We are all bound to the Earth
SPIRITBOUND
“I can’t sleep in the new house. Every night... I
know someone’s watching. I woke up on Tuesday to
a toad on my windowsill! I scared it off but so
creepy.. Last night I climbed up to the roof to look
out to the valley.
“I know you’re here!” I yelled. “Whoever’s out there,
just say something!” Nobody did.
Then I saw her. I swear a real-live witch flew by on
her broomstick. In fact, it was two witches, in
some kind of fight! Dad said magic families lived in
this countryside, casting spells and all that.. But I
don’t think they like each other anymore. I think
the covens are at war... And they won’t stop until
they’re the only ones left standing!”
What am I reading?
Spiritbound is a Solo RPG and hack of Ironsworn by Shawn
Tomkin. This work lets you explore fantastic worlds
inspired by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. You can
make the worlds yourself or together, or reveal them as you
go with oracles, tables and moves.
Anytime you encounter something risky or uncertain in
Spiritbound, your moves and dice determine the outcome.
Use the moves to guide you on your way.
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Everything we do is this world reflects on our souls and our
hearts. We’ll always change and grow as we explore. To play
Spiritbound: you’ll make your character and drop them
down the rabbit-hole to new, fantastic worlds.
Spiritbound worlds vary in time period, style, level of
fantasy, etc. But they will always drop you into a diverse
landscape of: humans, spirits, and demons. How these
groups react to each other and reshape nature will form the
crux of our stories.
Ways to play
● Guided: One player takes on the role of gamemaster
(GM) to: describe environments as players enter
them, voice people they encounter, and storytell the
outcomes of player moves.
● Co-Op: All players play characters and voice the
environment collaboratively. The game itself will
help you decide outcomes of moves and add
surprises to your world.
● Solo: One player plays alone, using the game to
reveal the world as you explore!
Play materials
For play, have a set of these for each player:
● Two d10’s for use as percentile dice and challenge dice
● One d6 for use as your action die
● A printed character sheet (and assets if you like)
Make sure to make your Spiritbound worlds your own.
Pursue ideas you have and bend the environment to the
story you want to tell. Even time you play, you’ll define
aspects such as the history of your world, magic, mythic
beasts, and more. The choices you make will help inspire
the personal vows driving your character.
Gain inspiration from any history or media you like to
make it appeal specifically to you.
Swearing Vows
The central driving force of this game is Swearing Vows.
All of our souls are tied to this world, including nature and
the spirits than inhabit it. When you Swear Vows, you
strengthen that connection. A Vow is a personal quest you
take on that you feel compelling to complete. You have to
see it through to push yourself toward your ultimate fate.
You were always meant to find this place and accomplish
this quest. As you complete Vows over time, your soul will
shift. You will grow into what you were always meant to be.
When you create your character, you start with a First
Vow. When you setup your campaign, you envision or
encounter an inciting incident which drops you into a new
environment and triggers a new vow. Characters always
start at a transitionary point in their lives. There’s
something coming to an end for them. So what’s their
biggest goal going forward or biggest worry about the
future? Write that down as their First Vow. Over time, this
vow may be resolved -- or things might change. It might
stop mattering to them completely.
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Moves
When things are uncertain, use moves to find the outcome
and add some randomness to the world. Moves will always
say “When you...” as a trigger for what to roll. So follow
these triggers to know when to use them.
Find the full list of moves as its own document.
Some moves will have you set up a progress track of boxes.
Each time you use the move, you’ll check more boxes off
until you make a progress roll to complete this set of
challenges.
Action Rolls
● Moves are composed of strong hits, weak hits, and
misses. When you make a move:
● Roll 1d6 (the Action die) and 2d10 (Challenge dice).
● Roll your Action Die and add your relevant stat.
Moves will tell you what stat to use or to use one of
your tracks, such as health or supply. Assets may add
to rolls as well. The end result is your Action Score.
● Roll the Challenge Dice and compare each die’s roll
to the Action Score.
● If your Action Score beats both dice, that’s a strong
hit! If it is greater than one die, it’s a weak hit!
● If both Challenge Dice beat your Action Score, it’s a
miss. On a miss, something bad happens.
Action die (d6) Challenge dice (2d10)
d6 d10 d10
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Hits and Misses Character Tracks
Refer to the moves to find out what happens when you get ● Health: Represents your bodily wellness and physical
each outcome. There’s three possible outcomes of a move: damage. Depletes as you Endure Harm (injury).
● Resolve: Represents your mental state and willpower.
🗹🗹 🗹☒ ☒☒ Depletes as you Endure Harm (stress).
Strong Hit Weak Hit Miss ● Supply: Represents your equipment, ammo, food,
Your action score Your action score Your action score water, and general readiness. Will deplete as moves
is greater than is greater than only isn’t greater than cost supply or you spend it for resources.
both challenge one challenge die. either of the
dice. You succeed You probably challenge dice. You
at what you are succeeded, but with failed, or need to Progress Tracks
trying to do. a lesser effect or make some serious
Some moves have you create Progress Tracks to keep track
cost. concessions.
of your goals.
● Each move like this will come with a Progress Move
Momentum that you’ll use to end that part of the story.
Your momentum value will range from a -6 to +10 and ● For Progress Moves, you won’t roll the Action Die.
represents how you are faring in your quests. You’ll raise or Do Progress Moves whenever you feel ready and use
lower it based based on how moves go. The max is +10. the amount of boxes you have filled in place of an
Action Score.
The greatest aspect for you is burning momentum. When ● Progress Tracks will always have a rank: troublesome,
you have positive momentum, after you roll your move, dangerous, formidable, extreme, and epic. Each rank
you may use momentum to better the odds. When you do is harder than the last and takes longer to complete. A
this: replace your total Action Score with your current full progress box consists of four ticks.
momentum value.
Here’s how you mark progress for each rank:
Then reset your momentum to its base value: likely +2.
● Troublesome goal: 3 boxes per progress
Depending on your current momentum, this can turn your
● Dangerous goal: 2 boxes per progress
roll into a weak or even strong hit.
● Formidable goal: 1 box per progress
● Extreme goal: 2 ticks per progress
If you ever have to lower your momentum below -6,
● Epic goal: 1 tick per progress
Endure Harm for the remaining value you would subtract.

v v1
Entering Spiritbound
Let’s drop ourselves into the world and begin play!
1. Build your world
Worlds in Spiritbound are filled with bustling cities,
lush natural landscapes, and everything in between.
● Grab the Spiritbound World Sheet and fill out the
truths of this world one by one.
● Roll a set of percentile dice or pick an option on
each table to decide the world.
● Bend and twist the options or create new ones to
personalize your new world!
2. Build your character
Now that you know the world they were born into,
envision your character and their place in this world.
Consider their motivations, loves, interests, skills,
responsibilities, personality, and weaknesses. But
leave some but flesh out during play.
a) Grab the Character sheet & assets and print the
character sheet if you can.
b) Envision your character however you like
—unbound by geography, lineage, sexual
orientation, and gender. Your character can be
inspired by a real-world or historical culture, or
you might be a blend of influences.
c) Write a name and pronouns at the top of the
page.
d) Distribute your stats in any order: 3, 3, 2, 2, 1.
Two 3’s, two 2’s and a 1. What are you great at?
And not so great at?
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e) There’s five stats:
○ Head: expertise, knowledge, observation.
○ Heart: courage, will, empathy, sociability.
○ Soul: magic, energies, connection to earth.
○ Steel: physical strength, endurance, prowess.
○ Shadow: sneakiness, deceptiveness, cunning.
f) Your Health, Resolve, and Supply start at +5.
g) Your Momentum starts at +2. Its reset is +2 and
the max is +10.
h) You have 6 experience points to spend on Assets.
Paths and Companions are the strongest and cost
2 points. Spells cost 1. Spend your points now.
i) Drawbacks cost -2 points. They give you 2 back,
but only take a max of two Drawbacks. Add these
if you like. Any points you don’t spend are lost.
j) Think about your appearance. What equipment
do you have Supply of? Where are you from?
3. Background Vows & Bonds
Now we’ll make an inciting incident that throws your
character into the story.
○ Create for yourself up to 3 bonds to start with.
These are individuals or communities you know
well. For each, write 1 tick on your Bonds track.
Roll on each Beings oracle if you like.
○ Give yourself a background vow as part of your
character’s backstory. This is something they
promised themselves to find or accomplish. Give
it a rank of extreme or epic.
○ Your background vow might be something
they’re focused on, in the back of their mind, or
just a far-off dream.
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4. The Inciting Incident
An inciting incident is the problem which arrives at
the beginning of a story, propelling your character
into a new environment or world.
a) Everything up to that point is backstory—the
normal world to which your character has
become accustomed. This is the tipping point.
b) Envision the new world you find yourself in or
are forced to enter. Roll Locale Oracles if you like.
c) What keeps them here and makes them travel
onward? This problem dictates what drives your
first session and sets your character’s story in
motion.
○ For ideas: you can use world truths, talk it
out at the table, or pick any oracle.
○ Envision how this highlights weak points
and motivations your character has.
○ Leverage story themes which are interesting
to you as the player.
○ Make your character’s problem a ticking
clock. The problem will get worse if you
don’t act.
5. Set The Scene
You have two options for starting play:
a) The Normal World. Envision a prologue
involving your character which helps to flesh out
who you are and how you interact with your
world. Roleplay relationships with background
bonds. Your inciting incident can then serve as an
event or threat which finds you. You can even
leave it undecided and play to find out.
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b) In Media Res. Start your story at a crucial point.
Your inciting incident is happening now, or is
something you are fully aware of and must react
to. Begin with a tense, action-oriented scene as
you encounter the problem. Or, frame a scene
where you Swear Vows of what you must do. Let
the results of the roll trigger what happens next.
6. Let’s begin play!
○ Review the moves list and make sure you
understand how you’ll resolve your character’s
actions and intent.
○ Cycle through play: Envision the obstacle, make
a move, and let the outcome and fiction come
alive. Rinse, and repeat.
○ Anytime you’re lacking inspiration, pick an
Oracle and draw on it. Create what entices most!
Tips for play
● Put Character First: You can also shuffle these play
steps and start in a different order -- such as making
character first before better defining the world.
● Extended play materials: Before starting play, go to
ironswornrpg.com/downloads to find play materials
that also apply to this game! Download the RULES
REFERENCE and PROGRESS TRACK WORKSHEET to
utilize them as you would while playing Ironsworn.
● Soundtracks & ambience: My favorite way to play is
while listening to relaxing or hype music to really
immerse you into the world. Try searching youtube
for mixes regarding: Studio Ghibli, Legend of Zelda,
witches, oni, Akira Kurosawa, or The Shining.
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Oracles Acknowledgements
Oracles are exceedingly useful for generating ideas!

On occasion, you’ll feel yourself in a moment where:
○ You know something new should happen here
○ Like a twist or dramatic reveal of information
○ But it’s not immediately clear what that could be
○ Or your inspiration needs a nudge
Written by Marc Strocks (twitter.com/spacesibling)
Contact at marcusstrocks@gmail.com
Find more of my works at mstrocks.itch.io

...Just browse through the Oracles to find one applicable to

your situation. Or something to give you the perfect Ironsworn
jumpstart. This work is based on Ironsworn, created by Shawn
Tomkin, and licensed for our use under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Oracle Descriptions (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
● Action: a verb or action to take.
● Theme: a subject or image.
Combine Action and Theme to roll a goal or idea.
Additional inspirations:
● Mystic Backlash: For Paying The Price while
Monster of the Week by Mike Sands
casting spells.
Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker and Meguey Baker
● Major Plot Twist: For surprise events.
● Beings: For meeting characters and allies.
● Locales: Use anytime to create new locations.
Villages for period/smaller. City for latter/larger.
● Location Styles: To add details to buildings or cities. Thanks for checking out Spiritbound!
● Locale Trouble: To add location events.

x1 x11
 Action Theme
1 Scheme 35 Falter 69 Advance 1 Risk 35 History 69 Prize
2 Clash 36 Suppress 70 Command 2 Ability 36 World 70 Destiny
3 Weaken 37 Hunt 71 Refuse 3 Price 37 Vow 71 Momentum
4 Initiate 38 Share 72 Find 4 Ally 38 Protection 72 Power
5 Create 39 Destroy 73 Deliver 5 Battle 39 Nature 73 Memory
6 Swear 40 Avoid 74 Hide 6 Safety 40 Opinion 74 Ruin
7 Avenge 41 Reject 75 Fortify 7 Survival 41 Burden 75 Mysticism
8 Guard 42 Demand 76 Betray 8 Weapon 42 Vengeance 76 Rival
9 Defeat 43 Explore 77 Secure 9 Wound 43 Opportunity 77 Problem
10 Control 44 Bolster 78 Arrive 10 Shelter 44 Faction 78 Idea
11 Break 45 Seize 79 Affect 11 Leader 45 Danger 79 Revenge
12 Risk 46 Mourn 80 Change 12 Fear 46 Corruption 80 Health
13 Surrender 47 Reveal 81 Defend 13 Time 47 Freedom 81 Fellowship
14 Inspect 48 Gather 82 Debate 14 Duty 48 Debt 82 Enemy
15 Raid 49 Defy 83 Support 15 Secret 49 Hate 83 Religion
16 Evade 50 Transform 84 Follow 16 Innocence 50 Possession 84 Spirit
17 Assault 51 Persevere 85 Construct 17 Renown 51 Stranger 85 Fame
18 Deflect 52 Serve 86 Locate 18 Direction 52 Passage 86 Desolation
19 Threaten 53 Begin 87 Endure 19 Death 53 Land 87 Strength
20 Attack 54 Move 88 Release 20 Honor 54 Creature 88 Knowledge
21 Leave 55 Coordinate 89 Lose 21 Labor 55 Disease 89 Truth
22 Preserve 56 Resist 90 Reduce 22 Solution 56 Advantage 90 Quest
23 Manipulate 57 Await 91 Escalate 23 Tool 57 Blood 91 Pride
24 Remove 58 Impress 92 Distract 24 Balance 58 Language 92 Loss
25 Eliminate 59 Take 93 Journey 25 Love 59 Rumor 93 Law
26 Withdraw 60 Oppose 94 Escort 26 Barrier 60 Weakness 94 Path
27 Abandon 61 Capture 95 Learn 27 Creation 61 Greed 95 Warning
28 Investigate 62 Overwhelm 96 Communicate 28 Decay 62 Family 96 Relationship
29 Hold 63 Challenge 97 Depart 29 Trade 63 Resource 97 Wealth
30 Focus 64 Acquire 98 Search 30 Bond 64 Structure 98 Home
31 Uncover 65 Protect 99 Charge 31 Hope 65 Dream 99 Strategy
32 Breach 66 Finish 00 Summon 32 Superstition 66 Community 00 Supply
33 Aid 67 Strengthen 33 Peace 67 War
34 Uphold 68 Restore 34 Deception 68 Portent
 Mystic Backlash Major Plot Twist
1-4 Your spell has the opposite effect. 1-5 It was all a diversion.
5-8 You are sapped of strength. 6-10 A dark secret is revealed.
9-12 Your friend, ally, or companion is adversely affected. 11-15 A trap is sprung.
13-16 You destroy an important object. 16-20 An “truth” is revealed to be false.
17-20 You inadvertently summon a horror. 21-25 A secret alliance is revealed.
21-24 You collapse, and drift into a troubled sleep. 26-30 Your actions benefit an enemy.
25-28 You undergo a physical torment which leaves its 31-35 Someone returns unexpectedly.
mark upon you. 36-40 A more dangerous foe is revealed.
29-32 You hear ghostly voices whispering of dark portents. 41-45 You and an enemy share a common goal.
33-36 You are lost in shadow, and find yourself in another 46-50 A true identity is revealed.
place without memory of how you got there. 51-55 You are betrayed by someone who was trusted.
37-40 You alert someone or something to your presence. 56-60 You are too late.
41-44 You are not yourself, and act against a friend, ally, or 61-65 The true enemy is revealed.
companion.
66-70 The enemy gains new allies.
45-48 You affect or damage your surroundings, causing a
71-75 A new danger appears.
disturbance or potential harm
49-52 You waste resources. 76-80 Someone or something goes missing.
53-56 You suffer the loss of a sense for several hours. 81-85 The truth of a relationship is revealed.
57-60 You lose your connection to magic for a day or so, 86-90 Two seemingly unrelated situations are shown to be
and cannot perform spells. connected.
61-64 Your spell affects the target in an unexpected and 91-95 Unexpected powers or abilities are revealed.
problematic way. 96-00 Roll twice more on this table. Both results occur. If
65-68 Your spell reveals a surprising and troubling truth. they are the same result, make it more dramatic.
69-72 You are tempted by dark powers.
73-76 You see a troubling vision of your future.
Challenge Rank
77-80 You can't perform this spell again until you acquire
an important component. 1-20 Troublesome
81-84 You develop a strange fear or compulsion.
21-40 Dangerous
85-88 Your spell causes creatures to exhibit strange or
aggressive behavior. 41-60 Formidable
89-92 You are tormented by an apparition from your past. 61-80 Extreme
93-96 You are wracked with sudden sickness. 81-00 Epic
97-00 Roll twice more on this table. Both results occur. If
they are the same result, make it worse.
 Beings Non-animal Forms
..

1-10 spirit 31-40 witch 61-70 monster 1-6 radish 37-42 elemental 73-77 spectre
11-20 animal 41-50 animate 71-95 human 7-12 truck/bus 43-48 sludge 78-82 trees
object 13-18 paper 49-54 heads 83-87 clothing
21-30 demon 51-60 demigod 96-00 god 19-24 masks 55-60 fire 88-92 scarecrow
25-30 oni 61-66 water 83-97 doll
31-36 eyes 67-72 stone 98-00 vegetable
Being Traits
1-3 minor / serf 34-36 warrior 67-69 creator Styles
4-6 nature / tree 37-39 cursed 70-72 artistic 1-6 secretive 37-42 kind 73-77 esoteric
7-9 great / godly 40-42 sky / clouds 73-75 garden 7-12 angry 43-48 funny 78-82 boasting
10-12 half-human 43-45 oceanic 76-78 customer 13-18 energetic 49-54 young 83-87 outlandish
13-15 hybrid 46-48 hellish 79-81 tourist 19-24 posh 55-60 ecstatic 88-92 stuck-up
16-18 possessed 49-51 celestial 82-84 child / baby 25-30 by the book 61-66 brave 83-97 fearful
19-21 prince/princess 52-54 scientist 85-87 baker / chef 31-36 aloof 67-72 genius 98-00 lavish
22-24 king / queen 55-57 magic-touched 88-90 beach / island
25-27 war general 58-60 administrator 91-93 vampiric Colors
29-30 laborer 61-63 constable 94-96 thieving
1-6 yellow 37-42 pink 73-77 grey
31-33 servant 64-66 healer 97-00 underwater
7-12 orange 43-48 silver 78-82 gold
13-18 red 49-54 violet 83-87 turquoise
Animal Forms 19-24 green 55-60 white 88-92 tan
..

25-30 blue 61-66 black 83-97 magenta

1-3 red fox 34-36 gator 67-69 owl
31-36 indigo 67-72 cyan 98-00 brown
4-6 duck 37-39 oxen 70-72 bat
7-9 rabbit/hare 40-42 cat 73-75 bear
10-12 frog/toad 43-45 raccoon dog 76-78 salamander
13-15 horse 46-48 rat/mouse 79-81 eagle
16-18 tiger 49-51 dragon 82-84 badger
19-21 wolf 52-54 rooster 85-87 mole/shrew
22-24 cobra 55-57 ainu dog 88-90 spider
25-27 macaque 58-60 goat/sheep 91-93 vulture
29-30 boar 61-63 tortoise 94-96 sea otter
31-33 gorilla 64-66 stag 97-00 sea lion
 Locales Location Styles
..

1-17 forest 35-51 village 69-85 fortress 1-2 High 35-36 Occupied 69-70 Low
18-34 valleys 52-68 city 86-00 abandoned 3-4 Remote 37-38 Rich 71-72 Beautiful
5-6 Exposed 39-40 Big 73-74 Abundant
7-8 Small 41-42 Savage 75-76 Lush
9-10 Broken 43-44 Defended 77-78 Flooded
Village Buildings 11-12 Diverse 45-46 Withered 79-80 Empty
13-14 Rough 47-48 Mystical 81-82 Strange
1-3 barn 34-36 shrine 67-69 trinket shop
15-16 Dark 49-50 Inaccessible 83-84 Corrupted
4-6 tavern 37-39 inn 70-72 rice fields
17-18 Shadowy 51-52 Protected 85-86 Peaceful
7-9 stable 40-42 smith 73-75 orchard 19-20 Contested 53-54 Abandoned 87-88 Forgotten
10-12 bathhouse 43-45 gambling hall 76-78 restaurant 21-22 Grim 55-56 Wide 89-90 Expansive
13-15 farmland 46-48 storehouses 79-81 prison 23-24 Wild 57-58 Foul 91-92 Settled
16-18 ramen stand 49-51 village well 82-84 fortress 25-26 Fertile 59-60 Dead 93-94 Dense
19-21 estate 52-54 bridge 85-87 waterfall 27-2 Blocked 61-62 Ruined 95-96 Civilized
22-24 rice mill 55-57 bamboo-cutter 88-90 gates 8
29-30 Ancient 63-64 Barren 97-98 Desolate
25-27 council hall 58-60 healer 91-93 barracks
31-32 Perilous 65-66 Cold 99-00 Isolated
29-30 weapon shop 61-63 teahouse 94-96 shipyard
33-34 Hidden 67-68 Blighted
31-33 tannery 64-66 midwifery 97-00 fishery

Locale Trouble
City Buildings 1-3 Outsiders rejected 52-54 Dangerous tradition
..

1-3 hat shop 34-36 street food 67-69 gymnasium 4-6 Dangerous discovery 55-57 In league with the enemy
4-6 train 37-39 college 70-72 abbey 7-9 Dreadful omens 58-60 Raiders prey on the weak
10-12 Broken truce 61-63 Cursed past
7-9 carnival 40-42 basilica 73-75 workshop 13-15 Betrayed from within 64-66 An innocent is accused
10-12 town square 43-45 market square 76-78 greenhouse 16-18 Important object is lost 67-69 Corrupted by dark magic
13-15 bakery 46-48 hospital 79-81 apothecary 19-21 Someone is captured 70-72 Isolated by brutal weather
16-18 brewery 49-51 museum 82-84 warehouses 22-24 Mysterious phenomenon 73-75 Provisions are scarce
19-21 monastery 52-54 library 85-87 laboratory 25-27 Revolt against a leader 76-78 Reckless warmongering
29-30 Wrathful haunt 79-81 Allies become enemies
22-24 great hall 55-57 shrine 88-90 theater
31-33 Rival settlement 82-84 Attack is imminent
25-27 tavern 58-60 courthouse 91-93 hotel 34-36 Nature strikes back 85-87 Lost caravan
29-30 inn 61-63 barracks 94-96 casino 37-39 Someone is missing 88-90 Dark secret revealed
31-33 bathhouse 64-66 transit station 97-00 estates 40-42 Production halts 91-93 Urgent expedition
43-45 Mysterious murders 94-96 A leader falls
46-48 Debt comes due 97-00 Families in conflict
49-51 In the crossfire