2018 - April - Playtest Packet 008

Let Thrones Beware
Playtest
CHANGELOG
Revision History
March, 2017 001 Preliminary player playtest document
March, 2017 002 GM content added
March, 2017 003 Non-Combat and Combat material added
April, 2017 004 Alternative class builds and step by step character generation guide,
character advancement
June, 2017 005 Clarified advantage/disadvantage & edge system
Eliminated ability scores
Updated character sheet
Added Desperation mechanic
Revised adversaries
Example class power selections
August, 2017 006 Additional adversaries
Mythic foes
Mass combat
Background special features
Preliminary domain management
Combat and non-combat examples of play
January, 2018 007 New non-combat system
Updated species info
Rearranged mechanics introduction
Updated layout
Component consolidation
Sample adventure
April, 2018 008 Layout and formatting

Rules clarifications
Revisions to adversary AI, combat powers
New class feature power system
To Come
Rev 009 Updated class list
Multiclassing
Revised consequences for non-combat challenges
Playtest Documents
Drivethrurpg http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/232024/Let-Thrones-Beware-Open-Beta
BLOG TWITTER EMAIL

www.letthronesbeware.com @ThronesBeware contact@letthronesbeware.com
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CREDITS
Art
Peter Lin
Shreyas Malavalli, www.goodfreephotos.com
Iconography
Game-Icons.net Lorc, Delapouite & contributors License CC BY 3.0
Fonts
Dark & Black by Sharkshock 2017
Playtesters and Other Help

Jon C; Matt T; Dave; Chris S; Mike Shaver; Alex H
Slydingdoor; htp-di-nsw; pd0t; Serf McSerfington
Special Thanks
Cecil Howe; Brad J. Murray, VSCA Publishing; Luke Miller; Dustin Niehoff; Jake Hess;
Anthony "Ishpeck" Tedjamulia; Patrick Barry; Jeffrey Bo Doon
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FEEDBACK AND OTHER ISSUES
Roleplaying games, especially ones being written by indie designers, are labours of love.
Like all indie designers, I rely on input and feedback from role-players across the world
in order to make the best games possible.
I hope you enjoy playing Let Thrones Beware as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Love it or hate it, I encourage you to reach out and share your game experiences with
me. The easiest place to find me is on twitter @ThronesBeware.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHANGELOG............................................... 2 ROGUE ........................................79 THE ROLE OF GM ......................123
YOUR GAME...............................123
FINISHING TOUCHES..................86 SESSION ZERO ........................... 125
CREDITS ............................................................ 3 HANDLING DISPUTES .................126
WRAPPING UP ............................ 86
FEEDBACK AND OTHER RUNNING YOUR GAME ......... 127
EQUIPMENT ............................................. 88
ISSUES ................................................................. 4 DECIDING WHAT TYPE OF GAME TO
ARMOUR .................................... 88 RUN........................................... 127
TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................5 REPERTOIRE............................... 89 CAMPAIGN ARC .......................... 127
WEAPONS ................................... 90 ADVENTURE CYCLE ....................132
A FATEFUL NIGHT ............................. 6 MISCELLANEOUS ....................... 135
COMPETENCIES ................................... 91 CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT ...... 135
WELCOME TO LET THRONES ADVENTURER TIER COMPETENCIES DOMAIN MANAGEMENT ..... 137
BEWARE ............................................................ 7 ................................................... 91
CHAMPION TIER COMPETENCIES 92 ADVENTURER TIER ................... 138
IF YOU’VE NEVER BEFORE PLAYED A LEGEND TIER COMPETENCIES .... 92
PEN & PAPER ROLEPLAYING GAME . 7 ENGAGING WITH THE
IF YOU’VE ONLY PLAYED D&D ADVANCEMENT ..................................93
BEFORE ......................................... 8
MECHANICS ........................................... 139
GUIDING PRINCIPLES .................... 8 ADVENTURER TIER ADVANCEMENT
.................................................. 93 THE DICE ..................................139
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY ............ 9
CHAMPION TIER ADVANCEMENT 93 RESPONDING TO THE PLAYER .....139
BRIGAND’S ORDER ........................... 10 LEGEND TIER ADVANCEMENT ..... 93
THE DEEP WOOD ........................... 140
THE PRIMORDIAL FORCES . 94
MERCHANT’S DILEMMA .......... 12
BUILDING NON-COMBAT
WHAT ARE THE PRIMORDIAL
HOW POWERS WORK .................. 14 FORCES? .................................... 94 ENCOUNTERS...................................... 142
COMBAT AND NON-COMBAT TRIVIAL CHALLENGES ............. 96 BUILDING A NON-COMBAT

POWERS ...................................... 14 ENCOUNTER ..............................142
CHALLENGE MECHANIC .............. 17
NON-COMBAT CHALLENGES BUILDING COMBAT
DICE MECHANICS........................ 19
WAYS TO PLAY ............................20 .................................................................................... 97 ENCOUNTERS...................................... 143
ARGOHEX .................................................... 22 WHAT IS A NON-COMBAT BUILDING A COMBAT ENCOUNTER
CHALLENGE? ............................... 97
..................................................143
CREATING YOUR PLANNING PHASE ....................... 98 ADVERSARIES ............................144
EXECUTION PHASE ................... 100 BRIGAND ................................... 147
CHARACTER ............................................ 24 RESOLUTION PHASE .................. 101 CONDEMNED ............................. 152
MISCELLANEOUS ....................... 101
KEY CONCEPTS ............................ 24 CULT OF MAN ............................ 157
CHARACTER CREATION OVERVIEW MILITIA .....................................162
COMBAT CHALLENGES...........105
................................................... 25
WHAT IS A COMBAT CHALLENGE?
MYTHIC FOES ...................................... 167
SPECIES ........................................................... 26 ................................................. 105 ASAG .........................................170
ORDER OF PLAY ......................... 106
CABEIRI ...................................... 27 THE COMBAT CHALLENGE ......... 107
DACTYL ....................................... 31 HAZARDS..................................................... 171
THE COMBAT ROUND ................ 109
ECHTHROI .................................. 35 ENGAGEMENTS ........................... 111
IPOTANE ..................................... 39 APPENDIX A: CONDITIONS 171
MYRMEKES ................................. 43 MASS-COMBAT CHALLENGES
APPENDIX B: MOVEMENT
BACKGROUND......................................47 ................................................................................... 117
TYPES ............................................................... 171
ARISTOCRAT................................48 WHAT IS A MASS-COMBAT
CRIMINAL ................................... 50 CHALLENGE? ..............................117 APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY ........ 171
GUARD ........................................ 52 ORDER OF PLAY ..........................117
PEDDLER .................................... 54 THE MASS-COMBAT CHALLENGE 117
APPENDIX D: POWER
COMBAT .................................... 118
CLASS ................................................................. 56 COMBAT PHASE ......................... 119 KEYWORDS.............................................. 171
MISCELLANEOUS ....................... 121
HEDGE WIZARD .......................... 58
KNIGHT....................................... 65 SETTING UP YOUR GAME ...123
ORACLE ...................................... 72
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A FATEFUL NIGHT
Legs burning, she ran deeper into the Wood. A peal of bells followed, echoing off the
trees of the primeval forest like the mad, frantic laughter of a prisoner condemned to
death. Hurtling over the rotting corpse of a dead tree, she considered the metaphor. It
was apt, she decided. Only the fearless (or the mad, her subconscious insisted) would
still be outside, this far from home, this late. Though long out of sight, she knew that the
sturdy gate Chael Hollow would soon swing shut, sealing her friends behind the safety of
the wooden palisade. Relative safety.
The ground fell away as she raced through the twilight. She was making good time. She
would find him. Dawn was scarcely twelve hours past, but it felt as though a thousand
years had passed. An eternity since he’d proudly exclaimed that he was going out to the
fields to play. She’d warned him to be back by midday, but he hadn’t returned. She’d
gone to look for him then, before fear had set in her like a knife. Her heart had sunk
when she saw his satchel hanging from the branch of a tree at the edge of the forest.
He’d gone into the Deep Wood.
Ahead, in the fading light, she saw movement between the trees. She poured on speed,
ignoring her aching limbs and the exhaustion that clawed at her like a wild animal. She
was so close. They could be home before night fell. Before the Passage ended and the
relentless and unceasing hunger returned to the Wood.
Bursting from the trees, she hurtled into the clearing. There he was. Prone on the forest
floor. Above him, a Man, wielding a cruelly hooked blade. It couldn’t be, and yet there
was no mistaking the pink skin, the slender frame, the cold eyes, dead and empty. Her
mind reeled, bewildered, as the last seconds of her life jolted past in a cacophony of pain
and confusion.
The man did not so much flinch as the giant insect bounded from the trees. With little
more than a wave of his hand, he brought her flight to an abrupt end. He regarded the
creature, immobilized in the air, arrested mid-leap, its arms outstretched and reaching
for the helpless thing at his feet. His eyes narrowed. Female. Kin, perhaps. Immaterial.
He already had what he needed. One pathetic wretch was as good as the next.
The bells had stopped. Her last coherent thought was that the forest was so quiet.
His fist clenched, and the worthless thing in the air before him bubbled and burst,
spattering the clearing with warm ichor.
Humanity had returned to Argohex.
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WELCOME TO LET THRONES BEWARE
Let Thrones Beware is a roleplaying game about recovering from the trauma wrought by
an invading empire.
A thousand years ago, the Eternal Kingdom of Man wrenched open a portal from their
home to yours – Argohex, a tranquil, idyllic world. Man's otherworldly invasion inflicted
untold devastation on the land and its peoples. Destroyed in an accidental cataclysm of
its own making, the Kingdom of Man's corrupting influence can still be felt in the dark
corners to which the natives of Argohex fled.
Those dark corners of Argohex' are your home, as they are to countless others. Bereft of
the cultures and civilization that flourished before Man's invasion, yours is not an easy
life. Horrors lurk in the shadow and life for most is brutish and short.
This Age of Despair may yet end. Over the course of this game, you and your friends will
encounter many difficult challenges and obstacles. Triumph in these struggles, and you
can still heal the world. Fail, and the darkness may never be swept away.
IF YOU’VE NEVER BEFORE PLAYED A PEN & PAPER ROLEPLAYING GAME

• Let Thrones Beware isn’t an adversarial game. There’s no score that will make
someone in your group the winner and the rest losers. To win in Let Thrones
Beware is to have fun with your friends.
• In Let Thrones Beware, one of your group of friends will take on the role of Game
Master (GM), who acts as guide and referee while the rest will be heroes.
• As a player, you are represented by a hero, whose actions, thoughts, and feelings
are yours to determine throughout the game. This hero is your conduit to the
adventures to come and is how you will interact with the rest of the game world.
• In Let Thrones Beware, your hero will affect the world through combat and non-
combat challenges. These challenges are divided into rounds, in which each hero
and the GM take a turn. The mechanics behind them are largely the same, though
combat takes place on a grid and non-combat is abstract.
• Trivial problems (e.g. actions that don’t carry with them an element of risk),
aren’t challenges. Heroes are always successful when they attempt a trivial task.
• A combination of combat powers, non-combat powers, and competencies,
derived from your chosen species, background, and class represent the
capabilities of your hero. Anything you attempt to do in the game will succeed or
fail based on how these are combined and used.
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QUICK TIPS
IF YOU’VE ONLY PLAYED D&D BEFORE
The Tier Dice Icon
• There are no attributes: your character can be as strong or Throughout this rulebook, pay
weak, beautiful or horrifying, cunning or dull as you like special attention whenever you
without sacrificing competency. see the Tier Dice icon (two six-
sided dice) – the game is trying
• Your chosen species, background, and class provide you with to convey an important concept.
a set of powers to participate in challenges. These powers are
either divided in purpose between combat and non-combat. Refluffing
Let Thrones Beware is designed
• Unlike D&D, you don’t roll dice with every action you take; in such a way that the fiction
only roll at the beginning of a round, and all engagements (a describing the mechanics is
discrete conflict between a hero and an adversary or obstacle) only one such interpretation. If
you find a piece you like, but
in a round use the same result. you’re not crazy about how the
• Repertoire, as assigned by your selected background, game goes about describing it,
provides mechanical benefit in non-combat challenges. feel free to change the fiction to
something you prefer.
This extends to adventures

too – your table is the
GUIDING PRINCIPLES ultimate arbiter of what’s
right and what’s not, so feel
Always Round Numbers Up free to change, ignore, or add
to any of the fluff provided by
Always round numbers up (e.g. 1.6 pre-written adventures.
becomes 2, and 5.1 becomes 6).
Tier Dice
You’ll learn more about the Tier Dice as you read through this book.
For now, just remember that when you’re called on to use Tier Dice
(which happens at the beginning of every round of both combat and
non-combat challenges), you’ll roll 2d6 and use the result for the
entire round.
Specific Rules Supersede General Rules

Specific rules always supersede general rules. Your hero possesses
powers that will allow her to do something that the rules prohibit –
when you use that power, the general rule is disregarded.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
To get the most out of this game, you'll need the following things:
• Ideally, five people (four players and you, the GM);
• Pencils and paper for taking notes;
• Character sheets for each of the players;
• Tokens to represent the heroes and their adversaries;
• Grid paper and markers for making maps (a 24"x36" gridded easel pad from an
office supply store is a great choice); and
• A set of dice for each person (2d4, 2d6, 2d8, 2d10, and 2d12); and
• A copy of the Character Playtest Packet for each player and a copy of this ruleset
for the GM.
Formatting
The building blocks of your hero, powers, items, and competencies, are colour-coded for
easy reference. Whenever you see the following colour, it always corresponds to the
same component.
Non-combat Non-combat powers that your hero can use in challenges which don’t involve
violence. A hero uses Repertoire to determine how many skill points are applied to
an obstacle when she or he wins an non-combat engagement.
Combat Combat powers that your hero can use in challenges which involve violence. Use
Weapons to determine A hero uses Weapons to determine how many points of
damage are applied to an adversary when she or he wins a combat engagement.
Items Equipment - Weapons, armour, and repertoire that your hero employs in combat
and non-combat challenges.
Competency Competencies are specialized knowledge that provide additional abilities when
your hero makes use of certain items.
SMALLCAPS Denotes a link in the pdf version.
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BRIGAND’S ORDER
GM: The Brigand Marauders draw their swords. The time for talk’s over. A fight’s
inevitable. Set up your Initiative Stack.
Lauren: There are three of us, we can take them. I exhaust Pierce the Heart, that puts
our stack at 2.
Martin: I'd feel better if we were four. I exhaust Overwhelming Gauntlet, initiative
stack is up to 4.
Pam: We’ve got this, you two. Exhausting Draw the Line Here, which takes us to 5. I'll
go first to set up a flank. Lauren, you go next, and Martin, you play cleanup.
GM: Alright, your stack beats the Marauders by one. Pam, you're first, then one of the
Marauders, then Lauren, then the other Marauder, then Martin. Roll your Tier Dice.
Lauren: Alright, an 11 here.
Martin: Shoot, a six.
Pam: A solid nine. Alright! Lilith moves to space C9 with her first action, and then
engages, leading with Onward, Heroes. A brutal chop at his neck, crying out to her allies
to follow. Force Score is 9 plus 1 from the power. 10’s my total.
GM: Don’t forget your Roll Bonus.
Pam: Duh. 12.
GM: A solid opening attack. The Marauder parries desperately, using Brutal Slash to
counter. Force Score is also 12, you’ll both hit each other.
Pam: Oof. Okay, I have an interrupt, By My Example. That will take my Force Score up
to 13. Lilith does some fancy footwork, ducking the blade and stabbing heartily.
GM: Okay, you've won that engagement. What's the damage?
Pam: One, plus the power gives one ally in Zone 3 Edge for the rest of this round.
GM: The Marauder winces under the blow, but his armour takes the brunt of the hit.
He's still fighting. In fact, he's going next, and attacks you with Forceful Blow. Force
Score 10.
Pam: We've fought these guys before. I only have one counter left, and if he attacks a
second time, he'll use his tactic to bug out, and then Lauren can’t flank. I'll take the hit.
My armour can stand it.
GM: That's one damage. Desperation is composed in this round, so he also inflicts
Knockback 1, moving you a space backwards.
10
Pam: Sheesh. Remind me not to do that again. Wait! My competency is Steadfast,
which means that all forced movement is reduced to zero unless I say otherwise. I’m not
moving for this guy.
GM: He’s irritated, and now he's attacking you again, a threatening open with Cutting
Spike. Force Score 8.
Pam: Smartass. I can counter that with Suffer the Victorious. Force Score 12.
GM: Okay, there’s nothing he can do to respond. You win the engagement.
Pam: Yes! Stay flanked, sucker. 1 damage and one ally in the zone may transfer up to 5
points from Reserve to HP.
GM: Tough crowd. Okay, Lauren, you're up.
Lauren: I've been looking forward to this...
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MERCHANT’S DILEMMA
GM: Okay, you’ve identified the merchant as the one holding on to the heirloom, but
he’s not just about to hand it over to a bunch of strangers he’s never met.
Mahmud: This sounds like a non-combat challenge.
GM: As a matter of fact, it is. The merchant himself is your primary objective; what’s
your approach?
Mahmud: Okay, I’ll start with the investigating the Merchant – I’ll follow him and try
to learn his routine Lauren, what’s do you think?
Lauren: If you snoop around the merchant, I’ll see what the rumours are on the street.
Maybe we can find someone who has some dirt on him.
GM: Sounds good – since you’re splitting up, you’ll be in different zones and unable to
help each other. Lauren, asking around about the merchant is pretty simple, so that’s an
easy challenge. Mahmud, following the merchant is more difficult, so it’ll be medium.
What’s next?
Lauren: Once we’re done with our recon, why don’t we meet back up. I imagine we’ll
have found some dirt on him, and we can exploit that to break in to his shop while he’s
away.
Mahmud: Better yet, we’ll get him to think that there’s something wrong with his shop,
and we’ll break into his house while he’s away.
GM: Alright, that convincing him something’s wrong and breaking in are going to be
two challenges – easy and medium again. But, the easy challenge is a blocker. You have
to get him to leave the shop before you can break in. Since you two are acting rather
than reacting, you’ll start the challenges and we’ll reverse the order next round. Roll
your Tier Dice. Who wants to go first?
Lauren: I rolled a 10, and Mahmud got a 6. I’ll kick this off, these are my people. I’ll
start sniffing around in the market, see if I uncover some rumours about who’s keeping
an eye on our well-off friend. I’ll use Noble's Gambit, which, including my Roll Bonus,
gives me a total Force Score of 10 + 4 = 14.
GM: That’s a strong start. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the market are tight-lipped
and unwilling to talk to an outsider. The challenge has a counter with a Force Score of
15.
Lauren: Shoot. Alright, let me see. I stride up to the meekest looking shady character,
grab him by the shoulders, and give him a hard shake. I'm using my Do You Know Who
I Am? Interrupt. Force Score is 10 + 5 = 15, a tie.
GM: Tie goes to the hero. Good job. What Repertoire are you using?
Lauren: Fancy Adornment, it does 1 skill point.
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GM: Okay, this is a standard challenge, so 1 point is enough. The Ipotane you've
accosted quakes in his boots and spills his guts about the corrupt Squire who's giving the
orders.
Mahmud: Now we're talking. While Lauren's dealing in rumour, I'll trade on my
history in the Guard and confront the merchant, telling him that the heirloom is stolen
and we need to return it to its rightful rightfully owners. Open with The Guard is Never
Wrong, Force Score 6 + 4 = 10.
GM: Bad news, the Merchant's not buying it. Counter with Force Score 11. Can you
interrupt?
Mahmud: Damn, all I have is another counter. Nothing else I can do.
GM: Ah, too bad. Okay, that’s one victory and one defeat. We move to round two, and
the next challenge – convincing the merchant to head to his shop in the middle of the
night. Remember, now that you’re back in the same zone, you can cooperate on this. I’ll
lead off with the Obstacle.
Challenge layout
You’ll learn more about how to collaborate around your table in the creation of non-
combat challenges in the non-combat challenges chapter. In the meantime, here’s the
structure of the non-combat challenge that Lauren and Mahmud faced. Note that the
“Confront” and “Investigate” challenges are in different zones, while the “Distract”
obstacle blocks the “Break In” obstacle.
Confront the Merchant

Distract the Merchant Break In
Investigate the Market
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HOW POWERS WORK
COMBAT AND NON-COMBAT POWERS

Your hero interacts with the world by using combat powers (Attack, Counter, Interrupt)
and non-combat powers (Act, React, Overcome). Combat powers are used when your
hero fights an adversary, and non-combat powers are used when your hero tackles an
obstacle that doesn’t involve violence.
Combat Power Non-Combat Power

SLICE THE TENDON PREPARATION PAYS
Type Counter Type React
Archetype Feinter +4
Force Score
Range Melee
Effect
Force Score +5 You may spend the Research and
Inventory Influences of one ally as if they
Damage 1 were your own. Used Influences are
deducted from your ally's totals.
Effect
Keywords
Bleed 1 (hard save clears)
Keywords
Type
There are three types of power in Let Thrones Beware, and each denotes when a power
can be used. In order, the types are: Attacks and Acts, Counters and Reacts, and
Interrupts and Overcomes. You’ll learn more about when each type is used in the
Challenge Mechanic section. If a power’s type is versatile, you can use the power as any
other type (though it always counts as the lowest type possible).
Archetype
Combat powers are associated with an archetype, which conveys how they’re intended to
be used while fighting. Non-combat powers don’t have an archetype.
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QUICK TIPS
Engagement
Force Score An engagement is a discrete
Preparation Pays indicates a Force Score of “+ 4”. This means that exchange of powers between a
hero and an adversary or
you add four additional points to your Tier Dice roll and the Roll obstacle. An engagement begins
Bonus. Using Slice the Tendon, with a Force Score of “+ 5,” you when a combatant uses an
would add five points. Attack power and ends when
damage is applied.
Range
This indicates up to how many squares away from your character the power may be
used. If the indicated Range is melee, then the target must be adjacent to you in order
for the power to be usable. Skill powers do not have a range.
Damage
Damage is how you measure progress towards eliminating an adversary. Every time you
win an engagement, you reduce your target’s health by the amount indicated by the final
combat power’s damage. If a combatant’s health reaches 0, it is removed from the fight.
Effects
Powers usually have additional effects that override the basic rules of the game. An
effect is only applied if your Force Score ties or exceeds that of your adversary. Only the
effect from the power that won the contest is applied (or both, in the event of a tie).
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Effect Timing
Most effects are triggered at the end of an engagement, once a winner has been
determined. Some powers, however, occur at different parts of the engagement, as per
the following effect order. If, due to changing circumstances, a power’s effect can no
longer be applied, that power’s effect is ignored.
1. Pre-engagement effects
2. Engagement initiated
a. Attack or Act Power
i. Attack or Act power’s immediate effects
b. Counter or React Power
i. Counter or React power’s immediate effects
c. Interrupt or Overcome Power
i. Interrupt or Overcome power’s immediate effects
3. Engagement completed
a. Winning effects
b. Losing effects
Keywords
Powers will often have keywords that let you know the power behaves in a special way. A
list of all keywords and their impacts is found in Appendix D: Power Tags.
TENACIOUS HEROISM TENACIOUS HEROISM

Type Versatile Type Versatile
Range Melee, Ranged Force Score +0
Force Score +0
Effect
Damage 1
Effect
Keywords
Renew
Keywords
Renew
16
For an example, consider Tenacious Heroism power, the default combat and skill power
to which every character has access. It has the Renew keyword. Powers are exhausted
after they have been used, and normally you cannot employ them again until they have
been refreshed. The Renew keyword means that the power automatically refreshes at
the beginning of your turn.
CHALLENGE MECHANIC
The Challenge
Let Thrones Beware has one universal mechanic: the challenge, which is how the game
determines whether the heroes are successful in achieving their goals in Argohex.
To accomplish any non-trivial task (i.e. you’re undertaking an action
that has an element of risk associated with it) in the game, your hero
must engage in a challenge. This is a contest between you and the
Game Master, in which you both attempt to secure the highest Force
Score.
There are two types of challenge in the game, combat (fighting Brigands, defending
against the Condemned, etc.) and non-combat (infiltrating an old ruin, convincing an
aristocrat of the danger of a rising threat, etc.), and your hero will have a selection of
powers of each type.
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QUICK TIPS
All your Force Scores will consist of the following:

Attack v. Counter v.
Interrupt
1. A Tier Dice roll; An Attack starts an
2. A Roll Bonus (which starts at +0); and, engagement. A Counter beats
an Attack. An Interrupt beats
3. A Force Bonus provided by a power that you both an Attack and a Counter.
choose to use.
The Force Score of the Counter
or Interrupt must meet or
exceed that of the power your
If you have the highest Force Score in a challenge, the power you opponent used, otherwise you
cannot play it.
used to reach your final Force Score is activated, and you apply its
damage and effects to the situation (in the event of a tie, both
powers are applied).
Initiating a Challenge
When you undertake a challenge, you will take turns using powers with your target. The
chart below lists the different powers that heroes and the GM can use. A challenge must
always begin with an initiating power, and both sides in the challenge may only play a
power of a higher rank than the last power played.
Type Who Initiates <- Beats <- Beats

Combat Hero 1. Attack 2. Counter 3. Interrupt
GM 1. Attack 2. Counter 3. Interrupt
Non-Combat Hero 1. Act 2. React 3. Overcome
GM 1. Obstacle 2. Wrinkle 3. Setback
For example, if you initiate a non-combat TENACIOUS HEROISM

challenge against the Game Master, you
must lead with one of your Act powers Type Versatile
(such as Tenacious Heroism, featured Force Score +0
right). Supposing you have a total Force
Score of 11 (a Roll of 9 on your Tier Dice Effect
and your +2 Roll Bonus, plus the power's
+0 Force Score).
Keywords
The GM will attempt to respond with
Renew
either a Wrinkle or Setback that has a
Force Score that is higher than your 11 (in
non-combat challenges, ties go to the
player). Three possibilities follow:
18
1. If the GM doesn’t beat your Force Score of 11, then you have won the challenge.
2. If the GM plays a Wrinkle with a Force Score that is higher than 11, then you have
the opportunity to play an Overcome power (replacing your original Act power)
that will beat the GM’s Force Score. If you cannot, the GM wins the challenge.
3. If the GM plays a Setback with a higher Force Score, then you have been
defeated: there is no power type that can supersede an Interrupt.
DICE MECHANICS
Tier Dice
Whenever you engage in a challenge, you’ll compare Force Scores with an adversary or
obstacle by rolling your Tier Dice and adding the Force Score bonus from the power
you’ve decided selected. When you begin play, you start in the Adventurer Tier, and your
Tier Dice are 2d6 (two six-sided dice).
Over time, and after a succession of quests, you will graduate to the Champion Tier, and
will roll 2d8. Ultimately, in the Legend Tier, you will roll 2d10.
2d6 2d8 2d10

Adventurer Champion Legend
Advantage and Disadvantage

Advantage and Disadvantage are universal modifiers that affects all of your actions for
an entire round. When you have Advantage, your Tier Dice increases a level (to 2d8 if
you are an Adventurer). If you gain Disadvantage, your Tier Dice decreases a level (to
2d4 at the Adventurer Tier). You can only have one Advantage or Disadvantage at a
time. If you have any amount of both Advantage and Disadvantage, disregard both and
roll normally.
Advantage and Disadvantage are primarily gained through the use of powers during a
challenge and will only ever apply to subsequent rounds; you cannot gain and apply
Advantage or Disadvantage in a current round.
2d6 2d8 2d10

2d4 2d12
Adventurer Champion Legend
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Desperation
Desperation is a measure of how terrifying and frantic a challenge has become.
Desperation has a significant impact on the behaviour of the adversaries and the nature
of the challenges you will face.
Every challenge, combat or non-combat, starts with Desperation at Composed. With the
beginning of each new round, Desperation grows, reaching Frantic in the fourth round.
Once Desperation has reached Frantic, it will not continue to grow.
Composed (+1) Anxious (+2) Panicked (+3) Frantic (+4)
Edge
Edge is a temporary modifier to your rolls that only applies to a specific circumstance
(such as flanking an adversary). In just that one particular case, Edge provides you with
a bonus.
If you gain an Edge, you add Desperation (Desperation is a number that escalates
throughout combat, providing bonuses to players and enhancing enemy combat power)
to your Force Score. If you lose an Edge, you subtract the Desperation number from
your Force Score. You can only have one Edge or lose one Edge at a time. If you have
both lost and gained any number of Edges, they cancel each other out. In these cases,
you do not add or subtract Desperation.
Edge can be gained and applied in both the current and future rounds.
WAYS TO PLAY
Campaign Games
Roleplaying games are often played as a grand series adventures, linked together by a
common theme. Games in this style of play feature the same cast of heroes throughout.
As you and your friends progress through the campaign, your heroes will grow in skill
and capability, gaining new powers and experience.
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Stand-alone Adventures
Another way to play Let Thrones Beware is to play one-off adventures. If a campaign
game is an epic series like the X-Files, stand-alone games are the monster-of-the-week
episodes that can be viewed in any order.
Due to the design of Let Thrones Beware, you can use the same hero from game to
game. You don’t need to create a new hero to play with a new group of friends, you just
need to make sure that you're playing with people who have heroes in the same Tier as
yours.
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ARGOHEX
The idyllic tranquility of Argohex was shattered with a single word. Man. Appearing long
after the gods forged the world, Man's coming was as unexpected as it was cataclysmic.
Approached with open arms and promises of friendship, Man proved a terrible scourge.
Bending reality to his whim through a powerful force known as magic, Man wrenched
the Cabeiri from their trees and set the forests aflame, severing their connection to the
Cabeiri Queen. Just as easily, Man broke the great hiveminds of Xzzryxy, afflicting the
Myrmekes people with horrifying curse of individual consciousness. Forming an empire
on the ruins of its conquests, the Kingdom of Man expanded, relentlessly pursuing
domination over the earth.
Man next set his sights on the Dactyl, the architects of rock and stone, and they were
quick to fall, their castles reduced to rubble. Only the Ipotane, fierce, horse-headed
warriors of the plains remained unconquered. Yet Man's thirst was not slaked. Wave
after wave broke over the sword and shield of the brave defenders as the tide of Man
swept over the world. For the briefest of moments, it seemed as though Man's ambition
was thwarted, but false hopes birthed by respite were dashed by the full revelation of
Man's malevolence.
Man's awful magics enslaved the very shadows, bringing form, intellect, and hate to
what was once only the absence of light. This new species, the Echthroi, was the
culmination of Man's horrific acts, and they cast down the last of the free species of
Argohex in a fortnight. Thus triumphant, the unassailable Kingdom of Man stretched
through centuries, obliterating the cultures and histories of its conquered peoples.
Countless generations were born, toiled, and perished under the yoke of Man.
But even the darkest of nightmares must end. It has been 300 years since the end of the
Kingdom. Stories, passed from parent to child, tell of an awesome noise, as though
reality itself had been torn asunder, and a brilliant flash of crimson, which echoed across
continents. The great capitol of Man, in all its ivory and marble, was laid waste, an
island of fire and anguish, surrounded by a great sea of roiling water, which consumed
the rest of Man's Kingdom.
Those that had been enslaved, Cabeiri, Dactyl, Myrmekes, and Ipotane, those who were
not consumed in the sudden and unexpected downfall of Man fled. Even the Echthroi,
freed from Man's shackles, fled to the corners of the Earth. Your ancestors, amongst
countless others, retreated to the Deep Wood, a dark and foreboding forest that even
Man had not conquered. There, amidst the shadows of the trees, they found sanctuary
for a time.
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Alas, the calm was not to last. Just as Man's touch had changed the peoples of Argohex,
so too had it corrupted the very world in which they lived. Horrid beasts and
unknowable terrors drove the refugees deeper into the Wood, shattering families and
splintering communities. Some struck out for safer lands, and some simply disappeared,
never to be heard from again. Those who stayed congregated in Refuge Villages, isolated
encampments whose natural features made them defensible.
It is into this world that you have been born. Three centuries of eking out an existence in
the Deep Wood has led to an understanding of the natural rhythm of the forest; the
terrors of the Wood recede with the changing of the season, giving rise to the Passage, a
two-week period in which it is possible to move from village to village. With the end of
each Passage, the horrors of the Wood return, and not even stout steel is enough to
protect a traveler lost in the Wood.
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CREATING YOUR CHARACTER
In Let Thrones Beware, your hero is composed of a species, a background, and a class.
You can pick any combination you like.
If you find yourself preferring the mechanics of a particular species,

background, or class, but you're not sold on the description and
backstory, you can always ‘refluff,' keeping the mechanics but opting
to use a description of your own choosing.
KEY CONCEPTS
Key concepts to keep in mind while you create your hero include:
Hit points
Hit points (HP) are a numeric rating denoting the health of your hero. When you reach
zero, your hero is incapacitated and is unable to participate until healed. If your entire
party is incapacitated at the same time, your quest is at an end.
Reserve
Your Reserve is a secondary pool of health. When you take a short rest, you may transfer
as many points from your Reserve to your HP as you like, so long as your maximum HP
is not exceeded. Your Reserve is refilled when you take a long rest (roughly every three
combats).
Refresh points
Refresh points may be traded in during challenges to refresh additional powers at a one
point per power ratio. You earn Refresh Points for your hero by roleplaying virtues and
flaws that you pick during character creation.
Resistance
The armour your hero wears provides protection from harm in the form of Resistance.
During combat, each point of Resistance can be used to prevent 1 HP of damage. Your
Resistance resets at the end of each fight when you take a short rest.
Roll bonus
Your Roll Bonus is added to every Tier Dice roll you make. It begins at 0 and gradually
increases as your hero gains more experience, reflecting the increased skill and
experience earned throughout many adventures
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Speed
In Let Thrones Beware, combat takes place on a grid. Your speed, determined by the
species you select for your hero, dictates how many spaces you move (vertical,
horizontal, or diagonal) when you take a move action.
CHARACTER CREATION OVERVIEW

Follow these steps to create your character.
1. Choose your Species. Your species provides your character speed, and a
species-specific power.
2. Choose your Background. Your background provides your character with a
history, as well as a selection of non-combat and combat powers, and Influences.
Your background also provides you with repertoire, or non-combat equipment, so
you’ll want to take note of that as well.
3. Choose your Class. Your class provides your character with a number of
advantages, including an archetype, a competency, and combat equipment.
a. Pick your Archetype and Powers. Your archetype provides additional
customization to your character. You also pick three additional combat
powers from either class archetype.
b. Pick your Competency and Equipment. While your character can
use any weapon or armour, Competencies provide you with bonuses and
additional features for using specific types equipment. Your class also
provides you with a choice of weapons and armour for combat. It’s a good
idea to match this gear with the Competency you selected.
4. Finishing Touches. It’s now time to complete the last few bits before your
character is ready for play. These include:
a. Select your virtues and flaws. Virtues and flaws are a way to help
define your character. Roleplaying these traits will contribute to earning
Refresh Points, which you can use to be more effective in combat.
b. Hard and Easy Saves. When your hero is afflicted by negative effects,
you will be asked to make a hard or easy save to shake off the affliction. A
hard save is your Tier Dice plus your Roll Bonus (which starts at 0) trying
to meet or exceed 10, and an easy save is your Tier Dice plus a Roll Bonus
trying to meet or exceed 8.
c. Add Tenacious Heroism. All heroes have access to the Tenacious
Heroism combat and non-combat powers, so add them to your character
sheet.
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SPECIES
Vitals
This quick stat block lists the speed, basic biographical information, and power choices
available to the species.
Motivation
What might your character care about? This section describes some common reasons
why a member of the species would take up adventuring. You can incorporate these
suggestions into your character or make up your own motivations from scratch.
Traits
This section provides some physical and physiological description for the species.
Powers
Every new hero starts with one Adventurer Tier species power. When you advance to a
new Tier, you will get to pick one of the two species power options available for that
Tier.
Names
A list of suggested names for the species; feel free to use these or make up your own.
Species Options
Name Description Speed
CABEIRI High-spirited, flighty, and short-lived, the boisterous Cabeiri seek to return to the 6
Cab-AIR-i woods from which they were torn.
DACTYL Stout and sturdy, with an affinity for the very earth of Argohex. 5
DACK-til
ECHTHROI Beings of shadow, created by the Kingdom of Man to be enforcers of their 6

ECK-throy terrible rule.
IPOTANE Fearsome, horse-headed warriors of the great plains of Argohex and cousins to 7
IPPO-taw-nay the savage Minotaur.
MYRMEKES The remnants of a great insect civilization, struggling with their mortality and 6
ME-rim-eck-es individuality after the destruction of their hivemind.
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CABEIRI
Relatively uncommon, legend tells that the Cabeiri of Argohex were once immortal, but
their immortality was lost when the Kingdom of Man wrenched them from the forests.
Today, every Cabeiri born is afflicted with the Curse of Ash, doomed to wither away to
dust on their 30th birthday. Their short lifespans mean that Cabeiri live in the moment,
prioritizing new experiences. As a result, many see them as flighty and untrustworthy.
“As unreliable as the Cabeiri Queen” is a commonly heard expression.
Vitals
Speed 6 Height 5’7” – 6’6”
Adventurer Power Leaf’s Whisper Weight 110 – 170lbs
Champion Power Champion Power Adventurer Age 18 – 20 years
Legend Power Legend Power Maximum Age 30 years
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Motivation
Though most would rather spend their short lives pursuing fun and entertainment,
some Cabeiri become adventurers in hopes that the thrill of being a hero will satisfy
their interest. These bold few are often motivated by a desire to search out a cure for the
Curse of Ash, a discovery that would free their people. More generally, Cabeiri
adventurers seek out excitement and variety, hunting for experiences that bring them
joy.
Why Play a Cabeiri?

As a unique and exceptional Cabeiri, your character will have the power to catch your
foes off guard, surprising them and rendering them helpless. As you grow in experience
and ability, your curiosity and effortless adaption of foreign techniques will equip you
with strange and mysterious abilities that confound observation.
Cabeiri adventurers are a great choice for players who want to play a hero whose very
nature has been forever altered by powerful sorceries. Cabeiri frequently fixate intensely
on things that catch their interest, but these flights of fancy rarely last long. Invariably,
the exception is the Deep Wood; Cabeiri are drawn to the massive trees, perhaps in a
vain attempt to rekindle the connection to the primeval forests from which they were
torn.
Cabeiri form strong and intense bonds with those whose company they enjoy and
disregard those individuals they deem unimportant.
Traits
Within the Deep Wood, Cabeiri often settle into patterns of behaviour that offer
excitement and variety; they are much more likely to be traveling merchants, caravan
guards, and roaming bandits than they are to be farmers bound to a single field. This
tendency to wander means that Cabeiri are usually not found in large groups, though it
is common for small groups to congregate on the trails during their travels. Cabeiri
families are small and transitory, remaining together for only as long as it takes for the
children to become independent.
Barring an unnatural end, each Cabeiri life lasts exactly 30 years. At the end of the first
day of the 30th year the Cabeiri expires, body solidifying into a fine grey ash that
crumbles at the touch. There is no known Cabeiri who has avoided this fate, and the
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QUICK TIPS
inevitability of sudden death has significantly impacted the Cabeiri
outlook on mortality and life. Surprised
The target cannot utilize actions
with a Force Score of less than
3/6/9, representing the great
Cabeiri have skin tones that range from chestnut, chocolate, and effort required to overcome
their shock. Surprised
russet to wood brown, and tan. Their hair is naturally grey, but characters cannot use their
Cabeiri are prone to dying it in brilliant shades of red, purple, and resistance to reduce damage.
blue. They range between 5’7” and 6’6” in height, and weigh between
110 and 180 lbs.
Names
Male: Folla, Lone, Blauna, Mera, Cragi, Brubhu, Secia, Lugia, Drockma, Pullay
Female: Echgtec, Boda, Lakea, Candia, Aiccalbh, Aican, Ucar, Dieda, Brisa, Dari
Powers
All Cabeiri heroes begin play with a species power at the Adventurer Tier. At the
Champion Tier, heroes choose one of the two available powers from the Champion-Tier.
At the Legend Tier, Cabeiri heroes may select either one of the two Legend powers, or
the Champion power they did not select previously.
Adventurer Tier Power

LEAF’S WHISPER
Type Free
Range 5
Force Score -
Damage 0
Effect
At the beginning of an encounter, impose
the Surprised condition on one adversary.
Keywords
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Champion Tier Powers
POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Force Score - Force Score -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
Legend Tier Powers

POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
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DACTYL
It is said that the Dactyls sprang from the very cradle of Argohex itself, earth given
breath to defend the planet from the those set upon its surface by the gods. To be sure,
were that the case, not only would it explain the brilliant metallic colour of their hair,
the mottled, stone-like appearance of their skin and features, but also their affinity for
the earth. Their skill in constructing fortresses and defensive works was so formidable
that Man used terrible sorceries to alter the very nature of the Dactyl, and since then,
stone and mineral have been like terrible poison.
Vitals
Adventurer Power Stone Song Weight 270 – 320lbs
Legend Power Legend Power Maximum Age 90 – 100 years
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Motivation
While they are not the most adventurous of the peoples of Argohex, Dactyls are fierce
protectors of their homes and family; many a Dactyl adventurer has ventured out to
right a perceived wrong or defend their loved ones from danger. A few rare Dactyl
heroes may seek to strip away the taint of Man’s curse, allowing their people to once
again embrace the stone of Argohex.
Why Play a Dactyl?

As a unique and exceptional Dactyl, your character will have the power to move
effortlessly through treacherous terrain, allowing you to circumvent obstacles that
others would find prohibitive. As you grow in experience and ability, your connection
with Argohex will deepen, allowing you to harness the power of the earth itself.
Dactyl adventurers are a great choice for players who want to play a hero who has deep
family roots and a motivation beyond personal glory. Dactyls tend to be deliberate and
considered in their dealings and have been described as “slow as the mountains
themselves.”
Traits
Unlike most, Dactyls do not require food or drink; however, they must remain
stationary with their feet touching fresh earth for several hours a day as they replenish
themselves from Argohex itself. Most Dactyls place great emphasis on familial ties, and
Dactyl families, when unchecked, grow to be quite large in comparison to those of other
species. These linkages, as well as the connection they feel to the land, may be why the
Dactyls are generally reluctant to escape the Deep Wood.
Within refuge villages, Dactyls are typically farmers, using their connection with
Argohex to nurture crops in the less than ideal environment. In some exceptional cases,
the link to the earth is so strong that they have thrown off Man’s curse and able to
manipulate the very rock itself. The fortunate villages which possess such extraordinary
Dactyls are encircled by sturdy stone walls, deterring many of the dangers of the Deep
Wood.
Dactyl skin tones resemble rock and mineral. They are hairless and have prominent
veins of metallic colour lacing their skin, which range from copper and bronze to shining
gold and brilliant platinum. They range between 4’6” and 5’4” in height, and weigh
between 170 and 220 lbs.
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Names
Male: Sina, Mugalu, Amegan, Dorache, Durosi, Utugar, Enkizim, Sinmelu, Esandun,
Andushun
Female: Ninki, Saba, Suna, Ayabal, Nisil, Shursid, Ninli, Ninsab, Sila, Abal
Powers
All Dactyl heroes begin play with a species power at the Adventurer Tier. At the
At the Legend Tier, Dactyl heroes may select either one of the two Legend powers, or the
Champion power they did not select previously.

STONE SONG
Type Move
Range Zone 2
Force Score -
Damage 0
Effect
You (and only you) may treat difficult
terrain in the area of effect as normal for
this turn.
Keywords
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POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
Legend Tier Powers

POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
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ECHTHROI
Unlike the other denizens of Argohex, the Echthroi are not natural inhabitants. Instead,
Man gave them life, wrenching them from the very shadows to rend the last defenses of
the Ipotane in its conquest of Argohex. Echthroi avoid others of their kind where
possible, as the horrid magics that gave them life still course through their veins. As
Echthroi congregate, their willpower recedes, and their more violent tendencies emerge.
Given a large enough congregation, a group of Echthroi is little better than a raucous,
brutal mob.
Vitals
Adventurer Power Shadows Take Weight 90 – 150 lbs
You
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Motivation
Echthroi adventurers are often motivated to seek an end to the curse of Man that
inflames their rage and subsumes their will to those who are stronger. Some Echthroi
whisper that the Fog, as they call the curse, can be lifted and they can safely gather as a
people. Others believe that if Man’s magic is broken, they will return to lifeless shadows.
More generally, Echthroi can be motivated by a sense of guilt for the actions of their
forbearers; more frequently, they are driven to demonstrate that they have moved
beyond the enslavement of Man and are not just mindless automatons.
Why Play an Echthroi?

As a unique and exceptional Echthroi, your character will have the power to manipulate
shadow, harnessing innate abilities to transport foes across the battlefield. As you grow
in experience and ability, your control of shadow will grow, allowing you to bring the full
weight of your cursed heritage to bear on your foes.
Echthroi adventurers are a great choice for players who want to play a hero whose very
existence is the result of Man’s infernal sorceries. More than any other people, the
Echthroi are intimately connected to the Kingdom of Man. Though Man’s empire has
been lost to the ages and its great magics have vanished from Argohex, Echthroi are
more sensitive than most to the remnants and afterimages which permeate the world.
Traits
As constructed beings, Echthroi’s features and form are not as well defined as those of
Argohex’ more natural species. Theirs is a hunter’s countenance, explicitly designed to
run down and kill those who stood against Man. The Echthroi face features two
undersized eyes spaced widely apart, is completely absent a nose, and two crudely
formed ears. Their mouth holds a vicious double row of teeth. In much the same way as
a wolf hunts with scent, Man made the Echthroi to hunt with shadow, feeling their
quarry through the darkness.
Echthroi have skin tones that range from brilliant jade, emerald, and lime, with hair of
dark brown to black. They range between 5’1” and 5’6” in height, and weigh between 90
and 130 lbs.
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Names
Male: Reka, Arosh, Vapaz, Alphas, Presa, Eulac, Kima, Akshach, Hedya, Sago
Female: Vale, Beha, Asas, Aros, Nurta, Gono, Chalpha, Vaculs, Mastu, Bacha
Powers
All Echthroi heroes begin play with a species power at the Adventurer Tier. At the
At the Legend Tier, Echthroi heroes may select either one of the two Legend powers, or
the Champion power they did not select previously.

SHADOWS TAKE YOU
Type Move
Range Zone 1 Range 5

Force Score -
Damage 0
Effect
Create an area of shadow centred on any
normal shadow within range. At the end of
your turn, one enemy who you struck is
teleported to a square within the zone.
The Zone then disappears.
Keywords
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POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
Legend Tier Powers

POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
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IPOTANE
Powerfully built, with the head of a horse, Ipotane are cousins to the savage minotaur.
Ipotane physiology lends itself to feats of great strength, and it is claimed by many that
the heroism of ancestors steadies their hands and guides their hearts in times of great
need. Their great republics were last to fall to the onslaught of Man, many thousands of
years ago. To crush their resistance, Man created the Echthroi, and after He triumphed,
Ipotane defiance was punished with the Vanishing, a single night in which Man’s vile
sorceries tore the vast Ipotane metropolises from the very earth, their great columns and
massive populations to never be seen again.
Vitals
Adventurer Power Charging Hoof Weight 350 – 450lbs
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Motivation
Ipotane, when they become adventurers, are often motivated by hunting relics, artifacts,
and heirlooms of their long-lost city states. A rate few even seek a way to undo the
Vanishing and restore their people to their former glory. More generally, Ipotane, driven
by the tight confines of the Deep Wood and the isolation imposed by the Passage, strive
to bring peace to their villages so that it is once again safe to move from place to place.
Why Play an Ipotane?

As a unique and exceptional Ipotane, your character will have the power to overrun your
foes, scattering them before you. As you grow in experience and ability, your connection
with your ancestors will grow, as will your enormous physical abilities, enabling you to
undertake unbelievable feats of martial prowess.
Ipotane adventurers are a great choice for players who want to play a hero with a strong
connection to a rich and glorious past, one who strives to rebuild a ravaged world and
make it safe for their friends. Though Man’s magic left no trace of the cities and Ipotane
families it wrenched from existence, there are some bold Ipotane who claim that they
hear the voices of their ancestors who disappeared that fateful day, and some mad
Ipotane who claim the same.
Traits
Ipotane are massive, hulking beings who loom head and shoulders above the other
species of Argohex. Humanoid and similar in stature to the mythic Minotaur, Ipotane
have the head and legs of a horse rather than that of a bull.
Their large frames obfuscates a surprising speed that best lends itself to wide open
spaces. The ancient Ipotane republics were led by those who could best sway the crowd,
and while the traditions of those old democracies have long been lost to history, belief
that raw physicality required to succeed is permanently inscribed in the Ipotane psyche,
no matter how distant their once great civilization grows.
Ipotane colouration runs a gamut from bay, chestnut, and gray to dun, brindle, and
pinto. Other colourations exist but occur less frequently. Ipotane ascribe no meaning or
importance t. They generally range between 6’4” and 6’11” in height, and weigh between
200 and 250 lbs.
40
QUICK TIPS
Names
Reprisal
Male: Abon, Ammacel, Naboni, Gusaces, Obadan, Sumula, Shazzabi, Combatants inflict an automatic
Sinai, Ahabum, Attenlis 1 point of damage when an
adversary they are adjacent to
Female: Etum, Igal, Lith, Ninki, Nocri, Ereshki, Saba, Mammet, uses a move action that causes
them to no longer be adjacent.
Puaba, Ninli Only one Reprisal may be made
per adversary per round.
Powers
All Ipotane heroes begin play with a species power at the Adventurer
Tier. At the Champion Tier, heroes choose one of the two available
powers from the Champion-Tier. At the Legend Tier, Ipotane heroes
may select either one of the two Legend powers, or the Champion
power they did not select previously.

CHARGING HOOF
Type Free
Range -
Force Score -
Damage 0
Effect
If you move more than three squares
before making an attack, you may move
both the target and yourself one additional
square before engaging. If the target
cannot move, it suffers 1 damage. This
additional move does not trigger a
Reprisal from your target.
Keywords
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POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
Legend Tier Powers

POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
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MYRMEKES
Before the coming of Man, the Myrmekes were as one, unified under the great
hiveminds of Xzzryxy. Thinking as one, acting as one, existing as one, Myrmekes spread
across the whole of Argohex. The vastness of their civilization made its shattering all the
more tragic. Where there had only been one voice, suddenly a cacophony. The shock of
sudden individuality was too much for most, killing many and driving others mad.
Those who survived did not fare better, being immediately enslaved by Man.
Vitals
Adventurer Power Queen’s Leap Weight 200 – 290lbs
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Motivation
Reluctant heroes, those Myrmekes found adventuring are driven by a force which
outweighs their tendency toward self-preservation. This motivation might be personal in
nature, such as a friend in need, or a village in crisis. A few rare, bold Mrymekes take up
adventuring with a larger than life goal in mind: reforging the great Hiveminds of eons
past.
Why Play a Myrmekes?

As a unique and exceptional Myrmekes, your character will have the power to leap about
the battlefield with great speed, avoiding foes and dangerous terrain. As you grow in
experience and ability, you will gain the ability to exploit your exoskeleton to deal
additional damage to foes unlucky enough to be in your path.
Myrmekes are great for players who want a character who wrestles with their inner
nature, who becomes a hero in spite of themselves, not because of who they are. The
shattering of the Hivemind bestowed the curse of individual consciousness upon the
Myrmekes, and the sudden realization of Man's infliction of mortality means that few
Myrmekes intentionally seek out adventure and glory. Those who do turn to adventure
though, have the potential to become great heroes.
Traits
Myrmekes have six legs, four lower legs which they use for locomotion, and two upper
appendages with complex claws for grasping and manipulation. Their large mandibles
mean that Myrmekes lack the physiological capacity to speak. Instead, they
communicate by broadcasting their thoughts into nearby minds. Though it is unsettling
to those unaccustomed to it, this is not a subtle act; much like spoken word, everyone
within range will receive the transmission.
Myrmekes do not have family units, preferring instead individual lives lived in close
proximity to others of their kind. Despite this preference, Myrmekes lack the
territoriality that one might expect from such a prolific species, and it is commonplace
for a group of Myrmekes to live amongst others.
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Myrmekes are typically 6’1” - 7’3” tall and weigh between 200 and 290 lbs. Though their
exoskeletons are uniformly a pale grey, Myrmekes are given to decorating their carapace
with ornate patterns to express individuality.
Names
Xvkr'll
Honorifics: Blue Shell, Jagged Claw, Crooked Antenna, Looping Gait, Idle Pincer
Powers
All Myrmekes heroes begin play with a species power at the Adventurer Tier. At the
At the Legend Tier, Myrmekes heroes may select either one of the two Legend powers,
or the Champion power they did not select previously.

QUEEN’S LEAP
Type Move
Range -
-
Force Score
0
Damage
Effect
Move up to your speed. At any point
during the move, you may leap up to three
squares, bypassing terrain (and
adversaries) underneath. This does not
extend your movement range.
Keywords
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POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
Legend Tier Powers

POWER POWER
Type Free Type Free
Range - Range -
Damage - Damage -
Effect Effect
Keywords Keywords
46
BACKGROUND
Motivation
What might your character care about? This section describes some common reasons
why a member of this background would take up adventuring. You can incorporate
these suggestions into your character or make up your own motivations from scratch.
Influences
You possess Influences, which can be used to help you succeed in non-combat
challenges. Influences represent the people that you know, the knowledge that you've
acquired, and the possessions you own that can help with a challenge. Unlike the powers
your character has, when you use an Influence, it is expended rather than exhausted;
you will not regain it. Through the course of your travels, you will be rewarded with
additional Influences.
Feature
Each background has a special ability that can be used once per non-combat challenge.
Powers
Each background comes with several non-combat powers and one combat power to use
in challenges.
Repertoire
Background also provide repertoire options. Repertoire is equipment that you use in
non-combat challenges. You may use any repertoire in any non-combat challenge, no
matter what it’s named, but they are more effective when they match the circumstance
and type of challenge you’re facing.
Background Options
Background Description Contact Inventory Research
PEDDLER A hard-working trader who effectively manages
Influences. 1 3 0
CRIMINAL A stealthy rogue who slips into the most protected
areas. 1 2 1
GUARD A bold protector with a keen eye for the truth of
things. 2 1 1
ARISTOCRAT An arrogant noble who tackles adversity with
strength of conviction. 3 0 1
47
ARISTOCRAT
Nobility is a rare sight in the Deep Wood; the tall spires and robust stone walls of their
fortresses reside firmly outside the densely-forested territory. Few inhabitants of the
refuge villages have ever seen a Baronet, and the dangerous, dreary Wood holds little
appeal for the landed class.
To be sure, there are traces of a new nobility in the Wood. Some Burgomeisters in the
more prominent refuge villages have begun to amass power, consolidating their
influence and assessing how best to expand beyond the walls of their settlements into
the Deep Wood itself.
Motivation
Adventurers with this background are often motivated by a desire to enhance their
prestige amongst the aristocracy by proving their mettle undertaking dangerous quests.
Aristocrats may have rejected the stuffy traditions of their family legacy, or they may be
so low in the line of inheritance that setting off to make their own fortune is a more
prudent course of action.
Why Play an Aristocrat?

The Aristocrat background is a good choice for players who want to have a character
who comes from a life of privilege and storied tradition, one who is able to comfortably
navigate high society. Characters with noble background are also ones who are out of
their element, as the Deep Wood and the refuge villages nestled within do not have a
robust aristocracy.
As a unique and exceptional aristocrat, your non-combat powers are designed to
aggressively surmount challenges. Your combat power has the potential to surprises foes
throughout combat.
Influences
Your starting Influences are as follows:
Inventory 0, Research 1, Contact 3
Feature
My Word is Law: Once per non-combat Challenge during the execution phase, you
may move to any other zone not currently locked by a blocker as a free action.
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Powers
Aristocrats also have the following non-combat and combat powers:
NOBLE’S GAMBIT DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

Type Act Type Overcome
Force Score +4 Force Score +5
Effect Effect
Research played with this power is not If Obstacle is social, you may reroll your
lost unless this action is trumped. Tier Dice with Advantage. You must keep
the second roll.
Keywords
Keywords
ARROGANT STRIKE
Type Attack
Range Melee
Force Score +3
Damage 1
Effect
Your target becomes surprised.
Keywords
Repertoire
The Aristocrat begins play with one of the following repertoire:
FANCY ADORNMENT THE LAW’S LONG ARM
Type Social Type Physical
Circumstance Nobility Circumstance Deep Wood
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QUICK TIPS
CRIMINAL Immediate
Characters with this background are smugglers, poachers, thieves, The power effect is triggered
immediately upon power use,
and burglars. They have expert knowledge in coded signs, possess whether or not it is the last
shady connections, and have a skill set perfect for exploring power played in an engagement
dangerous areas. and whether or not the
combatant using the power has
the highest Force Score.
Motivation
Adventurers with the Criminal background are often motivated by a
desire for wealth; missing caravans and whispers of long-forgotten
ruins buried deep within the forest provide tantalizing promises of
treasure. Criminals may also be fleeing from ambitious, heavy-handed militia.
Why Play a Criminal?

The Criminal background is a good choice for players who want to have a character from
the fringes of society, proficient in unsavoury practices like lock-picking and burglary.
Criminals know how to navigate the seedy underbelly of the Deep Wood and form
strong relationships with the people they consider to be associates.
As a unique and exceptional criminal, your non-combat powers allow you to borrow
Influence from allies. Your combat power allows you to advantageously position an
adversary before attacking.
Influences
Feature
Nothing is safe: Once per non-combat Challenge, you may contest an obstacle locked
by a blocker without first overcoming the blocking obstacle as a free action.
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Powers
Criminals also have the following non-combat and combat powers:

WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER PREPARATION PAYS
Type Act Type React
Effect Effect
If the total Force Score of this Skill You may spend the Research and
Contest is even, do not discard Research Inventory Influences of one ally as if they
or Inventory spent to affect this were your own. Used Influences are
engagement. deducted from your ally's totals.
Keywords Keywords
FALSE STEP
Type Attack
Range Melee
Force Score +4
Damage 1
Effect
Immediate: Move an adjacent enemy one
square within your weapon’s range before
attacking. This movement does not trigger
a Reprisal.
Keywords
Repertoire
The Criminal starts with one of the following repertoire:
GRIT AND TOUGHNESS I MIGHT KNOW SOMEONE
Type Physical Type Social
Circumstance Gate of Thorns Circumstance Slums
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QUICK TIPS
GUARD Stunned
The Guard is a familiar sight to all who dwell in the Deep Wood. The hero’s Roll Bonus is halved.
An adversary who is stunned
Whether escorting merchant convoys during the Passage, keeping a loses an Edge on all rolls.
watchful eye on the forest from atop a fortified village tower, or
holding the Gate of Thorns against terrors that seek the verdant
greens beyond the mountains, guards are essential to continued
existence within the Deep Wood.
The training and experience of guards is varied; those who enlist at
the Gate of Thorns benefit from a rich and storied martial tradition,
while those born deep within the forest who volunteer to protect
their home are considerably less well off. Competent guards, no
matter where they served, are not only formidable in battle, but also observant and
quick to bring down the might of their comrades in order to confront an obstacle.
Motivation
Adventurers with the Guard background are often motivated by a desire to bring order
to the wild and dangerous Deep Wood. They might also be looking to escape the
regimented, routine life and find some adventure.
Why Play a Guard?

The Guard background is a good choice for players who want to have a character with a
formal, quasi-military past. Guards have deep insight into the workings of their
jurisdictions, whether they be castles, sprawling estates, or small villages. Guards can be
grizzled old veterans, eager young recruits, or anything in between.
As a unique and exceptional Guard, your non-combat powers permit you to manage the
obstacles you face. Your combat power will stun enemies, hindering their attacks.
Influences
Feature
Want to Check Again: Once per non-combat Challenge, trade one die between two
obstacles as a free action.
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Powers
Guards also have the following non-combat and combat powers:
BON COP, BAD COP THE GUARD IS NEVER WRONG

Type Act Type Act
Effect Effect
An ally assisting you provides a +2 assist GM draws two more Obstacles. You look
bonus rather than +1. at all three Obstacles and pick one to
discard. The GM must use one of the
Keywords
other two in place of the original Obstacle.
Keywords
A RIGHT CUDGELLING
Type Attack
Range Melee
Force Score +3
Damage 1
Effect
Target is stunned until the end of its next
turn.
Keywords
Repertoire
The Guard begins with one of the following repertoire:
REPUTATION PRECEDES ME THE LAW’S LONG ARM
Circumstance Refuge Villages Circumstance Deep Wood
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PEDDLER
Peddlers are the lifeblood of the Deep Wood, the sole way in which goods vital to the
survival of the denizens of the forest circulate between the fortified hamlets. It is a hard
life, full of danger and risk, but for those who undertake the perilous journeys every
Passage, it is one that surpasses all other professions.
More than just purveyors of goods, traveling Peddlers are held in high regard for their
knowledge of the goings-on of the Deep Wood. Their travel from settlement to
settlement provides them with unique insight into the forest and can often be found
serving as guides and navigators when they are not leading caravans themselves.
Peddlers are among the rare few from the forest who have ever visited the Gate of
Thorns, a fortified redoubt built upon ancient ruins which guards the solitary mountain
pass connecting the Deep Wood to the wide-open plains of the east.
Motivation
Adventurers with this background are often motivated by a desire to find wealth beyond
what they were able to obtain as peddlers. Peddlers may also be inspired to take up a life
of heroics by the banditry and violence that plague the winding trails connecting the
refuge villages. A Peddler adventurer may also be driven to take up adventuring to
supplement a flagging business.
Why Play a Peddler?

The Peddler background is a good choice for players who want to have a character who
gave up a lucrative (or not) past to pursue something greater than themselves. When
adventuring, these merchants always seem to have just the thing to overcome the
obstacle confronting them.
As a unique and exceptional Peddler, you have access to non-combat powers that permit
you to manage Influences. Your combat power allows you to move after an engagement
without fear.
Influences
Feature
Our Strength: Once per non-combat Challenge, you may trade one die from a Tier
Dice roll with a willing ally in the same zone as a free action.
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Powers
Peddlers also have the following non-combat and combat powers:
TRADING FORTUNE A WISE INVESTMENT

Type Act Type React
Effect Effect
For every Inventory influence spent, you You may trade two Inventory Influence for
can provide an ally with a +1 modifier in a use of a Contact influence.
the same contest.
Keywords
Keywords
DEFT NEGOTIATION
Type Counter
Range Melee
Force Score +5
Damage 1
Effect
You may move one square after this
engagement. This movement is not
subject to Reprisal.
Keywords
Repertoire
The Peddler begins with one of the following repertoire:
PRODIGIOUS RESEARCH ART OF THE STEAL
Type Knowledge Type Knowledge
Circumstance The Deep Wood Circumstance Commerce
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CLASS
Vitals
Your class determines your Hit Points and Reserve. If you run out of HP, you are
knocked out of the fight. During short rests or when using certain powers, you can
transfer points from your Reserve to HP. When you have a long rest, both HP and
Reserve are refilled.
Archetype
Each class has two archetypes, which provide you with an archetype starting power and
a signature power you will receive at the end of the Adventurer Tier.
Class Feature
Each class has a special ability, useable during combat, that helps defeat enemies and
assist teammates.
Powers
In addition to your archetype power, you begin play with three additional combat
powers. While the combat powers are organized by archetype, you may select your
additional powers as you like from either group .
Competencies
While you can use any weapon without penalty, competencies allow you to enhance your
abilities with a particular weapon. You begin the game with one competency of your
choice from the list available to your class.
Equipment
You begin play with a selection of equipment from the list provided by your class.
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Class Options
Tier Class Name Description
ADVENTURER CONTROLLER HEDGE W IZARD A mysterious eccentric who controls the
battlefield through dabbling in the forbidden
magics of Man.
DEFENDER KNIGHT A mighty defender whose heroism and strength
of arms shields comrades from the blades of
adversaries.
LEADER ORACLE A brave and inspiring leader who exhorts allies to
shrug off wounds and realize their greatness in
combat.
STRIKER ROGUE A hard-hitting striker that bypasses enemy
armour to inflict massive damage.
57
QUICK TIPS
HEDGE WIZARD
Man’s incursion introduced magic to Argohex; and though its
Indiscriminate
greatest secrets died with the Kingdom of Man, some enterprising
An indiscriminate power affects
individuals have eked out a modicum of success. Due to their all combatants in its area of
harnessing the remnants of Man’s magic, Hedge Wizards are effect, whether they are allies or
regarded with a great deal of suspicion. adversaries.
The Hedge Wizard is a lightly armoured, fragile offensive controller Selective

Selective effects affect only
class that focuses on dealing damage to multiple opponents at the those in the area of effect that
same time. the combatant who employed
the power wishes to affect.
The Hedge Wizard relies on straightforward attack powers, but
unlike the Rogue, who has the tools to get up close and personal, Particular
Particular effects only affect one
Hedge Wizards are at their most potent when they are out of target of in the area of effect.
immediate danger, contributing to the fight from the safety of the
sidelines. Their attacks can scatter foes about the battlefield,
creating opportunities for allies and forcing adversaries to choose
between melee combat and avoiding the Hedge Wizard’s
incantations.
Why Play a Hedge Wizard?

Hedge Wizards are great for players who want a character who is able to challenge
adversaries from across the battlefield, and for those players who want a connection to
the power that fueled the Kingdom of Man.
Vitals
Hedge Wizards have 6 HP and 4 Reserve.
Class Feature
When using a Hedge Wizard power, create an area of difficult terrain (Zone 1) at Range
5, lasting until the end of your next turn. When you expend a non-combat power, this
terrain inflicts 1 HP of damage to anyone who moves into it.
58
You also automatically gain the non-combat power.
WISDOM OF THE SKY

Type React
Force Score +4
Effect
If this skill contest is Research, you have
an Edge.
Keywords
Archetype
The Hedge Wizard has two archetypes, Element and Shadow. The Element
harnesses the elements, Mountain, Plains, Forest, and Ocean to harm a specific foe
while applying effects to a group of adversaries. The Shadow harnesses the remnants of
Man’s twisted dark energies to indiscriminately damage combatants.
When beginning play, select either the Elements or Shadow archetype, and add the
corresponding default combat power to your character sheet. When you reach the third
milestone of the Adventurer Tier, you will gain the Signature power of your archetype.
THUS CALMS THE WORLD GRASPING SHADOWS

Type Attack Type Attack
Elements Shadow
Archetype Archetype
Default Default
Range Range 4, Zone 2 Range Range 6, Zone 1
Force Score +3
Force Score +3
Damage 1
Damage 1
Effect
Effect
Difficult terrain in Zone does not hinder
the movement of your allies until the end Combatants in Zone are slowed until the
of your next turn. end of their next turn.
Keywords Keywords
Particular Damage, Selective Effect Indiscriminate
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THUNDEROUS EARTH TREACHEROUS DECREE
Type Attack Type Counter
Archetype Elements Signature Shadow

Archetype
Signature
Range Range 6, Zone 1
Range Range 5, Zone 2
Force Score +3
Force Score +3
Damage 1
Damage 1
Effect
Effect
Adversaries in Zone are staggered (hard
Combatants in Zone are knocked prone.
save clears).
Any combatant already prone suffers 1
Keywords additional damage.
Particular Damage, Selective Effect Keywords
Indiscriminate
Powers
As a Hedge Wizard, your class has access to the following powers. When creating a
character, select three combat powers (from either archetype) from the following list.
Elements Powers
POURING WIND RIPPLING GRASS
Archetype Elements Archetype Elements

Range Melee, Zone 2 Range Range 4, Zone 2
Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
Adversaries in Zone suffer Knockback 1 in
One adversary in Zone is knocked prone.
the same direction.
Keywords Keywords
Particular Damage, Selective Effect Particular Damage, Selective Effect
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POWERS PRESERVE ME PIERCE THE HEART
Type Interrupt Type Attack
Archetype Elements Archetype Elements
Range Range 5, Zone 1 Range Melee, Line 2
Damage 1
Damage 1
Effect
Effect
Adversaries in Zone are immobilized until
Adversaries in Zone are pulled toward you the end of their next turn unless they
1 space. voluntarily lose an Edge.
Keywords Keywords
Particular Damage, Selective Effect Particular Damage, Selective Effect
WALL OF THORNS
Type Attack
Archetype Elements
Range Range 5, Line 2
Force Score +3
Damage 1
Effect
The path of Wall of Thorns becomes
difficult terrain until the end of your next
turn.
Keywords
Particular Damage
61
Shadow Powers
DARKNESS REIGNS GLOOM BLAST
Archetype Shadow Archetype Shadow
Range Melee, Zone 1 Range Melee, Line 4
Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
Combatants in Zone are blinded until the
end of their next turn. Combatants in Line suffer Knockback 1.
Keywords Keywords
Indiscriminate Indiscriminate
FAMILIAR TORMENT OF SHADES PEAL OF NIGHT

Archetype Shadow Archetype Shadow
Range Range 6, Zone 2 Range Range 5, Line 3
Damage Special Damage 1
Effect Effect
Combatants in Zone adjacent to another Combatants in Line are Staggered until
combatant suffers 1 damage. the end of their next turn.
Keywords Keywords
Indiscriminate Indiscriminate
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RAVENOUS VORTEX
Type Interrupt
Archetype Shadow
Range Melee, Zone 1
Force Score +4
Damage 1
Effect
Combatants in Zone are pulled toward
you 1 space. Any combatant that would
enter your space is instead knocked
prone.
Keywords
Indiscriminate
Competencies
As a Hedge Wizard, you begin play with one of the following competencies.
THIS IS A GATEWAY THIS IS PRETTY LIGHT

Basic Competency – Talisman Basic Competency – Light Armour
You may count any adjacent space as the
Once per round, while engaged with an
originating space for your attacks.
enemy you may change your position to
another space adjacent that enemy as a
free action.
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Equipment
Hedge Wizards begin the game with the following equipment:
TALISMAN LIGHT ARMOUR

One-Handed
Type Initiative 0
Ranged
Reach 1 Resistance 1
Range 10
Damage 1
Sample Character: Mahmud ’s Myrmekes

Hedge Wizard
Mahmud, the Myrmekes Hedge Wizard, wants

his character to be reckless and aggressive on
the battlefield.
He selects the Shadow archetype and adds the

Grasping Shadow power to his sheet. Since the
area of effect powers that Hedge Wizards use
need to be able to overcome the defenses of
enemies, he takes Peal of Night and Ravenous
Vortex as the first two class powers.
Wanting to be able to pour on the attacks, he

also picks the Darkness Reigns attack power,
which he can use as an opening to a second
engagement.
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QUICK TIPS
KNIGHT
Stackable
The Knight is a heavily armoured defender class that focuses on A stackable power’s effect is
protecting allies from harm; in fact, through its class ability, Knights applied when the combatant
that used it wins the
are the only ones who are able to interject themselves into engagement, whether or not
engagements between other combatants. Knight powers are it was the power that won
oriented toward counterattacks and interrupts. the engagement.
Knights are at their most effective on the battlefield when they

protect their more fragile allies, so be on the lookout for companions
who need a helping hand and adversaries that are capable of
inflicting powerful blows. To ensure that they’re able to withstand
such extensive punishment in combat, Knights have a very high base
health.
Why Play a Knight?

Knights are great for players who want a heavily armoured character who protects their
friends and allies from danger. The Knight is an iron bulwark against danger and harm.
Vitals
Knights have 12 HP and 9 Reserve.
Class Feature
While adjacent to an ally, you may respond to attack powers targeting only that ally with
your own Counter and Interrupt powers, though you do not apply damage or the
power’s effect if you win the engagement. You may expend a non-combat power to apply
the combat power’s damage and effect as if you initiated the engagement.
KNIGHT’S PRIDE
Type Act
Force Score +1
Effect
If this skill contest is Physical, you have
an Edge.
Keywords
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Archetype
The Knight has two archetypes, Guardian and Blocker. The Guardian specializes in
protecting allies from the attacks of adversaries. The Blocker locks down foes,
preventing them from moving to engage weaker allies.
When beginning play, select either the Guardian or Blocker archetype, and add the
VALOROUS STAND ARMOURED CHALLENGE

Archetype Guardian Default Archetype Blocker Default

Range Melee Range Melee
Damage 2 Damage 2
Effect Effect
Your foe loses an Edge on all Your foe cannot use a move action until
engagements not involving you until the the end of its next turn.
end of its next turn. Keywords
Keywords
GLORIOUS PUNISHMENT CURTAIN OF STEEL AND SINEW

Type Counter Type Counter
Archetype Blocker Signature
Archetype Guardian Signature
Range Melee
Range Melee
Force Score +5
Force Score +3
Damage 2
Damage 2 Effect
Effect If a Line 2 can connect you and an ally,
the Line is impassable terrain until the end
Your foe cannot use a move action until
of your next turn.
the end of its next turn.
Keywords
Keywords
Stackable
66
Powers
As a Knight, your class has access to the following powers. When creating a character,
select three combat powers (from either archetype) from the following list.
Guardian Powers
DEFLECTING ASSAULT BARRIER OF STEEL
Archetype Guardian Archetype Guardian

Damage 2 Damage 2
Effect Effect
If you are countering a ranged attack, its If this power is used in response to an
damage may be applied to any one area of effect attack, all spaces in a Line
adversary within Zone 3. behind you (opposite the attacker) are
Keywords unaffected by that power.
Keywords
GET DOWN KNIGHT’S FORESIGHT

Archetype Guardian Archetype Guardian
Damage 2 Damage -
Effect Effect
Immediate: You and one ally in Zone 3 Immediate: You may give yourself
may gain an Edge against an area of Advantage next turn, but you will inflict 0
effect power in exchange for going prone. damage in any engagement this turn.
Keywords Keywords
67
FRANTIC SHIELDING
Type Interrupt
Archetype Guardian
Range Melee
Force Score +5
Damage 2
Effect
Immediate: If you have an unspent action
this turn, you may use it to move up to
your speed.
Keywords
Blocker Powers
RIGHTEOUS SAVIOUR PLATE PERSERVERES
Archetype Blocker Archetype Blocker
Damage 2 Damage 2
Effect Effect
Immediate: If you have an unspent action Increase your armour's Resistance by 1,
this turn, you may use it to move up to up to its maximum.
your speed before engaging with your
target, so long as that target has engaged Keywords
with one of your allies this turn. If this
attack is successful, your target is
stunned until the end of its next turn.
Keywords
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MIGHTY CLEAVE TOWERING BULWARK
Type Attack Type Interrupt
Archetype Blocker Archetype Blocker

Damage 2 Damage 2
Effect Effect
All adjacent adversaries suffer Knockback All traversable squares in Zone 1 around
1. you become difficult terrain.
Keywords Keywords
OVERWHELMING GAUNTLET
Type Interrupt
Archetype Blocker
Range Melee
Force Score +4
Damage 2
Effect
Adversary is knocked prone.
Keywords
Competencies
As a Knight, you begin play with one of the following competencies:
NIMBLE AND QUICK REND

Basic Competency – Light Melee Basic Competency – Heavy Melee
Weapon Weapon
If you haven’t attacked an adversary to Whenever you do damage to an enemy,
which you are adjacent, you do not suffer you may additionally reduce that enemy's
a reprisal from them while moving away. Resistance by 1.
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IRON THICKET STEADFAST
Basic Competency – Polearm Basic Competency – Heavy Armour
Any enemy attempting to enter your
All forced movement effects imposed on
threatened range must make a hard save.
you are reduced to 0 unless you choose
On failure, their movement is halted,
otherwise.
unless the adversary voluntarily takes 1
point of damage. On success, the
adversary may continue the move.
SHIELDWALL THIS IS PRETTY LIGHT

Basic Competency – Shield Basic Competency – Light Armour
Once per round, you may roll a second Once per round, while engaged with an
Tier Dice. For the rest of this round, you enemy you may change your position to
may use this second roll when employing another space adjacent that enemy as a
any Counter or Interrupt power with a free action.
shield, but if you do, your action deals 0
damage.
Equipment
Knights begin the game with the one suit of armour and one two-handed weapon or a
one-handed weapon and a shield.
LIGHT MELEE WEAPON HEAVY MELEE WEAPON

Type One-Handed Melee Type Two-Handed Melee
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1 Damage 1
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POLEARM SHIELD
Type Two-Handed Melee Type One-Handed Melee
Reach 2 Initiative 0
Range 0 Resistance 1
Damage 1
LIGHT ARMOUR HEAVY ARMOUR

Initiative 0 Initiative -1
Resistance 1 Resistance 2
Sample Character: Martin’s Ipotane Knight
Martin, the Ipotane Knight, wants his character

to be powerful defender, capable of going toe to
toe with the most fearsome of foes.
He selects the Blocker archetype and adds the

Armoured Challenge power to his sheet. The
Blocker Archetype is all about holding foes in
place and responding to their attacks, and
because Martin plans to be on the defensive, he
takes Overwhelming Gauntlet and Righteous
Saviour as the first two class powers.
Assuming that he’ll be suffering from the attacks

of a great many foes, he picks the Plate
Perseveres counter power, which will help him
maintain his armour’s Resistance during a fight.
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ORACLE
Oracles are leaders, natural champions who exhort their comrades to greatness. Oracles
are capable of wearing the same heavy armour as Knights, and their skill in light
weapons is legendary. Beyond her considerable fighting prowess, this leader has many
actions that can heal comrades or otherwise assist them in battle.
The Oracle is a fierce, inspiring leader who motivates, exhorts, and pushes companions
to greatness. The Oracle’s class feature allows companions to heal with every power she
uses, and her attacks convey additional means of bolstering allies.
Oracles are at their most effective when they are fighting in close proximity to allies,
where their powers can boost their comrade’s effectiveness.
Why Play an Oracle?

The Oracle provides players with a champion, a warrior and a healer. The Oracle is
capable of standing toe to toe with her foes on the front line, fighting against foes while
also ensuring that their brethren do not fall on the field of battle. Moreover, the Oracle is
a veritable toolkit on the battlefield, capable of enhancing the abilities of her
companions while she makes attacks.
Vitals
Oracles have 10 HP and 8 Reserve.
Class Feature
When using an Oracle Power, one adjacent willing ally may increase his or her
Resistance by 1 per Oracle tier, up to their armour’s maximum. If the ally expends a
non-combat power, they may additionally refresh one exhausted combat power
(selected at random).
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THE MOB LISTENS

Type React
Force Score +4
Effect
If this skill contest is Social, you have an
Edge.
Keywords
Archetype
The Oracle has two archetypes, Healer and Inspiration. The Healer specializes in
restoring the health and fighting spirit of companions. The Inspiration focuses on
motivating allies to perform great deeds on the battlefield.
When beginning play, select either the Healer or Inspiration archetype, and add the
DRAW THE LINE HERE ON YOUR FEET

Inspiration Healer
Archetype Archetype
Default Default
Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
A single ally’s (within 2 spaces of you) Immediate: One ally within 2 spaces of
next Counter defeats the attack it is used you may transfer 3HP per Tier from his or
against. This does not change your ally’s her Reserve.
Force Score, and the adversary may still
Keywords
use an Interrupt.
Immediate
Keywords
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MY VICTORY, YOUR GLORY INDOMITABLE
Inspiration Healer
Archetype Archetype
Signature Signature
Damage 1 Damage 0
Effect Effect
All allies within 2 spaces of you gain All allies within 3 spaces of you may
Advantage on their next turn. immediately transfer up to 5HP from their
Keywords Reserve.
Stackable Keywords
Stackable
Powers
As an Oracle, your class has access to the following powers. When creating a character,
Inspiration Powers
ONWARD, HEROES DRIVE THEM BEFORE US
Archetype Inspiration Archetype Inspiration
Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
A single ally within 5 spaces of you may Two allies within 3 spaces of you may
immediately move 3 spaces without being immediately move 1 space, each bringing
subject to Reprisal. with them one adjacent enemy.
Keywords Keywords
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PUT THEM DOWN FURY OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Archetype Inspiration Archetype Inspiration
Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
The next ally who wins an engagement An ally within 5 spaces of you gains
within 5 spaces of you adds Knockback 1 Advantage on their next turn.
to their effect.
Keywords
Keywords
BY MY EXAMPLE
Type Interrupt
Archetype Inspiration
Range Melee
Force Score +4
Damage 1
Effect
An ally within 3 spaces of you gains an
Edge on all engagements until the end of
this round.
Keywords
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Healer Powers
HOLD FAST WE MERCIFUL FEW
Archetype Healer Archetype Healer

Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
Two allies within 5 spaces of you who are One ally in within 3 spaces of you may
no more than one space distant from each transfer up to 4 points from Reserve to the
other may switch positions without HP of an adjacent ally.
triggering Reprisal.
Keywords
Keywords
SUFFER THE VICTORIOUS RESERVOIR OF WILL

Type Counter Type Interrupt
Archetype Healer Archetype Healer

Range Melee
Range Melee
Force Score +4
Force Score +5
Damage 1
Damage 1
Effect
Effect
One ally within 5 spaces of you may swap
One ally within 3 spaces of you may HP and Reserve. Any excess in either
transfer up to 5 points from Reserve to category is lost.
HP.
Keywords
Keywords
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REDOUBLE THE GUARD
Type Interrupt
Archetype Healer
Range Melee
Force Score +4
Damage 1
Effect
One ally within 3 spaces of you gains 2
points in Resistance if they defeat an
enemy this round.
Keywords
Competencies
Oracles begin play with one of the following competencies:
NIMBLE AND QUICK STEADFAST

Basic Competency – Light Melee Basic Competency – Heavy Armour
Weapon
If you haven’t attacked an adversary to All forced movement effects imposed on
which you are adjacent, you do not suffer you are reduced to 0 unless you choose
a reprisal from them while moving away. otherwise.
SHIELDWALL THIS IS PRETTY LIGHT

Basic Competency – Shield Basic Competency – Light Armour
Once per round, you may roll a second Once per round, while engaged with an
Tier Dice. For the rest of this round, you enemy you may change your position to
may use this second roll when employing another space adjacent that enemy as a
any Counter or Interrupt power with a free action.
shield, but if you do, your action deals 0
damage.
Equipment
Oracles begin the game with a light melee weapon, shield, and either light or heavy
armour.
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LIGHT MELEE WEAPON SHIELD
Type One-Handed Melee Type One-Handed Melee
Reach 1 Initiative 0
Range 0 Resistance 1
Damage 1
LIGHT ARMOUR HEAVY ARMOUR

Initiative 0 Initiative -1
Resistance 1 Resistance 2
Sample Character: Pam’s Echthroi Oracle
Pam, the Echthroi Oracle, wants her character to

be a brilliant strategist who leads her comrades
from the front lines of every battle.
She selects the Inspiration archetype and adds

the Draw the Line Here power to her sheet.
Wanting her party to be effective, she selects two
powers that boost the Tier Dice rolls of her
allies, Onward, Heroes and By My Example.
For her final power, she selects Suffer the

Victorious, an in-combat heal power that will
allow her and her allies to sustain the fight
against dangerous foes.
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QUICK TIPS
ROGUE
The Rogue is a speedy, nimble class that focuses on dealing massive
amounts of damage to your adversaries by bypassing armour and Feint
If the target of this attack
ganging up to overwhelm foes. Their class feature allows the Rogue does not respond with a
to quickly inflict guaranteed damage against their enemies. counter or interrupt, you
may inflict an additional
Rogues are at their most effective on the battlefield when they seek 1HP of damage. If the target
out powerful foes, leveraging the confusion of combat to exploit does respond to your attack,
weaknesses that allow them to deal devastating damage to their this power is not exhausted.
victims. Trap
When used, this power is
Rogues do not have a high degree of health, and so a wise rogue not resolved until an
always fights unfairly, utilising terrain and nearby allies to ensure adversary moves through
that there is always an advantage over the opponent. the area of effect specified
by its user. When that
occurs, pause the
Why Play a Rogue? adversary’s movement and
Rogues are great for players who want a character who charges into resolve the ensuing
engagement immediately.
danger, tackling even the largest foes.
When the engagement is
Vitals resolved, the target may
continue its move. Once a
Rogues have 8 HP and 6 Reserve. trap power is resolved, it is
exhausted and cannot affect
Class Feature another adversary.
A Rogue who has an Edge while engaging an opponent can use an
Traps are not invisible. All
Interrupt power in place of an attack power (this means that your combatants are aware of a
Interrupt cannot be prevented). When you have Edge, and are trap when it’s placed.
wielding a light weapon, you may exhaust a non-combat power to
double the damage of the Interrupt.

ALWAYS HAVE A CONTINGENCY
Type React
Force Score +5
Effect
If you are being assisted by an ally, you
have an Edge
Keywords
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Archetype
The Rogue has two archetypes, Feinter and Trapper. The Feinter specializes in
goading adversaries into attacking, then capitalizing on their mistakes. The Trapper
deploys special trap attacks that lie in wait for adversaries to draw near.
When beginning play, select either the Feinter or Trapper archetype, and add the
Feinter Trapper
CUNNING FEINT JARRING HOOK
Feinter Trapper
Archetype Archetype
Default Default
Range Melee Range Ranged
Damage 0 Damage 1
Effect Effect
Immediate: You may move up to your Roll Move your target two spaces.
Bonus +1 in spaces before making this
attack. Keywords
Keywords
Feint
DRAW THEM IN CAUGHT IN THE TRAP

Type Interrupt Type Counter
Archetype Feinter Signature Trapper

Archetype
Signature
Range Melee Range Ranged
Damage 2 Damage 0
Effect Effect
Remaining adjacent at all times, move One Trap power used in this engagement
both you and your adversary one space, applies its effect and damage to a target
plus one space per power used in this in range. The Trap power is not
engagement. You are both subject to exhausted and can engage another
Reprisal, but not from each other. adversary moving through its target zone.
Keywords Keywords
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Powers
As a Rogue, your class has access to the following powers. When creating a character,
Feinter Powers
SLICE THE TENDON STEALTHY ESCAPE
Archetype Feinter Archetype Feinter

Damage 1 Damage 1
Effect Effect
You may move up to two spaces after the
Bleed 1 (hard save clears).
engagement has concluded without being
Keywords subject to Reprisal.
Keywords
SHOT IN THE BACK PIERCE THE HEART

Type Interrupt Type Interrupt
Archetype Feinter Archetype Feinter

Damage 1 Damage 1+1
Effect Effect
+2 per Tier if the target is engaged by If neither you nor the target at within two
another opponent. spaces of another combatant, you gain
Edge on your next engagement with this
Keywords
foe.
Keywords
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FIND THE JOINT
Type Interrupt
Archetype Feinter
Range Melee
Force Score +4
Damage 1
Effect
Bleed 3 (easy save clears).
Keywords
Trapper Powers
PIN-POINT ACCURACY DEVIOUS SNARE
Archetype Trapper Archetype Trapper
Ranged (Weapon), Ranged (Weapon),
Range Range
Zone 1 Zone 1
Damage 2 Damage 2
Effect Effect
Target is blinded (hard save clears). Target suffers Knockback 1. Additionally,
it is rendered prone unless it succeeds at
Keywords a hard save.
Trap Keywords
Trap
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HIDDEN BLADE DISHEARTENING CUT
Archetype Trapper Archetype Trapper

Range Melee/Ranged Range Ranged
Damage 1 Damage 2
Effect Effect
After resolving this engagement, you may In exchange for forgoing damage from
exhaust your Tenacious Heroism combat winning this engagement, you may cause
power to deal its damage to any target your adversary to suffer Disadvantage as
within range as a free action. well as Losing an Edge.
Keywords Keywords
BLADE BARRAGE
Type Counter
Archetype Trapper
Range Melee/Ranged
Force Score +4
Damage 2
Effect
If your adversary triggered a trap in this
engagement, you gain Advantage. If you
are using a Light Missile Weapon, this
power gains the Penetration property.
Keywords
83
Competencies
As a Rogue, you begin play with one of the following competencies.
THIS KNIFE IS UP CLOSE NIMBLE AND QUICK

Basic Competency – Light Missile Basic Competency – Light Melee
Weapons Weapon
Ranged attacks you make while using a If you haven’t attacked an adversary to
Light Missile Weapon benefit from which you are adjacent, you do not suffer
Flanking even if you’re not adjacent to the a reprisal from them while moving away.
target. You must still meet Flanking’s
other criteria.
THIS IS PRETTY LIGHT

Basic Competency – Light Armour
Once per round, while engaged with an

enemy you may change your position to
another space adjacent that enemy as a
free action.
Equipment
Rogues begin the game with the following equipment.
LIGHT MELEE WEAPON LIGHT MISSILE WEAPON

One-Handed
Type One-Handed Melee Type
Ranged
Reach 1 Reach -
Range 0 Range 5
Damage 1 Damage 1
LIGHT ARMOUR
Initiative 0
Resistance 1
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Sample Character: Lauren’s Cabeiri Rogue
Lauren, the Cabeiri Rogue, wants her character

to be a fast and dangerous duelist who outwits
her opponents on the battlefield.
She selects the Feinter archetype and adds the

Cunning Feint power to her sheet. Since her
archetype works best with lots of Interrupts, she
takes Pierce the Heart and Shot in the Back as
the first two class powers.
Wanting to be able to make quick getaways

when needed, she also picks the Stealthy Escape
power, which she can use to escape when
enemies become too dangerous.
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FINISHING TOUCHES
WRAPPING UP
With the mechanical choices that make up your character selected, it’s time to apply the
finishing touches!
Roll Bonus
When you begin play, you have a Roll Bonus of +0. Add this bonus to every roll of the
Tier Dice you make, unless instructed otherwise by the Game Master. As your hero
increases in experience, your Roll Bonus will increase.
Hard and Easy Saves

Your character has two saves, a hard save and an easy save. Your easy save is 2d6 + Roll
Bonus with a target of 8 or higher, and your hard save is 2d6 + Roll Bonus, with a target
of 10 or higher.
Initiative
Your initiative modifier is the same as your Roll Bonus, plus any modifier provided by
your class, background, and equipment (heavier armour will slow you down). When you
begin combat, you will roll your Tier Dice and add your initiative modifier. The
combatant with the highest initiative acts first in each combat round, and the order of
play continues from there in descending order.
86
QUICK TIPS
Virtues and Flaws
Choose three virtues and three flaws for your character. You can use Awarding Roleplaying
Players having an
the ones listed below or make up your own. Add them to the Virtues opportunity to use their
and Flaws section of your character sheet. Refresh Pool is built into the
assumptions of the game
When your GM believes that you’ve done a good job of roleplaying engine.
that aspect of your character, you will add to either the Virtue Track
or Flaw Track, as appropriate. When both tracks are full, clear them When GMing, encourage
your players to roleplay and
and add one to your Refresh Pool. reward them by advancing
their virtue and flaw tracks
when they do.
• Always a fair deal • Cold and Brooding
• Never leaves a man behind • Short Fuse
• Protector of the downtrodden • Suspicious
• Determined and professional • Overconfident
• Humble • Quick to judge
• Charitable • Acquisitive
• Tithes • Sucker for a pretty face
What Counts as Roleplaying?

This is a question to answer at your table, and it will depend on the
preferences of your players more than anything else. Some players
will be comfortable adopting the mannerisms, speech patterns, and
attitudes of their hero. Others may only go so far as to say, “my hero
is kind, so she takes a moment to comfort the lost child.” Both
approaches are equally valid, and both should be rewarded with an
increment on the appropriate track.
Refresh Pool
Every character has a Refresh pool; it begins at 0. At the beginning of each combat
round, you may spend an available point from the Refresh Pool to refresh an additional
specific power in addition to the randomly refreshed power you receive automatically.
There's no limit to how many points you can have in your pool at a time, and Don’t
worry, you'll always get to refresh at least one power, even if you don’t have any points
to spend.
When GMing, never neglect to award points to the virtue and flaw
tracks when your players roleplay.
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EQUIPMENT
ARMOUR
Initiative Penalty
Some types of armour slow you down, imposing a penalty to your initiative stack while it
is equipped. This initiative penalty is applied in each combat, whether or not you
contribute by exhausting powers (you only apply the penalty once, no matter how many
powers you exhaust).
Resistance
Resistance indicates the number of points of damage that your equipped armour can
prevent over the course of a combat. Each time you cancel a point of damage, your
armour’s resistance is decreased by one, representing the loosening of straps, denting of
metal, and splintering of wood that leads to a degradation of effectiveness.
At the end of a fight, your armour’s Resistance is reset to its original value as you
readjust and repair your equipment in anticipation of the next combat.
Name Type Initiative Resistance

Light Armour Armour 0 1
Heavy Armour Armour -1 2
Shield One-Handed Melee 0 1
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REPERTOIRE
Repertoire is used in non-combat challenges the same way as weapons are used in
combat challenges. They represent specific knowledge, experience, social conventions,
that you bring to bear against the problems that confront you.
Type and Circumstance

Type and Circumstance describe a specific challenge type (social, physical, or
knowledge) and location for which the item is most suitable.
Repertoire grants an Edge when the Circumstance and Type match that of particular
Obstacle.
FANCY ADORNMENT GRIT AND TOUGHNESS

Circumstance Nobility Circumstance Slums
PRODIGIOUS RESEARCH REPUTATION PRECEDES ME

Type Research Type Social
Circumstance The Deep Wood Circumstance Refuge Villages
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WEAPONS
Type
Weapon type indicates how many hands are required to wield the weapon, and whether
it is a melee or ranged weapon.
Heroes may only ever have at most two hands worth of items equipped; this may mean a
light melee weapon and shield, a polearm or heavy missile weapon, or a single one-
handed item such as a talisman.
Reach
All melee weapons have reach, which indicates the number of spaces away from you that
you may engage opponents. Most have a reach of one, which allows the wielder to target
any adjacent square. A reach of two allows you to target any square up to two spaces
away, and so on.
Range
Ranged weapons will all indicate a maximum range, beyond which they cannot target.
When using a ranged weapon in conjunction with a ranged power, the maximum range
is the shorter of the two. If a ranged power does not indicate a range of its own, the
maximum range of the weapon is used.
Damage
The damage you deal is determined by your combat powers; this means that any hero
can make use of any weapon and not worry about inefficient play.
Adventurer Tier Weapons
Name Type Hands Reach Range

Improvised Melee 1 1 -
Light Melee Weapon Melee 1 1 -
Light Missile Weapon Missile 1 - 5
Heavy Melee Weapon Melee 2 1 -
Heavy Missile Weapon Missile 2 - 10
Polearm Melee 2 2 -
Talisman Missile 1 - 5
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COMPETENCIES
ADVENTURER TIER COMPETENCIES
A MOST ACCURATE SHOT IRON THICKET

Basic Competency – Heavy Missile Weapon Basic Competency – Polearm
You may fire a heavy missile weapon from the Any enemy attempting to enter your threatened
prone position without penalty. range must make a hard save. On failure, their
movement is halted, unless the adversary
voluntarily takes 1 point of damage. On
success, the adversary may continue the
move.
NIMBLE AND QUICK REND

Basic Competency – Light Melee Weapon Basic Competency – Heavy Melee Weapon
If you haven’t attacked an adversary to which Whenever you do damage to an enemy, you
you are adjacent, you do not suffer a reprisal may additionally reduce that enemy's
from them while moving away. Resistance by 1.
SHIELDWALL STEADFAST
Basic Competency – Shield Basic Competency – Heavy Armour
Once per round, you may roll a second Tier All forced movement effects imposed on you
Dice. For the rest of this round, you may use are reduced to 0 unless you choose otherwise.
this second roll when employing any Counter
or Interrupt power with a shield, but if you do,
your action deals 0 damage.
THIS KNIFE IS UP CLOSE THIS IS A GATEWAY

Basic Competency – Light Missile Weapons Basic Competency – Talisman
Ranged attacks you make while using a Light You may count any adjacent space as the
Missile Weapon benefit from Flanking even if originating space for your attacks.
you’re not adjacent to the target. You must still
meet Flanking’s other criteria.
91
THIS IS PRETTY LIGHT ALLOW ME
Basic Competency – Light Armour Basic Competency – Repertoire
Once per round, while engaged with an enemy You gain an Edge any time you use your
you may change your position to another repertoire in an environment that matches its
space adjacent that enemy as a free action. circumstance.
CHAMPION TIER COMPETENCIES
COMPETENCY COMPETENCY
Champion Competency - Champion Competency -
LEGEND TIER COMPETENCIES
COMPETENCY COMPETENCY
Legend Competency - Legend Competency -
92
ADVANCEMENT
The GM will let you know when you’ve reached a milestone, an important step in the
progression of any hero. When you reach a milestone, your character gains additional
features, as detailed in the following charts. Note that you gain from both charts, so a
hero reaching Milestone 2 gains both an increase to her Roll Bonus and an additional
class combat power.
You may choose any competency you wish, whether or not it appears
in the list of competencies for your class.
ADVENTURER TIER ADVANCEMENT

Background
Tier Milestone Roll Bonus Competencies Species Powers Non-Combat Powers
Creation -- 0 1 1 2
Adventurer 1 0 2 1 2
2 1 2 1 2
3 1 2 1 2
Background Class Class

Tier Milestone Combat Powers Non-Combat Powers Combat Powers
Creation -- 1 1 3
Adventurer 1 1 1 4
2 1 1 5
3 1 1 5 + Signature
CHAMPION TIER ADVANCEMENT
LEGEND TIER ADVANCEMENT
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THE PRIMORDIAL FORCES
WHAT ARE THE PRIMORDIAL FORCES?

Argohex is a world in conflict, catastrophically damaged by Man’s incursion and
destruction. So badly wounded is Argohex that the primordial forces of Trauma are
ascendant. While they are not sentient beings, these malevolent forces exert powerful
influence wherever good and righteous heroes seek to combat evil. Throughout the
adventure, the decisions the heroes make will either feed the primordial forces of
trauma or bolster the forces of light.
When the heroes make choices that bolster the forces of light, the primordial forces of
heroism may increase.
If you are playing in a campaign, any Trauma that has not been extinguished is rolled
over to the next quest (only Trauma is carried forward; heroic advances are not retained
between adventures).
The Primordial Forces of Trauma in Combat Challenges

The primordial forces of trauma manifest themselves during combat challenges in
opposition to the goals and aims of the heroes. Each point of Trauma may be exhausted
in a combat challenge (during the Trauma phase) to add complication to the battlefield.
When the heroes have resolved the combat challenge (whether they win or lose), refresh
the expended Trauma so that it is ready for the next encounter.
As GM, you may exhaust one point of Trauma per Tier per turn (one point in the
Adventurer Tier, two in the Champion Tier, three in the Legend Tier) until the combat
challenge is resolved. A list of traumatic effects and their costs are provided in each
encounter.
The Primordial Forces of Heroism in Combat Challenges

As they progress through the adventure, the heroes may make choices that bolster the
primordial forces of light. As these forces are strengthened, abilities are unlocked.
Heroes may expend points from their Refresh Pool in combat to activate the abilities
and receive the benefits associated with their chosen primordial force.
Reducing the Forces of Trauma

If you’re following the suggested adventure design, as described in the Adventure Cycle,
a good rule of thumb is to reduce Trauma by one point per challenge that the heroes
overcome.
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Increasing the Forces of Light
If the heroes go out of their way to advance a cause of light, increase a force of heroism
by one point (determine which force is increased as appropriate).
Sample Primordial Forces

Force Opposes Starting Value
Traumatic Malice - 2
Greed - 2
Despair - 2
Disorder - 2
DESPAIR GREED
Tier Adventurer Tier Adventurer
The very ground gives way, solid earth Black tendrils envelope your foes as they stalk
collapsing into a ravenous void, leaving a closer, evil-looking blades intent on carving
gaping sinkhole in its place. flesh and slicing tendon.
The sinkhole is impassable terrain and does Select one adversary for this turn. If this
not provide any cover. Combatants may use adversary wins an engagement, its attack
powers with forced movement to knock inflicts an extra point of damage; this extra
enemies into the sinkhole. point of damage is added to the adversary’s
If this occurs, the target of the movement must health.
make an easy save or be knocked into the pit,
suffering two points of damage.
A move action is required to clamber out of
the sinkhole.
A sinkhole cannot open in the same square as
a combatant.
DISORDER MALICE
Solid surfaces weaken, buckle, and break. The ground bubbles and boils underfoot,
Where once stood stout wood and solid stone, sharp spikes of rock lancing out and shredding
a gaping void exposes you to the the feet of the unwary.
machinations of evil forces.
All barriers in one space are destroyed; this The jagged stone is difficult terrain, halving
may eliminate cover and open new pathways movement in three spaces (selected by you).
for combatants to move about the battlefield. Combatants may elect to move at full speed
through designated spaces but suffer one
point of damage to do so. Forced movement is
not affected.
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TRIVIAL CHALLENGES
Let Thrones Beware is a game about heroes overcoming challenges and saving the day.
In keeping with the exceptional nature of your heroes, trivial tasks are assumed to
automatically succeed.
What is a trivial task? Put simply, it's any task that does not contain an element of risk.
Any hero, left alone in the treasury with a chest brimming with riches, will succeed in
unlocking the container. Similarly, should they attempt to scale a roughly-hewn wall in
the middle of a sunny afternoon, they will succeed. Both tasks are trivial. When an
element of risk is introduced - a guard patrol checking in on the chest every few minutes
- archers on the wall shooting arrows at intruders - the task is no longer trivial, and an
actual (which we'll get to shortly) test using either the combat or non-combat challenge
mechanic is required.
Another thing to consider when deciding whether a task is trivial or not is the task’s
importance and bearing on the quest the heroes are undertaking. As an example,
suppose that the party is tasked with retrieving a priceless heirloom from bandits that
have been plaguing the merchant caravans that travel the Deep Wood. They have an
objective and a plan, and the beginnings of an exciting adventure.
Consider for a moment, what would happen if the players weren’t able to figure out who
to talk to find out where the caravans are heading, guessing incorrectly and never
discovering their quarry wouldn’t make for a very compelling quest. This sort of
busywork is best considered a trivial challenge.
There's one more important thing to keep in mind; while methods will differ based on
the skills and training characters have, all characters are all equally capable of
accomplishing goals. Where a Rogue picks the lock to open the chest, the Hedge Wizard
will rely on an incantation, and the Knight might resort to a mailed fist.
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NON-COMBAT CHALLENGES
WHAT IS A NON-COMBAT CHALLENGE?

A non-combat challenge is non-trivial (i.e. a task that entails at least some risk) and does
not involve fighting or violence. The objective of any non-combat challenge is to clear
the obstacles situated between you and your goal. Unlike combat, which has a very
definite set up and execution, non-combat challenges are somewhat more freeform.
Non-combat challenges consist of three parts: setup, execution, and resolution.
In the Setup phase, the hero or heroes involved decide on a goal and identify how they
plan to achieve that goal in discrete steps (e.g. a plan to escape from the guards might
involve hiding in a stable to evade pursuit, bribing the watch at the city gate, hiking
through a stream to hide footprints, and camping in the woods until the search is called
off). The number of steps will vary depending on the difficulty and complexity of the
goal; a good range is 3-5 actions.
In the Resolution phase, the GM assigns the steps the heroes have identified a difficulty
rating and transforms them into Obstacles that stand between the heroes and their goal.
The players engage the Obstacles, and the GM keeps a tally of successes and failures
(note that failing to defeat an Obstacle in this phase doesn’t mean that the plan ends,
and the action stops).
In the Resolution phase, the GM describes to the heroes how well their plan was
executed, based on the number of successes and failures that were accrued. How the
players approached the Obstacles may influence the adventure’s Primordial Forces
(increasing Traumatic Forces if they behaved poorly, and Heroic Forces if they were
especially noble), as well as granting or costing them bonus Influence and Reserves.
Sneaking into an ancient ruin guarded by brigands who’ve turned it into their fortified
headquarters, convincing a baroness of the importance of dedicating limited resources
to rebuilding a bridge across a treacherous canyon, or escaping from a dangerous band
of cultists are all examples of non-combat challenges. Of course, non-combat challenges
can be smaller in scope too: disarming a cunning trap, distracting a guard, and flattering
a merchant are also examples.
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Non-Combat Challenge
Running the Challenge
1. Setup Phase
a. Roleplay how the hero or heroes approach the challenge that presents
itself
b. GM determines number, type, and difficulty of Obstacles
2. Execution Phase
a. Use engagements to resolve Obstacles
b. Determine level of success based on number of Obstacles overcome
c. Increase Desperation on each failure
3. Resolution Phase
a. Narrate results of the hero’s efforts
4. Short rest
Engagement
An engagement occurs when a non-combat power is used.
1. The initiating party opens with an Act power
a. The responding party may choose to use an eligible power, so long as its
total Force Score meets or exceeds that of the initiating party.
b. The initiating party may choose to use an eligible power, so long as its total
Force Score meets or exceeds that of the responding party.
2. Exhaust all powers used by hero.
PLANNING PHASE
Determining Number of Obstacles
The number of Obstacles the heroes face should be largely determined by the number of
steps the heroes have included in their plan. Generally, somewhere between 3-5
Obstacles will make for a challenging yet surmountable challenge. Feel free to add
complications if the heroes don’t include enough stages (e.g. You could complicate “We
can break in to the castle’s treasury, all we need is wait until the right time” by adding
guards, a suspicious treasurer, and difficult lock that requires three different keys), or
reduce the number of stages if they’ve overcomplicated things.
Determine Obstacle Type

When designing a non-combat challenge for your players to overcome, it's important to
select Obstacle types that matches the general approach you want the players to use. It's
98
also generally a good idea to rotate through the available types, so that every character
has an opportunity to overcome challenges that play to their strengths and prey on their
weaknesses.
Social
Social challenges are all about who one knows, who knows one, and how well one can
navigate through nuanced social situations. These challenges can range from
interrogating a captured spy to convincing a Burgomeister to open the town gates in the
middle of the night.
Knowledge
Solving a Knowledge challenge relies on the things that a character can remember, and
the information that he or she has researched. Such challenges can be wide-ranging,
from interpreting a long-forgotten language to disengaging the mechanism on a
dangerous trap.
Physical
Solving a Physical challenge relies on a character’s physical prowess to succeed; the
innate strength, endurance, or reflexes of an adventurer. Leaping a chasm, stealthily
avoiding patrolling guards, or swimming across a lake are all examples of challenges
could rely on physical ability.
Set Desperation
Desperation begins every non-combat at Composed (+1). Every time the heroes fail to
overcome an Obstacle, Desperation climbs one rank, until it reaches Frantic (+4).
Obstacle Difficulty
Non-combat Obstacles are bested or failed based on a single engagement with the
heroes; they only have one attempt to resolve each stage of their plan. Accordingly, it’s
important to clearly assign difficulties to each Obstacle the heroes face.
Note that unlike in combat, different heroes in the same zone can use their non-combat
powers in the same engagement (e.g. if Mahmud uses an Act power against an Obstacle,
Lauren can use one of her Overcome powers to defeat its Wrinkle).
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Obstacle Wrinkle Setback
Tier Difficulty Force Score Force Score Force Score
Adventurer Simple 0 2 1
Moderate 2 4 3
Challenging 4 6 5
Nigh-impossible 6 8 7
Champion -
-
-
Legend -
-
-
EXECUTION PHASE
Rolling the Tier Dice
In non-combat challenges, the Tier Dice is only rolled once per round (though this roll is
distinct from morale tests and saves). Everyone, heroes and adversaries alike, all roll the
Tier Dice at the same time. This result is kept until the beginning of the next round:
don’t roll the Tier Dice for each new engagement your hero undertakes.
When a new round begins, all Tier Dice – regular, as well as those with Advantage and
Disadvantage, are discarded.
Engaging Obstacles
Obstacles are engaged with Acts (when the player initiates the engagement) or
Obstacles. Each type of non-combat power has certain circumstances in which it must
be used. Note that once a non-combat power has been used against an Obstacle, it’s not
unexhausted until the challenge is over.
Act Initiates non-combat challenge. May not be played

following any other power
React Obstacles
Overcome Obstacles and Wrinkles
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Non-Combat Challenge Example
GM Initiated Non-Combat Engagement Player Initiated Non-Combat Engagement
GM Initiates With Player Initiates

Obstacle With Act
Ex: Force Score 10 Ex: Force Score 10
GM Victory: Player Player Victory: GM

Player responds GM responds with
Unable to exceed Unable to exceed
with React Wrinkle
Force Score Force Score
Player Victory: GM GM Victory: GM GM Victory: Player Player Victory:

unable to exceed responds with unable to exceed Player responds
Force Score 13 Setback Force Score 13 with Overcome
RESOLUTION PHASE
Success and Partial Success
In cases where a Challenge has more than one Obstacle, it is possible that the heroes will
overcome some, but not all of the Obstacles. It is also possible, through the use of
Repertoire and the aid of allies, that the heroes will achieve a degree of success greater
than 100%. In such circumstances, the following provides guidance:
>100% Total success. The player accomplishes their objective in a manner that is
better than expected
100% Success. The player accomplishes their objective
<100% Partial success. The player accomplishes the task, but the success is coloured
by a complicating factor
No successes The player does not succeed as hoped; though unsuccessful, an alternative
means of achieving the goal may present itself
MISCELLANEOUS
Designing Challenges
During playtesting of an adventure, one group of heroes decided that rather than flee
from the Brigands, they would instead seek to incapacitate them with poison, allowing a
leisurely stroll to Chael Hollow rather than a frantic escape. By not making use of set-
piece challenges, the non-combat resolution system accommodates this sort of creative
thinking by not imposing limits on what the heroes are able to do. Talking through their
plan, the GM came up with the following series of Obstacles to model their plan.
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Distract patrols
Find ingredients in Manufacture the Poison the food and
the Deep Wood poison escape
Sneak into camp
Blockers
One way to make non-combat challenges more interesting is to restrict access to certain
challenges until certain conditions have been met on others.
To put this into practice, an ancient text (A) could be inaccessible to the heroes until the
monastery guard (B) is distracted (mechanically, challenge A inaccessible until
challenge B is defeated).
In the following example, “Sneak into camp” is a blocker for “Poison the food and
escape.” If the heroes do not successfully overcome the first obstacle, they cannot
attempt the second – it automatically counts as a failure.
Distract patrols
Poison the food and
escape
Sneak into camp
Note that it’s not necessary to use blockers in your challenges, as failures during the
challenge chain affect the overall outcome. A more forgiving approach to this plan,
without the blocker, could narrate failure to sneak into camp as something going wrong
during the attempt, meaning that the infiltrating heroes lose a portion of their supply of
poison, reducing the overall affect on the Brigands.
Complications
Complications can be added to individual Obstacles to make them more interesting.
These complications generally increase the difficulty of the Obstacle by placing
limitations on the hero or heroes attempting to overcome the Obstacle. When adding a
complication, the reward for overcoming the challenge should be commensurately
increased (awarding one additional Influence to the party per complication is a good
rule of thumb).
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Sample Complications
Unable to use Contact influence Must spend two influences to use one
Unable to use Research influence Only one hero may engage this Obstacle
Unable to use Inventory influence
Zones
Zones are mechanical areas in which heroes and Obstacles are grouped. Heroes in the
same zone may cooperate by sharing powers within an engagement, and they may not
share powers with those outside their zone.
Zones are defined narratively (e.g. “Martin and Lauren will create a distraction, and
while the guards are occupied, Mahmud and Pam will sneak into the camp“), and while
players may freely move between zones, they may not move between zones until it is
narratively appropriate (i.e. with the two groups of heroes separated, Martin cannot
suddenly appear to lend a hand in infiltrating the camp – he’s busy distracting the
guards).
Heroes in one zone are isolated from the rest, and they cannot use powers, cooperate
with or otherwise support heroes in another zone (remember that heroes in the same
zone can cooperate to overcome an obstacle by contributing powers).
Distract patrols
Sneak into camp
In the model described above, heroes in the “Distract patrols” zone are unable to
support heroes in the “Sneak into camp” zone, and vice versa.
Influences
Heroes possess Influences, representing the knowledge they've gained, the things they
possess, and the people they've befriended, that they can use to manipulate non-combat
challenges. A hero can use one Influence per round as a free action.
Influences cannot be traded between party members after a challenge has begun.
Inventory
Inventory influences represent the possessions and equipment that a hero can use to
assist in accomplishing a task.
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Whenever an inventory influence is used, the Obstacle’s Force Score is reduced by 1.
Research
Research influences represent the specialized knowledge a hero possesses that can
overcome an obstacle.
Whenever a research influence is used, the player may swap one die of the Tier Dice for
one of the GM’s dice.
Contact
Contact influences represent the people your hero knows who are able to help in a
situation.
Whenever a contact influence is used, the GM plays a new Obstacle power.
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COMBAT CHALLENGES
WHAT IS A COMBAT CHALLENGE?

A combat challenge is non-trivial (i.e. a task that entails at least some risk) and involves
fighting or violence. Defeating brigands guarding an ancient ruin, defending a bridge
recently constructed by a local baroness from marauders, and fighting off a corrupt
militia intent on kidnapping a merchant are all examples of combat challenges.
The objective of any combat challenge is to defeat your opponents, using your combat
powers and your repertoire.
Do I need to Fight?
This might be a strange question to pose in a role-playing game that has a significant
focus on tactical combat. The answer surprisingly, is “maybe not.” Argohex is a
shattered world, and a great injustice has been done to its peoples. Life is hard, and
sometimes desperation leads people to do terrible things.
It's true that this game contains many adversaries for the heroes to overcome. It's
important to remember that not all of them are eager combatants; many, such as
brigands, eke out miserable lives in Refuge Villages, turning to banditry during the
Passage in an despairing attempt to provide for their families.
Do I need to Kill?
Let Thrones Beware is intentionally non-specific about what happens when heroes and
adversaries are reduced to 0 HP. Players who find themselves downed on the field of
battle are not automatically slain, and an ally with healing combat powers can restore
the hero to fighting form in the middle of combat. Once combat has ended, any hero
currently at 0 HP can exchange Reserve for HP. If a hero has neither HP nor Reserve,
that hero cannot continue the adventure, but can participate in subsequent adventures.
If all players have been reduced to 0 HP at the end of a combat, the party has been
defeated. Before declaring everyone dead and the adventure over, take a moment to
consider the motivations of the adversaries who triumphed. Simple brigands may
merely be interested in the inventory Influences that the party possesses, while cultists
may desire to capture the heroes, setting the stage for a dramatic escape.
Players, are confronted with a choice when reducing their foes to 0 HP. They can choose
to dispatch adversaries when they are downed, or they can decide to merely render the
foe unconscious. In the latter case, a downed enemy will not continue the fight, but will
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QUICK TIPS
have the possibility of life after combat. Desperate brigands, for
example, could be spared and sent home to live peaceful lives or in Actions
brought to justice before a local justice. Every combatant gets two
actions in each combat
Captured enemies can be questioned for information about their round. This means that your
goings-on and plans. Low-level adversaries will spill their guts hero can move and attack,
move twice, or attack twice
without prompting, though they will usually not know very much. each round.
Higher level adversaries can be reasoned with, and heroes who
succeed at a non-combat challenge can gain the trust of their foes, Be careful, this also means
that your adversaries can do
learning what secrets there are to share.
the same!
Note that torture just plain doesn’t work.
(See Taking Actions for
more actions)
Escaping from Combat

The heroes may find themselves in an fight from which they wish to withdraw. In most
circumstances, their foes will not pursue retreating foes. Brigands ambushing a caravan
are more interested in the spoils of their ambush than they are in cold-blooded murder.
Similarly, wild beasts would rather drive interlopers away from their feeding grounds
than struggle through slaying the heavily armed party.
At the beginning of combat, identify one or more map borders that represent exits.
Should the heroes decide to retreat, the entire party must reach one of these borders. If
this occurs, the combat ends, though the heroes do not advance in their quest.
ORDER OF PLAY
Combat Challenge
1. Determine surprise
2. Determine initiative
3. Set Desperation
4. Combat rounds:
a. Update Phase
i. Adversary morale test
ii. Apply ongoing effects
iii. Resolve saving throws
iv. Roll Tier Dice to determine modifier
v. Combatants refresh combat powers
vi. Primordial Forces
b. In initiative order, combatants may take up to two standard actions.
c. Grow Desperation
5. Short rest
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QUICK TIPS
Engagement
An engagement occurs when a combat attack power is used against Winning an Engagement
an adversary. Initiating an engagement counts as a standard action. Remember that when you
win an engagement, only the
1. The attacking combatant opens with an Attack power last power you used deals
a. The defending combatant may choose to use an damage and applies its
eligible power, so long as its total Force Score meets or effect.
exceeds that of the attacker. If you or your adversary are
b. The attacking combatant may choose to use an eligible reduced to 0HP, you’re
power, so long as its total Force Score meets or immediately out of the fight
exceeds that of the defender. –you can take no more
c. The defending combatant may elect to return to step A actions.
2. The damage and effect of the combat power with the highest Rolling for Initiative
Force Score is applied to the opponent. In the event of a tie, Initiative in Let Thrones
both combat powers are applied to their targets. Beware is entirely a team
3. All powers used in the engagement are exhausted. sport. Because you’re
exhausting combat powers
to determine when your
team acts rather than rolling
dice individually, you’ll want
to carefully weigh the
THE COMBAT CHALLENGE advantages of acting first
versus the disadvantages of
Determine Surprise not having access to powers
Determining surprise is straightforward; if the players or their you might need right away.
adversaries are attempting an ambush or employing stealth, run a Initiative Powers
non-combat challenge for the players: if they are successful, they’ve Don’t worry - when you
either detected the ambush in advance, or have successfully exhaust a power to use it in
surprised their enemies. All combatants on a side that have been your initiative stack, you can
still get it back if it’s
surprised suffer from the Surprised condition, which lasts until the refreshed in 4. a. v. of the
end of the first round of fighting. combat round.
Determine Initiative
Each adversary the players face has an initiative modifier: arranging adversaries from
highest values (fast, mobile enemies) to lowest (typically minion opponents) before the
fight provides you with the adversary Initiative Stack.
To determine when they go in each combat round, the heroes first decide amongst
themselves the order in which they would like to act. Once they have determined their
order, the heroes as a group exhaust as many combat powers as they want, totalling the
Force Score of each chosen power they have bid to form an Initiative Stack of their own
(as with the adversary stack, arrange these powers from highest to lowest).
The order in combat is determined by comparing the values of the competing stacks.
The first combatant on the side with the highest-valued stack goes first in initiative
order. If this is a hero, remove the highest valued power from the hero stack; if it is an
adversary, remove it from the adversary stack entirely. Once this is done, make another
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comparison, and so on, until all combatants have a place in the initiative order. Once
determined, initiative order does not shift for the remainder of the combat.
In the event of a tie, place the player in the initiative order ahead of the adversary, and
remove the rightmost value from each stack.
Players begin the first round of combat with all powers chosen for the purposes of
determining initiative order exhausted. These powers may not be refreshed until the
beginning of the second round.
Initiative Example
Heroes
Discussing their strategy, the heroes decide on the following initiative order and choose
the powers they exhaust (the powers are ordered from highest to lowest).
1. Lauren the Rogue

2. Bill the Knight
3. Martin the Hedge Wizard
4. Pam the Oracle
Hero Powers exhausted

1: A Right 2: Arrogant Strike 4: Draw Them In 6: You Must 9: Powers
Cudgeling (+3) (+3) (+4) Prevail (+4) Preserve Me (+5)
Adversaries
The GM orders the adversaries according to their initiative score (from highest to
lowest).
1. Sargent
2. Knife
3. Marauder
4. Hatchet
5. Hatchet
Adversary Initiative Scores

0: Hatchet 0: Hatchet 2: Marauder 4: Knife 8: Sargent
(+2 init) (+2 init) (+4 init) (+4 init) (+6 init)
In the above Stack, the heroes have committed to winning the initiative, and have
exhausted five powers to try and make sure they go first. In the first comparison, their
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stack has highest total value (19 vs. 18), and Lauren acts first. The heroes remove the
rightmost value from their stack, and another comparison is made. This time, the
adversary stack is largest (14 vs. 18), and so the Sargent is placed next in initiative order.
The adversary stack is reduced, and another comparison is made, identifying Bill as the
next to go (14 vs. 12). The comparisons continue in this manner until the order of one
side is full determined. At that point, the remainder of the other side is appended to the
initiative order.
Final initiative order

Combatant Comparison (Heroes vs. Adversaries)
Lauren 19 vs.18
Sargent 14 vs. 18
Bill 14 vs. 12
Martin 10 vs. 12
Knife 10 vs. 8
Pam 6 vs. 8
Marauder 6 vs. 4
Hatchet 3 vs. 4
Hatchet 3 vs. 2
Set Desperation
Desperation begins every combat at Composed (+1). At the end of each combat round,
Desperation climbs one rank, until it reaches Frantic (+4).
Whenever it is an adversary's turn, consult the Desperation AI underneath the foe's
description. The foe will begin combat by behaving as the composed item indicates, and
when Desperation reaches the next indicated level, change the foe's approach.
Adversaries who win an engagement will use different power effects depending on the
level of Desperation. Consult the Desperation bonuses listed under the power and
replace the power's original stats. These bonuses are not cumulative. Do not add them
together.
THE COMBAT ROUND

Morale Test
Morale in combat exists to give the heroes an alternative to having to defeat every
adversary, which can serve to delay fights after the outcome has become a foregone
conclusion. Morale tests do not apply to heroes, though they should be applied to any
hired help the heroes have retained.
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Adversaries make their morale check as they would an easy save (which will be noted in
their stat block), unless otherwise noted (they must roll higher than 8 to remain
fighting). Subtract the current Desperation from the morale roll. When conducting a
morale check, it’s okay to group adversaries by type and do one test per group.
A morale test should be made when the total number of adversaries drops below 50%
(note that calculation this does not include minions: a combat against four minions and
four standard adversaries only calls for a morale check when two of the standard foes
have been defeated: it doesn’t matter how many of the minions are alive).
Following the first morale test, additional tests should occur in every round that follows
the elimination of another adversary, and don’t occur in combat rounds where a new
adversary is not defeated.
Resolve Saves
Saves are how combatants shake off debilitating status effects that have been inflicted
upon them by their foes. Following the morale check phase, every combatant suffering
from an afflicting or status effect can make a saving throw roll. If the combatant’s roll
exceeds the target (which is always 8 in the Adventurer tier), the effect is removed.
Tier Save Type Calculation Target

Adventurer Hard Save Tier Dice + Roll Bonus 10
Easy Save Tier Dice + Roll Bonus 8
Rolling the Tier Dice

In combat, the Tier Dice is only rolled once per round (though this roll is distinct from
morale tests and saves). Everyone, heroes and adversaries alike, all roll the Tier Dice at
the same time. This result is kept until the beginning of the next round: don’t roll the
Tier Dice for each new engagement your hero undertakes.
When a new round begins, all Tier Dice – regular, as well as those with Advantage and
Disadvantage, are discarded.
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Combatants Refresh Combat Powers
At the beginning of each round, players refresh combat powers, which is how they
regain the use of exhausted abilities. Any power with the ‘Renew’ keyword automatically
refreshes, and players may refresh up to one action per Tier, selected randomly (i.e. an
Adventurer Tier hero refreshes just one power).
Players may spend points from their Refresh Pool to refresh specific powers in addition
to their randomly selected power. This occurs after the random refresh.
GM-controlled adversaries automatically refresh all of their powers, unless a power
explicitly notes otherwise (yes, this means that all the baddies begin each round fully
combat capable).
Taking Actions
Actions are the units of time that each player has to act within a combat round; each
player and each adversary receives two standard actions. These standard actions cannot
be saved between rounds. While a combatant doesn’t need to take both actions, any
action not used is wasted.
Free actions exist in addition to standard actions; free actions are quick, easy things that
require minimal effort.
Combat Action Types

Standard Actions Free Actions
Engage an adversary Speaking to comrade
Move up to the combatant’s speed Open or close an unlocked door
Refresh an exhausted power Switch between carried weapons
Switch order in Initiative Stack with an ally
Force a locked door open
Desperation
Desperation climbs after every combatant has taken their turn. Increment it by one, up
to a maximum of Frantic (+4).
ENGAGEMENTS
Engagements are the mechanism through which combatants are able to damage each
other. To initiate an engagement, a combatant uses an attack power against a valid
target. The attacker combines this round’s Tier Dice roll, the power’s Score, and their
Roll Bonus to determine their total Force Score.
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The target of their aggression may then respond by making use of a counter or an
interrupt, so long as their Force Score meets or exceeds the initial attack. If the defender
employs a counter power, the attacker may react using an interrupt, following the same
rules as before. If the defender makes use of an interrupt, the engagement ends after
that power.
When the last power in an engagement is used, the final Force Scores are compared. The
combatant with the highest Force Score inflicts both its damage and effect on the loser.
In the event of a tie, both combatants apply their powers respective damages and effects
simultaneously.
Combat Power Interactions

May be Used Against
Power Type Adventurer Champion Legend
Attack Initiates engagement Initiates engagement Initiates engagement
Counter Attacks Attacks Attacks
+ Adv Counters + Ch/Adv Counters
Interrupt Attacks, Counters Attacks, Counters Attacks, Counters
+ Adv Interrupts + Ch Interrupts
Area of Effect
Some powers and other combat effects apply to an entire area rather than an individual
combatant. When this happens, the initiator proceeds as if there was only one
engagement taking place, employing the attack with the area of effect. All applicable
combatants may then respond, playing a counter or interrupt. When they completed
their response, the initiator may then respond in turn.
Unlike regular engagements, where the combatant must exceed the defender’s Force
Score, in this case, the initiator may elect to use a counter or interrupt that meets or
exceeds only a portion of the targets in the area. If this occurs, the adversaries that have
won inflict damage as per the rules for ranged engagement, and the adversaries who did
not beat the initiator suffer damage and effects as normal.
There are two shapes that an area of effect can take: Line and Zone. Area of effect
powers may also have a range. How these two properties interact is shown below.
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Line
Line 3, Range 0: Targeting an adversary Line 4, Range 2: Blocking an adversary
Zone
Zone 2, Range 0: Targeting combatants Zone 1, Range 3: Targeting an adversary
Charging Powers
While you’ll never use a combat power in a non-combat challenge (that would turn it
into a fight), when you are in a combat challenge, your non-combat powers can used as
chits to fuel certain abilities that your character possesses.
For example, the Rogue’s class feature says, in part: “When you have Edge, and are
wielding a light weapon, you may exhaust a non-combat power to double the damage of
the Interrupt.” The non-combat power acts to supercharge the attack, giving you a few
very damaging strikes that go above and beyond what your hero is normally capable of.
Don’t worry, you’ll get all of the powers you use back at the end of combat.
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Cover
At its most basic, cover provides protection from the attacks of adversaries, preventing
ranged foes from engaging. To determine whether a target is in cover from a particular
attacker, trace a line from any corner of the square in which the attacker resides to the
centre of the target’s square. If the path is uninterrupted, the attack can be made,
otherwise the target is protected any may not be attacked.
Attackers employing powers with an area of effect may still attack combatants behind
cover so long as there is a square outside of cover that will still include the targets inside
the area of effect. Cover will protect combatants if the originating square occurs on the
opposite side.
Cover also protects against weapons with reach in the same manner.
Determining Cover
Cover 1 - No Valid Path to Adversary Cover 2 - Valid Path to Adversary
Difficult Terrain
Most terrain in combat consumes one point of speed for every square traversed; a Speed
of six means that a hero may move six squares.
Difficult terrain, which can range from marshy ground to knee deep water to ground
strewn with rubble requires two points of Speed per square crossed.
Some difficult terrain will permit movement at full speed at a cost. Sharp caltrops may
permit moving at full speed at the price of suffering some damage.
Flanking
If the angle of two combatants who are adjacent to the same adversary is more than 90
degrees, the combatants are flanking the adversary, and both gain an Edge. If three or
more combatants flank the same adversary, all gain an Edge.
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Fury
In the event that a player’s Tier Dice roll is maximum possible (e.g. 12 on 2d6), the
player enters a Fury. If the player wins an engagement using the aforementioned Tier
Dice, he or she may exhaust an additional combat power, adding its damage (but not
effect). Fury persists for as long as the maximum is rolled on a Tier Dice. A maximum
achieved through Edge will still result in the character entering Fury.
Hazards
Hazards are a good way to make combat more interesting, while adding good tactical
choices for the combatants to capitalize upon. Hazards usually inflict damage, but this
doesn’t always have to be the case. A hazard could inflict a negative status or even just
convey disadvantage to those unlucky enough to be subject to it.
Hazards might be natural dangers, or they could be mechanical traps, and in all cases,
they should affect all combatants equally (which is to say that the heroes should have
just as much of a chance of driving adversaries into the hazard as they have of triggering
it themselves).
In most cases, it will be a good idea to illustrate the consequences of being affected by a
hazard before the players begin combat. For example, a fast-moving river zone that
drags anyone unlucky enough to be caught in its current could be highlighted by
describing the speed at which it drags flotsam downriver.
Reprisal
Combatants inflict an automatic 1 point of damage when an adversary they are engaged
with uses a move action that causes them to no longer be adjacent. Only one reprisal
may be made per adversary per round.
Ranged Combat
If one combatant engages another at range, the engagement unfolds as normal, with the
following caveats:
• The attacker must use ranged powers throughout the whole engagement; and
• The defender can use ranged or melee powers in response, but if a melee power is
used, the defender cannot do damage or apply any effects that target an
adversary; and,
• Minions using ranged attacks do not automatically die at the end of the
engagement.
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Short Rest
At the end of a combat challenge, the party make take a short rest; this serves to refresh
all of your powers (both combat and non-combat) and is an opportunity for you to heal
by spending some of your Reserve to refill HP (on a one-to-one basis). A short rest is
typically no more than 3-5 minutes long. A party may take a brief rest in almost any
environment, so long as they are not threatened or otherwise in danger.
When running a game, avoid the temptation to stack combat encounters without giving
the heroes a change to recharge.
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MASS-COMBAT CHALLENGES
WHAT IS A MASS-COMBAT CHALLENGE?

Mass-combat is an important aspect of the campaign arc and occupies an explicit part of
the chapter. Once the heroes have completed all the adventures in a campaign, consult
the campaign track: it will indicate whether mass battle is required to close out the
chapter.
When mass-combat occurs, fighting takes place between groups of soldiers called units.
Rather than fighting individually, the heroes become leaders, attaching themselves to
these units and granting advantages to their soldiers based on the hero’s class.
ORDER OF PLAY
1. Attach heroes to units
2. Arrange units on battlefield
3. Set Desperation to Composed
4. Battle
A. Assign each unit without a leader orders for phase one and two
B. Combat phase one
C. Combat phase two
D. Morale test
E. Increase Desperation
Combat Phase
1. Reveal orders
2. Attached heroes assign order
3. Resolve orders
4. Remove any unit that has 0hp or has left play area
THE MASS-COMBAT CHALLENGE

Attach Heroes
At the beginning of a mass combat, heroes can attach themselves to a unit, becoming a
leader. A leader grants their unit three distinct advantages.
First, the unit may determine a single order at the beginning of each combat phase
rather than determining both orders at the beginning of each combat round;
Second, the unit receives bonus power, based on their leader’s class, so long as the
leader remains attached to the unit; and,
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Third, the unit can never decrease below Shaken morale— such a unit will never break
in combat.
Hero Attachment Bonuses

CLASS BENEFIT
Rogue Devious: The attached unit is always considered to be flanking.
Oracle Vanguard: Act as leader to second unit, conveying morale and two-step order
benefits.
Knight Shock: Any unit defeated by the attached unit cannot increase its morale this turn.
Hedge Wizard Cunning: The attached unit ignores all penalties from difficult terrain.
Arrange Units on Battlefield

Determine a zone on the map in which each side will begin the Battle. Allow the heroes
to arrange the units on their side as they see fit. The zone should be large enough to
permit some freedom of movement.
Arranging the order of battle can be done in a number of different ways, depending on
what circumstance demands: for a knock-down fight, you and the players can take turns
placing units. If the forces of evil are marching on a fortification, you can make the
players position their forces first (be sure to give them a turn or two to reposition before
combat is fully joined). If the heroes are bringing the fight to the enemy, you can
position the forces of the adversary in advance, and let players arrange their soldiers in
response.
Set Desperation
Desperation begins every mass-combat at Composed (+1). At the end of each mass-
combat round, Desperation climbs one rank, until it reaches Frantic (+4).
COMBAT
Assign Orders
Every unit participating in mass-combat has access to a standard set of orders that they
can access during battle. At the beginning of each Battle round, both heroes and the GM
assign orders to all of their units that do not have a leader. Be sure to hide these orders
are from the opposite side; you’ll reveal them during later stages of the battle.
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Default Orders
ORDER RESULT
Attack Initiate an attack against a unit in range.
Move Move up to unit’s speed in spaces
Retreat Fall back two spaces, lose one morale
COMBAT PHASE
Reveal orders
At the beginning of the Combat Phase, both sides reveal the orders of all units on their
side.
Attached Heroes assign orders

After all unit orders have been revealed for a Combat Phase, determine orders for those
units with leaders.
Resolve orders
Once the hero-led units have orders assigned, it is time to resolve the turn. Following
the resolution order below (e.g. all units with the move order act first), each unit
undertakes it’s assigned orders.
When a unit has an attack order, it may attack any enemy unit within range. When this
occurs, both units roll their Attack Dice, factoring in any Advantage, Disadvantage, or
Edge that may be gained or lost from morale, terrain, weather, etc.
The winning unit inflicts its full damage on the loser, who in turn inflicts 1 point of
damage on the winner. If the unit that initiated the attack is victorious, the loser’s
morale degrades by one step. On a tie, both units inflict full damage, and both suffer
morale degradation.
Resolution order
Retreat Move Attack
Remove units
Any unit that has reached 0HP or has retreated to the border of the map is removed
from play. A unit removed in either manner cannot be returned to the battlefield.
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Morale Test
Morale measures the will of a unit to fight. It can ebb and flow in combat according to
the successes and failures experienced by the unit. When morale is high, a unit receives
bonuses to its combat effectiveness, and when morale is low, the unit suffers penalties.
When a unit's morale breaks, it will no longer engage in a battle and will instead use all
its actions to retreat from the battlefield. When retreating, a broken unit heads to the
closest edge of the map that is not blocked by enemy units.
To make a morale check, roll the morale dice as indicated, and compare to the chart
below.
Morale Roll
Roll Result Impact
2 Rout Immediately broken
3-4 Degrade Reduce morale by one step
5-10 Hold Morale unchanged
11+ Strengthen Increase morale by one step
Morale Levels
Morale Impact
Level
Fanatic Gain Advantage and Edge
Confident Gain Edge
Sturdy Nil.
Shaken Lose Edge
Broken Combat Ineffective; may only use
retreat action
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MISCELLANEOUS
Terrain
Varying the terrain upon which the battle takes place is an excellent way to make the
fight more interesting. In general, making mass-combat occur on featureless plains is
a bad idea (even if that’s where armies would typically prefer to do their fighting).
Many types of terrain influence units within them.
Terrain Type Impact
Plains Nil.
Hill Gain Edge against units not on Hills. Ranged units can fire one
additional space.
Forest Difficult terrain for mounted units, archers firing in or out suffer
disadvantage
Marsh Difficult terrain
Shallows Difficult terrain
Cliff Impassible terrain
River Impassible terrain
Weather
Much like terrain, weather changes conditions on the battlefield. Rather than individual
spaces having independent effects, a single type of weather applies to the whole combat.
Weather Type Impact
Clear Nil.
Rain Archers halve range
Snow Disadvantage for ranged units
Fog Disadvantage for ranged units
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Units
Some sample mass-combat units are detailed below.
LIGHT INFANTRY SKIRMISHERS
Attack Die 2d6 Attack Die 2d4
Morale 2d6 Morale 2d6
HP 8 HP 6
Range 1 Range 2
Damage 2 Damage 2
Special Special
Pursue: If the attack order is chosen No morale loss from retreat. May
and an adjacent enemy retreats, Light swap position with an allied unit if the
Infantry may move up to one space as switch puts the Skirmisher further
part of an attack order away from enemy
HEAVY INFANTRY
Attack Die 2d6
Morale 2d6
HP 10
Range 2
Damage 3
Special
Armoured Advance: Archers targeting

this unit suffer Disadvantage
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SETTING UP YOUR GAME
THE ROLE OF GM
Being the GM (game master) in Let Thrones Beware is akin to acting as a narrator or
guide, with a healthy dash of referee thrown in as well.
While each of the other players is responsible for portraying the thoughts and actions of
just their character, as GM you will play the role of everyone they encounter, describe
everything they see, and act as every adversary and challenge they must struggle to
overcome.
Yet Let Thrones Beware is not intended to be a zero-sum game of you versus them. As
the GM is responsible for interpreting the rules and presenting challenges, they can no
more ultimately defeat you than can a character in a book defeat its authour. And should
you, the GM, defeat the players, the game will be over.
Let Thrones Beware, like many roleplaying games, is best appreciated as a collaborative
story, in which all participants, player and GM alike, explore a shared world together.
Adversary vs. Advocate

As GM, there are two roles for you to take on. When the heroes not participating in a
challenge, but instead are exploring the world of Argohex, speaking with its inhabitants,
and uncovering its mysteries, your role is that of advocate. As advocate, your job is to
push the story forward and reveal adventure. This is not a hostile or combative role, and
you should act as a facilitator rather than a competitor.
When a challenge is initiated, whether it be combat or non-combat, your role is that of
adversary. During these portions of the game, your job is to compete ferociously with
the heroes. Let Thrones Beware is designed in such a way that so long as you adhere to
the challenge creation guidelines, you can play as aggressively as you like without
running risk of unbalanced opponents steamrolling the heroes. You'll find that acting as
an adversary will help make challenges more exciting for everyone.
One helpful hint: if you pretend as though every defeated adversary is grand defeat to
you personally, your players are sure to have a great time. Crying “oh no!” after one of
the foe’s has been taken out will almost always elicit high-fives from invested heroes.
YOUR GAME
There are two general ways to approach a new game of Let Thrones Beware as a GM.
Neither is the correct approach for every situation, and what works best for you may not
be right for others.
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1. Directed Game
The first approach is the directed game. With this approach, you as GM decide to run
the game, decide how closely (or not) it hews to the established setting, and decides
what the focus of the game will be (e.g. Completing a specific adventure, monster
hunting, etc.).
As you may have noticed, this approach relies on you as GM quite a bit. There's a lot
resting on your shoulders, but if you're organized and have willing participants, it's
straightforward to run.
The directed game is a great choice if you're looking to run a Play-by-Post game or
something in Slack, Discord, or Roll20 and you don't already have players lined up, as
the structure you provide will help move the game forward.
Pros Cons
Easy to structure, as you're the one with the plan Not everyone involved might fully buy in to the game
More straightforward to run, making online games Directed nature of game may not fully explore player
easier to manage characters (watch out for railroading)
You and the players may have different

expectations.
2. Collaborative Game
The second approach is the collaborative game. In this approach, you and a pre-existing
group collectively decide to run the game, and as a group, decide the themes it will
explore and the sort of world in which it will take place.
This approach, unlike a directed game, tends to involve a lot of back and forth between
players and the GM about how the game will unfold. What you expect and what they
players want may not coincidence, and you'll need to be ready for a lot of compromise
and arbitration.
The collaborative approach is a great choice if you're planning to run a game with people
you already know and play games with. The back and forth between participants as you
decide what's important to the game and what isn't, which can help everyone become
invested in seeing the adventure through.
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The Absolute Worst Thing in tabletop Gaming is watching the
light go out of a new player's eyes when the GM tells them
that 'no' they cannot do the Cool Thing.
Pros Cons
Being able to provide input and preferences can It can be difficult to achieve consensus about what
result in more invested players people find important about the game.
Collaborative imagination results in more fantastical

and interesting experiences
SESSION ZERO
No matter whether you choose to run a directed game, a collaborative one, or something
in between, one of the most important things you will need to do is hold a 'Session Zero.'
In this session, you will sit down as a group with your players and come to an agreement
about the rules of the game.
For the most part, this means finding consensus about tone; if Nadia is eager to assume
the identity of Thrax, vicious outlaw and murderer of innocents, while Avi is looking
forward to playing Y'lliioia, famed mediator of the Long Peace, it's likely that no-one is
going to get quite the game that they wanted.
Note that Let Thrones Beware is not a game about sexual peril, racism, or hate. You
won’t ever find these topics in published materials. While you are free to do what you
want at your own table, this is a game about hope and the struggle to rebuild the world.
The inclusion of these topics is strongly discouraged.
Some Things to Consider:

• Humorous or serious tone? • Are there topics that are out of
• A long campaign or short bounds?
adventure? • Are alcoholic drinks allowed at the
• A violent or PG-13 approach? table?
• How much narrative agency do the • How will you handle cellphones?
heroes have? • How will you handle player
• Sandbox game or directed absences?
adventures?
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HANDLING DISPUTES
It's almost a certainty that at some point, you will have to manage a dispute around the
table in your role as GM. Maybe two players aren't getting along. Perhaps Thrax has
murdered too many innocents and set too many fires.
Avoid the temptation to levy in-game punishment for disruptive behaviour and disputes.
Out of the game and away from the table, approach the people in question and solve the
problem person to person.
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RUNNING YOUR GAME
DECIDING WHAT TYPE OF GAME TO RUN

If it’s the first time your group has played the game, it’s best to start at the beginning of
the Tier, as fresh-faced adventurers, to give everyone a chance to learn how the system
works (this will help ensure that no-one gets overwhelmed by the available choices).
One-Shots and Short Adventures

Perfect if you’re looking for a game that lasts a single afternoon or evening, or something
that you and your friends can resolve in a single (or small number of) sessions(s).
Because characters in Let Thrones Beware are not as reliant on gear or magic items as
those in other games, they can easily be transplanted from table to table, taking part in
adventures with different groups. The one trick to smooth integration is to ensure that
all heroes are the same Tier.
Campaigns
Longer-term affairs, a campaign is made up of multiple adventures. This style of game
might take weeks or months to finish. A campaign features the same cast of heroes
throughout, so you'll want to make sure that the other players are ready to play a long-
term game.
CAMPAIGN ARC
Let Thrones Beware is designed with playing a linked series of adventures, known as a
campaign, in mind. Strung together like chapters in a book, a campaign chronicles the
efforts of a group of heroes fighting to restore Argohex. There’s nothing stopping you
from creating your own style of campaign, but the model outlined throughout this
chapter will serve you well if you’re looking for the Let Thrones Beware experience.
Each chapter of a campaign is composed of three related adventures focused around a
single threat; for example, if the Adventurer Tier’s threat is bandits, the heroes could
face a series of adventures about confronting the bandits menacing the village of Chael
Hollow, beginning with rescuing a survivor pursued by brigands and culminating with
defeating the bandit queen in her encampment.
The degree to which the heroes succeed at an adventure will influence the state of things
to come and the threat posed by the ultimate adversary. Each adventure they
successfully complete will bolster the community in which they temporarily reside in
advance of a final, climactic battle between the heroes and their allies and the minions
of the adversary, using the mass-combat rules.
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After the chapter’s final battle, the players finally deal with the adversary who’s been
running the show, dispatching the villain in a duel.
Sample Campaign Chapter Layout
Conclusion
• Mass-combat clash
• Duel between players and
Final Adventure adversary
• Update campaign track
• Bolster heroes' home base
• Milestone for players
Second Adventure
• Bolster heroes' home base
Introductory
Adventure
• Bolster heroes' home
base
Introductory Adventure
The first adventure is the perfect to introduce the heroes to their new environment, the
major players, and the nature of the threat that they will face down during the
campaign. If this is the first Let Thrones Beware adventure your group has played, this
adventure is where you’ll want to establish the tone and feel of the setting. If you’ve
completed a Tier and are moving into the next, this is the point at which you’ll want to
change player’s expectations, as they move from their comparatively small pond to the
larger lake in which they now find themselves.
Because each campaign tier culminates in a battle with an ultimate evil, it’s a good idea
to take some time to think about how you want to introduce the foe that the heroes will
confront. Almost any approach is a good one here: if the evil is the Bandit Queen, your
first adventure could begin by prominently highlighting her rampage through a
merchant caravan. Alternatively, the introduction could be subtler, with the players only
discovering hints that seemingly unconnected bandit attacks are linked together toward
the end of the adventure.
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Second Adventure
This adventure is where you make sure the heroes establish roots in the setting, build a
home for themselves, and form bonds and connections with the inhabitants of the land.
In this phase of the campaign chapter, you should raise the stakes, making the conflict
between the heroes and their adversary even more prominent.
Final Adventure
The final adventure of the campaign chapter should pit the heroes against a fully
realized threat.
In this adventure, the relationships the heroes have fostered in their community are put
at risk, and it is only through great feats can the party beat back the evil that threatens
everything.
Conclusion
The conclusion of your campaign arc is made up of three parts: The Battle, The Duel,
and Establishing the Next Chapter. In the Battle, the heroes marshal their allies and lead
them to war against the totality of the forces of evil. Following the Battle, the heroes
Duel the villain directly.
Triumphant Battle
Depending on their success during the campaign chapter so far, the triumph enjoyed by
the heroes after they have successfully completed the final adventure may be short-lived.
The position of the campaign track, detailed after this section, will indicate whether the
Battle is mandatory, optional, or not required at all.
If Battle is undertaken, rising from the ashes of defeat, the villain will bring together an
evil host and march upon the heroes. Faced with an entire army, the heroes will have to
rally those whom they have protected to defeat the evil horde.
The Battle makes use of the mass-combat rules, and the units to which the heroes have
access is determined by their success at adventuring and domain management, as
detailed in the Campaign Track, which is described in the next section.
Duel
Assuming the heroes emerge victorious in their pitched struggle against the forces of
evil, the enemy commander, their nemesis, will retreat, and it will be time for the heroes
to hunt down their foe and deal with the menace for once and for all.
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Should the heroes falter and suffer defeat on the battlefield, they can attempt a final
effort to turn the tide by seeking out the enemy commander. The forces of evil,
tenuously held together by iron will at the best of times, will shatter and withdraw
without a leader, allowing the heroes victory at great cost. Begin the duel with the heroes
fully rested and prepared; they’ll need all their abilities to take on the villain.
If the heroes are defeated in this duel, you have several options –
Did the heroes lose despite their best efforts? If your players are eager to keep playing,
one of the best ways to handle this is to transition to the next campaign chapter, but
start the chapter track one level lower than it would normally begin. For example, if the
Bandit Queen prevails, the next chapter track, featuring a corrupt Vizier in the Baron’s
court who gave the Bandit Queen her orders, would start with the Vizier significantly
more powerful than he would be had the heroes triumphed.
Did the heroes lose because the players are having trouble focusing? If interest in the
game is flagging, it might be time to wrap it up and start a new campaign, with new
heroes.
Establishing the Next Chapter

Finally, the conclusion of a chapter should introduce the next; for example, after
defeating the Bandit Queen and saving Chael Hollow, the heroes find evidence linking
her activities to a dangerous cult operating in the Gate of Thorns, which becomes the
focus of the Champion Tier.
Charting Progress with the Chapter Track

As the players progress through their campaign, it is inevitable that they will influence
the world, of Argohex, for better or worse. These changes are represented by the Chapter
Track, which indicates whether the region in which the campaign takes place is being
restored to an idyllic, peaceful existence, or instead being corrupted by malevolent
forces.
There are two components to a Chapter Track. The first describes how the player’s
cumulative efforts are changing the area and the second provides cumulative bonuses or
penalties based on their successes and failures.
Moving Along the Track

Adventurers begin at a relatively neutral position in the middle of the Chapter Track. At
the end of each adventure they undertake, their position on the track is incremented or
decremented. In the below example featuring the Bandit Queen, players initially find
themselves in a Deep Wood that is lousy with brigands. Depending on the success of
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their efforts, by the end of the Adventurer Tier, the Deep Wood will either be free of the
menace or plunged even further into the Bandit Queen’s grasp.
If the heroes win an adventure, they will advance one position on the Track (e.g. move
from position 2 to position 3). If the heroes are unsuccessful, they will decrease one
position on the Track.
Benefits
The benefits and penalties for moving along the Chapter Track are linked to the final
phase of a campaign tier: stronghold management. As you can see in the example below,
moving between positions on the track results in the construction (or destruction) of
enhancements, which allow the players to muster more (and more powerful) forces for
the chapter’s final showdown between good and evil.
In this example, those enhancements are buildings within the Refuge Village of Chael
Hollow; in the Champion Tier, enhancements represent the armouries and academies of
a kingdom; in the Legend Tier, enhancements equate to entire nations aligning
themselves with the heroes for a climactic battle.
Beyond their martial contributions, enhancements also provide players with additional
Influences at the beginning of every adventure.
Sample Chapter Track

Position Impact on Domain Benefits
1 The Bandit Queen controls the Deep Wood with an iron fist, 1 Enhancement
terrifying all who dwell within. Her minions raid villages, taking Battle required
what they want with impunity. Duel required
2 (Start) Even with heavily armed militia escorts, travel between villages 2 Enhancements
is virtually impossible. Battle required
Duel required
3 Bandits prey upon travelers in the Deep Wood. 3 Enhancements
Battle required
Duel required
4 The Deep Wood feels safer, and bandit raids are an infrequent 3 Enhancements, 1
occurrence. Advanced Enhancement
Battle optional
Duel required
5 The Bandit Queen’s power has been broken, her influence 4 Enhancements, 2
reduced to nothing. Advanced Enhancements
Battle optional
Duel optional
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ADVENTURE CYCLE
The basic structure of an adventure in Let Thrones Beware is three non-combat and
three combat challenges (in an order you feel is appropriate), each followed by a brief
rest, a long rest, and then a second set of three non-combat and three combat challenges
(again, in an order that works for the adventure). A victory lap caps this sequence, in
which the heroes can revisit those impacted by their adventure and bask in the glory of
their success.
Sample Adventure Layout

Introduction
Phase One Non-combat Non-combat Non-combat
challenge challenge challenge
Combat challenge Combat challenge Combat challenge
Long Rest
Non-combat Non-combat Non-combat
challenge challenge challenge
Combat challenge Combat challenge Combat challenge
Victory Lap
Winning an Adventure
While roleplaying in general doesn’t have a win condition (the only real goal is to have
fun), adventures themselves have a defined win condition; bandits driven off, the
missing caravan found, the walls defended against the terrors of the Wood.
Components of an Adventure
Every adventure is made up of components, which are described below. A proper mix of
these pieces, combined with opportunity to roleplay and interact with the residents and
denizens of your shared world will make the adventure feel organic and alive.
Introduction
Every adventure should begin with an introduction, in which you introduce the heroes
to the problem they must overcome. If your group is running a campaign that includes
domain management, this is the portion of the adventure where the heroes collect the
Influences that their domain generates. These Influences may be distributed amongst
the party as the heroes see fit.
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Non-Combat Challenge
These are obstacles the heroes must overcome that do not involve significant violence.
Non-combat challenges can be social, physical, or knowledge-based, or a combination
thereof. In this type of challenge, you will be employing Obstacles, Wrinkles, and
Setbacks against the player’s non-combat powers as they struggle to reduce the
challenge’s health before the challenge’s time limit runs out. You will learn more about
running non-combat challenges in the Running a Game chapter.
Combat Challenge
These obstacles must be resolved through conflict and violence. The heroes do not need
to slay all their opponents, but they must triumph in the fight. Adversaries can be
defeated or driven off and are defeated when their HP is reduced to zero. You will learn
more about running combat challenges in the Running a Game chapter.
Victory Lap
Not every adventure needs a victory lap, but if your players want to bask in their success
before embarking on another adventure, then this is the place to do it. At a minimum,
consult the campaign track and use the description of new position to convey how things
have developed.
Maybe the players run into several villagers they rescued earlier in the adventure.
Perhaps they meet with the noble who sent them on the quest. An acquaintance could
show them of the positive changes that are taking place as a result of their actions. No
matter how it occurs, your players should have an opportunity to see the benefits their
actions have brought.
Of course, if the heroes weren’t successful in their quest, things will also change, but in
this case, for the worse. This can be great motivation for the party to buckle down and
set things right in their next adventure.
Brief Rests
Brief rests present an opportunity for the heroes to recover following a tough challenge.
A brief rest is not more than a few minutes long, and the heroes taking one shouldn’t
impede the course or flow of an adventure.
Brief rests are important for two main reasons:
1. They allow players to transfer points from Reserve to HP at will, allowing them to
heal as much as is desired; and
2. They allow players to refresh all their exhausted powers.
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Long Rests
In an adventure of standard length, Players should not have more than one long rest;
any more and the game risks losing its challenge. Long rests are important for three
reasons:
1. They allow players to refill their HP and their Reserve to maximum;
2. They allow players to refresh all their exhausted powers; and
3. They clear any wounds that have been accumulated over the course of the
adventure.
Allowing the heroes more than one long rest for every three combat encounters they
complete will off-balance an adventure, potentially making it much less challenging to
complete than it otherwise should be. Forcing the heroes to enjoy fewer long rests than
one every three combats will make any adventure significantly more difficult.
Rewards
Let Thrones Beware abstracts wealth and other forms of treasure into the Influence
system, which provides discrete bonuses that players can employ during non-combat
challenges.
A rewards schedule has not yet been determined. For now, they can be doled out at or
somewhat above replacement rate, so that the heroes gradually build up a stockpile. As
GM, you should never design a challenge that requires or assumes Influences will be
used. They always exist as a bonus above and beyond the feats for which the heroes are
regularly capable.
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Examples of Research
•Dropped journal
•Ancient scroll
•Overhead rumour
Examples of Contact
•Rescued hostage
•Endebted aristocrat
•Family friend
Examples of Inventory
•Mysterious key
•Map of safe passage
•Glittering bribe
MISCELLANEOUS
Roleplaying, Virtues, and Flaws
During character creation, each player will have selected three virtues and the flaws that
their character possesses. Take careful note of these choices, and when a player does a
particularly good job of portraying one such facet, award them either a Virtue Track
point or a Flaw Track point, as appropriate.
When a player has completed both tracks (three of each, don't let them mix and match),
they have earned a Refresh point, which can be used at the beginning of any combat or
non-combat round to refresh an additional, player-selected power.
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
One-Shot Adventures
If you are playing a single adventure, there’s no need to worry about advancement;
decide as a group where to start, have the players create their characters at that
milestone, and play through from there.
Campaigns
Many pen and paper games provide experience point rewards for accomplishing tasks
and slaying monsters. Let Thrones Beware eschews this discrete reward system in
favour of whole-of-adventure advancement. Put simply, surviving heroes advance in
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capability at the end of an adventure, and are promoted to the next Tier at the end of
every campaign Chapter.
A normally-paced campaign of Let Thrones Beware consists of three adventures per
campaign chapter, with a milestone promotion at the end of each adventure. A lighting-
quick game might compress things to only one adventure per campaign chapter, with a
full Tier promotion following every adventure. An extended campaign could extend each
chapter to nine adventures per Tier, with a milestone promotion occurring only every
third adventure. You should feel free to pace your own campaigns as you see fit, but try
to maintain consistency between chapter durations.
This playtest includes content for the Adventurer Tier, which is enough for three
milestones. Subsequent playtests will include advancement for the Champion and
Legend tiers, as well as advice on structuring lengthy campaigns.
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DOMAIN MANAGEMENT
In a campaign game, as the heroes progress through the campaign and make their mark
on the world, the campaign track will advance or recede, based on their success or
failure. Every modification of the track brings with it a change in the setting. For
example, as the heroes gradually thwart the efforts of the Bandit Queen, the refuge
village of Chael Hollow will grow and prosper.
Domain management is the practical side of this system. Each section of the campaign
track will indicate the number of enhancements and advanced enhancements that the
home base includes. Enhancements generate Influences which may be claimed by the
party at the beginning of every new adventure. Enhancements also contribute to mass-
combat unit budgets.
After each advance of the campaign track, allow the heroes to select which additional
enhancement they would like to add to the domain. Similarly, if the campaign track
regresses, allow the heroes to select which enhancement is lost. The heroes may only
select enhancements of their current tier.
Note that as with all mechanical aspects of Let Thrones Beware, you should feel free to
refluff the enhancements to more properly suit your campaign.
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ADVENTURER TIER
Enhancements
Palisade Inn
Type Enhancement Type Enhancement
Cost Cost
• Provides 2 points of units. • Provides 1 point of units.
• Provides 1 Social Influence to
the party at the beginning of
each adventure.
Advanced Enhancements
Militia Barracks Stables
Type Advanced Type Advanced
Enhancement Enhancement
Cost Cost
• Provides 4 points of units. • Provides 1 unit of cavalry.
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ENGAGING WITH THE MECHANICS
THE DICE
Using Advantage, Disadvantage, and Edge
Dice mechanics in Let Thrones Beware make the game more exciting; allowing the
players to manipulate combat and non-combat situations to maximize their results leads
to enjoyment and engagement with the game.
You might be tempted to try and curtail this manipulation by limiting how often the
players are able to secure Advantage or Edge. This is understandable, but you’ll find that
you and the players have more fun if you fight fire with fire. Maneuver adversaries into
advantageous positions, make judicious use of their combat powers, and you will find
that challenges become both more enjoyable and more involved.
Advantage and Disadvantage will come from sources that affect the next round. Gaining
and Losing an Edge will primarily be generated by situational circumstances that affect
the current round.
The Second Worst Thing is watching the new player realize

that to do the Cool Thing, they’re going to have to roll a
handful of checks and if any come up low, they will fail the
whole affair and be worse off than if they'd never tried to do
anything fun or interesting in the first place.
RESPONDING TO THE PLAYER

On balance, you should always aim to accommodate player desire to do try innovative
and exciting things. Saying “no, you can’t,” or requiring the player to conduct an
elaborate series of rolls with an ever-diminishing chance of success just to gain a
marginal benefit isn’t conducive to a fun game.
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THE DEEP WOOD
Given the paucity of Man's presence in the Deep Wood, it was only natural that
cataclysm which was his undoing sent the races of Argohex hurrying for shelter under
its foreboding canopy. Though it was the Cabeiri that Man first ripped from forests
centuries ago, the flood of refugees encompassed all those who were close enough to
reach the massive trunks of the Wood before the lands of Man were completely
consumed by the conflagration that brought low his kingdom. Insectoid, Dactyl,
Ipotane, and Cabeiri, all released from the domineering hand of Man, found themselves
alone in an isolated and primeval land. While freed, their civilizations and cultures had
been lain to waste, and all found themselves facing the daunting prospect of forging a
new destiny in a strange and unfamiliar place.
Spirits buoyed by their freedom, the refugees set about claiming the Deep Wood.
Sprawling settlements were established, open to all those that desired to make a home
for themselves. It was not an easy life; food, tools, and comfort were in short supply, but
compared to the atrocities that came before, it was good living. Sadly, hope of a tranquil
existence was short-lived. While there was little internecine violence between the
refugees, they soon discovered that Man had avoided the Wood with good reason. The
Deep Wood, remote and isolated, had never been cultivated by the Cabeiri, and in their
absence, darker, more insidious forces had taken hold. The presence which lurked
behind the trees fed off the Cataclysm, and its hunger was to be insatiable.
Absent the threat of Man, the refugees had given scant thought to protection, and the
communities which they had founded were largely indefensible. When the Deep Wood
first was inundated by fog, they thought little of it, even when the concealing vapour
lingered, refusing to dissipate for weeks at a time. Wild animals were blamed for the
first disappearances, as was getting lost in the mist, but as the vanishings increased in
both number and frequency, it became clear that something more insidious was at work.
The first walls were erected shortly after the fifteenth year, a too-late response to the
realization of the true threat. In what is known as the First Reaping, Watcher’s Redoubt,
a 300-person farming community saw its population cut by a third in a single night.
Thatched roofs staved in and doors shattered, the town saw its populace reduced by a
third in a single night of carnage and bloodshed. It was only then that the true nature of
the Deep Wood was realized. With haste, the survivors constructed rudimentary
defences; wooden palisades, shallow trenches, and rickety towers went up across the
hamlets and villages of the Deep Wood.
140
In time, a connection was made between the attacks and the thick, rolling fog that
blanketed the forest; when the fog receded, so too did the savage slaughter of anyone
who dared venture into the trees abate. When the fog poured back from between the
trees, it meant certain doom for anyone unlucky enough to remain outside the relative
safety of the refuge villages. The times without fog, the longest of which occurred like
clockwork at the end of each season, came to be known as the Passage.
During these respites, merchants and peddlers took to plying their trade between the
refuge villages, performing a vital service at tremendous personal risk. As years churned
by, trade between the villages increased, and the Passage gradually took on shades of
ritual. The scourge of bandits has grown in recent years, and merchants have begun to
band together in caravans for safety.
141
BUILDING NON-COMBAT ENCOUNTERS
BUILDING A NON-COMBAT ENCOUNTER

Select a challenge type (physical, social, knowledge) and determine whether the
challenge is an individual one or applies to the whole group.
After the players have mapped out their approach in the planning phase, select an
appropriate difficulty for each component of task.
If the players are reacting to an event you have initiated as GM, lead with an Obstacle. If
the players have been proactive, they will initiate with Acts and you will respond with
wrinkles and setbacks.
Details on the difficulty of individual obstacles are found on page 99, in Obstacle
Difficulty.
Escape the Woods

The party has escaped a brigand ambush in the Deep Wood and must escort a group of
survivors to the sanctuary of a nearby refuge village. The players have decided that they
will try to escape by incapacitating the brigands by poisoning the food in their camp –
they will have to gather ingredients, manufacture the toxin, and then sneak into camp
and poison the food.
Distract patrols
Find ingredients in Manufacture the (Moderate) Poison the food and
the Deep Wood poison escape
(Simple) (Moderate) Sneak into camp (Challenging)
(Moderate)
DIFFICULTY Medium (five heroes), Hard (<3 heroes)
# OF SUCCESS OUTCOME
5 The heroes successfully disable the pursuing bandits, sneaking into
Full success their camp and spiking food with an incapacitating poison. They are
able to escape the Deep Wood without further trouble.
2 – 4 The heroes manage to disable a number of pursuing bandits but are
Success with consequences unable to fully evade. In the ensuing chase, the heroes lose 2
Influences and one of the merchants is slain.
0 – 1 The heroes bungle their attempt to incapacitate the brigands are
Failure unable to throw their pursuers. They must fight a patrol of brigand
Marauders in order to escape
142
BUILDING COMBAT ENCOUNTERS
BUILDING A COMBAT ENCOUNTER

Interesting combat encounters are made up of a combination of terrain, hazards,
adversaries, and placement.
Terrain
To build an encounter, first sketch out the terrain of a battlefield, being sure to include
areas of cover and difficult terrain. If you don’t already have an encounter map drawn
up, it can be a good idea to recruit your players into assisting you by drawing the set-
pieces you direct them to add (you don’t need to be too concerned about the possibility
of your players intentionally unbalancing the map, as you’ll dictate where everyone will
start play).
Hazards
Next, add hazards as appropriate. To ensure that combats are dynamic and memorable,
each battlefield should have one obvious hazard type that will impact all combatants in
the event that it is triggered.
Adversaries
Once you have positioned hazards, the next step is to add opponents. To field a balanced
encounter, employ one Standard and one Minion adversary per hero. One Commander
can be fielded per combat, taking the place of one Standard opponent.
Placement
With opposition selected, the final step is to place all combatants on the field. As GM,
you will position each adversary and provide the players with a general area, based on
the play that preceded, where they can position their heroes.
143
ADVERSARIES
Sample Adversary
Description
Each adversary includes a short description to let you know the sort of menace the
players are up against. Included in this description is an overview of how the adversary
reacts to combat based on Desperation; when Desperation reaches a level denoted by
the guide, change its fighting style.
144
Tier
Tier describes the Tier Dice that the adversary uses; when designing combat encounters,
enemies should always be of the same Tier as the heroes. Otherwise, your encounter will
either be too difficult or too easy for the players, resulting in frustration or boredom.
Type Description
Minion • Minions are a weaker adversary type that don’t pose a significant
threat to heroes. For a properly balanced fight, include one Minion for
each hero in combat.
• Use three minions in place of a single Standard adversary to add
numbers to a fight.
• A minion dies if:
o It is damaged by any hero power or environmental affect; or
o It completes a melee engagement with a hero;
• Minions have a special Commanded power that they may use as a
free action when (and only when) they receive a Command order.
• Using a Commanded power in an engagement means that the Minion
only dies if the Hero inflicts damage.
Standard • Standard foes are the regular adversary type. For a properly balanced
fight, use a single standard adversary for each Hero in combat.
• Standard adversaries have no special properties.
Commander • Commanders are heavily protected, robust adversaries that present

real challenges for heroes. You should use no more than one
Commander in a fight, otherwise you risk overwhelming the heroes.
• Commanders replace one Standard Adversary when deployed.
• Once per round as a free action, Commanders can issue a Command
to a single Minion.
Mythic • Mythic foes are special adversaries that cannot be slain or defeated
until the Heroes undertake a series of special quests to weaken them.
• Mythic Foes reroll their Tier Dice at the beginning of every
engagement.
HP
The total number of hit points that the adversary has. If these are depleted, the
adversary is knocked out of the fight (either unconscious or dead, as per the player’s
desire).
Resistance
Resistance functions in the same manner as it does for the players; adversaries will
always choose to apply suffered damage to Resistance rather than hit points. Any
damage that exceeds an adversary’s resistance is applied directly to hit points.
145
QUICK TIPS
Initiative
To save time, initiative should be rolled by adversary category rather Edge
Unlike heroes, adversaries
than for each individual adversary. always use the same Edge
value. Desperation affects
them by changing the nature
of their attacks instead of
Hard and Easy Saves increasing their Force
Hard and easy saves are called for in order to throw off negative Scores.
effects applied by hero powers. Roll for each afflicted adversary This makes adversaries
individually, but only make one roll. Even if both hard and easy more dangerous when they
saves are required for the same combatant at the same time, only hit and helps keep combat
short.
make one roll, and apply modifiers as appropriate.
Edge
If an adversary gains or loses Edge, add or subtract this modifier from its roll.
Powers
Unlike hero powers, adversaries refresh all of their combat powers at the beginning of
each combat round. Most powers are modified by Desperation; as it increases, make
sure to check and see how the power is affected.
Tactic
Every adversary has a tactic which is common to its grouping; the tactic is always
available, though it may require certain conditions to be true in order to be employed.
Strategy
The most common enemy group in a conflict provides the encounter’s strategy power for
adversaries. This power is usable by all adversaries in the conflict, whether or not their
grouping matches that of the type that provided the strategy power (i.e. criminals are
able to make use of the Brigand strategy power if that strategy is the one in play).
Habitat
This describes where the adversary group is commonly found.
146
BRIGAND
Few in the Deep Wood are more reviled than Brigands. Their predatory raids upon
travelers hurrying between refuge villages during the Passage mean that only those rich
enough to hire protection are assured of a safe journey.
Brigand activity disrupts trade, depriving the denizens of the Deep Wood of badly
needed tools and medicines, inflicting an artificial scarcity upon already deprived
peoples. Though there are many bands active within the Deep Wood, they are generally
unaffiliated, and fierce fighting is the typical outcome when two groups encounter each
other on the gloomy paths.
Habitat
At the time of the Passage, Brigands depart from their unassuming lives in the refuge
villages and make their way into the Deep Wood. There, far from the homes where they
would be recognized, they reunite with their vicious comrades-in-arms and wage a
terrible war upon the travelers who brave the forest. As the Passage draws to a close,
Brigand groups dissolve, members heading home to enjoy ill-gotten gains and sell the
spoils at exorbitant prices.
Tactic Strategy
(All Brigands) (Brigand is the most numerous adversary type)
Strike and fade: Move after successful Encirclement: In the Deep Wood, adversaries who
engagement. move off of one side of the map may reappear on
the opposite side.
147
Hatchet
ADVENTURER TIER The Hatchet is a timid foe
SKIRMISHER MINION whose ability rests in large
part upon the commands of a
Tier Dice 2d6 Initiative +0
more experienced leader.
HP Minion Hard Save -1
Resistance Minion Easy Save +1
Speed 6 Edge +1 Respond with lowest Force
Score first, counter before
interrupt.
Respond with highest Force
Score first, interrupt first
TENTATIVE STRIKE SHIFTY PARRY

Type Melee Versatile Type Melee Counter
Force Score -2 Force Score 0
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0* Range 0*
Damage 1 Damage 1
1 Damage 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
LOBBED AXE
Type Free Action, Ranged Attack
Force Score -2
Reach 1
Range 10*
Damage 1
Range 10
Range 8
Range 5
Range 3, Damage 2
COMMANDED
148
Marauder
ADVENTURER TIER The Marauder is a violent and
STANDARD ATTACKER brutish brigand who relies on
raw physical strength to win the
HP 3 Hard Save +1 day. Arrogant and
Resistance 2 Easy Save +3 overconfident, the Marauder won’t
Speed 6 Edge +1 recognize a losing situation until it’s too
late.
Respond with lowest Force
interrupt.
CUTTING SPIKE FORCEFUL BLOW
Type Melee Versatile Type Melee Attack
Force Score 0 Force Score 2
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 1
Nil. Knockback 1
2 Damage Knockback 2
2 Damage Knockback 1, Prone
BRUTAL SLASH
Type Melee Counter
Force Score 4
Reach 1
Range 0
Damage 1
Bleed (1), Easy save
Bleed (1), Hard save
2 Damage, Bleed (1), Easy save
2 Damage, Bleed (1), Hard save
149
Knife
ADVENTURER TIER The Knife is a cautious fighter
STANDARD RANGED ATTACKER who prefers to do battle from a
distance. Only when
HP 2 Hard Save +1 circumstances grow dire will a
Resistance 3 Easy Save +3 Knife close the distance.
Speed 6 Edge +1
Respond with lowest Force
interrupt.
AGGRESSIVE STAB HURTLING BLADE
Type Melee Versatile Type Ranged Attack
Reach 1 Reach 0
Range 0 Range 10*
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Nil. Nil.
2 Damage Range 8
2 Damage Range 6, Damage 2
FIREPOT
Type Ranged Attack, Zone 1*
Force Score 1
Reach 0
Range 5*
Damage 1
Nil.
Zone 2
Zone 3, Range 4
Zone 2, Range 3
150
Sargent
ADVENTURER TIER The Sargent is a powerful and
COMMANDER experienced tactician who is
well versed at leading from the
HP 4 Hard Save +3 front line.
Resistance 6 Easy Save +5
Speed 6 Edge +2 Respond with lowest Force
interrupt.
PROBING FEINT FORCEFUL BLOW
Type Melee Versatile Type Melee Interrupt
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 2
Nil. Knockback 1
2 Damage Knockback 1, prone
3 Damage Knockback 2, prone
GUTTING SLICE BLOODTHIRSTY DIRECTION

Type Melee Attack Type Move
Force Score 2 Force Score Nil.
Reach 1 Reach Nil.
Range 0 Range 5
Damage 1 Damage Nil.
Bleed (1), Easy save Spawn 1 Hatchet in Zone 3
Bleed (1), Hard save Spawn 2 Hatchets in Zone 3
2 Damage, Bleed (1), Easy save Spawn 2 Hatchets in Zone 3
2 Damage, Bleed (1), Hard save Spawn 3 Hatchets in Zone 3
151
CONDEMNED
Within the refuge villages nestled in the Deep Wood, parents tell their children fables to
emphasize the danger of venturing into the forest. One such tale is of the condemned,
travelers who lose their way and, unable to reach safety are warped by the corruption of
the Wood, transforming into mockeries of their former selves. Stripped of free will and
seemingly mindless, these unfortunate souls are doomed to spend the rest of their days
stalking the forest, preying on those foolish enough to venture into the trees.
Rarely encountered, when shrouded in darkness and seen at a distance the Condemned
resemble their former selves. Mutterings and gibbering echoing through the trees passes
as spoken word to those on the road as a group of Condemned trudges forward. Only
when they draw near to unsuspecting travelers is their horror revealed. Melted flesh and
twisted visages stare out from under grimy rags. Hooked talons glisten, ichor splatters,
and the ranks of the Condemned swell ever larger.
Habitat
Stories say that the Condemned reside within the Deep Wood, far from the paths and
trails that, if followed, would have taken the unfortunate people to safety before the
corruption took hold. The same stories describe the Condemned as solitary boogeymen
as solitary creatures; that the heroes encounter groups of Condemned should be as
concerning as the violence they bring.
Tactic Strategy
(All Condemned) (Condemned is the most numerous adversary type)
Form the line: Any Condemned which is occupying Corruption encroaches: Any non-minion adversary
a space in which it cannot be seen by any hero may that has succeeded a morale check in this combat
move to any equally hidden space as part of a Move reduces a hero’s Resistance by an additional 1 point
action. whenever they win an engagement. If the hero’s
Resistance is already at 0, this does not carry
through to HP damage.
152
Broken
ADVENTURER TIER Mindless and directionless, the
SKIRMISHER MINION Broken is a lost soul whose
disturbing visage and
Tier Dice 2d6 Initiative +0 surprisingly quick steps make
HP Minion Hard Save -1 it a dangerous foe.
Speed 7 Edge +1
Attack nearest hero.
Attack closest injured hero.
GRASPING TALON SQUELCHING LUNGE

Force Score -2 Force Score -2
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 2*
Nil. Nil.
Halve target movement until end of Move before attack, 1 Damage

their next turn
Halve target movement (easy save Move before attack, 2 Damage
ends)
Halve target movement (hard save Move before attack, 1 Damage
ends)
HORRIFYING BURST
Type Free Action, Zone 1* Attack
Force Score -1
Reach 0
Range 0
Damage 1
Nil.
Zone 1, Knockback 1
Zone 1, Knockback 1, Prone
Zone 2
COMMANDED
153
Wretched
ADVENTURER TIER The Wretched is a stout jumble
STANDARD ATTACKER of melted limbs and twisted
features. Clusters of teeth break
HP 2 Hard Save +1 the skin like scales, and ichor
Resistance 3 Easy Save +3 trips from slavering jaws.
Speed 6 Edge +1
Attack nearest hero.
Attack nearest injured hero.
SCYTHING CLAW BALEFUL TEAR

Type Melee Versatile Type Melee Interrupt
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1 Damage 1
Nil. Nil.
Nil Nil
Nil Nil
Nil Nil
RAVENOUS MAW
Type Melee Attack
Force Score 2
Reach 1
Range 0
Damage 1
Nil.
Nil
Nil
Nil
154
Shattered
ADVENTURER TIER Covered in jagged, barbed
STANDARD RANGED ATTACKER spikes, the Shattered
malevolently observes its
HP 2 Hard Save +1 victims with too many eyes.
Speed 6 Edge +1 Attack nearest hero.
Attack nearest injured hero.
CHARTERING LASH LANCING QUILL

Reach 2 Reach 0
Range 0 Range 10*
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Nil. Nil.
Range 8 Range 8
Range 6, Damage 2 Range 6, Damage 2
Range 4, Damage 2 Range 4, Damage 2
OOZING BURST
Type Melee Attack, Zone 1*
Force Score 2
Reach 0
Range 0
Damage 1*
Nil.
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 2, 2 Damage
155
Vile
ADVENTURER TIER The Vile is impossibly strong
COMMANDER and preternaturally quick.
Horribly misshapen, its
HP 4 Hard Save +3 formerly sentience is barely recognizable.
Speed 6 Edge +2 Spawn Broken and attack as
many heroes as possible
Focus on killing one hero at a
time.
FEROCIOUS BRUTALITY EXSANGUINATION

Type Melee Versatile Type Melee Attack, Line 3
Reach 1 Reach 0
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 2* Damage 2*
Nil. Nil.
2 Damage Drain (1), Easy save prevents
2 Damage Drain (1), Hard save prevents
2 Damage Drain (1)
CRUNCHING BITE EXTIRPATION

Type Melee Attack Type Move, Zone 3
Reach 1 Reach Nil.
Range 0 Range 5*
Move 3 spaces before attack, Spawn 1 Broken
Knockback 1
Move 3 spaces before attack, Spawn 2 Broken
Knockback 2
Move 3 spaces before attack, Consume 1 Broken to gain Edge for
Knockback 1, Prone this round on all Engagements
Move 3 spaces before attack, Consume 2 Broken to gain Edge for
Knockback 2, Prone this round on all Engagements
156
CULT OF MAN
Though the Kingdom of Man is a dead slaver empire and despite the fact that humanity
is long extinct, there exist secretive groups that seeks to discover the vile magics
harnessed by the Kingdom to further their own goals. Venerating relics, unholy artifacts,
and the bones of the dead, the Cult of Man seeks to uncover ancient secrets that hint at
unleashing untold power. Where they are successful, death, destruction, and misery
follow as they employ Man's evil to advance their own goals at a tragic cost.
The Cult is a secretive, underground organization; were knowledge of its intent and
activities to become widely known, it would surely be rooted out and it’s members
hunted to the last. Despite this, the Cult is a far-flung, organized institution with
members all throughout the Deep Wood. Many within the Cult simply seek power at any
cost, ignorantly believing that they can harness Man's magic and bend it to their will.
Unbeknown to most, there exists an inner circle that desires to usher in a return of the
Kingdom of Man. This cabal believes that the order imposed by humanity upon the
world outweighed the great cost in lives and suffering, and incorrectly imagines that
should the empire return, it would lavish them with riches for their part in its
restoration.
Habitat
The Cult of Man is spread throughout the Deep Wood. It has no holdings or
fortifications, relying instead upon secretive meetings in remote locations. Its members
live unassuming lives, disguising themselves as regular inhabitants, recognizing each
other by coded signals.
Tactic Strategy
(All Cult of Man) (Cult of Man is the most numerous adversary type)
Zeal: When defeated, a Cultist may exhaust one Relic: Once a turn as a free action, a commander
attack power to deal a point of damage an adjacent may sacrifice a minion to refresh all the powers of a
adversary. single adversary.
157
Devoted
ADVENTURER TIER The Devoted are weak of mind,
SKIRMISHER MINION of body, of faith. It is only
through great sacrifice, they are
HP Minion Hard Save -1 told, that they will achieve glory.
Speed 7 Edge +1 The Devoted will accompany
standard adversaries
Charge the heroes with reckless
abandon
ECSTATIC CUT RAPTOROUS KNIFE

Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Nil. 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
FERVENT GRENADE
Type Free Action, Zone 1 Attack
Force Score -1
Reach 0
Range 0
Damage 1
Knockback 1
Move 3, 1 Damage
Move 7, 1 Damage, Knockback 1
Move 7, 2 Damage, Zone 2
COMMANDED
Fervent Grenade Kills Devoted at end of
engagement
158
Fanatic
ADVENTURER TIER The Fanatic lives for a solitary
STANDARD ATTACKER purpose. The creation of a
second Kingdom of Man. All
HP 2 Hard Save +1 those who would interfere must
Resistance 3 Easy Save +3 be eliminated. No threat is too small.
Speed 6 Edge +1
The Fanatic will close to the
nearest hero and attack.
The Fanatic will push between
heroes and attack multiple
targets with Frenetic Mauling
HATEFUL STAB BALEFUL RIPOSTE
Type Melee Attack Type Melee Counter
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Knockback 1 Knockback 1
1 Damage 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
FRENETIC MAULING
Type Melee Attack, Zone 1
Force Score 2
Reach 0
Range 0
Damage 1
Knockback 1
1 Damage
1 Damage
2 Damage
159
Acolyte
ADVENTURER TIER Cold fury and hatred sustain the
STANDARD RANGED ATTACKER Acolyte, whose life is entirely
subsumed by the crack of the
HP 2 Hard Save +1 lash and the seductive,
Resistance 3 Easy Save +3 corrupting power of the Kingdom.
Speed 6 Edge +1
The Acolyte will hide behind
other adversaries to attack the
heroes
The Acolyte will attack at range,
no matter what combatants are
affected
WHIPCRACK LASHING WHIP
Reach 1 Reach 0
Range 2 Range 2
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Knockback 1 Nil.
1 Damage Range 8
THE PENITENT
Type Melee Attack, Zone 1*
Force Score 2
Reach 0
Range 2*
Damage 1
Nil.
Zone 2
Zone 2, Range 4
Zone 2, Range 5
160
Prophet
ADVENTURER TIER The Prophets know all too well
COMMANDER the danger posed by the
Kingdom, and yet they
HP 4 Hard Save +3 ceaselessly toil to bring about the return
Resistance 3 Easy Save +5 of Man, certain in their belief that they
Speed 6 Edge +2 shall be rewarded.
Drain health of adversaries
and increase Resistance
Reinforce battlefield
Spawn Devoted
SACRED VIOLENCE HOLY MIGHT

Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 2* Damage 2
Nil. Knockback 1
FANATIC’S BLADE PRAYER OF MAN

Type Ranged Attack Type Move, Zone 1
Reach 0 Reach Nil.
Range 10 Range Nil.*
Bleed (1), easy save Drain 1 health from an adjacent ally
and restore 1 Prophet Resistance
Bleed (1), hard save Drain 1 health from an adjacent ally
and restore 2 Prophet Resistance
2 Damage, Bleed (1), easy save Spawn 2 Devoted, Range 5
2 Damage, Bleed (1), hard save Spawn 3 Devoted, Range 5
161
MILITIA
Protection in the Deep Wood falls to the unorganized, undisciplined militias that each
refuge village is able to independently muster. There is neither common training
regimen nor leadership, and each community does the best that it is able to manage.
Militias are generally rowdy, poorly trained, and boisterous. They can be as corrupt and
dangerous as the brigands and criminals they purport to stand against.
Belonging to a militia imparts status and prestige; though the typical militia is no larger
than two dozen individuals, there is no shortage of volunteers who are eager to prove
their mettle and reap the rewards of service. Answering to the local Burgomeister, it is
not uncommon for a militia to be employed to further personal power rather than
defend the village.
Habitat
A militia is mustered within a refuge village, and it is rare that one ventures far afield.
Tactic Strategy
(All Militia) (Militia is the most numerous adversary type)
Form the line: Not subject to forced movement Redouble: As long as a Commander is alive, one
when adjacent to an ally. combatant gets an additional turn each round.
162
Footguard
ADVENTURER TIER The footguard is poorly-trained
SKIRMISHER MINION and ill-prepared for violence.
Only when directed by
HP Minion Hard Save -1 experienced soldiers will they pose a
Resistance Minion Easy Save +1 threat.
Speed 7 Edge +1
If not adjacent to an ally, one
action must be spent to move
toward friendly units.
Move towards Commander, if
still on the field.
NERVOUS PROD WEAK SLASH

Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Nil. 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
ORDERED HURL
Type Free Action, Zone 2 Attack
Force Score -1
Reach 0
Range 0
Damage 1
Knockback 1
1 Damage
1 Damage
2 Damage
COMMANDED
163
Halberdier
ADVENTURER TIER The Halberdier is a trained and
STANDARD ATTACKER hardy soldier who is more than
happy to face down danger with
HP 2 Hard Save +1 one foot of steel and seven of
Resistance 3 Easy Save +3 wood.
Speed 6 Edge +1
If not adjacent to an ally, one
action must be spent to move
toward friendly units.
Move towards Standard unit, if
still on the field.
HALBERD THRUST HALBERD PARRY
Type Melee Attack Type Melee Counter
Reach 2 Reach 2
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Knockback 1 Knockback 1
1 Damage 1 Damage
1 Damage 1 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
HALBERD RUSH
Type Melee Attack, Line 4
Force Score 2
Reach 0
Range 0
Damage 1
Knockback 1
1 Damage
1 Damage
2 Damage
164
Archer
ADVENTURER TIER Cold and calculated, the Archer
STANDARD RANGED ATTACKER prefers to engage foes at range,
never wading into direct combat
HP 2 Hard Save +1 unless there’s no other choice.
Speed 6 Edge +1 Remain at distance and use
ranged attacks.
Close distance and use melee
attack.
ARCHER MELEE STOUT ARROW

Reach 1 Reach 0
Range 0 Range 10*
Damage 1* Damage 1*
Knockback 1 Nil.
1 Damage Range 8
ARCHER VOLLEY
Type Ranged Attack, Zone 1*
Force Score 2
Reach 0
Range 5*
Damage 1
Nil.
Zone 2
Zone 3, Range 4
Zone 2, Range 3
165
Squire
ADVENTURER TIER Courageous and principled,
COMMANDER the Squire is a dependable
warrior who knows the value
of a cohesive squad.
HP 4 Hard Save +3
Speed 6 Edge +2
Move to assist injured allies.

SQUIRE HACK SQUIRE SLASH
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 2* Damage 2
Nil. Knockback 1
SQUIRE JAVELIN SQUIRE REINFORCEMENT

Type Ranged Attack Type Move, Zone 1
Reach 0 Reach Nil.
Range 10 Range Nil.*
Bleed (1), easy save Restore 1 HP to adjacent ally
Bleed (1), hard save Restore 1 HP to adjacent allies
2 Damage, Bleed (1), easy save Spawn 2 Footguard, Range 5
2 Damage, Bleed (1), hard save Spawn 3 Footguard, Range 5
166
MYTHIC FOES
While most of the foes heroes face are surmountable with grit and determination, there
are some opponents that cannot be defeated by mere force. These mythic foes pose
significant danger and can only be defeated by the heroes with significant preparation.
In fact, if the heroes confront these foes without research and adequate preparation,
they will find themselves in an unwinnable situation; Mythic Foes quite literally cannot
be killed unless as series of tasks is completed before they are confronted.
Importantly, Mythic Foes should be presented and treated by the GM as more than just
an enemy with extra hit points and slightly more damage. Mythic Foes are savage and
uncontrollable, forces of nature that must be endured rather than tamed. Without
adequate preparation, the heroes will no more be able to stop a Mythic Foe than they
would stop an earthquake or a tsunami. Mythic Foes are not the focus of the campaign
but are an interesting addition that presents heroes with the opportunity to deal with a
dangerous threat and better Argohex.
The inspiration for mythic foes are legends like the Lernaean Hydra, which possessed
nine (or more, depending on your source) heads that granted it immortality while they
were attached to its body, poisonous breath that killed everyone unfortunate enough to
inhale the fumes, and regenerative capabilities that would replace every severed head
with two more. Heracles, who defeated the Hydra, was only able to slay the beast after
realizing that fire would stop the regenerative process and that protection was needed
against the beast’s toxic breath.
Encountering Mythic Foes

It’s best to think of Mythic Foes as almost environmental effects; much like a wildfire or
a tornado, there’s initially not much that can be done by the heroes, other than taking
shelter and waiting out the fury.
It’s important to recognize that in many roleplaying games, anything with stats exists to
be killed, and players may not initially recognize that a Mythic Foe is undefeatable
without undertaking the challenges that such an adversary requires. At the same time, if
the heroes only ever encounter Mythic Foes after they have completed the challenges,
Mythic Foes will not inspire the fear and sense of danger which they are ascribed.
Accordingly, it’s a good idea to put the players in situations where they have an
opportunity to encounter the Mythic Foe before they can vanquish it. This will help
convey menace and danger and will help make sure that they feel suitably triumphant
when they finally overcome the threat.
Two approaches will serve you well for dealing with preliminary contacts with a Mythic
Foe.
167
The first is running the encounter as a non-combat challenge; in this case, it is very
apparent that the foe cannot be permanently harmed, and the challenge can focus on
evasion or slowing down the threat, rather than outright combat.
The second method is to permit the players to engage the foe in a battle but make it clear
that the heroes are unable to deal lasting damage.
Overcoming Mythic Foes

Every Mythic Foe has several associated tasks (three, at the Adventurer tier) that must
be overcome by the heroes before they are able to defeat the beast. As GM, how you
present these challenges is up to you: they may be presented as a series of quests all at
once after the heroes decide to hunt the Mythic Foe, or they can be organically woven
into the threads of other adventures. In either case, for a natural feel, you should seed
your game with hints and rumours well in advance of the heroes encountering a Mythic
Foe.
These tasks are prophecy, and as such, there is no right or wrong way to complete them.
Inventive heroes will arrive at many different solutions, and so long as the letter (or
alternatively, spirit) of the challenge is completed, the heroes are successful.
While heroes may inadvertently (or deliberately) complete the first such task without
challenge, by the time they are ready to tackle the second, the Mythic Foe will likely be
aware of their intentions and make an effort to stop them; this is a great time to
showcase the threat that the Foe presents, before the heroes reduce it to a defeatable
state.
While this chapter includes such tasks for each adversary, feel free to adapt or change
them as you see fit. Mythic Foes are intended to be significantly more mysterious and
deadly than conventional foes, and if your group of players has already confronted the
same foe in a previous game, you’ll want to change the challenges so that the foe isn’t a
paint-by-numbers exercise.
Environmental Changes
Mythic Foes are far-reaching environmental blights upon the land, and their very
presence makes miserable existence for denizens of the area the Mythic Foe inhabits.
Simply by existing, Asag has plunged the entirety of the Deep Wood into a fit of terror
and corruption. Eliminating the Mythic Foe will eliminate the source of the evil and will
enable the lands to recover to their pristine state.
168
Rewards
Just as Heracles used the blood of the defeated Hydra as poison for his arrows,
defeating a Mythic Foe will convey upon the heroes a benefit befitting their
accomplishment.
169
ASAG
Asag is the darkness, the corruption that lies at the heart of the Deep Wood. It is Asag’s
malevolence that brings forth the mists, it is Asag who devours unwitting travellers in
the Wood, and it is Asag who claims innocents sleeping in their beds. Asag is consumed
by hatred of all living things and will not rest until the entire Deep Wood is a desolate
wasteland.
Encountering Asag
Prior to the heroes completing a single challenge, Asag is little more than a flood of inky,
oily darkness, as if a torrent flowing from a shattered dam. Asag approaches from
underground, soil bubbling as the darkness seeps from below the earth. The trickle soon
becomes a flood, as the roiling, turbulent wave crashes over every obstacle, engulfing
hapless innocents, covering ramshackle dwellings, and consuming all before it.
After the heroes have completed the first challenge, Asag’s true form is visible: a
fearsome, beast-shaped tear in reality itself into which all existence slowly drains, as
though all the world was an ocean pouring into a whirlpool. Asag does not speak, but
those unfortunate enough to be in its presence are subject to an overwhelming,
deafening roar, as if consciousness itself was being torn asunder.
Reward
A group of heroes who manages to defeat Asag will find a solitary blade (mechanically
equivalent to a light melee weapon) that, when plunged into a surface, gradually covers
the surrounding area with the murky darkness which heralded Asag’s arrival. This effect
totally consumes non-sentient organic material and causes rocks and minerals to
weaken and become soft.
Another reward, though less tangible, is perhaps more meaningful. With the Asag
defeated, the corruption of the Deep Wood will slowly fade. This will release the Cabeiri
from the Curse of Ash, and the species will regain its longevity.
Environmental Changes
Asag has utterly corrupted the Deep Wood. One need not even encounter the horrifying
entity to be stripped sentience and transformed into one of the Condemned. Areas
through which Asag has recently traversed are covered in an oily, inky darkness, which
clings to the ground, the trees, and the animals with which it comes into contact. After
first adhering, this substance begins the transformation of the unlucky being, quickly
enveloping it. A mere matter of hours later, sentient beings are rendered twisted
170
mockeries of their former selves, animals are reduced to bone, and the Wood itself is
stripped of life, turned into desolate swathes known as the Quietlands.
Defeating Asag will not restore life to the Quietlands, nor will it free the Condemned
from their curse. The only respite gained by slaying Asag is the knowledge that it will no
longer spread it’s evil through the Deep Wood, will no longer feed on the terrified
denizens of the forest. In time, the land will recover, and the horror wrought by the
entity will end. Ages hence, the story of Asag will be little more than a story with which
to scare mischievous children into behaving.
Tasks of Asag
The Frozen Heart
Buried in the remote reaches of the Deep Wood, underneath a ruined stone altar lays the heart of Asag.
Encased in silvered ice, it beats slowly. Heroes must retrieve the heart and burn it upon a pyre beside a
great body of water.
Hatred in the Dark

At the dawn of every Passage, Asag retreats to rest in darkness. The heroes must hunt Asag’s resting
place, and catching the entity in repose, wrench away the thick forest canopy and expose it to brilliant
light.
Man’s Corruption
An ancient shard of the Kingdom of Man, whose vile sorceries provide Asag succor, was flung impossibly
far by Man’s destruction, and is embedded within a catacomb in the Deep Wood. The heroes must extract
the shard and rid it of its dangerous magics.
171
Asag in Combat
If the heroes have not completed all three tasks, Asag’s Tier Dice is 6d6. If all three have
been completed, use 2d8 instead.
ADVENTURER TIER Asag is an all-consuming ravage
MYTHIC FOE that cannot be reasoned with or
dissuaded.
Tier Dice Special Initiative +8
HP 20 Hard Save +3 Asag rerolls its Tier Dice at the beginning
Speed 10 Edge +4 of every turn taken in a round; both its
own turn and with each of the heroes in
combat.
Asag’s Combat Behaviour

Asag seeks to consume all nearby sentient life and will attempt to attack each hero
present, rather than focusing on one in particular.
Asag gains two successful saves against hero powers that may be used at any
time.
Asag will focus on the hero who dealt the most damage in the previous round,
ignoring all others.
time.
Asag will pursue the hero furthest away in an attempt to ensure that nothing
escapes its darkness.
time.
Asag will attack the hero who last dealt damage.

time.
172
INA ETUTI ASBU SAHAPU
Type Melee Versatile Type Melee Versatile
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 2* Damage 2*
A rake of claws which dwell in darkness. It envelopes. What it takes, it will not release.
Nil. Nil.
2 Damage 2 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
3 Damage 3 Damage
NEKELMU SHARUR
Type Ranged Attack Type Move
Reach 0 Reach Nil.
Range 10 Range Nil.
From within, a hateful keening. The darkness hunts. It preys.
Nil. Nil.
2 Damage 2 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
3 Damage 3 Damage
SAMU TABALU
Reach 1 Reach 1
Range 0 Range 0
Damage 2 Damage 2
Thirst quenched. Life extinguished Existence pours into the void, gone forever.
Nil. Nil.
2 Damage 2 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
3 Damage 3 Damage
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DITALLU ETU
Type Ranged Attack Type Move
Reach 0 Reach Nil.
Range 10 Range Nil.
The savage blow leaves a cloud of ash. Fate rent asunder.
Nil. Nil.
2 Damage 2 Damage
2 Damage 2 Damage
3 Damage 3 Damage
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HAZARDS
BRANCHES WEAKEN BLINDING SUN

Adventurer Tier Hazard Adventurer Tier Hazard
Type Hard Save Type Nil
Impact Immediate Impact Constant
Area Zone 1 Area Nil
Effect Effect
1 Damage and knocked prone. Lose an Edge.
The Deep Wood is full of rot and decay. The fury of the sun pours across the battlefield,
Quietlands, vast fields of dead trees that are its blinding rays hindering the effective
absent all wildlife are a not uncommon prosecution of combat.
occurrence.
Select a direction on the battlefield. Any
If a combatant is adjacent to the middle of this combatant facing that direction loses an Edge.
hazard and is pushed into the centre by forced This status remains until the combatant
movement, they suffer 1 damage from falling changes the direction in which she or he faces.
branches and must immediately pass a Hard
Save or be knocked prone.
SWIFT CURRENT
Adventurer Tier Hazard
Type Easy Save
Impact End of turn
Area Per map
Effect
1 reserve damage
Swift-running water courses through the field, a

murky river fed by some unknowable source.
The zone is difficult terrain, and if a combatant

ends their turn within it, they are swept
downstream at a rate of two squares per turn.
If combatants caught in the zone fail an easy
save, they take 1 point of reserve damage
(adversaries take this damage directly to HP).
175
APPENDIX A: CONDITIONS
Bleeding (x, default 1)

A character who is bleeding suffers X hit point of damage per round. Resistance does
not prevent bleeding.
Blinded
The character is blinded and cannot see. Imposes disadvantage on all die checks.
Drain (x, default 1)

Drain reduces the target’s Roll Bonus by X points. Unless otherwise specified, the Roll
bonus is degraded until the next short or long rest.
Dulled
The hero’s Roll Bonus is halved. An adversary who is dulled loses an Edge on all rolls.
Enfeebled
The hero’s Roll Bonus is halved. An adversary who is enfeebled loses an Edge on all
rolls.
Enraged
The character is furious and can only use attack actions.
Muted
The hero’s Roll Bonus is halved. An adversary who is muted loses an Edge on all rolls.
Prone
Cannot move, cannot use Heavy Missile Weapons. Must expend a Major Action to stand
up. Melee attackers gain Advantage against you, ranged attackers gain Disadvantage.
Staggered
The character is staggered; all damage dealt by this character is 0 until the condition
clears.
Stunned
The hero’s Roll Bonus is halved. An adversary who is stunned loses an Edge on all rolls.
Surprised
The character cannot utilize actions with a Force Score of less than 3/6/9, representing
the great effort required to overcome their shock. Surprised characters cannot use their
resistance to reduce damage.
176
Weakened
The hero’s Roll Bonus is halved. An adversary who is weakened loses an Edge on all
rolls.
177
APPENDIX B: MOVEMENT TYPES
Knockback
Knockback is involuntary movement; a combatant subject to knockback is immediately
moved the specified number of spaces away from the effect’s instigator. The instigator
chooses the direction of movement.
Knockback is not affected by difficult terrain.
Leap
While leaping, a character is in the air, and avoids terrain and objects in the squares he
or she is traveling over (including enemies, traps, and difficult terrain).
Characters cannot leap in tightly constrained quarters, but this should not be a regular
occurrence. (e.g. leaping is generally possible indoors and inside dungeons).
Standard
A combatant may move a number of spaces up to its Speed value. The combatant enters
and exits each space on its path in order and is subject to any effects that may exist or be
triggered in that space. A character may move in any direction (including diagonally),
but may not move through solid objects.
178
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY
Advantage
When rolling with advantage, increase the size of the die by one (i.e. d4 becomes d6, d10
becomes d12).
Adversary
An adversary is an opponent in combat; the adversaries of characters are typically the
foes controlled by the GM, the adversaries of the GM are typically players.
Area of Effect, Line (x)

This effect is a line of size 1 by X, originating from the initiator’s space. If a range is
specified, the Line may be placed at a distance, so long as one end point is within the
range. A Line must be in a straight line (either horizontal or vertical).
Area of Effect, Zone (x)

This effect is a square of size X by X. If a range is specified, the centre of the Zone may
be up to that many spaces away from the initiator.
Armour Piercing
Attacks with this keyword bypass an armour’s Resistance, inflicting damage directly to
hit points.
Combatant
Anyone engaged in a combat, friend, foe, or third party, is considered a combatant.
Neutral observers are not considered combatants.
Combat Power, Attack

Attacks are aggressive opening moves. They are used to start a combat engagement and
cannot be played in response to any other combat power type.
Combat Power, Counter

Counters may only be used in response to attacks and other counters. A counterattack
may only be played on an attack or a counterattack of a lower tier than itself.
Combat Power, Interrupt

An Interrupt may be played on any type of attack from an adversary except another
Interrupt of equal or higher tier.
Combat Power, Move

A combat move allows a player to make a move (and in some cases, apply an effect). As
with all move actions, your may move up to your character’s speed.
179
Dead
A dead character cannot be healed or revived, may take no actions, and has no impact
on the game.
Difficult Terrain
Moving through a square of difficult terrain requires two points of speed, reducing total
movement for the action by one point.
Disadvantage
When rolling with disadvantage, decrease the size of the die by one (i.e. d6 becomes d4,
d12 becomes d10).
Downed
An adversary that is downed is no longer in the fight and is not capable of taking actions
unilaterally.
Dying
A character who is dying is helpless. A dying character does not expire immediately and
may be revived by another member of the party who is not helpless during a brief or
long rest. A character who does not receive attention at the first available opportunity
will die.
Non-player characters typically do not target a dying character with attacks.
Engaged
Two or more characters in a combat are considered to be engaged if they are within
weapon reach of each other or are attacking each other with ranged weapons.
Exhausted
A power that has been exhausted cannot be used.
Free Action
A free action is an action in a combat or non-combat challenge that does not consume
one of the player’s two standard actions. Free actions are typically short and contained
such as yelling to a comrade or pushing open an unlocked door.
Helpless
The character cannot perform any actions.
Hit Points
A pool representing an individual’s ability to carry on. When a player’s character is
reduced to zero hit points or below, the character is dying. When a non-player character
is reduced to zero hit points, it is downed and out of the fight. At the end of combat,
players may decide whether downed enemies are dead or merely unconscious.
180
Hit points may be restored during rest or with actions, spells, or items.
Non-player character
Any entity in the game that is not controlled by a player.
Particular
Particular effects only affect one target of in the area of effect.
Reach
The maximum distance at which a melee weapon can hit a target. When not specified,
reach is a value of one (adjacent squares only).
Reprisal
Combatants inflict an automatic 1 point of damage when an adversary they are adjacent
to uses a move action that causes them to no longer be adjacent. Only one Reprisal may
be made per adversary per round.
Reserve
A pool of reserve hit points that a character possesses. The reserve may be transferred to
the character’s hit points on a one for one basis during a brief rest.
The reserve is replenished during a long rest, and the size of the reserve is based on the
character’s maximum hit points and tier of the character.
Rest, Long
A long rest is a significant affair, requiring that the party retire to the comfort of a safe
locale and recover from their encounters.
A long rest is typically 1-2 days long and mandates a level exertion that is less than that
required to adventure.
Upon completing a long rest, the party will be fully healed, their Reserves will be
replenished, and all hero powers will be refreshed.
The party should brave a reasonable number (3) of combat encounters before being able
to enjoy a long rest.
A reasonable default is four encounters; if the party insists on taking a long rest before
they have dealt with all four, they suffer a negative consequence, and should the
successfully triumph over five or more encounters before halting, they earn a benefit.
Rest, Short
At the end of a combat, the party make take a short rest; this serves to refresh all of a
character’s powers, and is an opportunity to heal by transferring points from Reserve to
HP.
181
A party that is not able to take a short rest after combat will find their next encounter to
be particularly difficult; this is a challenge that should be used sparingly, if at all.
A short rest is typically no more than 3-5 minutes. A party may take a brief rest in
almost any environment, so long as they are not threatened or otherwise in danger.
182
APPENDIX D: POWER KEYWORDS
Feint
If the target of this attack does not respond with a counter or interrupt, you may inflict
an additional 1HP of damage. If the target does respond to your attack, this power is not
exhausted.
Immediate
The power effect is triggered immediately upon power use, whether or not it is the last
power played in an engagement and whether or not the combatant using the power has
the highest Force Score.
Indiscriminate
An indiscriminate power affects all combatants in its area of effect, whether they are
allies or adversaries.
Inexhaustible
An inexhaustible power is not considered to be exhausted at the end of a combat action
and can be played in the next action without needing to refresh it.
Particular
Particular effects only affect one target of in the area of effect.
Refresh
A power that is exhausted is no longer exhausted.
Renew
A renewed power is not considered to be exhausted at the end of a combat round and
can be played in the next round without needing to refresh it.
Selective
Selective effects affect only those in the area of effect that the combatant who employed
the power wishes to affect.
Stackable
A stackable power’s effect is applied when the combatant that used it wins the
engagement, whether or not it was the power that won the engagement.
Trap
When used, this power is not resolved until an adversary moves through the area of
effect specified by its user. When that occurs, pause the adversary’s movement and
resolve the ensuing engagement immediately. When the engagement is resolved, the
target may continue its move. Once a trap power is resolved, it is exhausted and cannot
affect another adversary.
183
Versatile
A versatile power is one that can be used as an attack, a counter, or an interrupt in either
combat or non-combat challenges, according to its type. When used, they count as the
lowest-possible power (i.e. a versatile power played in response to an Attack is
considered to be a Counter).
184
185
186
187
188
189
Let Thrones Beware is a roleplaying game about
rediscovering hope in a post-traumatic fantasy world.
Despite its strength, the Eternal Kingdom of Man is no

more, accidental victim of the very power it wielded to
conquer your world. Bowed but not broken, the indigenous
species that survived the brutal thousand-year occupation
fled to the far corners of Argohex.
Despite your freedom, there is danger. Horrors stalk the

Deep Wood in which you and your kin shelter. Isolated,
vulnerable villages quake in the darkness, hoping they are
overlooked by what lurks in the trees.
Despite the danger, you must end Age of Despair. The

rebirth of Argohex awaits and now is the time for you to
step forward and restore what was lost.
190

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COMBAT AND NON-COMBAT TRIVIAL CHALLENGES ............. 96 BUILDING A NON-COMBAT

IF YOU’VE NEVER BEFORE PLAYED A PEN & PAPER ROLEPLAYING GAME

This extends to adventures

Specific Rules Supersede General Rules

• Pencils and paper for taking notes;

• Character sheets for each of the players;

• Tokens to represent the heroes and their adversaries;

Confront the Merchant

COMBAT AND NON-COMBAT POWERS

Combat Power Non-Combat Power

TENACIOUS HEROISM TENACIOUS HEROISM

All your Force Scores will consist of the following:

Type Who Initiates <- Beats <- Beats

For example, if you initiate a non-combat TENACIOUS HEROISM

2d6 2d8 2d10

Advantage and Disadvantage

2d6 2d8 2d10

Composed (+1) Anxious (+2) Panicked (+3) Frantic (+4)

If you find yourself preferring the mechanics of a particular species,

CHARACTER CREATION OVERVIEW

ECHTHROI Beings of shadow, created by the Kingdom of Man to be enforcers of their 6

Why Play a Cabeiri?

Adventurer Tier Power

Legend Tier Powers

Why Play a Dactyl?

Adventurer Tier Power

Legend Tier Powers

Why Play an Echthroi?

Adventurer Tier Power

Range Zone 1 Range 5

Legend Tier Powers

Why Play an Ipotane?

Adventurer Tier Power

Legend Tier Powers

Why Play a Myrmekes?

Adventurer Tier Power

Legend Tier Powers

Why Play an Aristocrat?

NOBLE’S GAMBIT DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

Force Score +4 Force Score +5

Your target becomes surprised.

FANCY ADORNMENT THE LAW’S LONG ARM

Type Social Type Physical

Circumstance Nobility Circumstance Deep Wood

Why Play a Criminal?

Criminals also have the following non-combat and combat powers:

Force Score +2 Force Score +4

The Criminal starts with one of the following repertoire:

GRIT AND TOUGHNESS I MIGHT KNOW SOMEONE

Type Physical Type Social

Circumstance Gate of Thorns Circumstance Slums

Why Play a Guard?

BON COP, BAD COP THE GUARD IS NEVER WRONG

Force Score +3 Force Score +4

REPUTATION PRECEDES ME THE LAW’S LONG ARM

Type Social Type Physical

Circumstance Refuge Villages Circumstance Deep Wood

Why Play a Peddler?

TRADING FORTUNE A WISE INVESTMENT