Era of Radiance

Era of Radiance is a system for stories taking place in the gothic city Hallownest. It was
previously inhabited by a multitude of bugs, but has since fallen to a disease that infects
body, mind, and dreams. The players take on the roles of imperfect vessels struggling with
not only an oppressive and uncaring world, but also feelings they’re not supposed to have.
We play to find out what secret Hallownest and its surrounding areas veil, and if the vessels
can achieve their Obsessions without cracking under the pressure and getting distracted by
new Ideas.

If you want to find people to play with or talk to about the system, you can find us through
our Discord server!

Find Cyan Matilda, or Psionide, on her Patreon and Paravili on her _______

Additional Note on various versions

The v2 version of the system is mostly the same as the v1, although made clearer by better
editing clarifications. If you feel like something is missing, check the v1 document.
Rules

The Core System

Judgment calls
When you play, everyone involved (both players and GM) make several key judgment
calls. These are the things that the rules are intentionally left vague about - how dangerous
the city is or how its problems can be fixed. While everyone does contribute, the are rules for
who has the final say in any one situation (and it isn’t always the GM).
● Which actions are reasonable as a solution to a problem? Can this bug be convinced?
Is it enough to simply traverse the room, or must it be carefully navigated? The
players have final say.
● How dangerous and how effective is a given action in this circumstance? How risky is
this? Can this bug be swayed very little or a whole lot? The GM has final say.
● Which consequences are inflicted to manifest the dangers in a given circumstance?
How much damage does this foe deal? Do you kill the husk in relative peace, or are
husk sentries coming in from every direction? The GM has final say.
● Does this situation call for a dice roll, and which one? Is your character in position to
make an action roll or must they first make a resistance roll to gain initiative? The
GM has final say.
● Which events in the story match the experience triggers for character and crew
advancement? Did you express your vessel’s obsessions and cracks? You tell us. The
players have final say.
 Rolling the Dice
Era of Radiance uses six-sided dice. You roll several at once and read the single highest
result.

Highest die Outcome

Full success - things go well. If you roll more than one 6, it’s a critical success -
6
you gain some additional advantage.

Partial success - you do what you were trying to do, but there are consequences:
4 or 5
trouble, damage, reduced effect, etc.

Bad outcome. Things go poorly. You probably don’t achieve your goal and you
1, 2, or 3
suffer complications, too.

If you ever need to roll but you have zero (or negative) dice, roll two dice and take the single
lowest result. You can’t roll a critical when you have zero dice.

All the dice systems in the game are expressions of this basic format. When you’re first
learning the game, you can always “collapse” back down to a simple roll to judge how things
go. Look up the exact rule later when you have time.
To create a dice pool for a roll, you’ll use a trait (like one of the actions, your Will, or the
amount of Void you have) and take dice equal to its rating. You’ll usually end up with one to
four dice. Even one die is pretty good in this game—a 50% chance of success. The most
common traits you’ll use are the action ratings of the player characters. A player might roll
dice for their Clash action rating when they fight an enemy, for example.
There are four types of rolls that you’ll use most often in the game:
● Action roll. When a PC attempts an action that’s dangerous or troublesome, you
make an action roll to find out how it goes. Action rolls and their effects and
consequences drive most of the game.
● Fortune roll. The GM can make a fortune roll to disclaim decision making and leave
something up to chance. How loyal is an NPC? How much does the infection spread?
Does the NPC Weaver trap the Vessels’ ally?
● Resistance roll. A player can make a resistance roll when their character suffers a
consequence they don’t like. The roll tells us how much Soul their vessel pays to
reduce the severity of a consequence. When you resist the friendly bug being covered
in infectious goo, you might shove them out of the way before it happens.
● (Travel rolls)
●
 Attributes and Actions
In Era of Radiance, vessels have 9 actions that they perform, divided among three
attributes - Shell, Steel, and Will. Here’s a quick summary of each of the actions and
attributes.

Attributes Actions

Command others to compel swift obedience.

Shell Pressure those around you to yield through manipulation or force.
Traverse obstacles or danger. Jump, run, climb, swim.

Clash with your foes in all-out physical combat.

Steel Focus soul for spells and healing, or to understand the supernatural.
Survey the dark caverns for understanding, sense trouble before it strikes.

Convince others to do as you wish through clever manipulation.

Will Navigate hazardous terrain, confusing tunnels, and forgotten paths.
Study, ancient glyphs, bugs’ body language and intent, and apply known lore.

The actions are generally used to advance the fiction, one way another. The attributes are
then used to resist the consequences that inevitably arise (read more on page…). Here’s a
general overview of how the attributes are used.

● Shell - when you resist consequences with a tough exterior, roll Shell.
● Steel - when you resist consequences with a snap decision, roll Steel.
● Will - when you resist consequences with an unwavering resolution, roll Will.
 Action descriptions
Attributes Actions

When you Clash, you get entangled in combat, head to head.

You might fiercely slash them to pieces with your nail. You might brawl,
Clash or hold down. You might seize or hold a position in battle. You could
enter a clash of wills instead of steel (but Commanding might be
better).

When you Command, you compel swift obedience.

You leverage your creep to get what you want. In combat, you might
Command lead a swarm of insects in combat, guiding their every move. You could
order bugs around to persuade them (but Convincing might be
better).

When you Convince, you make use of persuasion, lies, and flattery to get your
will through.
You might persuade a merchant to give you lower prices, or get them to
Convince reveal where they found a strange artefact. You might trick someone to
let you close enough to effortlessly bury your nail in their shell. You
might sway an intelligent bug to your cause, at least for a while. You
could get others to serve you (but Commanding might be better).

When you Focus, you channel soul or attune to strange forces and higher beings.
You might conjure various spells you’ve learned through abilities. You
might scry dreams for knowledge. You might gaze into the black void
Focus sea, absorbing its powers for yourself. You could try to read the
movement of the dream world to understand the situation (but
Surveying might be better).

When you Navigate, you follow the beaten path to your destination.
You might read a map, searching both for what others have found (and
Navigate what they have missed). You might recall a description and connect it to
the environment. You could venture into the unknown (but Traversing
might be better).

When you Pressure, you force others to yield or retreat through manipulation or
violence.
You might attack relentlessly against defenses, leaving your foe open to
further attacks. You might drive someone to their edge to push your
Pressure desires. You might weave lies, getting them to take your word for it.
You could try to straight up wound your opponent (but Clashing
might be better). You could try to lead your allies (but Commanding
might be better).
 When you Study, you scrutinize details and interpret evidence.
You might gather information from journals, tablets, or threads. You
might research an esoteric topic. You might closely analyze a bug to
Study detect lies and understand feelings. You might examine a corpse to
determine how they died. You might study the nail, coming up with and
learning secret techniques. You could try to understand a pressing
situation (but Surveying might be better).

When you Survey, you observe the situation and anticipate outcomes.
You might spot telltale signs of trouble before it happens. You might
uncover opportunities or weaknesses. You might spot flaws in an
Survey impenetrable shell. You might detect a bug’s motivations or intentions.
You could to find hidden secrets (but Navigating might be better).

When you Traverse, you jump, run, climb and swim.

You might make your way past a tricky section of platforms. You might
reach a position from which you can attack or ambush without giving
Traverse your foe a chance to retaliate. You might try to avoid detection. You
could travel towards a clearly visible landmark (but Navigating
might be better.)

Action rolls
When vessels attempt something challenging, we make action rolls to see how it turns out.
If something isn’t challenging, there’s no point of making rolls.
Each table will have their own ideas about what “challenging” means. This is good!
There are six steps to making an action rolls. They often flow together in actual play, but here
they’ll be broken down for clarity.
1. The player states their goal for the action.
2. The player chooses the action rating.
3. The GM sets the position for the roll.
4. The GM sets the effect level for the action.
5. Add bonus dice.
6. The player rolls the dice and the GM judges the result.

1. The player states their goal

Always start with what the player wants to accomplish with their action. Not what they do,
what they want to accomplish. The goal is usually pretty clear, but sometimes further
clarification is needed.
So you draw your nail and slice away at the armored beetle. Do you want to kill it, or just
drive it off? Maybe disarm it?
2. The player chooses the action rating.
The player chooses which action rating to roll, following from what their character is doing.
If you want to roll your Clash action, then get in a fight. If you want to roll your Command
action, then order someone around. You can’t roll a given action rating unless your character
is presently performing that action in the fiction.

3. The GM sets the position for the roll

Once the player chooses their action, the GM sets the position for the roll. The position
represents how dangerous or troublesome the action might be. There are three positions:
controlled, risky, and desperate. To choose a position, the GM looks at the profiles for
the positions below and picks one that most closely matches the situation at hand.
By default, an action roll is risky. You wouldn’t be rolling if there was no risk involved. If the
situation seems more dangerous, make it desperate. If it seems less dangerous, make it
controlled.

4. The GM sets the effect level for the action

The GM assesses the likely effect level of this action, given the factors of the situation.
Essentially, the effect level tells us “how much” this action can accomplish: will it have zero,
limited, standard, or great effect?

5. Add bonus dice

When you roll the dice, you take 1 die for each Action dot. If you have assistance, you take
+1 die. Take another +1 die if you ignite soul - or - take a Fool’s die.

6. Roll the dice, judge the result

Once the goal, action rating, position, and effect have been established, add any bonus dice
and roll the dice pool to determine the outcome. (See the sets of possible outcomes, by
position, in the table.)
The action roll does a lot of work for you. It tells you how well the character performs, as well
as how serious the consequences are for them. They might succeed at their action without
any consequences (on a 6), or they might succeed but suffer consequences (on a 4/5), or it
might just all go wrong (on a 1-3).
On a 1-3, it’s up to the GM to decide if the PC’s action has any effect or not, or if it even
happens at all. Usually, the action just fails completely, but in some circumstances, it might
make sense or be more interesting for the action to have some effect even on a 1-3 result.
Each 4/5 and 1-3 outcome lists suggested consequences for the character. The worse your
position, the worse the consequences are. The GM can inflict one or more of these
consequences, depending on the circumstances of the action roll. PCs have the ability to
avoid or reduce the severity of the consequences that they suffer by resisting them.
Ignite Soul
You can ignite soul for greater performance. Burn 2 Soul,
and choose one option below.
● Add +1d to your roll.
● Add +1 level to your effect.

Certain abilities give you extra benefits when igniting soul.

These benefits go on top of the normal bonuses to dice or or effect. Additionally, other
abilities let you mark boxes or empty clocks to ignite soul. When you do, you don’t have to
pay any soul.

Fool’s die
When you act in the face of danger, you may take a Fool’s die. The Fool’s die acts as a
normal die, unless you roll a 1. Doing this will, in addition to the other outcomes of the
action (including a complete success) kill your vessel. This is not a consequence, and can’t be
resisted.
The Fool’s die should be in a different color than the other dice. If that can’t be
accomplished, the rightmost die is your Fool’s die.

When you take a Fool’s die, say out loud how you will die,
and then roll the action. If the Fool’s die shows a 1, the portent
you uttered comes true.
 Position
Position tells us in how dangerous of a spot from which the vessels act. Are they in danger, or
can they afford to take it slow? How powerful are their foes? How treacherous are the cliffs?
How experienced are they at doing this? Hallownest is a dangerous place, so the default
position is risky.

Roll Result Controlled Position

Critical You do it with increased effect

6 You do it.

You hesitate. Withdraw and try a different approach, or do it with a minor

4-5 consequence: a minor complication occurs, you have reduced effect, you
suffer 1 damage, you end up in a risky position

You falter. Press on by seizing a risky opportunity, or withdraw and try a

1-3
different approach.

Roll Result Risky Position

Critical You do it with increased effect

6 You do it.

You do it, but there’s a consequence: you take 2 damage, a complication

4-5
occurs, you have reduced effect, or you end up in a desperate position.

Things go badly. You take 2 damage, a complication occurs, you end up in a

1-3
desperate position, or you lose this opportunity.

Roll Result Desperate Position

Critical You do it with increased effect

6 You do it.

You do it, but there’s a consequence: you take 3 or more damage, a serious
4-5
complication occurs, or you have reduced effect.

It’s the worst outcome. You take 3 or more damage, a serious complication
1-3
occurs, or you lose this opportunity for action.
 Effect
In Era of Radiance, you achieve goals by taking actions and facing consequences. But how
many actions does it take to achieve a particular goal? That depends on the effect level of
your actions. The GM judges the effect level using the profiles below. Which one best
matches the action at hand­­—great, standard, or limited? Each effect level indicates the
questions that should be answered for that effect, as well as how many segments to tick if
you’re using a progress clock. The default effect is standard.

Effect Description
You achieve more than usual. How does the extra effort manifest? What
Great additional benefit do you enjoy?
If clocks are involved, mark 3 ticks.

You achieve what we’d expect as “normal” with this action. Is that enough, or is
Standard there more left to do?
If clocks are involved, mark 2 ticks.

You achieve a partial or weak effect. How is your impact diminished? What
Reduced effort remains to achieve your goal?
If clocks are involved, mark 1 tick.

Your efforts are in vain, and do not achieve anything. Could you increase your
Zero effect somehow?

United moves
The Vessels must work together if they are to succeed, and they do it via four United moves

Move Description
When you help another, say how you do it and pay 1 soul. They take +1d to
Assist their roll. Depending on the circumstances, you might get caught up in their
Consequences.

When you lead a group in an through an action, everyone rolls the chosen action.
Lead You pick the highest result and pay 1 soul for each participant who rolled 1-3.

When someone takes a consequence, you can take it in their place. You can
Protect still roll to resist and such.

When you indirectly affect an obstacle, make an action roll. If you’re

Setup successful, any future actions against that obstacle have +1 effect or improved
position, depending on the nature of your setup.
Fortune roll
The fortune roll is a tool the GM can use to disclaim decision making. You use a fortune roll
in two different ways:

When you need to make a determination about a situation the PCs aren’t directly involved in
and don’t want to simply decide the outcome.
Two rival scavenger bugs are fighting over a carcass. How does that turn out? The
GM makes a fortune roll for each of them. One gets a good result but the other gets
limited effect. The GM decides that the first forces the second one away from the
carcass, but the first one is also injured in their battle.

When an outcome is uncertain, but no other roll applies to the situation at hand.
While pilfering the chambers of the Soul Sanctum, Nock is possessed by a vengeful
ghost. As control of his body slips away, Nock grabs a random potion bottle and
drinks it down. Will the arcane concoction have an effect on the spirit? Will it poison
Nock to death? Who knows? The GM makes a fortune roll to see how it turns out.

When you make a fortune roll you may assess any trait rating to determine the dice pool of
the roll.
● When a supernatural power manifests with uncertain results, you might use its
magnitude for a fortune roll.
● When a PC gathers information, you might make a fortune roll using their action
rating to determine the amount of the info they get.
● When a PCs is overwhelmed by the infection, you might make a fortune roll using
their cracks to see how well they handle it.

If no trait applies, roll 1d for sheer luck or create a dice pool (from one to four) based on the
situation at hand. If two parties are directly opposed, make a fortune roll for each side to see
how they do, then assess the outcome of the situation by comparing their performance levels.
The fortune roll is also a good tool to help the GM manage all the various moving parts of the
world. Sometimes a quick roll is enough to answer a question or inspire an idea for what
might happen next.
Other examples of fortune rolls:
A strange sickness is sweeping the city. How badly is a crime ridden district hit by
the outbreak? The GM assigns a magnitude to the plague, and makes a fortune roll to
judge the extent of its contamination.

The Mantis sets up a good spot for an ambush, and makes a surprise attack against
the Traitor Lord. The controlled Clash is a success, but is a Great effect enough to
instantly kill the massive Traitor Lord, an extremely potent warrior empowered
further by the infection? Instead of making a progress clock for her mortality, the GM
decides to use a simple fortune roll with her “toughness” as a trait to see if she can
possibly survive the attack. The roll is a 4-5: the mantis vessel drives its nail deep into
the Traitor Lord’s shell, and it will kill her if untreated. However, the Traitor Lord is
currently alive and angry, and now mantis traitors are pouring in from every
direction.

Orbweaver Laenar is setting up a careful trap against the PC vessels. How quickly
will she prepare all the necessary steps and catch the PCs? The PCs current Danger
counts as a major advantage for Laenar.

The PCs face off in a skirmish with a corrupted ant queen and her court. The tide of
battle goes in the PCs’ favor, and many court members are killed. One of the players
asks if the queen will surrender to spare the rest of her court’s lives. The GM isn’t
sure. How far has the infection spread? Has her mind been thoroughly corrupted,
or is there still a remainder of what she once was? The GM makes a 2d fortune roll
for “strength of mind” to see if a spark of her remains. If so, maybe one of the PCs can
roll to Convince or Command her to stand down.

Fortune Roll
1d for each Trait rating.
+1d for each Major advantage
-1d for each Major disadvantage

Critical: Exceptional result / Great, extreme effect.

6: Good result / Standard, full effect.
4/5: Mixed result / Limited, partial effect.
1-3: Bad result / Poor, little effect.
Resistance and armor
When your PC suffers a consequence that you don’t like, you can choose to resist it. Just
tell the GM, “No, I don’t think so. I’m resisting that.” Resistance is always automatically
effective - the GM will tell you if the consequence is reduced in severity or if you avoid it
entirely. Then, you’ll make a resistance roll to see how much soul your character pays as a
result of their resistance.
You make the roll using one of your character’s attributes (Shell, Steel or Will). The GM
chooses the attribute, based on the nature of consequences:
● Shell - when you resist consequences with a tough exterior, roll Shell.
● Steel - when you resist consequences with a snap decision, roll Steel.
● Will - when you resist consequences with an unwavering resolution, roll Will.
Your character pays 6 soul when they resist, minus the highest die result from the resistance
roll. So, if you rolled a 4, you’d pay 2 soul. If you rolled a 6, you’d pay 0 soul. If you get a
critical result, you gain 1 soul instead.
Para’s mantis vessel, Thorn, is Traversing through a particularly hazardous
passage of the Queen’s Gardens. The walls, ceiling, and floor are covered in lethal
thorns, and infectious pollen lies heavy in the air, leaving Thorn in a desperate
position. She rolls a 4-5, and the GM decides that the sucrose air is beginning to
corrupt Thorn. They start a 4-tick clock labeled “Thorn cracks”, and tells Para to
mark 3 ticks, but it can be resisted. Para rolls 2d for Thorn’s Will, and gets a 3.
Thorn pays 3 soul, and only marks 2 ticks on the clock.
Usually, a resistance roll reduces the severity of a consequence. If you’d get completely
outmaneuvered in a conversation, you could resist to avoid promising something you don’t
want to. Or if you got a complication when you were sneaking into the City of Tears, and the
GM was going to mark three ticks on the “Alert” clock, she’d only mark two (or maybe one) if
you resisted the complication.
You may only roll against a given consequence once.
The GM also has the option to rule that your character completely avoids the consequence.
For instance, maybe you’re in a fight and the consequence is getting disarmed. When you
resist, the GM says that you avoid that consequence completely: you keep hold of your
weapon.
Tom’s snail vessel, Deux, is in a desperate Clash with an enormous garpede. He rolls
a 1-3, and since the position was desperate, the garpede deals 3 damage to Deux,
and +1 damage for a Shade that is stalking the scene. This is enough to kill Deux
(making them a tasty snack for the garpede), but the GM says that he can resist all
of the damage. Tom rolls 3d for Deux Shell attribute and gets a 5. Deux pays 1 soul,
and avoids becoming garpede dinner.
By adjusting which consequences are reduced vs. which are avoided, the GM establishes the
overall tone of your game. For a more daring game, most consequences will be avoided. For a
grittier game, most consequences will only be reduced with resistance.
The GM may also threaten several consequences at once, then the player may choose which
ones to resist (and make rolls for each).
“She stabs you and then leaps off the balcony. 2 damage and you lose the
opportunity to catch her with fighting.”
 “I’ll resist losing the opportunity by grappling her as she attacks. She can stab me,
but I don’t want to let her escape.”
Once you decide to resist a consequence and roll, you pay the soul indicated. You can’t roll
first and see how much soul you’ll pay, then decide whether or not to resist.

Armor
If you have a type of armor that applies to the situation, you can mark an armor box to
reduce or avoid a consequence, instead of rolling to resist. In order to do this, however, you
must have a special ability or item that lets you mark this type of armor.
When an armor box is marked, it can’t be used again until it’s restored. All of your armor
boxes are restored when you rest at an bench (which is not just sitting at one).

Armor Description
Cloak Avoid consequences by deftly dashing out of the way.

Plate Avoid consequences with impenetrable steel.

Special Avoid consequences, but the specifics vary between special abilities.

Thorn is taking 3 damage which will kill her, and they still need her for the rest of
the fight, so Para decides that Thorn is dashing out of the way. She marks the cloak
armor box, and takes no damage. If another blow like that heads Thorn’s way,
she’ll need to resist (unless she has another applicable armor box or someone
defends her)

Resistance Roll Armor

Shell resists consequences with tough exterior. Mark an armor box to resist
consequences instead of burning Soul.
Steel resists consequences with snap decisions.
What armor boxes you are allowed to
mark in what context is determined by
Will resists consequences with stern resolution.
items and abilities (none by default).
Take 1d for each attribute rating. Armor restores when you rest at a bench.
Burn 6 soul, minus the highest die result.
(On a critical, gain 1 Soul instead)
You reduce or avoid the consequence.
Death and Rebirth
While Hallownest is dead and filled with death, this is only about the “death” of
the Vessels. When you take damage on all masks, you die. From your corpse, your
shade quickly emerges. It looks like an inky reflection of yourself, with long
tendrils and a black nail. Shades are fragments of your past life, the void within
you, and a stain upon the land.

They begin lashing out at everyone and everything around you, including the
other Vessels. If a vessel takes damage, all shades present in the scene deal 1
damage to that vessel. However, they hate the rest of the world in equal measure
and all violent actions where shades are present have increased effect.

Meanwhile, you are reborn somewhere nearby where no one can see you. Exactly where is
not clear, but no one can witness the process. From here, you can choose to either take it
slow and rejoin your comrades at the end of the scene, or you can attempt a corpse run to
get back to them quickly. When you do, choose 1 action (usually Navigate or Traverse) and
roll. If you’ve made this corpse run before, take +1d.

Roll Result The Corpse Run

You return and choose one:
Critical - Immediately slay your shade
- Your entrance creates an opportunity for your allies.

6 You return.

4-5 You return, but your shade deals 1 damage to you (one consequence).

1-3 You are ambushed and killed by your shade (two separate consequences).
Cracking under pressure
If you die when your shade lives or when you have zero soul,
you crack. A fracture appears across your mask, you lose 1
void, and gain an idea in its place. This is an exhausting
experience, and rejoin the group at the end of the scene with
your Soul fully restored and some fresh thoughts in tow.

A vessel with 4 ideas and no void can no longer be played, but

it is up to you to determine why.

Ideas
Belonging A desire for connections with others.

Curiosity A desire to seek things out and to know.

Doubt A constant questioning of yourself and your path.

Empathy A desire to take care of the weak.

Honor A code of conduct that you need to follow.

Identity A new-found sense of the self.

Legacy A need to carry on what Hallownest stood for.

Love A deep connection to a being, concept, or place.

Malleable An ability to learn from a master.

Obsessive Your thoughts consumed by a concept or a person.

Revenge To enact punishment for a percieved slight.

Taboo To absolutely refuse something.

Death and Shades
When you die, your shade rises from your corpse.

Whenever a vessel takes damage, all shades deal 1 damage to it.

All violent actions near shades have increased effect.

The Corpse Run

When you’re reborn, choose to take it slow or do a corpse run.

A corpse run uses an action. Take +1d if you’ve done it before.

You return on a 6-4, and die on a 1-3.

Cracking
If you die with no Soul or a living shade, you crack.

When you crack, your face breaks, you lose 1 Void and gain 1
Idea.

A vessel with no Void cannot be played.

Ideas
Belonging Honor Malleable

Curiosity Identity Obsessive

Doubt Legacy Revenge

Empathy Love Taboo

Clocks
While time seldom passes in the eternal kingdom, we still use progress clocks to track
progress.

A progress clock is a circle divided into segments (see examples at right). Draw a progress
clock when you need to track ongoing effort against an obstacle or the approach of
impending trouble.
Carefully navigating the true dream of a sleeping foe? Make a clock to track the alert level of
the dream itself. When the PCs suffer consequences from partial successes or
missed rolls, fill in segments on the clock until the dream realizes there’s an
intrusion and actively begins to kill the intruders.
Generally, the more complex the problem, the more segments in the progress
clock.

Clock length
A complex obstacle is a 4-segment clock.
A more complicated obstacle is a 6-clock.
A daunting obstacle is an 8-segment clock.

When you create a clock, make it about the obstacle, not the method. The
clocks for a difficult journey should be “Watcher Knights” and “The Spire,”
not “Sneak Past the Guards” or “Climb the Spire.” The patrols and the spire
are the obstacles­—the PCs can attempt to overcome them in a variety of ways.
Complex enemy threats can be broken into several “layers,” each with its own progress clock.
For example, “Reaching the Pale King” isn’t one clock. It might have a “The Missing White
Palace” clock, a “The Palace Is Locked Away in a Dream” clock, a “Countless Buzzsaws”
clock, and finally a “Defeat The Kingsmoulds” clock”. Even then, there’s no guarantee that its
actually the real Pale King sitting on the throne. He is an elusive figure (and probably dead).

Remember that a clock tracks progress. It reflects the fictional situation, so the group can
gauge how they’re doing. A clock is like a speedometer in a car. It shows the speed of the
vehicle—it doesn’t determine the speed.

Simple Obstacles
Not every situation and obstacle requires a clock. Use clocks when a situation is complex or
layered and you need to track something over time—otherwise, resolve the result of an action
with a single roll.
Danger Clocks
The GM can use a clock to represent a progressive danger, like suspicion growing during a
seduction, the proximity of pursuers in a chase, or the alert level of guards on patrol. In this
case, when a complication occurs, the GM ticks one, two, or three segments on the clock,
depending on the consequence level. When the clock is full, the danger comes to fruition -
the guards hunt down the intruders, activate an alarm, release their baldurs, etc.

Racing Clocks
Create two opposed clocks to represent a race. The PCs might have a progress clock called
“Escape” while the weavers have a clock called “Cornered.” If the PCs finish their clock before
the weavers fill theirs, they get away. Otherwise, they’re cornered and can’t flee. If both
complete at the same time, the PCs might find a good hiding spot, but the hunting weavers
are outside!
You can also use racing clocks for an environmental hazard. Maybe the PCs are trying to
complete the “Search” clock to find the lockbox on the sinking ship before the GM fills the
“Sunk” clock and the boat sinks forever into the Abyssal Sea.

Linked Clocks
You can make a clock that unlocks another clock once it’s filled. For example, the GM might
make a linked clock called “Trapped” after an “Alert” clock fills up. When you fight a veteran
warrior, she might have a clock for her “Defense” and then a linked clock for “Vulnerable.”
Once you overcome the “Defense” clock, then you can attempt to overcome the “Vulnerable”
clock and defeat her. You might affect the “Defense” clock with violence in a knife-fight, or
you lower her defense with deception if you have the opportunity. As always, the method of
action is up to the players and the details of the fiction at hand.

Mission Clocks
The GM can make a clock for a time-sensitive mission, to represent the window of
opportunity you have to complete it. If the countdown runs out, the mission is scrubbed or
changes - the target escapes, the cavern collapses, etc.

Tug-of-war Clocks
You can make a clock that can be filled and emptied by events, to represent a back-and-forth
situation. You might make a “Corruption” clock that indicates when the bugs in the small
village completely give in to the Radiance. Some events will tick the clock up and some will
tick it down. Once it fills, they’re gone with the amber. A tug-of-war clock is also perfect for
an ongoing war between two factions.

Long-term Project
Some projects will take a long time. A basic long-term project (like learning the secret
technique known as Soul Shade from a dead snail) is eight segments. Truly long-term
projects (like awakening the Dream Nail) can be two, three, or even four clocks, representing
all the phases of learning, gathering, and final completion. Add or subtract clocks depending
on the details of the situation and complexity of the project.
A long-term project is a good catch-all for dealing with any unusual player goal, including
things that circumvent or change elements of the mechanics or the setting.

Gathering Information
The flow of information from the GM to the players about the fictional world is very
important in a roleplaying game. By default, the GM tells the players what their characters
perceive, suspect, and intuit. But there’s just too much going on to say everything—it would
take forever and be boring, too. The players have a tool at their disposal to more fully
investigate the fictional world.
When you want to know something specific about the fictional world, your
character can gather information. The GM will ask you how your character gathers
the info (or how they learned it in the past).
If it’s common knowledge, the GM will simply answer your questions. If there’s an obstacle
to the discovery of the answer, an action roll is called for. If it’s not common knowledge but
there’s no obstacle, a simple fortune roll determines the quality of the information you
gather.
Each attempt to gather information takes time. If the situation allows, you can try again if
you don’t initially get all the info that you want. But often, the opportunity is fleeting, and
you’ll only get one chance to roll for that particular question.
Some example questions are on the bottom of the character sheet. The GM always answers
honestly, but with a level of detail according to the level of effect.
The most common gather information actions are Surveying the situation to reveal or
anticipate what’s going on and Studying a bug to understand what they intend to do or what
they’re really thinking.
Sometimes, you’ll have to maneuver yourself into position before you can gather
information. For example, you might have to Traverse to a good hiding place first and then
Study the cultists when they perform their dark ritual.

Investigation
Some questions are too complex to answer immediately with a single gather information roll.
For instance, you might want to discover exactly what the Hive is up to with the Seal of
Binding on the Wyrm’s corpse. In these cases, the GM will tell you to start a long-term
project that you work on during downtime.
You track the investigation project using a progress clock. Once the clock is filled, you have
the evidence you need to ask several questions about the subject of your investigation as if
you had great effect.

Examples & Questions

● You might Focus to see echoes of recent dream activity. What fragmented echoes are
currently here right now? where should I go to find out more? What should I be
worried about?
 ● You might Command the small-town barkeep to tell you what he knows about the
secret meetings held in his back room. What’s really going on here? What’s he really
feeling about this? Is he part of this secret group?
● You might Clash with a warrior-bug to earn their respect, and listen to secrets they
only share with the worthy. Who were they before? What role did they play in
Hallownest?
● Or you might Clash with a guardian of some sort, forcing them away from their
sentry duties. What secrets do they guard? Why were they stationed there?
● You might Convince a well-connected insect to tell secrets about an enemy, rival, or
potential ally. What do they intend to do? What might I suspect about their motives?
How can I discover their weakness?
● You might Traverse up to the tallest point you can find, gazing out over the Eternal
Kingdom. What can I see from here? Is the corruption moving?
● You might Study ancient and obscure journals or seals to discover an arcane secret.
How can I disable the Seals of Binding? Will anyone sense if they’re disabled?
● Or you might Study a bug to read their intentions and feelings. What are they really
feeling? How could I get them to trust me?
● You might Survey a the tunnels for a secret passage. Where does it lead? Who’s
hiding nearby?
● Or you might Survey a charged situation when you meet a gathering of bugs. What’s
really going on here? Are they about to attack us?
● You might Navigate to find something strange that was described to you. What does
this hidden pocket reveal? Why has no one found it before?

Generally, you’ll gather information in four different ways, fictionally. Overlap is encouraged.
● Get a resident of Hallownest to reveal it to you.
● Interacting with your surroundings (possibly finding hidden areas).
● Catching Dreams, be it echoes, wills, ghosts, or true dreams.
● Prying it from Hallownest’s cold, dead, claws.

Effect and Information given

You get exceptional details. The information is complete and follow-up
Great questions may expand into related areas or reveal more than you hoped for.

Standard You get good details. Clarifying and follow-up questions are possible

You get incomplete or partial information. More information gathering will be

Reduced needed to get all the answers.
Experience v1
At the end of the session, mark 1 xp if an item occurred, or 2 xp if it occurred multiple times.

- You addressed a challenge with an approach unique to your playbook.

- You let your obsessions guide your hand.
- Your ideas influenced who you are.
- You died.

Experience v2
- When you die, mark xp in the attribute that brought your demise.

At the end of the session, mark 1 xp if an item occurred, or 2 xp if it occurred multiple times.

- You addressed a challenge with an approach unique to your playbook.

- You let your obsessions guide your hand.
- Your ideas influenced who you are.

When you gain xp, you may put it any of the four xp bars.
The ability xp bar has 8 xp notches, and when it fills
up you gain a new ability. This can either be one of your special
abilities or one of your vessel abilities.
The three attribute xp bars have 6 xp notches each,
and when one of them fills up you gain an additional action dot
in one of the actions governed by that attribute.

(Hallownest playbook xp)

The Vessels

What are you?

In Era of Radiance, you take on the role of a Vessel. In Hollow Knight, the Pale King
describes a Pure Vessel like this:
● No mind to think.
● No will to break.
● No voice to cry suffering.
● Born of God and Void.
The Vessels you portray are imperfect. They have minds, obsessions, emotion, and
eventually ideas. Their emotions might lie below the surface, but they’re there. They have
Wills, albeit extremely strong ones. They speak, though it may not be often. They are,
however, born of God and Void. Vessels are vaguely defined, and this leaves space for your
group to determine exactly what a vessel is. Still, the mechanics of Era of Radiance have a
few assumptions about the PC Vessels (but not necessarily NPC Vessels).
● Vessels that die leave a shade and resurrect.
Is just you, or all vessels? What makes you different?
● Vessels with no Void in them cannot be PCs.
Do they retire, die for good, or are they grisly reanimated by lightseeds?
● Vessels take shape after certain bugs, which determines your playbook.
Why is this? How does this play into their creation?
● Vessels are born of God and Void.
What Gods lay claim to your parenthood?
Vessel Creation

Explanation of terms

Playbooks
Playbooks give vessels their form, and many of their abilities. If you’re coming here from
games such as Dungeons and Dragons, a playbook is, in this game, a mix between class and
race. Mechanically, it determines your starting items, some of your starting actions dots, and
your special abilities.
In the fiction, it also signifies a connection to the world. You look like one of the
tribes of Hallownest. Why is that? Who are you, exactly?

Obsessions
Obsessions are what you prioritize above all else and all vessels begin with two obsessions.
It is a set of core values, and when you begin play, this is the closest thing your vessel has to a
personality. Use it to define what you as a player would like to see in the game or to say
something about your vessel. Finally, obsessions are not set in stone. As the game progresses,
you may want to add, remove, or change your Obsessions. Maybe being obsessed with Soul
has run its course, and you're ready for something new.
These are the Obsessions that will fill your mind: CONTAIN THE LIGHT - AID -
SACRIFICE - LIGHT - SOUL - PRAISE - TRUTH - HUNT - UNITE

Action dots
Action dots show how good you are at performing actions. They don't indicate how you're
good, they don't tell us why you're good. Just how likely you are to get away clean when
performing the different actions. When you roll to perform an action, you roll 1d6 per dot
you have in the action.
When you emerge from your mold, you have six action dots. Three of them are
determined by your mold, and three of you may assign yourself. During character
creation, you may not have more than 2 dots in any action.

Special abilities
Special abilities are unique for each playbook. They often let you bend (and sometimes
break) the rules of the game in some way. You’ll start the game with one special ability, and
can earn more of them if you fill up your playbook xp bar.
If you don’t know which one to pick, pick the one at the top.

Vessel abilities
Vessel abilities are mostly the same for all Vessels. They represent a few general abilities
that all vessels have (such as the ability to gather soul by striking foes or burning soul to
heal). This is also where each playbook’s Knight ability is, which is how they interact with
Dreams. Knight abilities are locked until the group gains the Good Knights ability, after
which they can be unlocked like any other ability (by filling up the ability xp bar).
You start with Infused Nail and one more ability of your choice. If you don’t know
which one, pick Soul Blast or Mend Shell.

Look
Look tells us what you look like. It's as simple as that. Keep the description simple, often a
string of describing words can be enough (especially since the amount of space on your
character sheet can be limited).
tall, lithe, well built, round, jagged, pointed, sharp, unkempt, peering, minute,
burly, controlled, twitchy, shelled, cloaked

Creep
Creep is a subtle thing. Vessels are not natural, and even if the bugs of Hallownest don't
know it, they can feel it. Vessels are strange, scary, creepy, and throughout Hollow Knight the
bugs you meet consistently comment on it. To describe your creep is to say how your Vessel
treads into the uncanny valley.
Do you tower over everyone around you? Do you breathe? Are your eyes
unnaturally deep? Do you have a body underneath your cloak? Do you always look
hungry? Do your limbs fold in far too many places?

Masks
Masks keep your body together. You start with 4 masks, and can gain more by gaining mask
shards. When you take damage, you generally take 1-3 masks worth of damage, depending
on position. With zero masks you die, leave a shade, and resurrect.
Masks are roughly the same as Harm, but there’s no penalty to rolls for taking
damage. Don’t confuse Masks (hit points) with masks (which cover your face).

Soul
Soul lets you do amazing things. You start with 7 soul, and can gain more by gaining soul
vessels. When you burn it, you might manifest strange magic, power through consequences,
heal your shell, or push yourself beyond your limits. However, beware of spending it all. If
you have zero soul, all damage you take is doubled. If you die when you have zero soul, you’ll
crack and lose void.
Soul functions similarly to Stress, but has a bit more of a supernatural angle.
When you resist consequences, you burn 6 soul minus the attribute roll.
When you ignite soul, you burn 2 soul.

Void
Void is the internal emptiness you were born of. You start with 4 void, and can only lose it as
the game goes on. When it appears in the world, it usually takes on the form of a black liquid.
In you, it stifles emotions and prevents you from being… anyone.
 Perhaps being no one is a good thing. Perhaps you weren’t meant to be someone.
The void stops you from getting any ideas.

Ideas
Ideas crawl into your head and grant you impulses. They let you discover and define
yourself in relation to the world, but it also leaves you more vulnerable. They’re also integral
for xp gain.
These are the ideas that will get stuck in your mind:
Belonging, curiosity, doubt, empathy, honor, identity
legacy, love, malleable, obsessive, revenge, taboo.

Items and Load

Items come in many different shapes and purposes. You start with a handful of them, which
is determined by your playbook. Each item also has 0-2 load, determining how much it
weighs or how unwieldy it is.
Load is carrying capacity and packing. Each vessel starts with a maximum load of 7. If you
carry more than that, you’re overburdened, and can only move slowly.

Charms and Notches

Charms are tiny little jewels and decorations that grant unique abilities to those who wear
them. They have no load, and when you rest at a bench you can swap them back and forth.
Otherwise, they’re firmly attached to your cloak and cannot be removed.
Notches determine how many charms you can wear. Charms take up one notch each
(except for potent charms, which take up 2). If you wear more charms than you have notches,
you’re overcharmed and take double damage.
They’re said to be formed from a bug’s dying wish, and they are usually found
around corpses.

Summary
Each Vessel has…
● a playbook, which roughly determines what they’re like.
● obsessions, which guide their actions at every turn.
● action dots, showing how adept they are at the different actions.
● one special ability, unique to their playbook.
● two vessel abilties, with at least one being Infused Nail.
● a look and a creep, describing their vibe and appearance.
● four masks, keeping their shell together.
● seven soul, letting them do amazing things.
● four void, the emptyness they bear within.
● no ideas, no blemishes, nothing.
● eight max load, and some items from their playbook.
● one notch but no charms to put on it.
Vessel creation summary

1 Choose a playbook.
Fill 1 Void.

2 You choose an obsession.

The city chooses an obsession.

3 Assign 3 action dots.

Fill 1 Void.

4 Choose a special ability.

5 Choose a vessel ability.

Fill 1 Void.

6 Record your name, look, and creep.

7 Draw your face and describe your weapon. Choose your items.
Fill 1 Void.

8 Emerge from your mold, wherever it may be. Begin play.

Vessel Creation Summary

Vessel abilities
Infused Nail
When you strike your foes, mark 1 tick on the Infused Nail clock. Empty the clock to ignite
soul at no cost.

Soul Blast
You may ignite soul to launch a small ball of searing soul from your hands.

Rebirth
When you die, you may ignite soul to skip the corpse run.

Mend Shell
You may ignite soul to focus and regain masks. Standard effect restores 2 masks.

Cloak with Pockets

Increase your max load and notches by 1.

Mutation
Gain an ability from another playbook. This cannot be your first Vessel Ability.

Knighthood
Each playbook has a unique knight ability, letting them interact with the Dream in one way
or another.
The Bee
A wayfinder with a second home.
When you play the bee, you earn xp when you address a challenge with careful
navigation or social connections.

Starting Actions
⚫⚫ Navigate

⚫⚪ Command

Bee Abilities

Swarm
You have an entourage of bees that follow you. Underline two things they’re good at:
fighting, building, scouting, making honey, remembering orders.

The bees that follow you aren’t particularly big nor organized. What they grant you
is fictional positioning and permissions. They might improve your position or effect
when they can help you out.
If they die, you’ll replenish your forces when you rest at a bench.

Hivemind
Even though you are not of the Hive, you are. When you stay still for a minute or so to Focus,
you may consult the Hivemind’s knowledge (but not desires). It is old and knows many
things, but can be incredibly cryptic. When you act on your interpretation, you take +1d.

One important thing to consider for this ability is if you’ve actually been to the Hive.
The answer is usually no (at least for Vessels). When that’s the case, the Hive almost
becomes this mystical higher being. As a rule of thumb, the Hivemind becomes more
cryptic the worse you get on the fortune roll (which also includes less opportunity
for follow-up questions).

Scout of the Collective

The Hive has an agenda - name it. You gain an xp trigger: You advanced the Hive’s agenda.

What does the Hive want? How do you know this? You have a lot of say here in how
hard you want to make things for yourself, and also a bit of power in how the game
will go going forward. It is probably wise to discuss this ability with the rest of the
players and the GM before you take it. Perhaps you can even think of a cool agenda
together!

Interpretative Dance
Through true art, your body language can can communicate with everything sentient.

This is a huge enabler, that lets you talk with pretty much anyone on their terms.
 While everyone you meet won’t be a dancer themselves so they can talk back, you
can always be understood. Just remember that many minds in Hallownest are very
simple, and their thoughts seldom go beyond “need food”.

Leader
When you Command allied bugs in combat, you can ignite soul to let them act as one
through you or give them potency against the supernatural.

For some inspiration on what it means to “act as one”, read up on how some ants
literally build bridges with their bodies. It could also mean as they act as an
extension of you, or with flawless teamwork. The answer doesn’t even have to be the
same every time. Potency against the supernatural means that they can deal
damage to ghosts and stuff like that when they normally wouldn’t be able to.

Eye to the Road

You may mark special armor to resist consequences from journeys or getting lost, or to
ignite soul when Navigating.

Pretty simple ability.

Stinger
You have a large retractable stinger, doused in a paralyzing poison. The effect remains as
long as the stinger remains.

Some foes might be really big and tough, and get a Fortune roll to see how effective
the poison is. Just remember that you’re attached to the end of it (or at least your
cold, dead, body).

Hive Knight
You know the secrets of producing honey. When someone eats your honey, you can catch
their dreams. Take +1 effect when hearing the thoughts of wills.

The Bee’s Knight ability, which lets you make honey. It is locked until the group has
the “Good Knights” playbook ability.

The Bee’s starting items

⧠ A weathered weapon (1-2 load)
Perhaps a stinger-like nail? Is it afixed to your body?
⧠-⧠ Plate armor
A secondary shell. Mark plate armor to resist damage.
⧠ A honey vial.
A very sweet taste. Consume it to instantly gain 2 health and 2 soul.
⧠ ⧠ A small collection of trinkets. Choose 2 from the trinket list.
⧠ One currency. Which one?
The Beetle
A sturdy and diligent warrior
When you the beetle, you earn xp when you address a challenge with hard work
or violence.

Starting Actions
⚫⚫ Clash

⚫⚪ Survey

Beetle Abilities

Toughness
You may mark special armor to resist damage or corruption, or to ignite soul when
fighting.

This ability has very broad applications, and that’s intentional.

Scarab Soul
When you slay your shade, take +1d. When you drive off shades of other vessels, you make
no difference between one or one hundred shades.

Atlas
You can ignite soul to do one of the following: perform a feat physical strength that verges
on the supernatural - pull off one final action before your death.

Exactly what it means to have “supernatural strength” is not clearly defined. This is
intentional, and you’ll have to decide what means for together. However, if you can
lift the world on your shoulders, you probably went way too far.

Mule
You can carry +2 load.

This sets your maximum load to 9. Carry all the things.

Roach’s Gambit
You can ignite soul to roll your best action rating while performing a different action. Say
how you adapt your skill to this use.

Defender
When you protect, take +1d to your resistance roll. When you gather info to anticipate
possible threats in the current situation, you get +1 effect.

When you defend, you take a consequence for someone else. To find out about
incoming threats is generally done by Surveying.
Artisan
You know how to make trinkets and (choose one: weapons - armor - vials - fine trinkets). As
a bench action, mark 1 tick on a 4-step clock. When you start a new clock, fill 1 tick for each
question you answer with “yes”.
- What are you making?
- Do you have the tools?
- Do you have the materials?
- Have you made this before?

With this ability, you can slowly make basic equipment. If the answer to all three
questions are “yes”, you can simply make it with one bench action.

Fierce Knight
You can catch dreams by striking violently with your nail. One tick on Infused Nail is
permanently filled.

This way of catching dreams is very aggressive, and will generally grant you more
insight into what the people you’re fighting are planning. If you want to catch the
dreams of someone you don’t want to hurt, you’ll find that much more difficult.

The Beetle’s starting items

⧠ A rusted weapon (1-2 load).
Is it a traditional nail, or something else?
⧠ A shellwood shield.
A fine protective tool. Mark plate armor to resist damage.
⧠ ⧠ ⧠ A collection of trinkets. Choose 3 from the trinket list.
⧠ One currency. Which one?
The Grub
A child with great potential.
When you play the you earn xp when you address a challenge with curiosity or
show room for improvement.

Starting Actions
⚫⚫ Focus

⚫⚪ Convince

Grub Abilities

Metamorphosis
A grand transformation awaits you. When you take a Grub ability, mark 1
tick on the clock. With a full clock, you become a Grubberfly the next time
you dream. You start with this ability, and a random charm.

This is the core of the Grub: the promise of something great. Each time you gain a
grub ability, you get closer to the Grubberfly. You need 5 grub abilities in total to
transform, including Metamorphosis. Since the ability doesn’t do much on its own,
you also get a random charm to go with it.

Cute Face
You look extraordinarily cute (and delicious). You may mark special armor to resist
consequences from those who can’t resist your cuteness.

This ability lets you get away with things more easily. While it protects you against
some threats, it also makes you more vulnerable against others (or at least more
likely to get targeted).

Dirt Expert
You can tunnel through most types of earth, but you’re almost always covered in dirt. Some
bugs will look down on you for it.

With this ability, you learn to make your own tunnels. Generally, your tunnels close
behind you, but you might be able to make something bigger if you put in the time.
This ability generally uses Traverse, but that doesn’t always have to be the case.

Naive
You gain an additional xp trigger: You were fooled.

More xp means you’ll reach your Metamorphosis faster, but you’ll need to put
yourself at risk to earn that precious xp.
Heart on your Sleeve
When you tell someone about the dreams you had to restore soul, they restore up to 2 soul as
well. If you don’t share, you lose 2 soul instead. Also, gain 1 Notch.

This ability can only trigger once per time you dream.

Empathy
When you use Mend Shell, another vessel that you touch is also healed the same amount. If
you ignore a bug in need, your next journey gets more dangerous (?).

Grubsong Infusion
You can cause a nail you touch to burn with searing soulfire. Choose one option per Soul you
pay. It lasts minutes rather than seconds - you don’t have to keep touching the nail - the
flames can lash out over a distance.

This lets you empower your own or your allies weapons. The exact mechanical
effects are not defined, but position or effect are always a good place to begin.

Squire Knight
Choose a Knight Ability - Hive, Fierce, Black, Watcher, Weaver. You gain their way to
catch dreams, but not their secondary benefit.

You learn from those around you. Here’s a quick reference for what each one is
(without their secondary benefit).

● Hive squire: You know the secrets of producing honey. When someone eats your
honey, you can catch their dreams.
● Fierce squire: You can catch dreams by striking violently with your nail.
● Black squire: When you defeat a ghost or true dream, you can irrevocably
consume it to mark 1 box. Unmark boxes to ignite soul or resist physical harm.
You can mark 1 box.
● Watcher squire: When you spend a minute or so staring intensely, your unrelenting
eyes catch dreams.
● Weaver squire: You weave a thin ethereal strand the length of your arms. You can
use it to catch dreams.

Grub’s starting items

⧠ A rusted weapon (1-2 load).
Is it a traditional nail, or something else?
⧠⧠⧠ A collection of trinkets. Choose 3 from the trinket list.
⭘ An empty vial.
Full of potential. Fill it with soul or lifeblood up by exploring.
⭘ A random charm - roll twice and choose one to determine it.
Where did you find it?
⧠ One currency. Which one?
The Mantis
A warrior with a legacy.
When you play the mantis, you earn xp when you address a challenge with
violence or honor.

Starting Actions
⚫⚫ Clash

⚫⚪ Traverse

Mantis abilities

Mantis tradition
You can ignite soul to do one of the following: perform an acrobatic feat that verges on the
supernatural - engage a group of enemies in close combat on equal footing.

This lets you ignore being outnumbered, which will often hurt your position and/or
effect. Remember that when you ignite soul, you also gain the +1 die or increased
effect.

Battleborn
You may mark special armor to reduce harm from an attack in combat or to ignite soul
during a fight.

A simple ability that makes you more effective in combat. Use special armor to go
all in, keep you out of a pickle, or to activate mantis tradition.

Ambush
When you attack from hiding or spring a trap, you get +1d.

Nail Disc
You know the technique of spinning a nail into a projectile weapon that returns.

A pretty simple ranged attack - just beware of consequences that render you getting
unable to retrieve your weapon!

Live by the nail

You are a master of your chosen weapon. When you take actions that aren't directly violent
with it (tricks, maneuvers, defensive stances, fanciful displays, etc) you take +1 effect.

Perhaps +1d would be more effective. If that was the case, the ability would also
trigger in scenarios where you're resisting consequences. Another option would like
recover 1 soul or tick ignite soul, but I worry that it'd be too easy to trigger.
To live by the nail is impossible. The nail is a brunt tool of death that exists only to
 separate fools from their heads, bugs from their innards, and you from your soul.

Warrior’s Mantra
You’ve pledged your loyalty to the Mantis Lords. As long as you keep your oath, you take +1d
when dealing with the corruption. If you break your oath, you can abandon Warrior’s
Mantra and become a Black Knight instead.

This ability doesn't require you to have actually met the Mantis Lords, and that's
okay. You don't always get to meet the people you swear your fealty to. However,
you need to know of them - either talk to your GM that you want to hear about the
Lords or tell the group how you heard of them and why you're willing to dedicate
your l yourself to them.

Duelist
When you successfully Command someone into a duel, those with thoughts dare not interrupt
you.

“Those with thoughts” generally means “those who are civilized.” “Those who live in
homes.” “Those who think of more than just food.” However, it doesn’t have to. This
ability works off both honor and intimidation, and either can be used as leverage
for a one-on-one battle.

Black Knight
When you defeat a ghost or true dream, you can irrevocably consume it to mark 1 box.
Unmark boxes to ignite soul or resist physical harm. You can mark 1 box per Idea you
have.

Each box is almost equivalent to one infused nail clock, but filling it is more of a
hassle. Worth noting is that this ability does not actually make you better at
fighting ghosts or true dreams, it just rewards you for it.

Mantis’ starting items

⧠ A rusted weapon (1-2 load).
Do you use a mantis longnail, or do you break expectations?
⧠ A mothwing cloak.
Conceals and protects. Mark cloak armor to resist damage.
⧠ A Mantis Claw.
A claw carved from bone. Allows the wearer to cling to walls.
⧠ ⧠ A small collection of trinkets. Choose 2 from the trinket list.
⧠ One currency. Which one?
The Snail
A shaman with strange powers.
When you play the snail, you earn xp when you address a challenge with dreams
or arcane powers.

Starting Actions
⚫⚫ Focus

⚫⚪ Study

Snail abilities

Snail Secrets
You can ignite soul to do one of the following: conjure a spirit that will fly forward and
burn foes in its path - let out a soul-charged shriek that damages anyone close to you - dive
down and strike the earth with great force.

Guided Dream
When you Daydream, you may adjust the dice outcome by 1 or 2 (up or down). An ally who
joins you in your daydream may do the same.

Ghost Voice
You know the secret method to speak to ghosts as if they were still alive.

Ritual
You can Study an occult ritual (or create a new one) to summon a supernatural effect or
being. You know the arcane methods to perform ritual sorcery. You begin with one ritual
already learned. When casting a ritual, you can fuel it with Soul from jars.

Uzumaki
When you spend a minute or so alone with a bug, you can tell them an idea, and Convince
them it was theirs.

Volt Twister
Your very being is charged with electricity. You are immune to electricity, and can wield as if
it was a nail. You can choose the following extra effects at a price of 1 soul per effect. It covers
a large area - it will linger for a while - it has a long range.

Watcher Knight
When you spend a minute or so staring intensely, your unrelenting eyes catch dreams. You
take +1 effect when hearing echoes.
Snail’s starting items
⧠ A rusted weapon (1-2 load).
Do you carry a staff or a nail?
⧠-⧠ A snail shellmet.
Let’s you hear whispers of the dead. Mark plate armor to resist damage.
⧠ ⧠ ⧠ A collection of trinkets. Choose 3 from the trinket list.
⧠ One currency. Which one?
The Spider
An alluring trickster.
When you play the spider, you earn xp when you address a challenge with social
intrigue or deception.

Starting Actions
⚫⚫ Pressure

⚫⚪ Traverse

Spider abilities

Thread Lightly
You can easily travel across thin silk threads, and if someone touches your web, you know
exactly where they are. You can ignite soul to do one of the following: quickly weave
threads around an opponent’s body - make your web seem comfortable and relaxing to the
weak of mind.

Rappel
You may Traverse rooms by rappelling in your silk lines or climbing walls.

Vision Eightfold
You may mark special armor to resist consequences from ambushes or deception, or to
ignite soul during surveillance.

Socialite
You can present yourself as one of the last pillars of Hallownest’s civilization - those who are
the same will think very highly of you.

Behind the Scenes

You have many things going on in the background. During journeys, you or an ally may take
one additional bench activity.

My parlor
When you use betrayal or traps, take +1d.

Web’s Beating Heart

You lead an extensive network eyes and ears. You gain a bench action: Network. When
you network, choose one: hear of a secret in the Area - hear a named target’s weakness -
hear of a danger out to get you - resupply - scout a location - weave webs across a path
Weaver Knight
You weave a thin ethereal strand the length of your arms. You can use it to catch dreams.
Take +1 effect when trapping ghosts.

Spider’s starting items

⧠ A rusted weapon (1-2 load).
Many weavers favor needle over nail. Are you like them?
⧠ One spider silk bundle.
So many uses, so little time. A skilled weaver can change when its sticky.
⧠ ⧠ A small collection of trinkets. Choose 2 from the trinket list.
⧠ One currency. Which one?
Item Guide
Here is a comprehensive list of almost all the items
you will use and wear during your adventures,
sorted into a few categories: weapons, armor,
trinkets, vials, and currencies.

Each item here describes what it is, and how much

load it takes up.

Some items are fine. They’re generally more

limited in their availability, and more powerful in
turn. Each playbook starts with at least one fine
item.

Weapons
⧠ A nail or two.
Even in disrepair, it remains an potent weapon.
⧠ A staff.
It looks less like a weapon, and won’t be as painful.
⧠⧠ A bundle of throwing nails.
Carried on the back. Strike foes at a distance.
⧠-⧠ A large or heavy nail.
How do you wield it? When is it more effective?
⧠ A strange weapon.
What does it look like? What is it specialized at?

Armor
⧠ A mothwing cloak.
Conceals and protects. Mark cloak armor to resist damage.
⧠-⧠ Plate armor.
A secondary shell. Mark plate armor to resist damage.
⧠ A shellwood shield.
A fine protective tool. Mark plate armor to resist damage.
⧠-⧠ A snail shellmet.
Fine headwear. Let’s you hear whispers of the dead. Mark plate armor to resist
damage.
⭘ A pale amulet.
A four-pronged amulet. Mark special armor to resist madness.
⭘ A shade cloak.
Sewn from darkness. Mark cloak armor to resist damage.

Trinkets
⭘ Empty paper
 Excellent for some sketches, notes, or simple maps.
⭘ Silk parchment ⭘ A Map ⭘ A Quill.
Map out Hallownest as you go. Maybe someone can help you?
⧠ A spool of threads.
A bit of rope, sturdy enough to support a few bugs.
⧠ Tools of a trade.
What trade? Specify what trade and if you know how to use them.
⧠ A stone journal.
Able to communicate concepts far more complicated than paper ever could.
⧠ Ritual tools.
Chalk, pebble-sized journals, a tiny sacrificial nail, a small sacred totem.
⧠ ⧠ ⧠ Mundane Equipment.
Chalk, pitons, rations, etc. When used it, specify exactly what it is.
⧠-⧠ An unwieldy mace
It isn’t meant for combat, but its good at breaking things.
⧠ Wood ⧠ Rock ⧠ Iron ⧠ Bone
Raw materials, ready to be worked.

Fine trinkets
⧠ A Lumafly lantern.
Light up the dark caverns. Tell the world that you’re here.
⧠ A mantis claw.
A claw carved from bone. Allows the wearer to cling to walls.
⧠ A simple key.
Calling it “simple” is selling it short. Its fragile, but can open most locks.
⧠ ⧠ A spider silk bundle.
So many uses, so little time. A skilled weaver can change when its sticky.
⧠-⧠ A one-time bench.
Unfold and set it up during journeys to let your group take an extra bench action.
⧠ Mechanical mandibles
A beartrap-like device. When set up and stepped on, it violently bites its victim.
⭘ Boomspores
Stored in a fossilized shell. Explodes shortly after exposed to air.
⧠-⧠ A corpse.
A dead body. A hollow shell. Something lost and left behind.

Vials
⭘ An empty vial.
Full of potential. Fill it with soul or lifeblood up by exploring.
⭘ A soul vial.
Filled with fools. Consume it to gain 3 soul.
⭘ A lifeblood vial. Empties when used.
A bit of a taboo, but do you care? Consume it to restore 3 masks.
⭘ A honey vial.
A very sweet taste. Only the Hive know how it is made.
 Consume it to instantly gain 2 health and 2 soul.

Currencies
⭘⧠⭘⧠ A bunch of geo.
The currency of Hallownest, and still in use. Made out of fossilized bugs.
⧠ A rancid egg.
Smells bad, but some bugs are always hungry. A decent bargaining chip.
⧠ An old relic.
An item that shows status, and Hallownest’s glorious past. Highly coveted.
⭘⭘ Dreamworld essence.
Potent arcane residue. Sought by mystics and mages.

Items
Each box an item has represents one load. ⧠

If the boxes are linked, then the item weighs

⧠-⧠
more and both must be filled.

If the boxes are not linked, then you fill one

⧠⧠
box for each of the items you carry.

If the boxes are circles, they have no load. ⭘

If an item has a mix of circles and boxes like

this, only the boxes have load (fill in load ⭘⧠⭘⧠
from the left).