response to direct questions. It answers based on what it knew in life and may refuse to answer. The spirit departs when the duration ends and cannot be summoned again for 7 days.

Bone Crew (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 8 Hours Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Animate up to 4 corpses for sustained menial labor. They can dig a trench, row a boat, haul a cart, stand sentry (they moan audibly when living creatures approach within 30 ft.), or perform repetitive physical tasks. Cannot fight, use weapons, or take complex actions. Dissolve at the end of the duration.

Transmutation Cantrips

Prestidigitation (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Instant Usage: At Will Effect: Clean or soil an object you touch. Remove dirt, stains, and rust, or add them. Cosmetic only — doesn't repair damage or restore durability.

Season (Rank 1) Action: Fast Action / Instant Duration: Until consumed Usage: At Will Effect: Change the taste and smell of food or drink. Make spoiled rations palatable, or make fine wine taste like vinegar. Does not affect nutritional value, remove poison, or change the material — only the sensory experience.

Hone (Rank 1) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Until next rest Usage: At Will Effect: Sharpen a blade or tool to a fine edge. The tool cuts, carves, or works more smoothly — a practical improvement for craft and daily use. No mechanical bonus to attack or damage.

Mend (Rank 2) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Permanent Usage: At Will Effect: Repair a minor break or tear in a mundane object: cracked pottery, torn cloth, snapped rope, a broken hinge. The mend is real and permanent but leaves a faint seam or mark. Does not restore equipment durability points. Cannot mend magical items or damage larger than your fist.

Soften (Rank 2) Action: Slow Action / 1 Minute Duration: Up to 10 Minutes Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Soften earth, stone, or similar hard material to clay consistency in a 1 ft. cube area. You can dig, shape, or extract objects embedded in it. The material re-hardens naturally when the duration ends, retaining whatever shape you left it in.

Reface (Rank 2) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: At Will Effect: Temporarily change the color, texture, or surface appearance of a material you touch. Stone looks like wood. Iron feels like silk. Leather appears as velvet. The material's actual properties are unchanged.

Shape (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Reshape a fist-sized amount of material into a simple form. Metal into a key, clay into a figurine, wood into a dowel, stone into a wedge. The material stays the same — you're reshaping, not transmuting. Complex mechanisms (locks, clockwork, moving parts) don't work.

Harden (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Temporarily strengthen a material. Cloth becomes stiff as leather. Wood becomes hard as stone. Rope becomes rigid as iron. The material's weight doesn't change. No armor values or mechanical bonuses — but the practical applications for barricades, splints, and improvised structures are obvious.

Purify (Rank 3) Action: 1 Minute (per bucket-sized quantity) Duration: Permanent Usage: At Will Effect: Remove natural contaminants from water, food, or drink. Removes spoilage, natural toxins, dirt, and non-magical poisons. Does not affect magical poisons, curses, or alchemical substances.

Forge (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Reshape a larger amount of material (up to door-sized) into a functional form. Forge a sword blade from raw iron. Shape a stone block into a staircase. Bend metal bars apart. Seal a crack in a wall. The material must be present — you're shaping it, not conjuring it. Complex mechanisms (functioning locks, clockwork) require a roll.

Restoration (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Rest Effect: Permanently mend a mundane object of any size: a broken wagon wheel, a shattered door, a collapsed shelf, a cracked foundation. The repair is seamless and strong. Does not restore equipment durability points, but makes the object whole and functional again.

Alter Property (Rank 4) Action: 10 Minutes Duration: Up to 1 Hour Usage: Once Per Scene Effect: Temporarily change one physical property of a material you touch. Make metal flexible. Make wood fireproof. Make cloth waterproof. Make stone transparent. One property, one object, one hour. The material returns to normal when the duration ends.

Transmute (Rank 5) Action: 1 Hour Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Convert one common material into another common material in an amount up to a cubic foot. Iron to copper. Stone to wood. Glass to crystal. The change is permanent and real. Rare materials (silver, gold, mithril) and magical materials cannot be created.

Terraform (Rank 5) Action: 10 Minutes (concentration) Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Reshape natural terrain in a 10 ft. square. Raise or lower earth by up to 5 ft. Smooth rough ground. Dig a shallow trench. Create a low mound. The change is permanent and looks natural after a few days of weathering.

Imbue (Rank 5) Action: 1 Hour Duration: Permanent Usage: Once Per Day Effect: Permanently alter one physical property of a mundane object. A sword that never rusts. A cloak that repels water. A rope that cannot be cut by non-magical means. A lantern that never needs fuel. One property per object. The object must be mundane (not already magical). Takes 1 hour of uninterrupted work.

Abjuration

Abjuration is the art of protection, creating barriers between you and harm, warding against threats, and banishing unwanted forces. Abjurers trade offense for resilience, shielding allies and holding lines that others cannot.

Aegis Ward

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one ally
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: The target gains +1 die on Dodge rolls against all attacks for the duration.
• Focus Abilities:

- Resilient Barrier (2 Focus): The target also gains +1 die on Endurance tests for the duration - Absorbing Shield (3 Focus): The first time the target takes damage during this spell, reduce that damage by 2

Corruption: Skin hardens slightly; touch feels distant, numb.

Banish

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: One creature (must be summoned, undead, fiend, or otherworldly)
• Duration: Instant
• Base: The target must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes). On failure, they are forced back to their origin plane or destroyed if summoned.
• Focus Abilities:

- Seal the Way (2 Focus): If you successfully banish the creature, it cannot return to this location for 24 hours - Purging Light (3 Focus): The target suffers -2 dice on their Wisdom test to resist

Corruption: Your voice echoes strangely; silence follows you.

Circle of Protection

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch (then 10 ft. radius from that point)
• Target: 10 ft. radius circle centered on a point you touch
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: Choose one creature type when casting (undead, fiends, fey, etc.). Creatures of that type cannot willingly enter the circle and suffer -2 dice on attacks against targets inside the circle.
• Focus Abilities:

- Sanctified Ground (2 Focus): Allies inside the circle gain +1 die on saves against fear and mind-affecting effects - Burning Boundary (3 Focus): Creatures of the chosen type that start their turn adjacent to the circle take 2 damage

Corruption: A faint silver line traces your steps; ground hardens where you walk.

Counterspell

• Casting Time: Reaction
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: One creature casting a spell
• Duration: Instant
• Base: You attempt to disrupt an enemy's spell as they cast it. Make an opposed test: your Abjuration vs their spell school. If your successes equal or exceed theirs, their spell fails.
• Focus Abilities:

- Spell Theft (3 Focus): If you successfully counter a spell and beat their successes by 2+, you may immediately redirect the spell to a new target of your choice (if applicable) - Backlash (2 Focus): If you successfully counter a spell, the caster takes 2 MP damage

Corruption: Words stick in your throat; speech feels constrained, artificial.

Dispel Magic

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: One creature, object, or magical effect
• Duration: Instant
• Base: End one ongoing magical effect on the target. If the effect was created by a spell of higher rank than your Abjuration, make an opposed test: your roll vs the caster's original roll. You must equal or exceed their successes.
• Focus Abilities:

- Purge Magic (2 Focus): Remove up to 2 magical effects from the target instead of 1 - Antimagic Pulse (3 Focus): All magical effects within 10 ft. of the target are suppressed until the end of your next turn (they resume after)

Corruption: Colors drain slightly from your vision; magic feels wrong, invasive.

Protective Dome

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 20 ft.
• Target: 10 ft. radius dome centered on a point within range
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: A shimmering dome appears. Creatures inside gain light cover against ranged attacks from outside. The dome has HP equal to 2 × your successes and can be attacked and destroyed.
• Focus Abilities:

- Fortified Barrier (2 Focus): The dome provides heavy cover instead of light cover - One-Way Barrier (3 Focus): Allies inside can make ranged attacks out of the dome without penalty

Corruption: Your skin reflects light strangely; you cast no shadow in bright light.

Shield Other

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: One ally
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: You create a mystical bond. Whenever the target takes damage, you may choose to take half that damage (rounded up) instead. The target takes the other half.
• Focus Abilities:

- Shared Resilience (2 Focus): While the bond persists, you and the target both gain +1 die on Endurance tests - Lifeline (3 Focus): If the target would be reduced to 0 HP, you may spend 3 additional Focus to prevent it. You take the damage that would have reduced them to 0 HP, and they remain at 1 HP instead

Corruption: You feel others' pain like phantom wounds; scars appear that aren't yours.

Warding Glyph

• Casting Time: Slow Action (10 minutes outside combat)
• Range: Touch
• Target: One surface (door, floor, object)
• Duration: Until triggered or 24 hours
• Base: You inscribe a magical glyph that triggers when a creature you designate crosses it. When triggered, creatures within 10 ft. take 2 HP force damage and must pass an Endurance test or be Knocked Prone.
• Focus Abilities:

- Selective Ward (2 Focus): Choose up to 3 creatures who can pass the glyph safely without triggering it - Alarm Glyph (1 Focus): The glyph does not deal damage but alerts you telepathically when triggered (range: 1 mile) - Persistent Glyph (3 Focus): The glyph lasts 7 days instead of 24 hours

Corruption: Your fingerprints glow faintly in darkness; surfaces you touch feel marked.

Conjuration

Conjuration is the art of summoning and creation, calling forth creatures and objects from beyond the Veil. Conjurers pull things that should not exist into reality, creating allies, weapons, and obstacles from nothing. The price is connection: what you summon leaves traces, and the boundary between worlds weakens.

Blade of Force

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: Self
• Target: Self
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: A glowing weapon of pure force appears in your hand. It acts as a melee weapon (Base Damage 3, 5 ft. reach, Fast Action to attack). It uses your Conjuration skill for attack rolls. It vanishes when the spell ends or if you drop it.
• Focus Abilities:

- Extended Reach (2 Focus): The blade extends to 10 ft. reach - Forceful Strike (2 Focus): Attacks with the blade gain Armor Pierce 1 - Twin Blades (3 Focus): Create a second blade. You may make a second attack as part of your Slow Action

Corruption: Hands crackle with unstable energy; objects you grasp feel insubstantial.

Conjure Ally

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: One empty space
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: Summon a Small creature from beyond the Veil. It has 5 HP, Speed 30 ft., a Dodge pool of 2 dice, and makes one melee attack per turn (Base Damage 2, using your Conjuration skill for attack rolls). It acts on your turn and obeys your commands. It vanishes when reduced to 0 HP or when the spell ends.
• Focus Abilities:

- Larger Ally (2 Focus): Summon a Medium creature instead (8 HP, Base Damage 3) - Resilient Summon (2 Focus): The creature gains +2 HP and +1 die on Dodge rolls - Twin Summons (4 Focus): Summon two creatures instead of one

Corruption: Whispers in unknown languages; something watches you from the corner of your eye.

Conjure Object

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 10 ft.
• Target: One empty space
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: Create one nonmagical object you can clearly visualize (rope, ladder, simple tool, etc.). The object can be up to 5 ft. in any dimension and must be simple (no complex mechanisms). It's obviously magical (shimmers, feels wrong). It vanishes when the spell ends.
• Focus Abilities:

- Substantial Form (2 Focus): The object is solid enough to support weight (create a bridge, ladder, platform) - Larger Object (2 Focus): Create an object up to 10 ft. in any dimension - Permanent Creation (4 Focus): The object does not vanish and becomes real (only works on objects worth 10 gp or less)

Corruption: Objects you create leave residue; your possessions feel less real, dreamlike.

Dimensional Anchor

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: One creature
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: Spectral chains bind the target to this plane. The target cannot teleport, plane shift, or use similar magical transportation. If they try, the attempt fails.
• Focus Abilities:

- Binding Chains (2 Focus): The target's movement is also reduced by 10 ft. - Planar Lock (3 Focus): If the target is extraplanar (summoned, fiend, etc.), they cannot use any abilities that would send them back to their home plane

Corruption: You feel tethered to places; leaving rooms feels difficult, weighted.

Gate Seal

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: One doorway, window, or opening up to 10 ft. wide
• Duration: 1 hour per success
• Base: The opening becomes impassable. It appears to be a solid wall to anyone trying to pass through (though it can still be seen through if transparent). The seal has HP equal to 3 × your successes and can be attacked and destroyed.
• Focus Abilities:

- Selective Passage (2 Focus): Choose up to 3 creatures who can pass through the seal freely - Alarm Seal (1 Focus): You are alerted telepathically if someone tries to pass through or attacks the seal (range: 1 mile) - Reinforced Gate (3 Focus): The seal cannot be destroyed by nonmagical means

Corruption: Doorways look wrong; you see outlines of places that shouldn't be there.

Summon Swarm

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 10 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: A swarm of biting, stinging creatures (insects, rats, bats, etc.) fills the area. Creatures that start their turn in the area or enter it take 1 HP damage. The area counts as difficult terrain. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Blinding Swarm (2 Focus): Creatures in the area also suffer -1 die on sight-based tests - Expanding Swarm (2 Focus): The radius increases to 20 ft. - Virulent Swarm (3 Focus): Increase damage to 2 HP per turn

Corruption: Small creatures are drawn to you; bugs land on you constantly.

Tentacles from Beyond

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: Black tentacles writhe up from the ground. The area becomes difficult terrain. Any creature that starts their turn in the area or enters it must pass an Athletics or Acrobatics test (Difficulty 2) or become Restrained until the start of their next turn. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Grasping Tentacles (2 Focus): Creatures that fail their test also take 2 damage - Persistent Grasp (2 Focus): Restrained creatures remain Restrained even after their turn ends (they must use an action to escape) - Expanded Field (3 Focus): The radius increases to 30 ft.

Corruption: Your shadow has too many limbs; things move in your peripheral vision.

Web

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere centered on a point
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: Sticky webs fill the area. The area becomes difficult terrain. Creatures that enter the area or start their turn there must pass an Athletics or Acrobatics test (Difficulty 1) or become Restrained until they escape (Slow Action, same test). Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Reinforced Webbing (2 Focus): Increase the difficulty of the test to 2 - Flammable Webs (1 Focus): The webs are highly flammable. Any fire damage in the area burns all the webs away and deals 2 fire damage to all creatures in the area - Anchor Points (3 Focus): You may attach the webs between two surfaces (walls, trees, etc.). Creatures cannot move through the area at all without breaking through (test required)

Corruption: Fine threads trail from your fingers; you leave sticky residue on everything.

Divination

Divination pierces the veil of time and ignorance, revealing what is hidden, seeing what will come, and knowing what should remain secret. Diviners trade clarity for sanity, perceiving truths that fracture the mind and glimpsing futures that may never be.

Augury

• Casting Time: Slow Action (10 minutes)
• Range: Self
• Target: Self
• Duration: Instant
• Base: You glimpse the immediate future regarding a specific course of action you plan to take within the next hour. The GM tells you whether it will result in good, bad, mixed, or uncertain outcomes.
• Focus Abilities:

- Extended Vision (2 Focus): You can ask about an action within the next 24 hours instead of the next hour - Clarifying Vision (3 Focus): The GM provides one additional specific detail about the outcome (a danger, an opportunity, a person involved)

Corruption: Time feels slippery; you sometimes respond to things before they happen.

Clairvoyance

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 1 mile
• Target: A location you are familiar with
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: You create an invisible sensor at the target location. You can see and hear through the sensor as if you were there. The sensor can be detected with an Awareness test (Difficulty 3) but cannot be interacted with.
• Focus Abilities:

- Mobile Sensor (2 Focus): You can move the sensor up to 30 ft. per round - Extended Range (2 Focus): The range increases to 10 miles - Scrying Shield (3 Focus): The sensor cannot be detected by magical means (only physical observation)

Corruption: Your vision occasionally shifts to other places; you see through walls briefly.

Detect Magic

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: Cone emanating from you
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: You sense the presence of magic within the area. You know the location of any magical effects, enchanted items, or actively cast spells. You learn the school of magic (Abjuration, Evocation, etc.) but not specific details. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Identify Magic (2 Focus): You learn one additional fact about each magical effect: its purpose, its caster (if within the last 24 hours), or how to dispel it - Penetrating Sight (2 Focus): The spell can see through up to 1 ft. of stone, 1 inch of metal, or thin barriers - Persistent Detection (3 Focus): The spell lasts 10 minutes per success instead of 1 round per success

Corruption: You see auras around everything; magic looks like infections, spreading.

Foresight

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one ally
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: The target glimpses immediate danger. They gain +2 dice on their next Dodge roll before the spell ends.
• Focus Abilities:

- Perfect Timing (2 Focus): The target may also immediately move up to 10 ft. as a Free Action when they use the bonus (dodging before the blow lands) - Shared Vision (3 Focus): The bonus applies to all Dodge rolls for the duration, not just the first

Corruption: You flinch from attacks that haven't happened yet; shadows move before objects.

Locate Object

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 1,000 ft.
• Target: One object you can clearly visualize
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: You sense the direction and approximate distance to the nearest object matching your description. The spell cannot locate objects behind lead or thick magical wards.
• Focus Abilities:

- Precise Location (2 Focus): You know the exact location, including elevation and obstacles between you and the object - Extended Search (2 Focus): The range increases to 1 mile - Track Object (3 Focus): If the object moves, you continue to sense its location for the duration

Corruption: You feel pulled toward lost things; missing objects haunt your thoughts.

Mind Sight

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: Cone emanating from you
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: You sense the presence of conscious minds within the area. You know the location and number of creatures but not their identity or nature. This bypasses invisibility and physical obstacles (up to 1 ft. of stone). Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Emotional Reading (2 Focus): You sense the dominant emotion of each creature (fear, anger, calm, hostility, etc.) - Extended Range (2 Focus): The range increases to 120 ft. - Thoughtsense (3 Focus): You sense surface thoughts (one sentence or concept per creature)

Corruption: You hear whispers of nearby thoughts constantly; mental privacy feels violated.

Portent

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Self
• Target: Self
• Duration: Scene or 1 hour (whichever comes first)
• Base: You glimpse possible futures. Once before the spell ends, you may replace any die roll made by you or a creature you can see with a d6 roll you make immediately (before seeing the original result). You must use this ability before the spell ends or it's wasted.
• Focus Abilities:

- Favorable Fortune (2 Focus): Roll 2d6 and choose which result to use when you activate this ability - Multiple Portents (3 Focus): You may use this ability twice before the spell ends instead of once - Guided Action (2 Focus): When you use this ability, the target also gains +1 die on their next test

Corruption: Déjà vu becomes constant; you can't tell present from future memory.

True Seeing

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one ally
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: The target sees through illusions, invisibility, and magical darkness. Shapeshifters and creatures using magical disguises appear in their true form. Secret doors and hidden objects become visible.
• Focus Abilities:

- Piercing Gaze (2 Focus): The target can see through up to 1 ft. of solid matter (stone, wood, etc.) - Extended Duration (2 Focus): The spell lasts 10 minutes per success instead of 1 minute per success - Shared Truth (3 Focus): You may target up to 3 creatures instead of 1

Corruption: You see too much truth; reality looks false, constructed, thin.

Enchantment

Enchantment twists emotion and thought, bending minds to your will. Enchanters trade empathy for control, making enemies into friends and turning thoughts into weapons. The price is erosion of self: the boundary between your desires and others' blurs until you can no longer tell which thoughts are your own.

Charm Person

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: One creature that can see and hear you
• Duration: 1 hour per success
• Base: The target must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or become charmed. While charmed, they regard you as a friendly acquaintance and are inclined to help you (but won't risk their life or act against their nature). If you or your allies attack them, the spell ends immediately.
• Focus Abilities:

- Deep Charm (3 Focus): The target regards you as a close friend instead of an acquaintance and will take minor risks to help you - Subtle Charm (2 Focus): The target doesn't realize they were charmed when the spell ends (they think their actions were their own) - Mass Charm (4 Focus): Target up to 3 creatures instead of 1

Corruption: Your smile feels false; people trust you but you can't remember why.

Command

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: One creature that can hear and understand you
• Duration: Instant
• Base: You speak a one-word command (Flee, Drop, Stop, Grovel, Approach, etc.). The target must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or obey the command on their next turn to the best of their ability. The command cannot be directly self-harmful.
• Focus Abilities:

- Compel Action (2 Focus): You may speak a two-word command instead of one word - Mass Command (3 Focus): Target up to 3 creatures within range instead of 1 - Irresistible Command (3 Focus): The target suffers -2 dice on their Wisdom test to resist

Corruption: Your words echo strangely; people obey before you finish speaking.

Fear

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Cone emanating from you
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: All creatures in the cone must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or become Frightened (you are the source). Frightened creatures cannot move closer to you and suffer -1 die on all tests while you are within 90 ft. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Paralyzing Terror (3 Focus): Creatures that fail their test are also Dazed until the end of their next turn - Persistent Dread (2 Focus): The duration increases to 1 minute per success - Nightmare Vision (3 Focus): Creatures that fail their test see a personal terror; they must move away from you at maximum speed on their next turn

Corruption: People flinch when you approach; animals flee; children cry when you smile.

Hold Person

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: One humanoid creature
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: The target must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or become Stunned (cannot act, drops held items, attackers gain +2 dice). At the end of each of their turns, they may attempt the test again to break free.
• Focus Abilities:

- Iron Mind (2 Focus): The target suffers -1 die on their tests to break free - Extended Hold (2 Focus): The duration increases to 1 minute per success (they still test each turn) - Mass Hold (4 Focus): Target up to 3 humanoids instead of 1

Corruption: Your gestures freeze people momentarily; they lock up when you point.

Mental Fortress

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one ally
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: The target's mind is shielded. They gain +2 dice on tests to resist mind-affecting effects (charm, fear, possession, compulsion, etc.).
• Focus Abilities:

- Reflective Mind (3 Focus): If the target successfully resists a mind-affecting spell, the caster takes 2 MP damage - Group Protection (3 Focus): You may target up to 3 creatures within 10 ft. instead of 1 - Extended Fortress (2 Focus): The duration increases to 1 hour per success

Corruption: Your thoughts echo inside your skull; internal voices multiply, argue.

Sleep

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: 1 minute per success (until damaged or shaken awake)
• Base: Creatures in the area must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or fall Unconscious. Creatures are affected in order from weakest to strongest (GM determines). Magical sleep ends immediately if the creature takes any damage. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Deep Sleep (2 Focus): Affected creatures require a Slow Action and a Strength test to wake (shaking them violently) - Selective Sleep (2 Focus): You may choose up to 3 creatures in the area to be immune to the effect - Extended Slumber (3 Focus): The duration increases to 10 minutes per success

Corruption: You drift off mid-sentence; reality and dreams blur together.

Suggestion

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: One creature that can hear and understand you
• Duration: 1 hour per success
• Base: You suggest a course of action (one or two sentences). The target must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or follow the suggestion to the best of their ability. The suggestion must sound reasonable and cannot be obviously harmful to the target.
• Focus Abilities:

- Compel Task (2 Focus): The suggestion can be more complex (up to 1 minute of instructions) - Lasting Suggestion (3 Focus): The duration increases to 24 hours per success - Mass Suggestion (4 Focus): Target up to 3 creatures instead of 1 (same suggestion for all)

Corruption: You catch yourself saying things you don't remember thinking; whose thoughts are these?

Telepathic Bond

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self and up to 3 willing creatures you touch
• Duration: 1 hour per success
• Base: You and the targets can communicate telepathically with each other regardless of distance (as long as you're on the same plane). You can share simple concepts, words, and images but not complex ideas or full sensory experiences.
• Focus Abilities:

- Shared Senses (3 Focus): You can see and hear through the senses of any bonded creature as if you were in their position - Extended Bond (2 Focus): The spell lasts 8 hours per success instead of 1 hour per success - Mental Coordination (2 Focus): Bonded creatures gain +1 die on coordinated actions when working together (GM's discretion)

Corruption: Thoughts leak between minds; you hear conversations that aren't happening.

Evocation

Evocation channels raw elemental force into immediate effects — bursts, beams, cones, and pounding shockwaves. It excels at straight damage, terrain hazards, and big battlefield moments. Evokers trade safety for spectacle: extra successes scale damage, and corruption tempts when you overreach.

Scorching Arc

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 20 ft.
• Target: Cone emanating from you
• Duration: Instant
• Base: Deal 1 HP fire damage to all creatures in the cone. Each extra success adds +1 damage to all targets in the cone. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Ignite (2 Focus): Flammable terrain/objects in the cone ignite - Smoke Bank (3 Focus): The area fills with smoke; creatures suffer -1 die on sight-based actions for a number of rounds equal to your total successes

Corruption: Skin radiates faint heat; ember-glow breath for about an hour.

Lightning Bolt

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 90 ft.
• Target: Line emanating from you
• Duration: Instant
• Base: A razor beam deals 2 HP lightning damage to all creatures in the line. Each extra success adds +1 damage to all creatures in the line. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Chain Lightning (2 Focus): The bolt can jump to one additional target within 20 ft. of the line, dealing 1 damage - Stunning Strike (3 Focus): All targets that took damage are Dazed until the end of their next turn

Corruption: Hair stands on end; fingertips spark and smell of ozone.

Frost Shackles

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 10 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: Cold binds the target's ankles. The target's Speed is halved and they treat all ground as Difficult Terrain.
• Focus Abilities:

- Brittle Ice (2 Focus): If the target moves during the duration, they take 2 HP cold damage - Lock Down (3 Focus): The target becomes Restrained until the start of your next turn

Corruption: Breath steams constantly; fingertips frostbite-white for an hour.

Fireball

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 90 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: Instant
• Base: Flames explode in the area, dealing 2 HP fire damage to all creatures inside. Each extra success adds +1 damage to all targets. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Expanding Blast (2 Focus): The radius increases to 30 ft. - Persistent Flames (3 Focus): The area continues to burn for 1 round per success. Creatures starting their turn in the area take 1 fire damage

Corruption: Flecks of ember drift from your hair in the dark.

Wall of Flame

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 30 ft. line, 5 ft. thick (you can bend it in 5 ft. steps)
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: Creatures starting their turn adjacent to or inside the wall take 1 fire damage (once per round). Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Feed the Blaze (2 Focus): Increase damage to 2 fire damage - Flaring Curtain (3 Focus): Increase length to 40 ft. and the wall sheds bright light (20 ft.)

Corruption: Your shadow flickers like flame.

Thunder Wave

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 20 ft.
• Target: Cone emanating from you
• Duration: Instant
• Base: A shock of thunder and force Shoves all creatures in the cone 10 ft. away from you. Creatures must pass an Endurance test (Difficulty 2) or become Deafened until the end of their next turn. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Knockdown (2 Focus): Creatures Shoved into obstacles take 1 damage and are Knocked Prone - Stunning Blast (3 Focus): Instead of Deafened, creatures that fail their test become Dazed until the end of their next turn

Corruption: A constant faint breeze circles you; clothing ripples without wind.

Ice Storm

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: Instant
• Base: Hail and ice slam down in the area, dealing 2 HP cold damage to all creatures. The area becomes Difficult Terrain for 1 minute. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Freezing Ground (2 Focus): Creatures in the area when the spell is cast must pass an Acrobatics test (Difficulty 2) or fall Prone - Extended Storm (2 Focus): The radius increases to 30 ft. - Lingering Cold (3 Focus): Creatures that start their turn in the area during the next round take 1 cold damage

Corruption: Your breath frosts; ice crystals form on your eyelashes.

Sunburst

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 90 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: Instant
• Base: Brilliant radiance erupts, dealing 3 HP radiant damage to all creatures in the area. Undead and creatures vulnerable to sunlight suffer an additional 1 damage. Overwhelm. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Blinding Flash (3 Focus): All creatures in the area must pass an Endurance test (Difficulty 2) or become Blinded until the end of their next turn - Purifying Light (2 Focus): Allies in the area clear one condition (Shaken, Dazed, or Frightened)

Corruption: Eyes glow briefly, leaving afterimages; skin sheds faint light.

Illusion

Illusion hijacks awareness — mirrors, doubles, silence veils, displacement, and vanishing acts. It controls flow and positioning through misdirection rather than force, imposing penalties, baiting reactions, and opening safe lanes for allies. The best illusions set stakes: avoid, delay, divide, and make enemies waste their turns.

Disguise Self

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Self
• Target: Self
• Duration: 1 hour per success
• Base: You make yourself look different (different person, clothing, size within reason, etc.). The illusion doesn't hold up to physical inspection but fools sight. Creatures can make an Insight test (Difficulty = your successes) if they have reason to be suspicious.
• Focus Abilities:

- Perfect Mimicry (2 Focus): You can mimic a specific person you've seen. Gain +2 dice on Deception tests to impersonate them - Extended Disguise (2 Focus): The duration increases to 8 hours per success - Convincing Details (3 Focus): The illusion includes sound (voice) and smell

Corruption: Your reflection sometimes blinks when you don't; mirrors show wrong faces.

Displacement

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: 1 ally or self
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: The target appears slightly offset. Attacks against them suffer -1 die.
• Focus Abilities:

- Blur (2 Focus): Attacks instead suffer -2 dice - Dazzle (3 Focus): An attacker that misses must succeed on an Endurance test (Difficulty 2) or become Shaken until the end of their next turn

Corruption: Your outline lags a fraction of a second behind you.

Invisibility

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one creature
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: The target becomes invisible. They cannot be seen and gain +3 dice on Stealth tests. The spell ends if the target attacks or casts a spell.
• Focus Abilities:

- Greater Invisibility (4 Focus): The spell doesn't end when the target attacks or casts spells - Extended Duration (2 Focus): The spell lasts 10 minutes per success - Silent Movement (2 Focus): The target also makes no sound while invisible

Corruption: You fade slightly even when visible; people look through you.

Mirror Image

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: Self
• Target: Self
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: Create two duplicates of yourself. When an attacker targets you, they roll 1d6: on 5+, they hit you; otherwise they hit a duplicate (destroying it). When both duplicates are destroyed, the spell ends.
• Focus Abilities:

- Shimmer Step (2 Focus): When a duplicate is destroyed, you may teleport up to 30 ft. - Hall of Mirrors (3 Focus): When the last duplicate is destroyed, create 3 more duplicates

Corruption: Your reflection sometimes blinks when you don't; shadows multiply.

Phantasmal Force

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: One creature
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: You create an illusion in the target's mind (an object, creature, or effect no larger than a 10 ft. cube). Only the target can see it. They must pass an Insight test (Difficulty = your successes) to recognize it as an illusion. Until they do, they treat it as real and can take damage from it (1 HP per round if appropriate).
• Focus Abilities:

- Persistent Illusion (2 Focus): The target suffers -1 die on their Insight test to disbelieve - Harmful Illusion (3 Focus): If the illusion would reasonably cause harm (fire, falling, a monster), increase damage to 2 HP per round - Shared Nightmare (4 Focus): Target up to 2 creatures instead of 1 (each sees their own illusion)

Corruption: You see things that aren't there; reality feels constructed, false.

Silence

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere centered on a point or object
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: No sound can be created or pass through the area. Creatures inside are Deafened. Spells requiring verbal components cannot be cast. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Mobile Silence (2 Focus): If you center the spell on an object, the silence moves with that object - Selective Silence (3 Focus): Choose up to 3 creatures who can hear normally within the silence - Extended Area (2 Focus): The radius increases to 30 ft.

Corruption: Sounds fade around you; the world feels muffled, distant.

Nightmare Flicker

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: Conjure a personal terror that only the target can see. The target becomes Shaken.
• Focus Abilities:

- Grasp of Fear (2 Focus): Target also drops one held item of your choice - Grip of Dread (3 Focus): Target must pass an Endurance test (Difficulty 2) or become Dazed instead of Shaken

Corruption: Your own nightmares whisper at the edge of hearing.

Hallucinatory Terrain

• Casting Time: Slow Action (10 minutes)
• Range: 300 ft.
• Target: 150 ft. cube
• Duration: 24 hours
• Base: You make natural terrain look, sound, and smell like a different type of natural terrain (make a forest look like a grassland, a road look like a swamp, etc.). The illusion doesn't change the physical properties — a cliff still has a cliff, but it might look like a gentle slope. Creatures can make an Investigation test (Difficulty = your successes) to recognize the illusion. Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Convincing Details (2 Focus): Increase the Investigation difficulty by 1 - Hidden Hazards (3 Focus): You can conceal one hazard (pit, cliff, dangerous terrain) within the illusion. Creatures that don't see through the illusion walk into it - Extended Duration (3 Focus): The spell lasts 7 days instead of 24 hours

Corruption: Natural places look wrong to you; you can't trust what you see outdoors.

Necromancy

Necromancy is the art of death, decay, and the soul. Necromancers draw power from the boundary between life and death, commanding undead, draining vitality, and manipulating the energies of decay. The price is coldness: body and spirit grow pallid, detached from warmth and life.

Animate Dead

• Casting Time: Slow Action (10 minutes)
• Range: Touch
• Target: One humanoid corpse or pile of bones
• Duration: 24 hours
• Base: Raise one skeleton or zombie under your command. It has 5 HP, a Dodge pool of 2 dice, Speed 25 ft., and makes one melee attack per turn (Base Damage 2, using your Necromancy skill). It obeys your mental commands and acts on your turn. When the spell ends, it collapses.
• Focus Abilities:

- Resilient Undead (2 Focus): The undead gains +3 HP and +1 die on Dodge rolls - Extended Duration (2 Focus): The spell lasts 7 days instead of 24 hours - Multiple Servants (4 Focus): Raise 2 undead instead of 1

Corruption: Your skin pales; breath becomes visible mist; touch grows unnaturally cold.

Blight

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature or plant
• Duration: Instant
• Base: Necromantic energy withers the target, dealing 3 HP necrotic damage. Plants take double damage.
• Focus Abilities:

- Spreading Decay (3 Focus): If the target dies from this spell, the decay spreads to one adjacent creature within 5 ft., dealing 2 HP necrotic damage - Weakening Touch (2 Focus): Target suffers -1 die on Strength-based tests until the end of their next turn

Corruption: Plants wither when you touch them; food spoils in your presence.

Chill Touch

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: Instant
• Base: A skeletal hand reaches out and drains vitality, dealing 2 HP necrotic damage. The target cannot regain HP until the start of your next turn.
• Focus Abilities:

- Grasping Hand (2 Focus): The target also suffers -5 ft. Speed until the start of your next turn - Undead Bane (2 Focus): If the target is undead, they also suffer -1 die on all attack rolls until the start of your next turn

Corruption: Your hands look skeletal in certain light; veins show dark beneath skin.

Death Ward

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one creature
• Duration: 8 hours
• Base: The target is protected from death. The first time they would be reduced to 0 HP during the duration, they are instead reduced to 1 HP and the spell ends.
• Focus Abilities:

- Lingering Protection (3 Focus): The spell doesn't end when triggered. It can trigger twice before ending - Revival Surge (2 Focus): When the spell triggers, the target also regains 1d6 HP

Corruption: You sense when others are close to death; their life force dims in your sight.

Finger of Death

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: Instant
• Base: You send negative energy coursing through the target, dealing 4 HP necrotic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 HP, they die immediately and rise as a zombie under your control at the start of your next turn (lasts until destroyed). Overwhelm.
• Focus Abilities:

- Searing Death (3 Focus): Increase damage to 5 HP - Lingering Weakness (2 Focus): If the target survives, they suffer -2 dice on all tests until they complete a Long Rest

Corruption: Your pointing finger grows cold and black-tipped; death marks you.

Life Drain

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: Instant
• Base: You drain the target's life force, dealing 2 HP necrotic damage. You regain HP equal to half the damage dealt (rounded up).
• Focus Abilities:

- Efficient Drain (3 Focus): You regain HP equal to the full damage dealt instead of half - Weakening Drain (2 Focus): Target also suffers -1 die on their next attack roll

Corruption: You crave the warmth of the living; food and drink provide no sustenance.

Ray of Enfeeblement

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: A black beam saps the target's strength. They deal half damage (rounded down) with Strength-based attacks for the duration.
• Focus Abilities:

- Total Weakness (3 Focus): Target also suffers -2 dice on Strength-based tests - Extended Weakness (2 Focus): Duration increases to 10 minutes per success - Crippling Ray (3 Focus): Target's Speed is also reduced by 10 ft.

Corruption: Your own muscles ache constantly; strength feels borrowed, temporary.

Speak with Dead

• Casting Time: Slow Action (10 minutes)
• Range: Touch
• Target: One corpse
• Duration: 10 minutes
• Base: You grant the semblance of life to a corpse, allowing it to answer questions. The corpse can answer up to 3 questions (one per success, maximum 3). It speaks in the languages it knew in life and answers based on its knowledge when alive. The corpse isn't compelled to be truthful.
• Focus Abilities:

- Extended Conversation (2 Focus): The corpse can answer up to 5 questions instead of 3 - Compel Truth (3 Focus): The corpse must answer truthfully to the best of its knowledge - Recent Death (2 Focus): You can question a corpse that has been dead for up to 30 days instead of the normal 10 days

Corruption: You hear whispers from corpses even without casting; the dead want to speak.

Transmutation

Transmutation is the art of alteration, changing matter and form. Transmuters reshape flesh, stone, and metal, enhancing allies, weakening enemies, and bending reality's rules. The price is flux: your own form becomes unstable, mutable, uncertain.

Alter Self

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Self
• Target: Self
• Duration: 10 minutes per success
• Base: You alter your physical form. Choose one: grow natural weapons (+1 damage to unarmed attacks), adapt to water (swim speed 30 ft., breathe underwater), or change your appearance (similar to Disguise Self but physical).
• Focus Abilities:

- Multiple Adaptations (3 Focus): Gain two benefits instead of one - Extended Transformation (2 Focus): Duration increases to 1 hour per success - Enhanced Weapons (2 Focus): If you chose natural weapons, increase bonus to +2 damage

Corruption: Your features shift slightly when emotional; mirrors show wrong proportions.

Enlarge/Reduce

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: 1 minute per success
• Base: The target doubles or halves in size (your choice). Enlarge: Target gains +1 damage on attacks and +1 die on Strength tests but -1 die on Dexterity tests. Reduce: Target suffers -1 damage on attacks and -1 die on Strength tests but gains +1 die on Dexterity and Stealth tests.
• Focus Abilities:

- Greater Change (2 Focus): Increase all bonuses and penalties by 1 (so Enlarge gives +2 damage, etc.) - Extended Duration (2 Focus): Duration increases to 10 minutes per success - Mass Transmutation (4 Focus): Target up to 3 willing creatures instead of 1

Corruption: Your size feels wrong; you bump into things that should be farther away.

Flesh to Stone

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: Permanent (until dispelled or reversed)
• Base: The target must pass an Endurance test (Difficulty = your successes) or be Restrained as their flesh begins turning to stone. At the end of their next turn, they must repeat the test or become Petrified (completely turned to stone, Unconscious, immune to damage but can be shattered if broken). Success ends the effect.
• Focus Abilities:

- Rapid Petrification (3 Focus): The target makes only one test instead of two (they're immediately Petrified on failure) - Stone to Flesh (2 Focus): You can instead reverse petrification on a target, restoring them to flesh - Brittle Stone (3 Focus): The petrified target is fragile; they have 10 HP and can be destroyed

Corruption: Your skin hardens in patches; joints creak and resist movement.

Haste

• Casting Time: Fast Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: The target gains +1 additional Fast Action on their turn. Their Speed increases by 10 ft. They gain +1 die on Dexterity-based tests.
• Focus Abilities:

- Extended Haste (2 Focus): Duration increases to 1 minute per success - Group Haste (4 Focus): Target up to 3 creatures instead of 1 - Blur of Motion (3 Focus): Targets also gain +1 die on Dodge rolls (hard to track their movements)

Corruption: You move in jerks and twitches; time feels elastic, inconsistent.

Polymorph

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 30 ft.
• Target: Single creature
• Duration: 1 hour per success (or until target reaches 0 HP)
• Base: Transform the target into a beast (GM's approval required for form). The target gains the beast's physical stats (HP, Speed, attacks, senses) but retains their mind. If reduced to 0 HP in beast form, they revert to normal form with their original HP. Unwilling targets can resist with a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes).
• Focus Abilities:

- True Polymorph (4 Focus): The transformation is permanent until dispelled - Enhanced Form (3 Focus): The beast form gains +3 HP and +1 die on attack rolls - Maintain Mind (2 Focus): The target can also cast spells while polymorphed (if they could before)

Corruption: Your shape feels temporary, borrowed; you forget what your true form looks like.

Slow

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Target: 20 ft. radius sphere
• Duration: 1 round per success
• Base: Creatures in the area must pass a Wisdom test (Difficulty = your successes) or become Slowed: their Speed is halved, they suffer -2 dice on Dexterity tests and attack rolls, and they can only take 1 Fast Action OR their Slow Action on their turn (not both). Cannot be blocked with shields.
• Focus Abilities:

- Persistent Slow (2 Focus): Affected creatures must repeat the test at the end of each of their turns to break free - Extended Duration (2 Focus): Duration increases to 1 minute per success - Crushing Lethargy (3 Focus): Affected creatures also cannot take Reactions

Corruption: You sometimes freeze mid-motion; moving feels like pushing through water.

Stoneskin

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: Self or one creature
• Duration: 1 hour per success
• Base: The target's skin becomes hard as stone. They gain +2 dice on Dodge rolls for the duration. The spell ends if the target takes 10+ damage from a single source (the stone cracks and falls away).
• Focus Abilities:

- Reinforced Stone (3 Focus): The spell ends only if the target takes 20+ damage from a single source - Extended Duration (2 Focus): Duration increases to 8 hours per success - Reactive Stone (3 Focus): When the spell ends from taking damage, the attacker takes 2 HP damage (stone shards explode outward)

Corruption: Your skin grays; you weigh more than you should; you feel heavy, sluggish.

Stone Shape

• Casting Time: Slow Action
• Range: Touch
• Target: One stone object or surface (up to 5 ft. cube per success)
• Duration: Permanent
• Base: You reshape stone as if it were clay. You can create passages, seal doors, shape handholds in walls, create simple shapes (furniture, tools, weapons), or otherwise mold stone to your will.
• Focus Abilities:

- Fine Detail (2 Focus): You can create intricate details (statues, complex mechanisms, hidden compartments) - Structural Integrity (2 Focus): The shaped stone is as strong as natural stone and can bear weight (create bridges, pillars, etc.) - Animated Stone (4 Focus): The shaped stone can move on command (create a stone door that slides open, stairs that lower, etc.)

Corruption: Stone responds to your touch even without magic; you leave handprints in rock.

Equipment & Gear

Currency

The Middle Lands commonly use three types of coins:

• 1 gold piece (gp) = 10 silver pieces (sp)
• 1 silver piece (sp) = 10 copper pieces (cp)

Most prices are listed in gold pieces for simplicity. You can convert freely:

• 1 sp = 0.1 gp
• 1 cp = 0.01 gp

Weapons

Weapon Properties

Every weapon has the following properties:

• Base Damage: The damage dealt on a successful hit (before adding extra successes)
• Hands: Whether the weapon requires one hand or two hands (some can be used either way)
• Reach: How far you can attack (5 ft. = melee range, 10 ft. = extended reach)
• Action Type: Whether attacking requires a Fast Action or Slow Action
• Gear Bonus: Bonus dice added to your attack pool
• Durability: How much wear the weapon can take before breaking
• Technique: A unique maneuver that defines how the weapon fights
• Price: Cost in gold pieces

Weapon Techniques

Each weapon has a signature technique representing how that weapon is meant to be used.

When you hit with this weapon, you may spend 2 Focus to activate its technique.

Techniques give each weapon a tactical identity. The right weapon for the job can turn a hard fight into a manageable one.

Armor Pierce (Weapons)

Some techniques and weapons have Armor Pierce X. This represents attacks that find gaps in protection or punch through with concentrated force.

> Armor Pierce X: If the target uses Armor to defend, X damage automatically bypasses armor and is dealt directly to HP. The target may still reduce any remaining damage with their armor as normal. If the target uses Dodge instead, they roll against the full damage — Armor Pierce has no effect.

Example: A dagger with Armor Pierce 2 deals 5 total damage.

• Target uses Heavy Armor (Soak 3): 2 damage punches through automatically. The remaining 3 damage is absorbed by armor. Result: 2 HP lost, armor takes no durability loss.
• Target uses Dodge (6 dice): They roll against all 5 damage. They might reduce it to 0, or they might take all 5. Armor Pierce doesn't apply — it's all or nothing.

Armor Pierce creates a tactical choice for defenders: accept guaranteed chip damage through your armor, or gamble on your reflexes.

Note: Some spells also have "Armor Pierce" but it works differently — see Section X: Magic for full details.

Melee Weapons

Special Properties:

• Overwhelm: Greatsword and Maul attacks are Overwhelming (base damage 5+). When a shield blocks an Overwhelming attack, it loses durability equal to the damage in excess of the shield's Soak (instead of blocking completely if damage ≤ Soak).
• **Braced ():* Halberd and Pike gain +1 Gear Bonus when you didn't move on your turn (braced weapon = +2 total gear bonus).
• Thrown: Dagger, Hand Axe, and Javelin can be thrown. Their thrown ranges are listed in parentheses in the table above. Dagger and Hand Axe can be thrown as a Fast Action. After throwing, the weapon lands near the target (GM determines exact location for recovery). Javelin deals +1 damage when thrown — the javelin is meant to be hurled, not held.

Melee Weapon Techniques

Each weapon has one signature technique. When you hit with this weapon, you may spend 2 Focus to activate its technique.

Anti-Armor Weapons

Best against heavily armored foes. Forces them to choose between guaranteed damage or risky dodges.

Dagger - Find the Gap

• Armor Pierce 2. Your blade slips between plates and into flesh.

Mace - Crushing Blow

• Armor Pierce 1, and the target suffers -1 die on their next action. The impact rattles through steel and bone.

Rapier - Precise Thrust

• Armor Pierce 1. If you moved before this attack, Armor Pierce 2 instead. Motion and precision find the seam.

Warhammer - Crack Plate

• Armor Pierce 1. If the target's armor absorbs 0 damage from this attack (after Armor Pierce), their armor loses 1 additional Durability. Concentrated force breaks what it cannot pierce.

Anti-Shield Weapons

Best against shield-users. Punishes or bypasses their block.

Battle Axe - Hook Shield

• If the target uses Shield Block against this attack, their shield loses +1 additional Durability (in addition to normal durability loss). The axe's beard catches and tears.

Flail - Wrap Around

• This attack cannot be Shield Blocked. The chain whips past the guard.

Maul - Shatter

• If the target uses Shield Block against this attack, their shield loses +2 additional Durability (in addition to normal durability loss). Raw force splinters wood and dents steel.

Control Weapons

Best for dictating positioning. Keeps enemies where you want them.

Spear - Keep at Bay

• The target cannot move closer to you until the end of their next turn. The threatening point controls the space between you.

Pike - Hedge of Points

• The target cannot move closer to you until the end of their next turn, and they cannot take Reactions until the end of their next turn. A wall of steel holds the line.

Halberd - Hook and Drag

• Pull the target up to 10 ft. toward you. If this moves them from outside your reach to within your reach, they fall Prone. The hook catches armor, limb, or neck.

Quarterstaff - Sweep

• The target falls Prone. A swift rotation takes the legs out.

Mobility Weapons

Best for staying mobile. Hit and reposition.

Shortsword - Slip Past

• Move up to 10 ft. immediately after the attack. This movement doesn't provoke reactions. Quick blade, quick feet.

Hand Axe - Hewing Step

• Shove the target 5 ft., then you may move up to 5 ft. yourself. Aggressive pressure keeps you in control.

Defensive Weapons

Best for cautious fighters. Attack without leaving yourself open.

Longsword - Bind

• Gain +1 die on your next defense roll before the start of your next turn. The guard and blade together cover your line.

Arming Sword - Pommel Strike

• The target suffers -1 die on their next attack against you before the end of their next turn. A sharp crack to the helm buys you a moment.

Debuff Weapons

Best for setting up allies or weakening dangerous foes.

Club - Rattle

• The target suffers -1 die on all tests until the end of their next turn. A bell-ringer that leaves them reeling.

Greatsword - Break Guard

• Disarm the target. The weapon flies from their grip and lands 10 ft. away. Massive leverage tears the weapon free.

Ranged Weapons

Special Properties:

• **Braced ():* Ranged weapons marked with * gain +1 Gear Bonus when you didn't move on your turn.
• Ammunition: Ranged weapons require ammunition (arrows, bolts, stones). See Ammunition section below for tracking.
• Overwhelm: Heavy Crossbow (base damage 5) is Overwhelming. When a shield blocks an Overwhelming attack, it loses durability equal to damage in excess of Soak.

Ranged Weapon Techniques

Each ranged weapon has one signature technique. When you hit with this weapon, you may spend 2 Focus to activate its technique.

Heavy Crossbow - Penetrate

• Armor Pierce 2. The windlass-drawn bolt punches through plate.

Light Crossbow - Snap Shot

• Ignore light cover penalties on this attack (-1 die negated). A quick, accurate shot threads the gap.

Longbow - Precision

• Ignore all cover penalties (light and heavy) on this attack. The archer's eye finds the target through any obstacle.

Shortbow - Parthian Shot

• If you moved before this attack, gain +1 die on the attack roll. Born for mobile archery.

Sling - Daze

• The target suffers -1 die on their next action before the end of their next turn. A stone to the head leaves them seeing stars.

Ammunition

Ranged weapons require ammunition to function. Track ammunition using one of these methods:

Method 1: Simplified (Recommended)

• You have enough ammunition for the session unless you're in unusual circumstances (siege, long expedition without resupply)
• After a combat, you can recover half your spent ammunition (rounded down) by spending 5 minutes searching
• Ammunition costs: 1 gp per 20 arrows/bolts, 1 sp per 20 sling stones

Method 2: Detailed Tracking

• Track each shot individually
• After combat, roll a d6 for each shot you fired:

- 4-6: Arrow/bolt is recoverable - 1-3: Arrow/bolt is destroyed or lost

• Sling stones are not recoverable (they break or are lost)

Spellcasting Implements

Magical implements add bonus dice to spellcasting tests and provide unique techniques for shaping magic.

Implement Techniques

Each implement has one signature technique. When you cast a spell using this implement, you may spend 2 Focus to activate its technique. Declare the technique before rolling — its effect resolves after the spell lands.

Exception: Fine Control must be declared before targeting, as it affects which creatures are immune to the spell.

Apprentice Wand - Fine Control

• (Declare before targeting) Choose one creature within the affected area of your spell to be immune to its effects and damage. Precision over power.

Channeling Staff - Anchored Pattern

• If the spell has a duration longer than Instant, it gains +2 rounds of duration (or +1 minute for spells measured in minutes). The staff grounds and stabilizes the magic.

Focus Crystal - Resonant Strike

• If the spell deals damage to one or more targets, increase damage dealt to one target by +2. The crystal amplifies destructive force.

Holy Symbol - Merciful Light

• When you cast a healing or protection spell, one affected target may immediately clear one condition (Shaken, Fatigued, or similar — GM's discretion). Divine grace soothes body and spirit.

Shields

Shields are active protection. You choose when to interpose them, and they can absorb tremendous punishment, but they degrade with use.

Using Shield Block (Reaction)

When you're hit by an attack and have a shield equipped, you may spend your Reaction to Block. Compare the incoming damage to your shield's Soak:

Damage ≤ Soak: The attack is fully blocked. Your shield takes no durability loss.

Damage > Soak: Your shield absorbs damage equal to its Soak. The shield loses durability equal to the excess damage (damage minus Soak). The excess damage continues to your next layer of defense (Armor or Dodge).

Durability reaches 0: The shield is destroyed. It still absorbs its Soak from this final block, but shatters in the process.

Shield Table

Shield Durability Examples

A Round Shield (Soak 3, Durability 4) blocking various attacks:

You can block weak attacks indefinitely. Heavy blows chip away at your shield. Massive hits can shatter it in one strike.

Design Note: Shields create a "durability cliff" by design — they're either invincible against weak hits or vulnerable to strong hits. This makes shield choice tactical: bucklers handle most strikes but shatter against great weapons; tower shields endure punishment but slow you down.

Armor

Armor is passive, reliable protection. It doesn't require a Reaction and degrades slowly over time.

Using Armor

After resolving Shield Block (if any), you may choose Armor as your defense. Compare the remaining damage to your armor's Soak:

Damage ≤ Soak: Fully absorbed. No durability loss. No HP loss.

Damage > Soak: Your armor absorbs damage equal to its Soak and loses 1 durability (flat rate, regardless of excess). The excess damage goes to HP.

Durability reaches 0: Armor is broken and provides no protection until repaired.

Armor Table

Why Armor Works Differently Than Shields

Shields take proportional durability damage because you actively catch the full force of a blow. Armor takes flat durability damage because hits are distributed — denting, scratching, and wearing down over time rather than cratering from single impacts.

Shields are dramatic. They can shatter from one massive hit. Armor is dependable. It degrades predictably across an adventuring day.

Repairing Armor

Armor can be repaired during a Short Rest or with proper tools:

• During Short Rest: A character with appropriate tools (smith's tools, leatherworker's tools) can restore 1 durability to one piece of armor
• Professional Repair: An armorer can fully restore armor for 10% of the armor's base cost per durability point restored

Armor Pierce (Detailed)

Some attacks are designed to defeat armor — finding gaps, concentrating force, or punching through with sheer power.

> Armor Pierce X: If the target uses Armor to defend, X damage automatically bypasses armor and is dealt directly to HP. The remaining damage is then reduced by Armor as normal. If the target uses Dodge instead, they roll against the full damage — Armor Pierce has no effect.

Armor Pierce Examples

Dagger with Armor Pierce 2 deals 5 total damage:

Mace with Armor Pierce 1 deals 6 total damage:

Why Armor Pierce Matters

Armor Pierce creates a tactical choice for defenders:

• Trust your armor: Accept guaranteed chip damage, but the rest is reliably absorbed
• Trust your reflexes: Gamble on Dodge to avoid everything — or take the full hit

Against enemies with AP weapons, heavy armor isn't useless — it still absorbs most of the damage. But you will get hurt. The dagger finds the gap. The mace dents the helm. That's what those weapons do.

Choosing the Right Weapon

|Need raw damage output|Greatsword, Maul, Heavy Crossbow (Overwhelm weapons)|#

Combat

Steel rings, spells crackle, and boots churn the dirt. Fights in the Middle Lands are fast and intentional: you line up a strike, decide whether to push your luck, and spend the successes you earn to hurt harder or twist the fiction. Knock someone down, shove them through a doorway, pin a blade, or rip a shield wide open. Shields can save your skin, but they don't stop every trick. Armor turns near-misses into bruises. Big, crushing blows chew through defenses.

When Combat Starts

Combat begins when the stakes become violent and action order matters. The GM frames the scene, establishes positions, and determines if anyone achieved surprise.

If surprise is unclear: The GM may call for opposed Awareness or Stealth tests to determine if one side catches the other off-guard.

Initiative: The Popcorn System

Combat is resolved in rounds. A round ends when every participant has acted once. Within a round, characters act using the Popcorn Initiative system.

How Popcorn Initiative Works

Instead of rolling for initiative, the sequence of action is determined by a chain reaction:

1. Determine the Starting Side:

• Surprise Round: If one side achieved surprise, that side starts
• Ambiguous Start: If neither side has surprise (standoff, sudden melee), the player side begins
• Intentional Start: If a scene immediately turns violent through the actions of a character, that character acts first

2. The Popcorn Chain:

1. A character takes their full turn (see Turn Structure below)
2. At the end of their turn, they nominate one character on the opposing side to act next
3. That character takes their turn, then nominates someone on the opposite side
4. This continues until everyone has acted once

3. Side Runs Out:

• If one side has no remaining characters to act, the other side continues choosing among themselves until everyone has acted

4. New Round:

• Once everyone has acted, the round ends
• The last person to act in the previous round nominates the first person to act in the new round (from the opposing side)

Example of Popcorn Initiative

Three adventurers (Ivy, Drazhic, Zuric) ambush two bandits (Thom and Kael).

• Round 1 Start: Adventurers have surprise, so they choose who goes first
• Ivy acts first (shoots Thom), then nominates Thom to go next
• Thom acts (charges Ivy), then nominates Drazhic
• Drazhic acts (casts spell), then nominates Kael
• Kael acts (attacks Zuric), then nominates Zuric
• Zuric acts (backstabs Kael), round ends
• Round 2: Zuric (last to act) nominates Thom to start round 2

Special Case: Cannot Be Surprised

Some talents and abilities allow characters to act even during a Surprise Round (like the Orc's Raider's Eye II).

Vigilance Insertion:

1. The surprising side takes the first turn
2. After the first enemy acts, any characters with "cannot be surprised" abilities immediately take their turns (in any order they choose among themselves)
3. The last vigilant character nominates an enemy to continue the round

The Combat Round

Turn Structure

On your turn, you may take the following actions in any order:

Actions Available Each Turn:

• 1 Slow Action (attack, cast a spell, stabilize an ally, dash, etc.)
• 2 Fast Actions (aim, draw a weapon, drink a potion, use a talent, etc.)
• 1 Move (move up to your Speed, can be split before and after actions)
• 1 Reaction (usable on any turn, including others' turns)
• Any number of Free Actions (shout, drop an item, glance around) at GM's discretion

You may trade down:

• Spend your Slow Action to gain an extra Fast Action (giving you 3 Fast Actions total)
• You cannot trade up (Fast Actions never become Slow Actions)

Reactions:

• You get one Reaction per round (resets at the start of your next turn)
• Reactions happen at any time
• Common reactions: Shield Block, opportunity attacks, defensive talents
• If you're Dazed, you cannot take Reactions

Common Actions

Slow Actions:

• Attack: Make a melee or ranged attack
• Cast a Spell: Most spells require a Slow Action
• Dash: Move up to your Speed again (total: 2x Speed this turn)
• Stabilize: Attempt a Medicine or Endurance test (Difficulty 1) to stabilize a dying ally
• Grapple Attempt: Make a Brawl attack, then spend Focus to establish a grapple
• Ready an Action: Prepare to act when a specific trigger occurs

Fast Actions:

• Aim: Gain +1 die on your next ranged attack this turn
• Brace: Use your environment to reinforce your balance
• Draw/Stow: Draw or put away a weapon or item
• Drink a Potion: Consume a quick elixir or potion
• Use a Talent: Many talents are Fast Actions
• Stand from Prone: Get back on your feet
• Interact: Pull a lever, open an unlocked door, pick up an item

Reactions:

• Shield Block: Cancel damage from a single-target attack (see Defense below)
• Dodge: Attempt to avoid an attack entirely (see Defense below)
• Opportunity Attack: Some talents grant these
• Talent Reactions: Many defensive talents use Reactions

Free Actions:

• Speak: A few words or a short sentence
• Drop an Item: Let go of what you're holding
• Observe: Quick glance or assessment

Movement:

• You can move up to your Speed (typically 30 ft. for most ancestries)
• You can split your movement (move 10 ft., attack, move 20 ft.)
• Difficult Terrain costs double (crossing 5 ft. of rubble costs 10 ft. of movement)

Making an Attack

When you attack an enemy, follow this sequence:

Step 1: Assemble Your Dice Pool

Dice Pool = Ability + Skill + Gear + Modifiers - Penalties

Ability & Skill:

• Melee: Usually Strength + Melee Weapons (or Dexterity with finesse weapons)
• Ranged: Usually Dexterity + Ranged Weapons
• Spells: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + Spell School
• Unarmed: Strength + Brawl

Gear:

• Most weapons grant +1 gear die
• Some weapons grant +2 dice in specific circumstances (two-handed, braced, etc.)

Common Modifiers:

• Aimed (Fast Action): +1 die on your next attack
• Braced: Some ranged weapons gain +1 die when stationary
• Higher Ground: +1 die (GM's discretion)
• Flanking/Pack Tactics: Some talents grant bonuses

Penalties:

• Light Cover: Attacker suffers -1 die
• Heavy Cover: Attacker suffers -2 dice
• Darkness/Poor Visibility: -1 die (or more, GM's call)
• Difficult Position: -1 die (prone, grappled, awkward angle)
• Armor Drawbacks: Heavy armor imposes penalties on some actions

Step 2: Roll to Hit

Roll your dice pool. Each 6 is one success.

If you score 1 or more successes: The attack hits and deals the weapon's Base Damage.

If you score 0 successes: The attack misses entirely.

Step 3: Spend Extra Successes

If you rolled more than 1 success, you have extra successes to spend. You may split them freely between:

Bonus Damage:

• Each extra success adds +1 damage

Universal Techniques:

• Purchase universal techniques by spending extra successes (see Techniques section below)
• Each technique has a success cost listed in parentheses

Example: Ivy hits with 4 successes using a longsword (Base Damage 3). She has 3 extra successes. She spends 2 for +2 damage (total 5 damage) and 1 success to Trip her target, knocking them Prone.

Step 4: Defender Chooses Their Defense

The defender must now choose how to respond:

1. Shield Block
2. Block with armor
3. Dodge

The defender chooses before rolling. They cannot see your roll or extra successes before deciding.

Step 5: Apply Damage and Effects

1. Calculate Final Damage: Base Damage + Bonus Damage - Damage Reduced by Defense
2. Apply Damage: Target loses HP equal to final damage (minimum 0)
3. Apply Techniques: Trip, Shove, Pin, Grapple, Disarm, etc. take effect
4. Apply Special Effects: Poison, burning, weapon abilities

Base Movement

• Your speed is based on your DEX score
• Some talents modify this
• You can split your movement (move, act, move again)

Difficult Terrain

Costs double movement:

• Rubble, thick brush, shallow water, steep stairs, etc.
• Moving 5 ft. through difficult terrain costs 10 ft. of movement

Examples:

• Dense forest undergrowth
• Mud or snow
• Crowds

Climbing and Swimming

Requires a test:

• Make an Athletics test (difficulty set by GM)
• Success: Move at half speed
• Failure: Make no progress (or fall, GM's call)
• Pushing can be risky (1s might mean falling)

Engagement and Reach

Engaged:

• You are Engaged with an enemy if you are within 5 ft. of them
• Engaged characters are in melee range
• Some effects require targets to be Engaged

Reach:

• Most melee weapons have 5 ft. reach
• Polearms (spears, halberds, pikes) have 10 ft. reach
• You can attack targets within your reach

Leaving Engagement

Opportunity Attacks:

• Some talents grant opportunity attacks when enemies leave your reach
• These are Reactions and follow normal attack rules

Disengage:

• Moving away from an Engaged enemy may provoke opportunity attacks
• Some talents (like the Rogue's Cunning Action) let you Disengage as a Fast Action, moving without provoking opportunity attacks

Techniques

Techniques are special attack options. There are two types with different activation methods:

> Universal Techniques cost extra successes from your attack roll. Weapon Techniques cost 2 Focus and are listed in each weapon's entry in Section 6: Equipment.

Universal Techniques

These techniques are available to any melee or ranged weapon unless otherwise noted. Activate by spending extra successes after a hit:

Weapon Techniques

Each weapon type has unique techniques that reflect its combat style. These are listed in the Equipment section under each weapon's entry. Weapon techniques cost 2 Focus to activate when you hit with that weapon.

Example Weapon Techniques:

Longsword:

• Riposte (2 Focus): After this hit, gain +1 die on your next defense roll before your next turn
• Cleave (2 Focus): Deal 1 damage to another enemy adjacent to the target

Spear:

• Impale (2 Focus): Target's movement is reduced by 10 ft. until the start of your next turn
• Keep Distance (2 Focus): Push the target 10 ft. back and you may immediately move 5 ft. without provoking reactions

Defense

"Steel turns the blade. The shield catches the blow. But in the end, it's the warrior's instinct that decides who walks away."

How Defense Works

When you take damage from an attack, you have layers of protection. First, you may Block with a shield if you have one. Then you choose either Armor or Dodge to handle whatever gets through. You cannot use both Armor and Dodge — pick one.

Defense Sequence:

1. Shield Block (Reaction, optional)
2. Choose ONE: Armor OR Dodge
3. HP Loss (whatever remains)

Shield Block

Shields are active protection. You choose when to interpose them, and they can absorb tremendous punishment, but they break.

Using Shield Block (Reaction)

When you're hit by an attack and have a shield equipped, you may spend your reaction to Block. Compare the incoming damage to your shield's Threshold:

Damage ≤ Threshold: The attack is fully blocked. Your shield takes no durability loss.

Damage > Threshold: Your shield absorbs damage equal to its threshold. The shield loses durability equal to the excess (damage minus threshold). The excess damage continues to your next layer of defense.

Durability reaches 0: The shield is destroyed. It still absorbs its threshold from this final block, but shatters in the process.

Shield Table

Shield Durability Examples

A Round Shield (Threshold 3, Durability 4) blocking various attacks:

You can block weak attacks indefinitely. Heavy blows chip away at your shield. Massive hits can shatter it in one strike.

Armor

Armor is passive, reliable protection. It doesn't require a reaction and degrades slowly over time.

Using Armor

After resolving Shield Block (if any), you may choose Armor as your defense. Compare the remaining damage to your armor's Threshold:

Damage ≤ Threshold: Fully absorbed. No durability loss. No HP loss.

Damage > Threshold: Your armor absorbs damage equal to its threshold and loses 1 durability (flat, regardless of how much excess there is). The excess damage continues to HP.

Durability reaches 0: Armor is broken and provides no protection until repaired.

Armor Table

Why Armor Works Differently Than Shields

Shields take proportional durability damage because you actively catch the full force of a blow. Armor takes flat durability damage because hits are distributed, denting, scratching, and wearing down over time rather than cratering from single impacts.

Shields are dramatic. They can shatter from one massive hit. Armor is dependable. It degrades predictably across an adventuring day.

Dodge

Dodge represents reflexive defense — twisting, ducking, and rolling away from harm.

Using Dodge

After resolving Shield Block (if any), you may choose Dodge as your defense instead of Armor.

Roll DEX + Dodge skill. Each 6 reduces the remaining damage by 2.

Dodge costs no reaction, has no durability, and can be used against every attack. But it's a gamble — sometimes you dance through untouched, sometimes you eat the full hit.

Dodge Effectiveness

A character with DEX 4 and Dodge 4 (8 dice) averages 2.7 damage reduction, comparable to a Round Shield's threshold of 3, but variable rather than guaranteed.

Choosing Between Armor and Dodge

You must choose one. You cannot use both.

This choice is the heart of defensive playstyle. Consider:

Choose Armor when:

• Your armor threshold exceeds your expected Dodge reduction
• You want guaranteed protection
• You have low DEX or Dodge skill
• You need certainty in a critical moment

Choose Dodge when:

• You have high DEX and Dodge investment
• The damage is already below your armor threshold (save durability)
• Your armor is damaged or broken
• You're willing to gamble for a better result

Characters with both options can choose situationally. A 3-damage hit against Heavy Armor? Take it on the armor for free. A 10-damage hit? Armor guarantees 3 reduction; Dodge might give you more, or nothing.

Cover

Cover provides physical protection that makes you harder to hit.

Light Cover:

• Low walls, furniture, tree trunks, another creature
• Attackers suffer -1 die on attacks against you

Heavy Cover:

• Castle battlements, thick trees, reinforced positions, arrow slits
• Attackers suffer -2 dice on attacks against you

Total Cover:

• Completely behind a wall, around a corner, fully enclosed
• Cannot be directly targeted (but area effects may still reach you)

Concealment

Concealment makes you harder to see but doesn't provide physical protection.

Examples:

• Fog, smoke, dim light, darkness, tall grass, crowds

Effect:

• Attackers may suffer -1 die (GM's call)
• Can be used for Stealth tests
• Doesn't reduce damage like cover does

Special Combat Situations

Mounted Combat

While Mounted:

• You use your mount's Speed instead of your own
• You gain +1 die on melee attacks against unmounted foes (height advantage)
• If your mount moves, you move with it (doesn't count against your movement)

Controlling Your Mount:

• Well-trained mounts follow simple commands without tests
• Untrained or spooked mounts may require Animal Handling tests
• Your mount acts on your turn in initiative

Attacking Mounts:

• Enemies can target your mount instead of you
• If your mount drops to 0 HP, you must pass a Dexterity or Athletics test to avoid being thrown (landing Prone)

Dismounting:

• Costs 5 ft. of movement (jumping off)
• Can be done as part of your movement

Chase Scenes

When pursuit happens, the GM may frame it as a chase scene.

Chase Rounds:

• Each round represents a burst of running, climbing, dodging through crowds, etc.
• Characters make Athletics, Acrobatics, or Ride tests (GM chooses based on terrain)
• Success: You maintain pace (or close distance if chasing)
• Failure: You fall behind (or lose ground if fleeing)

Distance Tracking:

• GM tracks relative distance (Near, Far, Out of Sight)
• Multiple successes can change range quickly

Ending a Chase:

• Pursuers catch up (enter combat)
• Fleeing side escapes (reach safety, lose pursuers)
• Environmental obstacle ends it (locked gate, collapsing bridge, etc.)

Complications:

• Failed tests may introduce complications (knock over a market stall, twist an ankle, wrong turn)
• Pushing during chases is risky but sometimes necessary

Stealth and Surprise

Hidden Condition:

• You are Hidden from enemies who haven't detected you
• Attacks from Hidden targets gain +2 dice on the attack roll
• Breaking Stealth: Attacking, moving carelessly, or being detected ends Hidden

Becoming Hidden:

• Requires a Stealth test opposed by enemies' Awareness
• Need appropriate cover or concealment
• Cannot become Hidden while being actively observed

Surprise Round:

• If one side completely surprises another, they get a full round of actions before normal initiative begins
• See Initiative section for full Surprise Round rules

Area Effects

Some attacks (spells, explosions, breath weapons) affect an area rather than a single target.

Common Area Types:

• Cone: Emanates from caster in a direction
• Line: Straight path from caster to range limit
• Sphere/Circle: Affects all within radius
• Wall: Linear barrier

Area Effect Rules:

• Cannot be Blocked with shields (too widespread)
• Targets in the area still roll Armor or Dodge
• Techniques typically don't apply to area attacks (GM's call on case-by-case basis)
• GM determines which characters are in the affected area

Fighting in Darkness

Dim Light:

• -1 die on Awareness and ranged attacks
• Stealth tests are easier (+1 die for those hiding)

Darkness:

• -2 dice on Awareness and ranged attacks
• Creatures beyond 5 ft. are effectively Hidden unless they make noise
• Ranged attacks beyond 5 ft. cannot benefit from the Push mechanic (you cannot spend Focus to add dice to attacks against targets you cannot see)

Magical Darkness:

• Complete darkness even to darkvision
• Treat as normal darkness for everyone

Underwater Combat

While Underwater:

• -2 dice on melee attacks (water resistance)
• -4 dice on ranged attacks (or impossible, GM's call)
• Fire-based attacks automatically fail
• Lightning attacks deal +2 damage to everyone in the water (including allies)
• Movement is halved unless you have a swim speed

Holding Breath:

• Characters can hold their breath for a number of minutes equal to their CON score + 1
• After that, must pass Endurance tests each round or start drowning
• Drowning deals 2 damage per round

Falling

Fall Damage:

• Take 1 HP damage per 10 ft. fallen
• Maximum 20 damage (terminal velocity after 200 ft.)

Reducing Fall Damage:

• Acrobatics test can reduce damage
• Each success reduces damage by 1
• Must have room to roll/tumble

Ending Combat

Combat ends when one of the following occurs:

Total Victory:

• All enemies are defeated (at 0 HP, fled, or surrendered)

Retreat:

• One side successfully flees the battle
• May require a chase scene

Negotiation:

• Both sides agree to stop fighting
• May lead to parleys, surrenders, or temporary truces

Environmental End:

• Building collapses, ship sinks, time runs out, etc.
• Forces combat to end regardless of who's "winning"

After Combat

Once combat ends:

Immediate Actions:

• Stabilize dying allies
• Secure prisoners or loot
• Catch your breath

Short Rest (10 minutes):

• Recover HP and MP (see Rest & Recovery)
• Repair gear if you have time and tools
• Tend to wounds with Medicine

Dying & Stabilization

When you reach 0 HP, you fall Unconscious and begin dying.

Dying Condition

Effects of Dying:

• You are Unconscious (cannot act, unaware of surroundings)
• You make Death Saves at the start of each of your turns
• You die after failing 3 Death Saves OR taking massive damage

Death Saves

At the start of your turn while dying, roll 1d6:

Result:

• 1: Failure. You gain 1 death failure.
• 2-5: No change. You remain dying.
• 6: Success. You stabilize at 0 HP (Unconscious but no longer dying).

Three Failures = Death. If you accumulate 3 death failures, you die.

Taking Damage While Dying:

• Each instance of damage counts as 1 death failure
• Massive damage (damage equal to your maximum HP in a single hit) kills you instantly

Stabilizing an Ally

An ally adjacent to you can attempt to stabilize you:

Make a Medicine or Endurance test (Difficulty 1):

• 1 success: The target stabilizes at 0 HP (Unconscious but no longer dying)
• 2+ successes: The target wakes at 1 HP

Using a Healer's Kit: Gain +1 automatic success on the stabilization test.

Magical Healing: Any amount of HP restored to a dying creature automatically stabilizes them and wakes them at their new HP total.

Waking from Unconsciousness

Once stabilized at 0 HP, you remain Unconscious until:

• An ally uses Medicine to wake you (Difficulty 1, requires 2+ successes), OR
• You receive any amount of healing (potion, spell, etc.), OR
• You complete a Short Rest (you wake at your automatic recovery amount)

Advancement & XP

Characters in the Middle Lands grow through experience, hardship, and reflection. Experience Points (XP) represent lessons learned, skills honed, and scars earned. Advancement is not automatic, it requires surviving long enough to apply what you've learned.

Earning XP

XP is awarded generously to reflect the dangers characters face and the lessons they learn. The Middle Lands are deadly, and those who survive deserve to grow stronger.

Session XP (Baseline)

At the end of each session, every character automatically gains: +5 XP per session (regardless of what happened) This represents the baseline experience of adventuring in the Middle Lands. Even "quiet" sessions involve danger, learning, and growth.

Milestone XP (Major Achievements)

When the party accomplishes significant goals, the GM awards additional milestone XP: Story Milestones:

• +10 XP: Complete a major story arc (3-5 session quest)
• +5 XP: Defeat a significant antagonist or major threat
• +5 XP: Resolve a faction conflict or prevent a disaster
• +3 XP: Achieve a major breakthrough in the campaign

Discovery & Exploration:

• +3 XP: Discover a major secret or conspiracy
• +3 XP: Unlock an ancient location or powerful artifact
• +2 XP: Make a significant revelation about the world

Personal Achievements:

• +5 XP: Complete your character's personal goal or backstory arc (individual)
• +3 XP: Achieve a major character-defining moment (individual)
• +2 XP: Overcome a personal fear or weakness (individual)

Survival:

• +3 XP: Party survives a deadly encounter against overwhelming odds
• +2 XP: Complete a mission with no casualties
• +2 XP: Successfully retreat from an unwinnable situation

Example: Session 5: The party completes a 5-session story arc by defeating the cult leader and saving the village. Each character gains: +5 XP (session) + 10 XP (story arc) + 5 XP (defeat antagonist) = 20 XP total for this session.

Scars

When you receive a Scar (from trauma, corruption, or near-death): Immediate Award:

• +2 XP when the Scar is marked

Scars represent permanent, defining experiences. The XP reflects the harsh lesson learned.

See Section 12: Scars for full rules on how Scars work.

Alternative: Daily XP (For Long Sessions)

> Note: Use Session XP OR Daily XP — not both. Decide before the campaign starts. Session XP is simpler and recommended for most groups. Daily XP works better for campaigns with lots of downtime or very long sessions.

If your group plays longer sessions that span multiple in-game days, use this alternative system:

At the end of each adventuring day, answer these 3 questions:

1. Did we face meaningful danger or challenge today? (+2 XP if YES)
2. Did we make progress toward our goals? (+2 XP if YES)
3. Did we roleplay, sacrifice, or grow as characters? (+2 XP if YES)

Typical Results:

• Light day (travel, downtime): 2 XP (1 yes)
• Standard day (exploration, encounters): 4 XP (2 yes)
• Epic day (major battles, discoveries): 6 XP (3 yes)

Then add milestone bonuses as they occur (same as above).

Spending XP

XP can be spent to improve your character. You must be in a safe location (town, secured camp) and have completed a Long Rest to spend XP.

When to Spend XP

Requirements:

• After a Long Rest
• In a relatively safe location (not mid-dungeon)
• Narrate how your character trains, studies, or reflects

Example: After returning to town and resting, Korrin spends XP to increase his Melee Weapons skill. He describes practicing with the town guard, sparring and drilling techniques learned from recent battles.

Advancement Costs

Improving Abilities

Core Abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) can be increased.

XP Cost to Increase an Ability:

Maximum Ability Score: 6 (unless specifically increased by magic, talents, or ancestry traits)

Total to reach 6 from 2: 51 XP

Example: Korrin wants to increase his Constitution from 3 to 4. He spends 10 XP and describes building up his endurance through hard labor and training.

Improving Skills

Skills can be increased from 0 (untrained) to 5 (Master).

XP Cost to Increase a Skill:

Total to reach Rank 5: 28 XP

Example: Ivy wants to improve her Stealth from 2 to 3. She spends 5 XP and describes practicing moving silently through the city during downtime.

Learning Talents

Talents represent specialized training available from 9 archetypes: Fighter, Rogue, Ranger, Monk, Paladin, Cleric, Bard, Mage, and Druid. Archetypes are organizational tools and suggested builds — any character can learn any talent regardless of archetype.

Gaining Your First Talents

Cost: Free (included in character creation)

At character creation, choose one of the following:

• 2 different talents at Rank I
• 1 talent at Rank II

Learning Additional Talents

After character creation, you can learn new talents from any archetype at any time.

XP Cost:

Prerequisites: You must have the previous rank before purchasing the next (e.g., must have Rank I before buying Rank II).

Narrative Requirement: You must justify new talents narratively — a teacher, a tome, downtime training, or a hard lesson learned in the field.

Example: Ivy already has Sneak Attack I and II. She spends 12 XP to learn Sneak Attack III, describing how her precision has sharpened after months of dangerous work.

Learning Spells

Spells are not purchased individually. Instead, your rank in a spell school determines which spells you can cast.

> Note: Spell schools are a separate advancement track from skills. While skills cap at Rank 5, spell schools can be raised to Rank 5, reflecting the vast depth of arcane study.

Increasing Spell School Ranks

XP Cost:

Learning Additional Spells

When a character gains Rank 1 in their first Spell School, they immediately learn one spell from that school at no additional cost. Beyond this initial spell, additional spells must be learned separately.

Spell Acquisition Costs

> Entering a new spell school costs a total of 7 XP: 3 XP to purchase Rank 1 in the school, plus 4 XP for your first spell from that school.

Discovering and Learning Spells in Play

Magic is not only purchased with experience — it is uncovered, stolen, bargained for, or wrestled from the world itself.

In addition to spending XP, spells may be learned through play when characters encounter lost knowledge, powerful mentors, or dangerous magical phenomena.

Ways to Discover Spells

Spells may be learned through:

• Ancient Tomes - Forgotten grimoires, fragmented scrolls, marginal notes in ruined libraries
• Mentorship - A witch of the fen, a veiled scholar, a spirit bound in iron
• Magical Sites - Leyline convergences, corrupted groves, shattered towers
• Arcane Experimentation - Risky self-guided research and spellcraft
• Pacts and Bargains - Knowledge granted in exchange for service or sacrifice

Mechanical Resolution

When a spell is discovered in play, the GM may require one or more of the following:

• A successful relevant Skill test (Lore, Channeling, Occult, etc.)
• A period of downtime study
• Payment in rare components or favors
• Exposure to corruption or narrative consequence
• A Focus expenditure or magical breakthrough

Once the narrative requirement is fulfilled, the character must still pay the XP cost to internalize and master the spell — unless the GM rules the discovery itself replaces that cost.

Risk and Consequence

Learning magic from unstable or forbidden sources may:

• Trigger a Corruption test
• Impose a temporary Condition
• Require a dangerous ritual
• Bind the character to an oath or obligation

Power taken from the world rarely comes clean.

Downtime and Training

Spending XP

You can spend accumulated XP to improve your character whenever:

• You complete a Long Rest
• You're in a relatively safe location

Narrative Requirement: When you spend XP, narrate how your character improves:

• Physical training (sparring, running, conditioning)
• Study and practice (reading, meditation, experimentation)
• Reflection on recent experiences (what did I learn from that fight?)
• Teaching or mentoring from NPCs

No Time Required: The actual improvement happens narratively but doesn't consume downtime. You don't need to track days or weeks of training, just describe the improvement briefly and move on.

Example: After returning to town, Korrin spends 5 XP to increase Melee Weapons from 2 to 3. He describes: "I've been sparring with the town guard, working on footwork and blade angles I learned from fighting those cultists." Done. No downtime consumed.

Other Downtime Activities

Between adventures, characters can spend downtime on:

• Crafting: Create items (weapons, armor, potions)
• Research: Study lore, investigate mysteries
• Carousing: Build contacts, gather rumors
• Recovery: Heal from serious wounds or curses
• Work: Earn coin to cover expenses

Time Between Adventures:

• GM determines how much downtime passes
• Typical: 1 week to 1 month between major adventures
• Allows characters to rest, prepare, and pursue personal goals

Typical Progression

With the generous XP system, characters progress at a satisfying pace:

Early Adventures (Sessions 1-5):

• XP per session: 5 base + ~3-5 from milestones = 8-10 XP average
• Total after 5 sessions: ~40-50 XP
• Can afford:

- 2-3 new talents (13-25 XP) - 3-4 skill increases (12-19 XP) - 1 ability increase to 3 (6 XP) - OR mix and match

Mid-Campaign (Sessions 6-15):

• XP per session: 5 base + ~5-8 from milestones = 10-13 XP average
• Accumulated XP: ~100-130 XP total
• Typical character has:

- 4-6 talents across 1-2 archetypes - 3-5 skills at rank 2-3 - 1-2 abilities at 4 - 2-3 spell schools at rank 2-3 (for casters)

Late Campaign (Sessions 16-30):

• XP per session: 5 base + ~5-10 from milestones = 10-15 XP average
• Accumulated XP: ~300-450 XP total
• Typical character has:

- 6-9 talents across 2-3 archetypes - 5-7 skills at rank 3-5 - 2-3 abilities at 4-5 - 3-5 spell schools at rank 3-5 (for casters) - Multiple Scars (+2 XP each when earned)

Characters feel powerful by session 10 and legendary by session 30.

Campaign Length Expectations

Short Campaign (8-10 sessions):

• Total XP: ~80-100 XP
• Characters become competent specialists
• Can max 1-2 core abilities or learn many talents

Standard Campaign (20-30 sessions):

• Total XP: ~250-400 XP
• Characters become powerful and versatile
• Can max multiple abilities, have high-rank skills, know many talents

Epic Campaign (40+ sessions):

• Total XP: ~600+ XP
• Characters become legends
• Can approach mastery in multiple areas

Example: Character Advancement

After 3 sessions, Ivy has accumulated 30 XP (5 per session x 3, plus 15 XP from completing a story arc). Here's how she spends it:

Starting State:

• Stealth 2, Melee Weapons 2, Acrobatics 1
• Rogue archetype with Sneak Attack I, Cunning Action I
• Dexterity 4

Spending 30 XP:

1. Increase Stealth 2 -> 3 (5 XP)

- "I've been practicing moving silently through the city" - Remaining: 25 XP

1. Learn Sneak Attack II (8 XP)

- "After seeing how useful precise strikes were in the cult hideout, I've refined my technique" - Remaining: 17 XP

1. Learn Cunning Action II (8 XP)

- "Moving without spending Focus — it's becoming second nature" - Remaining: 9 XP

1. Increase Acrobatics 1 -> 2 (4 XP)

- "All that rooftop chasing is paying off" - Remaining: 5 XP

1. Save remaining 5 XP for next advancement

Result: In just 3 sessions, Ivy has become significantly more capable. She's better at stealth and acrobatics, deals more damage with Sneak Attack, and Cunning Action now costs no Focus. She feels like she's earned her advancements through actual play.

Character Creation

"Who you are shapes how you survive. In the Middle Lands, ancestry, training, and choice define your path, but survival is earned through risk and cunning."

Overview

Creating a character in The Middle Lands takes about 20-30 minutes. Follow these steps in order:

Character Creation Steps:

1. Choose Ancestry
2. Roll or Assign Abilities
3. Choose Background
4. Choose Talents
5. Select Ancestry Traits
6. Record Starting Skills
7. Calculate HP, MP, and Focus
8. Receive Starting Equipment
9. Define Your Character

Step 1: Choose Your Ancestry

Choose one of the following ancestries or create a Dual Ancestry (mixing traits from two). Veil-Marked must always be taken as a dual ancestry:

• Dwarves: Mountain dwellers, master crafters, grudge-keepers
• Elves: Ancient forest folk, tied to the Veil, slow to trust
• Goblins: Urban survivors, clever scavengers, underestimated
• Halflings: Community-focused, hardy, surprisingly tough
• Humans: Adaptable settlers, ambitious, varied
• Orcs: Proud nomads, fierce warriors, honor-bound
• Veil-Marked: Touched by the Veil, connected to spirits, otherworldly (dual ancestry only)

Each ancestry grants access to Ancestry Traits (passive abilities and special techniques). At character creation, you'll choose 2 Rank I traits from your ancestry, or 1 from each if you are dual ancestry (Step 5).

See Section 3: Ancestries for complete trait lists.

Step 2: Abilities

The six core abilities represent your character's natural capabilities. They range from 1 (basic) to 5 (legendary), though most starting characters have abilities between 2-4.

The Six Abilities

Strength (STR) - Physical power and brute force

• Use for: Melee damage, carrying heavy loads, smashing obstacles, wrestling, intimidation through force
• Examples: Breaking down doors, grappling foes, carrying wounded allies, bending bars

Dexterity (DEX) - Agility, reflexes, and precision

• Use for: Dodging attacks, sneaking, ranged attacks, acrobatics, lockpicking, sleight of hand
• Examples: Leaping between rooftops, picking pockets, firing arrows, dancing through crowds

Constitution (CON) - Endurance, health, and resilience

• Use for: Maximum HP, resisting poison/disease, enduring harsh conditions, forced marches
• Examples: Marching for days, shrugging off illness, surviving freezing temperatures

Intelligence (INT) - Reasoning, memory, and analysis

• Use for: Knowledge recalls, investigation, tactical planning, learning languages, magic theory
• Examples: Deciphering ancient texts, spotting patterns, devising battle plans

Wisdom (WIS) - Awareness, intuition, and willpower

• Use for: Maximum MP, Awareness, survival, insight into others, resisting mental effects
• Examples: Tracking prey, sensing danger, reading emotions, navigating wilderness

Charisma (CHA) - Presence, personality, and force of will

• Use for: Persuasion, deception, intimidation, performance, leadership, inspiration
• Examples: Rallying allies, lying convincingly, commanding respect, seducing nobles

Assigning Abilities

Method 1: Standard Array (Recommended) Assign these values to your abilities in any order: 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2

Method 2: Point Buy You have 16 points to distribute among your six abilities.

• Each ability starts at 1
• Costs: 1→2 = 1 point, 2→3 = 2 points, 3→4 = 3 points
• Maximum starting ability score: 4

Example: Ivy uses Standard Array. She wants to play a sneaky rogue, so she assigns: STR 2, DEX 4, CON 2, INT 3, WIS 3, CHA 2.

Step 3: Choose Your Background

Your background represents your life before adventuring. It provides:

• Narrative context for who you were
• 2 Skill ranks distributed as you choose
• Starting equipment kit

See Section X: Backgrounds for the complete list.

Step 4: Choose Your Talents

Talents are specialized abilities that define your fighting style, skills, and approach to the world. They are organized into 9 archetypes as a guide, but you may choose talents freely from any archetype.

At character creation, choose one of the following:

• 2 talents at Rank I
• 1 talent at Rank II

The 9 Archetypes:

1. Fighter - Weapon mastery, combat durability, battlefield tactics
2. Rogue - Stealth, precision strikes, social manipulation
3. Ranger - Wilderness survival, tracking, ranged combat
4. Monk - Unarmed combat, mobility, mental discipline
5. Paladin - Divine conviction, holy power, oath-keeping
6. Cleric - Divine channeling, turning undead, community faith
7. Bard - Inspiration, knowledge, social expertise
8. Mage - Arcane spellcasting, corruption management
9. Druid - Wild shape, primal magic, nature's voice