PART I.

INTRODUCTION:
When All You Have is a Hammer is a welterweight heroic tactical TTRPG.

What does all that mean? You’ll create a character by selecting skills and abilities rather than using
strict classes or item tables, and then use that character to go on adventures that focus on fighting
monsters. By default, what items your character has doesn’t matter too terribly much -- what your
character can do, and how you apply those abilities, is more important than the specific tools you use
to get something done.

While Hammer is a playable game in its current state, more “modules” are planned to flesh out a
more complete game: a Dungeon Generation module, an Exploration & Inventory module,
additional Classes and Feats, and more besides. There might be a companion app at some point.

Characters at a Glance
A character is composed of a Background and Feats. Your Background governs most out-of-combat
abilities, and in turn comprises Stats, Skills, Triggers, and Anchors. Feats govern most in-combat
abilities, and are broken down into four domains: the Fighter, the Scoundrel, the Contractor, and
the Arcanist. You can build a character in about five minutes that you can use to play for months.

The Core Mechanic

Hammer uses a d20 roll-over system -- when a character attempts an action, they roll versus the DC
(difficulty class) and add their relevant stat, along with any other modifiers. The default DC for all
actions is 12. If the roll is greater than or equal to the DC, you succeed; if you beat the DC by 10 or
more (ie, a total of 22+), it is a critical success: the best reasonably possible outcome for the situation.
For instance, in combat a critical success on a roll to hit deals maximum damage, rather than the
player rolling for damage.

The GM is welcome to set the DC at some other level, or to have different DCs for different rolls. It
is considered good sportsmanship to tell the players if they do this, or if the DC to hit a monster is
higher or lower than usual. The idea of the uniform DC is to cut down on the occurrences of “Does
a 15 hit? No? Oh wait, I should actually have an 18 -- or a 17?”

Since there can be modifiers from several different sources, the author suggests that no changes to
actions, choices, or bonuses can be made after a dice is rolled, since trying to “manifest” necessary
bonuses after your roll slows the pace of play.
PART II. TERMINOLOGY:
Classes
Hammer is a nearly classless game. “Classes” in Hammer are groupings of features (“Feats”) that
exist mostly as broad guidelines for how an ability might function. Everyone is intended to be able to
take abilities from any class, to a certain extent -- you need some baseline mastery of a subject before
you can move on to greater complexities. Four “core” classes have been included, described below:

Fighter: A bulwark of iron and fury, the
Fighter’s unmatched combat prowess and
sense for tactics makes her a welcome addition
to any team.
Contractor: Whether a healer of Suriel or a
champion of the Mad King, a Contractor’s
bond with their Pacted allows devotion and
lifeblood to be exchanged for raw power.
Arcanist: Arcanists bind the Weave to their
will, fraying at the magical underpinnings of
reality in order to manifest their workings.
Scoundrel: The epitome of underhanded skill,
the Scoundrel pulls from experiences across
his life to deliver ruthlessly accurate blows in
combat and find inventive ways to solve
problems.

Levels
Hammer doesn’t need to have levels the way other systems might -- it has been designed to give GMs
many discrete dials to fiddle with in order to empower players. Feat Points could be given out singly,
or in large batches; a Hero Die increase could be given to characters who have tested their mettle and
been successful; Skills or Triggers could be awarded for roleplay and narrative actions, whether as
points that leave more decisions up to the players, or as a custom effect from the GM. The only time
a character’s Level is needed is to calculate HP.

However, Hammer does have a recommended level up for those who wish to have a more traditional
framework: when your character gains a level, that character’s HP increases, and you get four points
to spend on Feats (combat features), four points to spend on Skills, and four points to spend on
Triggers.

Usage Dice
Any item that is considered a consumable has an associated usage die. After using a consumable, its
usage die is rolled; if the roll is a 1-2, the die’s size is decremented (d20>d12>d10>d8>d6>d4). When a
1-2 is rolled on a d4, the item is used up. If you would roll a Useage Die in combat, roll it during the
initiative phase instead -- you are guaranteed a full round of use from an item no matter what.
Hero Points (HP)
HP are an abstraction of the current wellbeing of a character -- your physical health, morale, ability
to dodge, fighting spirit -- everything that keeps a body going all wrapped up into one. Characters
have a maximum HP equal to their Level x ( [Maximum Hero Die Value] + [GRT]).

Hero Dice and Resting

Your Hero Die (HD) is a special kind of Usage Die that is used to determine how much HP you
regain over rests, as well as your HP maximum. It also determines how much damage weapon attacks
do. It starts off as a d6.

A Short Rest (1 hour) allows you to roll your HD a number of times up to your GRT (minimum of
once) and regain a number of HP equal to the total. A Long Rest (8 hours) allows your character to
recover the maximum value of their HD rather than rolling. In addition, taking a Long Rest
increases your HD by one size (to its maximum) after you recover HP.

If you roll to recover HP and roll a 1 or a 2, decrement your HD as usual and regain the maximum
possible HP value for the new dice (4 for a d4). Decrementing your HD does not affect your
maximum or current HP, but does affect how much damage your weapon attacks do and how much
you heal during rests.

No creature may take more than three rests total in any 24 hour period.

Floating Modifiers
Hammer uses two forms of “floating modifiers” -- intentionally imprecise modifiers to use in
scenarios without a definite rule. Both are detailed below:

Boon and Bane: Advantage and Disadvantage:

A pool of d6s which are rolled simultaneously. The
highest single d6 is added to (Boon) or subtracted
from (Bane) the DC or roll of a test. Boon and
Bane cancel each other out 1:1. All sources of Boon
and Bane contribute to the same pool unless
otherwise noted.
If a character has two Boons from a Trigger,
two Boons from a class ability, and one Bane,
they roll 3d6 and add the highest result -- in
this case, a five -- to their roll.
Roll two dice and take the best or worst result,
respectively. Advantage from any number of
sources cancels out all Disadvantage from any
number of sources, and vice versa.
If you have 1 Advantage, you roll two dice and
take the highest. If you have 4 Advantage on a
roll, you still only roll 2 dice and take the
highest result. If you have 4 Advantage and 1
Disadvantage, only roll 1 die.
PART III. BACKGROUNDS:
A background has four main components: Stats, Anchors, Skills, and Triggers.

Stats
There are six stats, which represent your character’s raw ability in various areas: Strength (STR),
Dexterity (DEX), Grit (GRT), Knowledge (KNW), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA). You add
your stats to relevant rolls. Characters start with a zero in all stats, and may distribute seven points
however they wish to all of their stats. Characters may also sacrifice three points in one stat to gain
two points in one other stat. If you would rather roll for stats, roll 3d6 and subtract 10 from each stat;
negative stats are permitted -- even encouraged. However, if none of your stats is above a 3 or the
sum of all your stats is less than or equal to 4, reroll all stats.

The recommended method for new players is to roll stats in order without rearranging. Discover
what character seems to emerge. What makes sense? What’s interesting? Think about why your
character is better at some things than others -- were they trained as a dancer in the High Courts
before becoming a thief, resulting in exceptional dexterity and a graceful attitude? Was your
character a butcher, swinging a massive cleaver for years before she took to the adventuring life,
leading to her monstrous strength score and perhaps even a loose knowledge of medicine? A human
is close enough to a pig, after all. Probably.

Anchors
Anchors are words or short phrases that represent bonds, personality traits, core ideals -- whatever
keeps a person in the realm of the living. Anchors assist characters in Resisting Death’s Call, should
the need arise. You can regain one untethered Anchor per full night of sleep, but may only gain new
Anchors at the GM’s discretion. You may never have more than ten Anchors.

Resisting Death’s Call

If your character drops to 0 HP, they immediately fall unconscious and begin Resisting Death. Roll a
d20; if the result is greater than or equal to [11 - Number of Anchors], you pass this test. If you
accumulate 3 successes before you lose all anchors, you stabilize in unconsciousness and reawaken
with 1 HP in 1d4 hours. If you regain any HP, you reawaken.

Each time a character fails to Resist Death, an Anchor of their choice comes untethered and is
crossed off. Taking damage while at 0 HP also causes you to lose 1 Anchor. If you make a death
Resistance Check while you have zero Anchors and fail the test, you die on the spot. If you pass, you
survive for 1d4 hours without outside intervention, and then die -- a character without Anchors has
no hope of coming back to life on their own, but can be revived if any HP are restored. You can still
act as normal with no Anchors once you have revived.
Skills
Skills represent a character’s past experiences and what they’ve learned from them. For Skill Tests,
roll a d20 and add the relevant stat and any other bonuses as usual.

Skills have three Ranks: Training, Proficiency, and Expertise. Training and Proficiency each cost 1
Skill Point, while Expertise costs 2; they must be purchased in order. Each Rank in a skill adds a
cumulative +5 to a skill roll. Expertise also grants Advantage on relevant skill rolls. If you have Tools,
you gain 1 Boon on skill rolls where they would be applicable, plus 1 Boon per rank of training you
have in that skill.

STR DEX KNW WIS CHA

Brute Strength Acrobatics Arcana Religion Persuade

Climb Deft Hands Recall Lore Animal Hand. Intimidate

Shove Sneak Investigate Insight Perform

Knuckle Down Lockpick Medicine Survival Parlay

Grapple Hide Nature Perception Streetwise

Skills do not necessarily have to be used in conjunction with the stat they are listed under -- maybe
you use GRT to Knuckle Down while hauling ass through Undermountain Tunnel before a bounty
hunter finds you, or you use INT to Parlay by leveraging knowledge of local laws against the Guild
that wants their loan back, plus a blood interest. This is up to the GM; just because a player is
allowed to use a skill with an alternate stat once does not mean they will always be allowed to do so.

While the GM is welcome to select a DC as they wish, it is recommended to use the below table as a
guideline for results. The DC might still be 10, with better results obtained for a higher roll.

Roll Below 0 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31+

Result Catastrophic Poor Mediocre Fair Good Great Superb Brilliant

Triggers
Triggers are an opportunity for more freeform customization than Skills and Feats provide -- this is
where players have a chance to give their character’s personality and story more mechanical
meaning, or otherwise flesh out their non-combat oriented abilities. It is recommended to treat
professions as Triggers, although they could be treated as skills instead.

When the situation or the character’s behavior is in line with the description of the Trigger, a player
can choose to activate their Trigger as a Free Action.

Triggers grant 2 Boons for each Rank the Trigger has; the first Rank of a Trigger costs 2 Trigger
points, and each Rank after that costs 1 point. Crucially, Boon Pools from different Triggers don’t
merge, but rather are additive -- that is, if you activate two Triggers on the same roll, you add their
bonuses rather than merging their Boon Pools. If you had a Boon from another source, you would
treat that separately as well.

A Trigger isn’t a power, precisely; rather, it is Triggered by something else happening -- if an action
or the scenario aligns with the Trigger. While you are free to activate a Trigger at any point, any
other player is free to make the call that the scenario or the character’s behavior isn’t in line with the
Trigger. The GM is also well within their rights to provide rules for Triggers, or a list of “approved”
Triggers -- or to simply veto Triggers that other players present.

Triggers can be left “undeclared” until you either have a better idea of what would make sense for the
character, or until you know what you’ll need -- say you realize that you really need an in with your
local Thieves Guild, and you decide the best way to do that is to spend some time in the most
disreputable watering holes in your area. You might then declare one of your undeclared Triggers as
“Go Grab a Drink.”

If your character takes a swig from a flask before Your GM might also offer you some sort of bargain:
they attempt to pick a lock, you might choose to perhaps you get to roll with Advantage while
add your Trigger bonus to the roll to pick the lock. drunk, but you must also roll with 1 Bane.

After a Trigger is used, it will no longer be as impactful: it grants a static bonus equal to its Rank to
rolls that are in line with the Trigger rather than Boons. This ends on a Short Rest.
Example Triggers
Conceal Your Presence
Get somewhere or do something without
being detected, but not necessarily quickly.
Hide, sneak, or move quietly; wear a disguise.
Depending on the circumstances, you might still
leave a trail, whether or not you want to.
Go Grab a Drink
Find a local dive. Connect with others through a
love of alcohol; relax after a challenging
adventure; find (or avoid being found by) trouble
after an evening out.
Hand Out Haymakers
Punch someone in the face or fight in open,
unarmed combat, whether it’s a fist fight, a martial
arts duel, or a huge brawl. Never subtle, clean, or
quiet, but never deadly unless things go horribly
wrong -- or the wrong parties are involved.
Inventive Mind
Use tools and supplies to design or build
something, either on the fly or over time.
Invent new devices, tools, or approaches to
problems -- but not necessarily the solutions.
Investigate
Research a subject, or study something in
great detail. Learn about a subject of historical
relevance, or become well-read on a particular
issue; investigate a mystery or solve a puzzle; find a
person or object through gumshoeing.
Example Professions:
● Brewer ● Blacksmith
● Sailor ● Farmer
● Bounty Hunter ● Cobbler
Make a Run For It
Run to (or from) something as fast as possible,
throwing caution to the wind wherever doing
so shaves any time off your journey. Sprint to
the Sanctuary down the street; race to pick up fresh
pastries before they’re sold out; run like hell away
from whoever’s lobbing balls of fire your way.
Read a Situation
Look for subtext, motives, or threats in a
situation or person. Use intuition to discern
motivations, learn who is really in charge, or find
out who’s about to do something dumb and
dangerous; get a gut feeling about a situation or
person; sense if someone is lying.
Show Off
Do something flashy or impressive, often –
but not necessarily – with your weapon. Sink
an arrow into a tiny or rapidly moving target;
knock someone’s hat off with the non-business end
of a throwing knife; perform an acrobatic flourish
with a sword; throw a spear to pin a fleeing target
to the ground.
Word on the Street
Get gossip, news, or hearsay from the streets,
or from a particular social scene. Overhear
something you probably shouldn’t. Find out what
the local attitudes are about some subject matter.
Be careful where you tread, though; not everyone
appreciates a prying eye or a sharp ear.
● Soldier
● Cutpurse
● Woodsplitter
Part IV. COMBAT:
Combat takes place in three phases: Planning, Rolling Initiative, and Acting. During the planning
phase, players collaborate to plan a general course of action for the turn. After that, players roll
initiative to determine the order in which combatants act. Finally, each character takes their turn in
the order determined by initiative. Once all combatants' turns have ended, rinse and repeat this
process until one side surrenders, flees, or dies. Each round -- the time between initiative rolls -- lasts
6 seconds.

Actions in Combat
Each character has three Actions per turn, each of which can be used to do one of the following. You
cannot take the same action more than twice in a single turn.
● Attack a creature ● Move up to your movement
● Cast a prepared Spell ● Drink a potion
● Shift (move 1 space without provoking ● Swap weapons
opportunity attacks) ● Etc

You also have one Reaction, which you can use to make actions when it is not your turn. It is
considered to have 1 Action. For instance, if your foe moves within or exits your Reach, you may
make a Melee Attack against them.

Initiative
Initiative is the order in which characters take actions in combat. Initiative is rolled every round by
every creature. All characters (GM or player controlled) decide what general course of action they
will take -- not a target, not a specific spell, just a general category of action -- which corresponds to a
combination of various dice, explained below. Once all players know what they will be doing,
everyone rolls all their initiative dice. Creatures with the lowest result goes first; the creature with
the higher DEX score goes earlier in the event of a tie.

● Ranged Attack: d4 ● Arcane Spell: d12 + level

● Melee Attack: d8 ● Interaction: d6
● Rite: [d4 + 1] per syllable ● Anything else: d6

Note that you do not need to use all your actions -- the more actions you take, the later in initiative you’ll go!

Variant rule for larger parties: rather than selecting a general action, everyone rolls vs the standard DC and
adds DEX. Those who succeed go in a first “block” of combatants, who are followed by the foes, and then the
party members who failed their test. Creatures in the same block are allowed to take actions in any order they
wish, effectively making one giant turn.
Movement & Distance
Hammer typically measures distances in “spaces” (either squares or hexes) assumed to be about two
meters or five feet across. A creature can move 5 spaces as an Action.

Attacking
When a character attacks a creature they roll versus their DC and add their STR for a Melee Attack
or their DEX for a Ranged Attack, plus any other bonuses. On a hit, you deal the weapon’s damage
plus the stat.

Weapons
Part of the philosophy of Hammer is the de-emphasization of weapons -- what a character can do
and how they do it is more important than the tools they use to get it done. (Also, I have no clue
how to make weapons interesting in a TTRPG). While you are welcome to use any weapon rules or
tables you wish, Hammer provides some simple weapon rules to get you started:

All characters start with one weapon with one tag of their choice, or a weapon and a small shield.
Weapons use your current HD for their base damage die; the below “tags” modify the behavior of
the weapon in some way.
● “Heavy” weapons deal an extra die of damage (ie 1d6 to 2d6, 1d10 to 2d10, etc)
● “Reliable” weapons deal half the maximum damage rather at a minimum
● “Two-Handed” weapons add half the damage die’s maximum value to each damage dice (+3
for a d6, + 5 for a d10, etc).
● “Versatile” weapons can be used with either one or two hands; damage changes accordingly,
but each damage die has a -1 penalty whether it is being wielded with one hand or two.
● “Precise” weapons can use DEX instead of STR
● “Throwable” weapons may be thrown accurately
● “Reach” weapons increase the reach of your weapon by 1 space
● “Light” weapons use a d4 for initiative rather than a d8
Tags stack: a Two-Handed Heavy weapon wielded by a character with a d6 HD deals {2d6 + 2*3 +
STR} on a hit. All weapons (including bare fists) do a base damage of your character’s HD + STR.

Positional Bonuses
Hammer has a few basic positional rules to encourage more tactical combat. Bonuses stack.
● Flanking -- having an ally across a foe from you, such that the foe is directly between you --
grants a +2 bonus to any attack roll made against it.
● Attacking an enemy’s rear grants a +4 bonus to your attack roll
● Attacking the “rear flanks” -- the spaces directly to the right and left of the space directly
behind an enemy -- grants a +2 bonus to your attack roll
● Any other bonuses should be handled with either +/- 2, Advantage/Disadvantage, or
Boons/Banes.
Armor
There are two kinds of armor in Hammer: Active Armor and Physical Armor. Both reduce how much
damage your character takes, and both have a number of Armor Points associated with them.

Active Armor (AA) represents your character’s ability to nimbly (but strenuously) dodge potentially
deadly blows, or to power through pain to land a strike. Your character has a “pool” of AA Points
equal to the sum of your GRT and DEX (min. zero). When your character would lose HP, you can
instead spend any number of your Active Armor Points to reduce the damage by that number, to a
minimum of zero. However, you only regain spent Active Armor Points when combat is over.

Physical Armor (PA) is armor your character is wearing. It absorbs all damage automatically, and is
reduced by an amount equal to how much damage it absorbs. You regain all spent PA each time
initiative is rolled. Characters lose one space of movement for every ten PA Points they have.
Characters have six slots for Physical Armor: one for their head, one for each limb, and one for their
torso. There are three main categories of armor: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Perhaps these
correspond to leather, chainmail, and platemail, perhaps to something else.

Light (Leather) Medium (Chainmaill) Heavy (Full Plate)

AP 1 per slot 2 per slot 3 per slot

Notes Roll with Disadvantage Disadvantage on Sneak.

-- when rolling to retain spell Cannot be worn while
slots. casting spells.

Small and Large Shields add +2/+4 PA slots respectively. Shields also allow your character to add
their STR to their Physical Armor. However, shields can only cover either your front or back at
once, depending on whether it is in your hand or strapped to your back. It takes an Action to equip
or stow a shield. You cannot use your shield hand for other actions while wielding a shield.

A player may choose to Sunder their shield. When a character with a shield would take damage
from any source, that character’s player can choose to instead Sunder their shield, reducing the
damage taken to half for a Small shield or to None for a Large shield. The shield is then permanently
and irrevocably destroyed.

It is assumed that a level 1 character who can use armor already has that armor, including shields.
Buying new armor costs 2 silver per Armor Point. (1 silver is about 150 USD).
PART V. CLASSES & FEATS:
Feats are abilities that are often (but not always) focused on combat. Feat Points are typically
rewarded when you level up, but your GM may opt to grant a Feat without requiring you to level up.

Feats are grouped by Class and by Tier. Classes represent general focus of feats; Tiers represent the
general level of power of a Feat (higher is “better”). Neither of these are guaranteed to have firm
distinctions between subcategories. All Feats cost a number of Feat Points (awarded at levelup and at
the GM’s discretion) equal to their Tier

Any character may take any Tier 1 Feat. In order to learn Feats of a higher Tier in a Class, you must
either have a number of points invested in that Class equal to twice your current highest Tier, or pay
three times the normal number of points for the Feat. Some feats are listed as “Open”. Treat your tier
for these feats as equal to your highest tier.

Unless otherwise noted, Feats may be taken as many times as your GM allows. That number might
be as many as you want! It also might be one! Either is completely fine.

Open Feats
Tier 1:
● Skill Point: Gain one Skill point
● Trigger Point: Gain one Trigger point
Tier 2:
● Hero Die Increase - Your HD increases in size (to a d12 maximum); your HP increases to
match.
Tier 3:
● Stat Increase: Add one point to a stat of your choice, to a maximum of 8.
Fighter Feats
Tier 1:
● Second Wind: You may take an Action to roll a Hero Die and regain the result in HP. 1/Short
Rest
● Fighting Style: Select a single fighting style. If you take this feat again, you may choose a new
style, or select the same one again if it has a stackable bonus.
○ Protection (If you have a shield equipped, ○ Great Weapon Fighting (roll damage twice
you may impose Disadvantage on attacks and use the higher total for weapons with the
made against a target within 1 space as a Heavy tag)
reaction) ○ Twin Weapon Fighting (when you make one
○ Dueling (+2 to melee damage rolls when attack roll, you may make one attack with
you wield only one weapon) your other weapon at Disadvantage as a part
○ Ranged (+2 to ranged attack or damage of the same attack)
rolls)
● Light Armor Training - You are able to use Light Armor and Small Shields.
● Extra Attack - You may attack once more per Attack Action. Each extra Attack roll is made
with a number of Bane dice equal to the number of attacks that have been made before it (ie
if a character makes three extra attacks, the third is made with 2 Bane).
Tier 2:
● Martial Maneuver - Gain two Martial Maneuvers (listed on the next page).
● Maneuvers take an Attack action to perform, and as such benefit from extra attacks
● Prowess Die - You may use a Prowess Die (detailed on the next page) rather than your Hero
Die for your weapon’s damage die, representing your supreme expertise with weapons.
● Brutal Critical - Critical strikes deal the maximum possible damage for the roll plus a roll for
damage (ie a melee critical with a d10 HD deals [10 + d10 + STR] damage). [Passive]
● Medium Armor Training - You are able to use Medium Armor and Large Shields.
Tier 3:
● Stunning Strike - When you hit a creature with a melee attack, the target must make a GRT
or WIS test, whichever is lower. The DC is 10 + (half-max HD value). On a failure, they are
Stunned for one round: their speed is halved, they cannot take Reactions, and all attack rolls
against them are made with Advantage. This Feat cannot be used on the same creature more
than once per turn, regardless of whether they pass or fail their test. [WIS / short rest]
● Rage - For 1 minute, take half damage to HP from mundane sources. [GRT / day]
● Heavy Armor Training - You are able to use Heavy Armor. Additionally, you learn to use
your armor to greater effect; you are able to Sunder all armor, as explained in Part IV.
● Defender’s Mark - As an Action, you may “mark” one creature who is within your reach. For
the next minute, as long as you do not attack an unmarked creature, attack rolls Marked
creatures make against creatures besides you have 1 Bane.
○ Spend 1 feat point to increase the number of Banes per Mark by 1
○ Spend 2 feat points to be able to mark an additional creature as a part of the same
action; the second creature must also be within reach.
MARTIAL MANEUVERS
1. Feint - You feint, giving yourself Advantage on all attack rolls against a creature within 1
space of you the next time you use the Attack action to attack that creature before the end of
your turn.
2. Grappler’s Gambit - Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack on your turn,
you can try to grapple the target. Add your Prowess Die to the roll.
3. Staggering Strike - If you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you may move them one space
in a direction of your choice. The next attack against them has 1 Boon.
4. Parry - When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your Reaction
to roll your Prowess Die to reduce the damage by your Prowess Die + DEX.
5. Riposte - When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use a Reaction to make a
melee attack against the creature. If you hit, add your Prowess Die to the attack's damage roll.
6. Lunging Attack - You leap forward on one leg, hyperextending and snapping back in an
instant to strike at a distant foe. Your reach is extended by 1 space on your next attack.
7. The Old Standby: You stick them with the pointy end. Hit: [W] + PD + STR
8. Careful Strike - When you make a weapon attack roll against a creature, you can roll your
Prowess Die and add it to your attack roll. You can use this maneuver before or after making
the attack roll, but before any effects of the attack are applied.
9. Covering Attack - You launch a dizzying barrage of thrusts at your enemy, compelling him
to give you all his attention. Under the cover of your ferocious attack, one of your allies can
safely retreat from that same foe. Hit: 2[W] + STR, and an ally adjacent to the target can shift
2 squares.
10. En Passant - You strike at one foe and allow momentum to carry you forward into a second
strike against a second foe. Hit: 2[W] + STR damage, and you can shift 1 square. Make a
secondary attack.
11. Spinning Sweep - You spin beneath your enemy’s guard with a swift blow, and then hook
your leg around his an instant later and twist to knock him ass over teakettle. Hit: 2[W] +
STR, and you knock the target prone.
12. Little Fuzzy About Knees - You stab at your foe’s leg or foot to slow him down. No matter
how tough they are, they’re going to favor that leg for a time. Hit: 2[W] + STR damage, the
target’s speed is halved, and they cannot shift until the end of your next turn.
13. Brute Strike - You rend armor and shatter bone with a titanic blow. 3[W] + STR damage.

[W] means [W]eapon damage.

A Prowess Die functions like a Useage Die with a size equal to your maximum HD size. It replaces
your HD for weapon damage, and you may be able to add it to certain rolls. If you do not have a
Prowess Die, you simply do not add anything to the roll.

Your PD increases one size category after a Short Rest (to its maximum size category). Short Resting
with no Prowess Die (ie, decremented from a d4) raises the size category to a d4. A Long Rest resets
your Prowess Die to its maximum size. You must roll your PD after every round in which you use a
Combat Maneuver. You must roll your PD after each time you use a Bolded Combat Maneuver.
Contractor Feats
You may choose to use either Charisma or Wisdom for Contractor Feats, but a character must use
the same stat for all Contractor Feats -- they cannot switch from one to the other.

Tier 1:
● 1 Syllable Rites: Gain 1d4 new Rites. You are able to perform these Rites in exchange for a
tithe, as is explained on the following page. Taking this Feat again gives you one additional 1
Syllable Rite.
● 2 Syllable Rites: You are now able to Speak Rites that are two syllables long and enact their
workings on other creatures. Taking this Feat again gives you one additional 2 Syllable Rite.
● Wardcrafter: Given ten minutes per syllable to prepare and center yourself, you are able to
fold a Rite into a Ward -- a stable version of a Rite that can be activated later. You must pay
the Rite’s tithe at the beginning of these ten minutes. The creature that activates the Ward
pays its tithe again on activation. Each active Ward you have adds 1 to the damage you take
when you Speak or Wardcraft a Rite. A Ward is destroyed on use.
Tier 2:
● Pacted Weapon: You are able to summon and dissipate a weapon linked to your Pact as an
Action by tithing a roll of your HD. Select two tags to use from the list of Weapon tags.
When you summon your weapon, you may choose which of your chosen tags it has. In
addition, you may use your Contractor stat for attack and damage rolls with this weapon
rather than STR or DEX.
● 3 Syllable Rites: You are now able to Speak Rites that are three syllables long; gain 1d4 3
Syllable Rites. Taking this Feat again gives you one additional 3 Syllable Rite.
Tier 3:
● Bonded Familiar: You may summon and control a familiar of your choice -- a being that
looks and behaves mostly like a mundane animal, no larger than a normal dog, but is actually
related in some way to the beings that Speak the language of your Rites. This being cannot
truly die; when it is “killed”, it disperses and coalesces back into being 1d4 days later. You
may change its form to any small animal with a 1 hour ritual.
● Tome of Secrets: You gain a Tome through your Pact that allows you to learn a number of
new rites equal to the number you currently have, at every length you are able to speak. If
you learn any new Rites through any means besides through your Tome, your Tome grants
you additional Rites then as well.
● Optional Feat: Fluency: At your GM’s discretion, you may take this feat and collaborate with your
GM on creating a Rite that is four or more syllables long. Taking this Feat again grants you an
additional Rite in the same manner.
Example Rites:
1 Syllable
● Lux : Create light from a Nearby spot or object - 1hr.
● Wound : 1d4 damage to a Nearby target.
● Mend : Fix or mend a small break, crack, tear, etc
● Truth : One Nearby target must test versus 10 + Contractor Stat; on a failure, they cannot lie for the
next minute.
2 Syllables
● Banesmith : One Nearby target has 1 Bane on all attack rolls they make for 1d4 rounds.
● Guidance : Nearby allies gain +1 to stats when making attacks and saves - 1hr.
● Sustain : Create enough food/water for all Nearby creatures for a day.
● Dangersense : Notice all nearby traps - 10mins.
● Silence : Magical silence covering everything Nearby to a target - 1hr.
● Beasttongue : Can understand and talk with animals - 1hr.
● Cure Plague : Cures a Nearby target of all diseases.
● BreakCurse : Removes a curse from a Nearby target.
● Deathtongue : Ask a Nearby corpse 3 questions.
● Mend Wounds: Restore 1d8 HP to a Nearby target.
3 Syllables
● Fleshrending : Deal 3d10 to Nearby target.
● Greater Heal : Heal 3d6+3 HP to a Nearby target.
● Immunise : Remove/Immunise poison from a Nearby target - 10mins.
● Faithful’s Shield : All Nearby allies gain 2d6 temp AP - 10mins.
● Pact Parley: The Pactholder’s Bonded truthfully answers 3 questions - 10mins.
● Unleash Plague : Test WIS for all Nearby targets, they lose 2d8 HP/turn for the next 1d6 turns.
● Soulbinding : Force a Nearby creature to obey an order.
● Animate : Give a Nearby object motion and a simple intelligence - 10mins.
● Bladed Wall : Wall covers a Nearby area, WIS to attack Close targets (3d8) - 10mins.
● Windwalker : Summons a servant to recover a distant object.
● Projection : Projects an avatar of the caster onto a chosen plane - 1hr.
● Stormcaller : Control the Nearby wind to extremes - 10mins.
● Penitence : Return a Nearby willing target to life in their preferred form from life.
● Stun Person : Stun a Nearby target for 2d4 turns. Test WIS each turn to see if the effect lasts.

In order to be activated, Rites must be Spoken in the language of your Pacted being, which may be
Celestial, Infernal, Deep Abyssal, or something else entirely. Speaking a Rite requires you to tithe
1d4 HP per syllable. When you do, roll using your Contractor stat. If you succeed, you may reduce
the damage from the Rite by that ability (to a minimum of zero). Damage taken as a result of tithing
ignores armor. Rites take one Action per syllable to Speak.
Arcanist Feats
● All Spell Slots cost a number of Feat Points equal to their Level plus the number of other
Spell Slots of that level you have, and grant access to spells of that level. The first time you
unlock a Spell Level, gain 1d4 spells of that level.
● Given an hour of time (including during a short or long rest), you may prepare to cast as
many spells as you have spell slots. Over this hour, for each spell slot you have, choose a spell
of a level equal or lower than the Spell Slot. When you use this Slot, you may only cast it
with this spell.
● When you cast a Spell, you must test with INT. On a success, you keep the spell slot; on a
failure, the spell slot is spent. Spell slots are regained after a long rest. All spells take an
Action to cast.
Tier 1:
● First Level Spell Slot
● Second Level Spell Slot
● Ritualist: If given ten minutes to prepare and can concentrate for that whole time, you may
cast any of your known spells without a spell slot.
● Small Magics: Yours is the magic of hedge and hearth. You gain three minor workings you
can use at will, such as:
○ A floating, spectral hand that can lift no more than 10 kilos
○ Clean or dirty 1 square foot of material
○ Instantly light or put out a candle, torch, or small campfire
○ Make your eyes change color or glow
If you take this feat again, you gain three more such powers.
Tier 2:
● Third Level Spell Slot
● Fourth Level Spell Slot
● Battle Magic: You gain access to a set of spells designed exclusively to be employed in
combat. There is no artistry in their use, no subtlety. In their stead is a promise of violence at
no cost to you besides blood. As an action, test versus INT. On a failure, you take [1d6 - INT]
damage from magical backlash. Take no damage on a success. Either way, you bend pure
arcane energy to violence: deal [1d6] damage to a creature you can see within 10 spaces.
Tier 3:
● Fifth Level Spell Slot
● Sixth Level Spell Slot
● Seventh Level Spell Slot
● Siege Magic: You can perform a ritual to destroy buildings and level walls, not deal with
individual foes. Given ten minutes to perform a ritual, you may fully expend a spell slot
without rolling to keep it. If you do so, you may inflict 2d6 damage per spell slot level against
some target within 300 feet that you can see. While you are doing this, energy coalesces in
the air above you, alerting those who can see it to your intentions.
ARCANE SPELLS by level:
1
● Charm : A Nearby sentient creature who is not hostile to you obeys commands that are not obviously counter to
its interests. Test WIS each turn to see if the effect lasts.
● Detect Magic : Everything Nearby that is magic glows in your sight - 5mins.
● Magic Missile : Your target takes 1d4 damage/level.
● Light : A pinpoint of light appears, providing Dim light Nearby - 1 hr.
● Sleep : Puts 4d6 'worth' of beings to sleep - 1 hr.
2
● Darkness : Creates darkness covering a Nearby area that blocks all types of vision - 1hr.
● Invisibility : A nearby creature is made invisible until it attacks or dispelled.
● Knock : A Nearby door or lock is opened.
● Shield : Gain 1 AP/ level.
● Levitate : The caster floats up to 6 feet from the ground - 10mins/level.
● Web : Traps a Nearby area, stopping movement. Test WIS/hr to see if the effect lasts.
3
● Darkvision : See in absolute darkness - 10min/level.
● Dispel Magic : Removes a Nearby Arcane spell.
● Fireball : A detonation centered on a point you can see deals 1d6 damage/level in a sphere 5 spaces across.
● Read Language/Magic : Read all languages and magic - 10mins.
● Magic Mouth : Creates an illusory mouth that repeats a phrase to all Nearby creatures.
4
● Dimension Door : Teleport a target to any location the caster is familiar with or can see.
● Polymorph Self/Other : Transform a creature to have the appearance of another.
● Remove Curse : Removes a curse from a Nearby target.
● Wall of Fire/Ice : Wall covers a Nearby area, WIS to attack Close targets (3d6) - 10mins.
● Wall of Stone/Iron : A wall covers a Nearby area - 1hr.
5
● Animate Dead : Create 2d4 Skeletons/Zombies with HD/level, from nearby bodies.
● Cloudkill : Anyone with less than 5HD that touches it must test INT or be OofA – 1hr.
● Conjure Elemental : Create an Elemental of chosen type with 3d4 HD.
● Contact Higher Plane : Ask 1 question/level.
● Feeblemind : Reduce a Nearby target's INT to 4 - 10mins/level.
● Telekinesis : Move Nearby objects - 1hr.
6
● Anti Magic Shell : Creates a Nearby Zone around the caster blocking all magic.
● Disintegrate : Makes one Nearby target or object turn into a fine powder.
● Invisible Stalker : Summons an extra-dimensional monster to perform one task.
● Stone to Flesh : Turns a Nearby target into stone (or vice versa).
7
● Limited Wish : Change reality in a limited way or time.
● Power Word, Kill : A Nearby target with 50HP or fewer dies and cannot be resurrected.
● Conjuration of Demons : Summons a Demon with 2HD/level.
● Meteor Swarm : Effects the same as casting Fireball 4 times.
● Time Stop : Stops time completely in a Nearby area - 1d4+1 Moments.
Scoundrel Feats
Tier 1:
● Expert’s Finesse: Tests to perform delicate tasks, climb, hear sounds, move silently,
understand written languages, open locks, etc have 1 Boon.
● Second-Story Work: You can climb as easily as you can walk -- your climbing speed is the
same distance as your walking speed. In addition, rolls made to be Stealthy have 1 Boon.
● Light Step: Take 1 Boon on tests made to be stealthy.
● Precision Strike: You may use an Action to take careful aim. If your next attack with a
weapon uses your DEX, that attack deals an extra 2 HD damage with that attack. Taking this
feat again increases your Precision Strike damage by an additional HD.
Tier 2:
● Familiar Territory: You may add a Trigger’s Boon result to damage as well as attack rolls
when you use a Trigger in combat.
● Nimble Resilience: Your Active Armor refreshes after every initiative roll, not after every
encounter.
● Careful Step: Difficult Terrain does not cost you extra movement.
● Cutpurse’s Reflexes: When you Shift, you may move a number of spaces up to your DEX
rather than only one space.
● Fortune’s Favored: After you use a Trigger, you have Advantage on all rolls made that invoke
it until you complete your next Short Rest, Long Rest, or turn in combat, whichever comes
first. If you activate another Trigger, you can choose to keep the old one “active” in the
background or use the new one, but cannot have more than one active at once.
Tier 3:
● Reliable Talent: Whenever you test a Skill in which you are at least Trained, you may treat a
roll of 8 or lower as a 9. Bonuses from tools are included in this. [Passive]
● Uncanny Dodge: You may spend a Reaction to reduce damage from one attack from full to
half, or from half to zero.
● Swift Step: Your movement increases by a number of spaces equal to your DEX.
● Unreasonably Skilled: When you roll Boons, you may use the sum of the highest two dice
instead of the single highest dice.
Let’s Make a Level 1 Character!
It’s pretty dang simple, all in all. As a review, to create a Level 1 character, do the following:
● Buy or roll stats: 7 points total to buy, 3d6-10 per stat to roll
● Buy Skills: Training in any 2 skills in your highest stat; 4 points to buy any other skills
● Buy Triggers: 4 points. New Triggers cost 2 points each; additional Ranks cost 1 point each
● Buy Feats: 4 points. Feats have a cost equal to their Tier.
● Calculate HP: [HD max value] + [GRT]
If a step tells you to roll for something (like Spells), roll and resolve the outcome before moving on.

First, stats. I want some extra randomness, so I [roll 3d6 and subtract 10] for each stat, in order. You
could also rearrange stats as you wish, but added constraints can be fun. Here’s what I got:
❖ STR +3 ❖ GRT 0 ❖ WIS -1
❖ DEX -2 ❖ KNW -1 ❖ CHA +7

Interesting! A highly charismatic, fairly strong character. Not too fast on their feet, nor too quick on
the uptake, but persuasive and personable nevertheless. High CHA makes for a good Contractor,
and that low DEX and GRT makes a HD increase alluring. A battle priest seems to be in the cards
for me! My character will be Lindon, a Contracted Hand of Suriel. He’s a himbo.

Now that we have Stats, let’s select Triggers. I’ll take the Investigate Trigger from the listed examples,
and leave two points (enough to buy a new Trigger) undeclared for now.

After that, I’ll take my Skills -- first, I get Training in two skills in my highest stat (CHA), and then
four points to spend as I please. I’ll take Persuade and Streetwise as my stat-based Skills, then select
Parlay, Brute Strength, Animal Handling, and another level of training in Persuade for level one skills.

Finally, I have four points to buy Feats. I’m going to take one HD increase from the Open Feats list, a
Second Wind from the Fighter Feat list, and 1 Syllable Rites from the Contractor Feat list. I roll a d4
for my number of Rites, which got me a 2; I’ll choose Lux and Truth.

When all’s said and done, I have a d8 Hero Die (combined with my 0 GRT, this means 8 HP), two
Rites, and one Second Wind. And that’s it! That’s a level 1 character. How you keep track of this
information is completely up to you. I recommend graph paper or a bullet journal, which will
dovetail with the Exploration & Inventory module of Hammer.

Leveling up is as simple as spending four more Skill points, four more Trigger points, and four more
Feat points however you please, and then increasing your HP by [HD max value + GRT].