Anecdote (2 Intellect points).
Tell an uplifting or
pointed anecdote. For the next hour, those who heard
it are trained in a task you choose that’s related to the
anecdote, so long as it’s not an attack or defense task.
One minute to initiate.
Demeanor of Command (2 Intellect points). For the next
hour, anyone who sees you automatically understand that
you are someone important. When you speak, strangers
that are not already attacking give you at least a round to
have your say. If speaking to a group, you can attempt to
have them take you to their leader. You gain one free level
of Effort that can be applied to one persuasion task you
attempt during this period. Action to initiate.
Ice Armor (1 Intellect point). Cover you body in a sheen
of ice for ten minutes. Gives you +1 to Armor. While it is
active, you have an additional +2 to Armor versus cold
damage. Enabler.
Trained Without Armor. You are trained in Speed defense
actions when not wearing armor. Enabler. (You still get
this when using your Ice Armor.)
Weapons. You can use light weapons. Medium and heavy
weapon attacks are hindered.
2 green fish
Cyphers are one-use items; cross them off your sheet once
you use them. Don’t worry, you’ll find more.
Detonation (electricity). Level 3 device. Explodes in an
immediate radius, inflicting 3 fire damage to everything in
the area. You can throw it up to a short distance away.
Gravity Nullifier: Level 6 belt. For one hour, you can float
up or down a short distance each round. (You can move
sideways by pushing or pulling yourself along a wall or
ceiling.) Holds up to 250 pounds (110 kg).
R ELLI S Training eases a roll by one step. Inability hinders a roll by
one step.
Ending conflicts (trained)
Making a positive first impression (trained)
Making friends (trained)
** Negotiation (trained)
CHEER FUL AR KUS
**
Persuasion (trained)
Woodcarving (trained)
* Crafting numenera (inability)
WEAR S A SHEEN OF ICE Detecting disguises (inability)
Detecting lies (inability)
Salvaging numenera (inability)
11 Understanding numenera (inability)
0 9
12
dart thrower & 12 darts (light ranged weapon)
0 knife made of stronglass that looks like ice
0 (light melee weapon)
oddity: ring that creates a finger-sized hologram of a
15
stylish clothing
1
You can attack and move an immediate distance as one
1 1 action.
Dart thrower (light weapon, attack is eased), 2
damage, long range
Knife (light weapon, attack is eased), 2 damage
1
 R ELLI S

You’ve always had a way with people, and your

special talents have kept you safe and allowed you to
find and participate in a lot of interesting odd jobs.
Woodcarving is your hobby, and you like to collect nice
pieces of wood that you can carve into animals, faces,
and other mementos.
You and Yamal have a long history, and almost
always disagree about the best way to handle
situations, but they’re really good at building things, so
you just roll with it.
Naveed says that they can always hear you over the
thunderous noise of their powers. You wonder if they
can hear you all the time.
You’re with these people now because a group of
thugs was going to rob you, but you talked them out
of it, and they’re the ones who told you about the ruin
you’re exploring.

* see Numenera Discovery for more information

** see Numenera Destiny for more information
Weapons. You can use light and medium weapons. Heavy
weapons attacks are hindered.
Trained without Armor. You are trained in Speed defense
tasks when not wearing armor. Enabler.
Phase Sprint (1+ Speed points). You can run up to a long
distance as long as you take no other actions. During
your action and until the beginning of your next turn,
you are partially phased, and some attacks pass through
you harmlessly. While phased, you gain an asset to your
Speed defense tasks.
Disrupting Touch (1+ Might points). When using Phase
Sprint, you can graze a foe and release a blast of energy
that inflicts 2 points of damage to the target (ignores
Armor). Whether you hit or miss, your movement (and
turn) ends immediately, which puts you within immediate
distance of your target. If you apply a level of Effort to
increase damage, you deal 2 additional points of damage
per level of Effort (instead of 3 points), and even if you
fail the attack roll the target takes 1 point of damage.
Enabler.
2 days, three spikes, small hammer, sturdy boots,
Cyphers are one-use items; cross them off your sheet once
you use them. Don’t worry, you’ll find more.
Catseye. Level 3 eyedrops. Grants the ability to see in the
dark for 15 hours.
Detonation (web). Level 4 wristband projector. Shoots a
sphere up to long range that explodes in an immediate
radius and creates sticky strands of goo that last one
hour. PCs in the area must make a Might-based roll to
escape. NPCs and creatures break free if their level is
higher than 4.
H UR B ON Training eases a roll by one step. Inability hinders a roll by
one step.
Initiative (trained)
Perception (trained)
Resisting mental effects (trained)
* Salvaging numenera (trained)
ST RONG -W ILLED DELVE
**
Sensing danger (trained)
Tasks requiring focus or concentration (trained)
Crafting numenera (inability)
SHR EDS T HE WALL S Figuring out puzzles or problems (inability)
OF T HE WOR LD* * Memorizing things (inability)
Understanding numenera (inability)
Using lore (inability)
12
0 3
bag of light tools (small tongs, pliers, screwdriver, small
12 hammer, small pry bar, lockpicks, 10 feet [3 m]
of string, 3 feet [1 m] of wire, and miscellaneous
0 screws and nails)
bow and 12 arrows (medium ranged weapon)
1
clothing
explorer’s pack (100 feet [3 m] of rope, rations for five
three torches, and two minor glowglobes)
14
knife (light melee weapon)
oddity: purple crystal that makes a pleasant musical
chime when squeezed
1
You can attack and move an immediate distance as one
1 1 action.
Bow (medium weapon), 4 damage, long range
Knife (light weapon, attack is eased), 2 damage
Disrupting Touch (special ability, light weapon), 2 damage
1
 H UR B ON

You grew up in a small village, and always knew you’d

get out and see the world. Your talents got you work,
anything from spying on people to a little light burglary.
Now that you know a bit about looting old bits of the
numenera for profit, salvaging is your main focus
because you want enough to move your dirt-poor
farmer parents into a real city.
Lobin comes from the same village you do, and
you knew each other as children, although before you
joined up a month ago, you two hadn’t seen each other
in a few years.
Something about Yamal interferes with your abilities.
When they stand next to you, Phase Sprint and
Disrupting Touch cost 1 additional point.

* see Numenera Discovery for more information

** see Numenera Destiny for more information
Combat Prowess. You add +1 damage to melee attacks
(already included in your hammer damage). NAVEED Training eases a roll by one step. Inability hinders a roll by
Fleet of Foot (1+ Speed points). You can move a short one step.
distance as part of another action, or a long distance as your
entire action for a turn. If you apply a level of Effort, you can Finding hidden things (trained)
move a long distance and make an attack as your action, but Jumping (trained)
the attack is hindered. Enabler. Perception (trained)
**
Hero’s Complication. Your heroic nature attracts danger. The
GM can give you a GM intrusion without giving you XP, but
HEROIC GLAI VE* Positive social interactions (trained)

every other time they do, you get some advantage from it. Crafting numenera (inability)
You and the GM should determine the advantage together. Detecting falsehoods (inability)
Impressive Display (2 Might points). You perform a feat of Salvaging numenera (inability)
strength, speed, or combat, impressing those nearby. For the T HUNDER S** Understanding numenera (inability)
next minute you gain an asset in all interaction tasks with
people who saw you use this ability. Action.
Thunder Beam (2 Might points). You direct a beam of focused
sound at a target within long range, inflicting 2 points of 16
damage and inducing a resonant destructive wave in their
body. Each round after this initial attack, make another roll for
the destructive wave to inflict an additional 1 point of damage
to them (damage on these extra rounds ignores Armor); if you
fail, the destructive wave ends. Alternatively, you enhance your 1 5
melee weapon for one minute so it inflicts 1 additional point of
damage. Action to initiate.
Trained in Armor. You can wear armor for long periods of
time without tiring and can compensate for slowed reactions
from wearing armor. (Normally your leather jerkin
would give you a penalty, but this ability negates the
12 bow and 12 arrows (medium ranged weapon)
penalty.) Enabler. clothing
Weapons. You can use any 1
weapon.
explorer’s pack (100 feet [30 m] of rope, rations for five
1 days, three spikes, small hammer, sturdy boots,
three torches, and two minor glowglobes)
hammer (medium melee weapon)
2 leather jerkin (+1 Armor)
8 oddity: metal marble that rolls back to you if you
Cyphers are one-use items; cross them off your sheet once throw it
you use them. Don’t worry, you’ll find more.

Might Rejuvenator. Level 5 pill. Eating it restores 5 points

to your Might pool.
0
Motion Detector. Level 6 spinal injection. Indicates when
any movement occurs within short range, or when large
creatures or objects move within long range (you can
tell the difference). You know the number and size of the
creatures or objects in motion. Lasts for 6 hours. You can attack and move an immediate distance as one
1 1 action.
Bow (medium weapon), 4 damage, long range
Hammer (medium weapon), 5 damage
Thunder Beam (special ability), 2 damage
(and possibly more)

1
 NAVEED

You grew up loving the stories about heroes and

explorers, and your natural talents meant that you
had your choice of jobs, and you traveled for a bit
as a guard before deciding to get your feet wet by
investigating a ruin of the numenera. Fate brought
you to your current companions, and you are looking
forward to many years of good friends, good loot, and
good fights.
For some reason, if you listen, you can always hear
when Rellis talks, even when the sound of your abilities
seem to drown everyone else out.
You met Chaury in the forest when you got caught in
one of their snare traps. You were unhurt, they found
you right away, and overall you think it’s a pretty funny
story to tell.

* see Numenera Discovery for more information

** see Numenera Destiny for more information
Create Deadly Poison (3+ Intellect points). You create a
poison that inflicts 5 points of damage to a level 1 or 2
creature. You can apply this poison to a weapon, food, or
drink as part of the action of creating it. If you use one
level of Effort to create it, the poison affects up a level 3
creature. If unused, the poison loses its potency after one
hour. Action.
Face Morph (2+ Intellect points). You alter your features
and coloration for one hour, hiding your identity or
impersonating someone. This affects only your face,
not the rest of your body. You can’t perfectly duplicate
someone else’s face, but you can be accurate enough to
fool someone who knows that person casually. You have
an asset in all tasks involving disguise. You must apply
a level of Effort to be able to impersonate a different
species. Action.
Flex Skill. At the beginning of each day, choose one
task (other than attacks or defenses) on which you will
concentrate. For the rest of that day, you’re trained in that
task. You can’t use this ability with a skill you’re already
trained in.
Stalker. You gain an asset to all types of movement tasks
(including climbing, swimming, jumping, and balancing).
Enabler.
Weapons. You can use light and medium
weapons. Heavy weapon attacks
are hindered.
2 glowglobes)
Cyphers are one-use items; cross them off your sheet once
you use them. Don’t worry, you’ll find more.
Psychic Communique. Level 5 metallic disk. When
activated, you can send a one-way telepathic message
to anyone you know, with unlimited range. The message
can’t be longer than 50 words.
Remote Viewer. Level 4 device that splits into two parts,
one with a glass screen. For four hours, the glass screen
shows everything going on in the vicinity of the other
part, regardless of the distance between them.
Training eases a roll by one step. Inability hinders
CHAURY a roll by one step.
Balancing (trained)
Perception (trained)
Climbing (trained)
Following and identifying tracks (trained)
Identifying or using natural plants (trained)
*
RUG GED JACK* Jumping (trained)
Swimming (trained)
Training, riding, or placating natural animals (trained)
( ) daily flex skill,
see Special Abilities (trained)
HUN T S* Charm, persuasion, etiquette, and deception (inability)
Crafting numenera (inability)
Salvaging numenera (inability)
Understanding numenera (inability)
12
0 8
bag of light tools (small tongs, pliers, screwdriver, small
11 hammer, small pry bar, lockpicks, 10 feet [3 m] of string,
3 feet [1 m] of wire, and miscellaneous screws and nails)
1 ✦
1 bow and 12 arrows (medium ranged weapon)
broadsword (medium melee weapon)
0 clothing
explorer’s pack (100 feet [3 m] of rope, rations for five days,
three spikes, small hammer, three torches, and two minor
hides and furs (+1 Armor)
13 oddity: hard clear synth cube with moving green bubbles
inside
quiet boots (you get an asset on any roll made involving
sneaky movement)
1 spear (medium melee weapon)
You can attack and move an immediate distance as one
1 1 action.
Bow (medium weapon), 4 damage, long range
Broadsword (medium weapon), 4 damage
Spear (medium weapon), 4 damage, can be thrown up
to long range
1
 CHAURY

You often felt like a loner, more comfortable in the

wilderness than in a big city. Your skill at tracking and
disguises made it easy for you to find work as a bounty
hunter, bringing in bandits and other criminals for a
reward. Now you’re with this group of explorers, and
for the first time in your life you feel like you can rely on
someone other than yourself. Does that mean you’re
friends?
You accidentally caught Naveed—the reason why
you’re with these people—in one of your nonlethal
traps, and they had to get free. They thought it was
pretty funny, and joke with you about it.
Lobin once joked that they could read minds. You’re
not entirely sure it’s a joke, so you make a point of
guarding your thoughts when you’re near them.

✦
Speed Effort costs 1 more than normal because you’re
not trained to wear armor.
* see Numenera Discovery for more information
** see Numenera Destiny for more information
Deflect Attacks (1 Intellect point). Using your mind, you
protect yourself from incoming attacks. For the next ten LO B I N Training eases a roll by one step. Inability hinders a roll by
minutes, you are trained in Speed defense tasks. Action one step.
to initiate.
Identifying or assessing danger,
Onslaught (1 Intellect point). You use a psychic force lies, importance, function, or power (trained)
blast to attack a target you can see within short range. If Lying (trained)
the attack is physical, you emit a ray of force that inflicts 4 *
points of damage. If the attack is mental, you focus your CLEVER NANO * Resisting mental effects
Trickery (trained)
(trained)
mental energy to blast the thought processes of another Understanding numenera (trained)
creature, inflicting 2 points of Intellect damage (this
ignores Armor, but some creatures such as automatons *
FOCUSES M T TER Lore (inability)
might be immune to it). Action.
IND OVER MA General knowledge (inability)
Push (2 Intellect points). You push a creature or object an Crafting numenera (inability)
immediate distance in any direction you wish. You must Salvaging numenera (inability)
be able to see the target, which must be your size or
smaller, must not be attached to anything, and must be
9
within short range. The push is quick, and the force is too
crude to be manipulated. For example, you can’t use this
ability to pull a lever or even close a door. Action.
Weapons. You can use light weapons. Medium and heavy 0 14
weapon attacks are hindered.

11 book about the numenera (gives asset on numenera

tasks if you can take 30 minutes to research)
0
oddity: crystal lens that sticks to flesh like a magnet
0
clothing

3 dart thrower & 12 darts (light ranged weapon)

14
Cyphers are one-use items; cross them off your sheet once
you use them. Don’t worry, you’ll find more.

Intellect Rejuvenator. A level 4 adhesive patch. Slapping

1
it restores 4 points to your Intellect pool.

Ray Emitter (paralysis). Level 5 belt-mounted device.

Allows you to project a ray of energy up to long range that
paralyzes the target for one minute.
You can attack and move an immediate distance as one
Stim. Level 6 injector. Eases the next action you take by 1 1 action.
three steps. Dart thrower (light weapon, attack is eased), 2 damage,
long range
Onslaught (special ability), 2 or 4 damage, short range

1
 LO B I N

You’ve always had a habit of exaggerating what you

can do, and people believed it. Usually you’d skip town
before anyone figured out the lie, and could use your
mind-gifts to get out of trouble when things got too
bad. Now you’ve talked your way into joining with this
group of explorers, and not only do they seem to know
what they’re doing, but your actual skills are valuable
to them. For now you plan to stick around and see how
much money you can make. You can always leave if it
doesn’t work out.
You once joked that you could read Chaury’s mind.
They reacted as if that were a disturbing possibility, and
have been cautious around you ever since.
You and Hurbon grew up in the same village. You
didn’t really interact with them much back then, but
you immediately recognized them when you ran into
each other a few months ago.

* see Numenera Discovery for more information

** see Numenera Destiny for more information
Always Tinkering. If you are carrying fewer cyphers than
your limit, you can spend one hour using use tools and
broken numenera bits to create a random temperamental
cypher (the GM rolls on the Random Cypher table for
you). The cypher is always 2 levels lower than normal
(minimum 1). If you give a temperamental cypher to
anyone else to use, it falls apart immediately, useless. If
you spend one iotum, the temperamental cypher’s level
becomes normal, but it will still not work for anyone else.
Right Tool for the Job (1 Intellect point + iotum). If
you have at least one unit of iotum, you can fashion a
temporary device that provides an asset to one physical,
non-combat task you want to perform. For example, if
you need to climb a wall, you could create some sort of
climbing assistance device. This device lasts for about
a minute or until used for the intended purpose, after
which the iotum is destroyed. Action to prepare the
iotum; action to initiate.
Trained in Armor. You can wear armor for long periods
of time without tiring and can compensate for slowed
reactions from wearing armor. (Normally your leather
jerkin would give you a penalty, but this ability negates
the penalty.) Enabler.
Weapons. You can use light weapons. Medium
weapon attacks are hindered.
3 explorer’s pack (100 feet [3 m] of rope, rations for five
Cyphers are one-use items; cross them off your sheet once
you use them. Don’t worry, you’ll find more.
Detonation (fire). Level 4 device. Explodes in an
immediate radius, inflicting 4 fire damage to everything
in the area. You can throw it up to a short distance away.
Monoblade. Level 4 glove. Creates a 6-inch (15 cm) level
4 blade for 10 minutes that cuts through any material
that is level 3 or lower. If used as a weapon, it is a light
weapon that ignores up to 3 Armor.
Retaliation Nodule (electricity). Level 3 device. Attaching
this to your armor and activating it charges your armor
with electricity. For the next 28 hours, any creature
that hits you is automatically shocked for one
point of electricity damage.
YA M AL Training eases a roll by one step. Specializing eases it by
two steps. Inability hinders a roll by one step.
Perception (specialized)
Climbing (trained)
**
CUR IOU S W R I G H T
** Crafting numenera (trained)
Detecting falsehoods (trained)
Piercing illusions or disguises (trained)
Salvaging numenera (trained)
** Seeing past facades (trained)
E X PLOR E S Y E ST ER DAY Stonemasonry (trained)
Understanding numenera (inability)
11
0 5
bag of excavation tools (mining pick, small shovel)
10 books about common beasts, geography, stonemasonry,
and weather (give assets on related tasks if you can
1 take 30 minutes to research)
box of crafting tools and broken numenera bits
0 clothing
dart thrower & 12 darts (light ranged weapon)
days, three spikes, small hammer, sturdy boots,
15 three torches, and two minor glowglobes)
leather jerkin (+1 Armor)
oddity: sheet of synth that you can write on with
your finger (it erases itself after one minute)
1
1 1 You can attack and move an immediate distance as one
action.
Dart thrower (light weapon, attack is eased), 2 damage,
long range
1
 YA M AL

You love building things, but that requires iotum

salvaged from the numenera, and the cheapest way to
get it is to dig it up out of old ruins, so you became an
explorer. It’s dangerous work, and the people you’ve
joined with are good at dealing with danger, so this
arrangement suits you just fine. You’re excited because
this current job is probably going to get you some
really good crafting materials, allowing you to start
working on your next big building project.
Hurbon avoids standing next to you, and you’re not
sure why.
You’ve been exploring with Rellis for over a year now,
and you really disagree about a lot of things, but they’re
good at finding work, so you deal with it.

io (crafting material, 4 units) * see Numenera Discovery for more information

parts (crafting material, 12 units) ** see Numenera Destiny for more information
responsive synth (crafting material, 4 units)

Detonation (fire) plan (level 4): Io (4 units);

responsive synth (5 units); apt clay (2 units);
quantium (2 units), parts (8 units)
Monoblade plan (level 4): Io (3 units); responsive
synth (4 units); apt clay (1 unit); quantium (2 units),
parts (8 units)

Crafting either kind of cypher requires 4 successful

crafting numenera tasks (the first is difficulty 1, then
2, then 3, and finally 4). Each task takes two to three
hours. If you fail, you lose that time spent and have to
use Effort when you try again. When you succeed at the
difficulty 4 task, you’re done and have a new cypher of
that kind.
If you don’t have the crafting materials you need,
you or other PCs can salvage them from numenera
devices you find in the world, such as cyphers you
don’t want to keep, automatons
you’ve defeated, and machines
in prior-world ruins.