from the tradition.
Learning this spell does not
Novice Paths
After you complete your starting adventure and
advance to level 1, you and the other players choose
a novice path. Regardless of your background,
ancestry, or attributes, you can choose any novice
path that appeals to you, though it’s always good to
let the story so far inform your decision. If, for
example, your character fought in hand-to-hand
combat many times in the first adventure, you might
choose fighter to reflect the experiences you gained.
Similarly, if your character found magic or
interacted with it, your character might go on to
become a mage, perhaps to get a better
understanding of the effects encountered or to seize
the advantage magic offers.
NOVICE PATHS
Path Description
Fighter You excel at fighting, no matter what weapon
you use.
Godsworn One or more gods chose you to be their
servant.
Mage You learn several spells as a result of
uncovering the secrets of magic.
Rogue You rely on trickery to get what you want.
Path Benefits
Each path offers a set of benefits gained at specific
levels, with common benefits described below. If a
path does not offer a particular benefit, the entry is
absent.
Attributes: You can increase the scores of
attributes you choose. You must choose a different
attribute for each increase.
Languages: Some paths grant you knowledge of a
language, which give you the ability speak it and
understand when it is spoken, as well as to read and
write in this language. If you would gain knowledge
of a language you already know, choose a different
language to learn in its place.
Health: Increase your Health score by the listed
amount.
Attack Dice: Your path might grant you
additional Attack Dice as you gain levels. Simply
increase your pool of Attack Dice by the listed
amount.
Traditions and Spells: A path might reveal a
tradition. If the path reveals a particular tradition, it
lists it. Otherwise, the path expresses the number of
traditions revealed as a number and you can
discover one tradition for each. Each time you
discover a tradition, you learn one level 1/2 spell
from it.
So, if you discover a tradition that you have
already discovered, you learn another level 1/2 spell
count against the number of spells you learn for
that level. In the unlikely event that you have
learned all the level 1/2 spells from a tradition, you
can learn a level 1/2 spell from a different tradition
you have discovered.
Some paths let you learn spells and tell you how
many spells you can learn. You can learn any spell
of your level or lower from a tradition you have
discovered.
Talents: Most paths grant talents. A talent might
be a special activity you can perform using an
action, a special way of moving, or something that
changes how your character functions.
Group Identity
Your character belongs to a group. You and the other
players should consider the events of your starting
adventure and come up with a reason for why you
remain together. You can use the following table to
inspire your choice.
GROUP IDENTITIES
d20 Identity
1 We are bold explorers and seek to discover the
world’s secrets.
2 We all share stakes in a business and we adventure
to make contacts and find new markets for our
3
wares.
We crave adventure and find ourselves in dangerous
situations all the time.
4 We fight against tyranny and corruption. We aim to
overthrow an evil ruler.
5 We are trouble-makers and get into mischief
wherever we go.
6 We share the same religion and work to advance
causes important to our faith.
7 We hope to secure peace and security for the people
fleeing the wars of the Old Country.
8 We all survived some hardship and come together to
overcome the trauma of that experience.
9 We are heroes and champion good causes.
10 We are a troupe of entertainers and performers.
11 We take on dangerous jobs for gold.
12 We are agents for a regent.
13 We swore vows to root out corruption and to defeat
the wicked.
14 We investigate occult matters and dare to look into
fearful places.
15 We are exiles and band together for mutual survival.
16 We swore oaths to avenge the death of a mutual
friend.
17 A powerful magician employs us to recover magical
relics and investigate magical phenomena.
18 We have dark pasts and come together to find
redemption.
19 A mutual desire to solve a great mystery keeps us
working together to accomplish our goals.
20 We have a vision of the future and work to found a
new nation in these dark lands.
1

Fighter
A life of violence finds your embroiled in a state of
near constant conflict. Mastering the fighting
techniques give you an edge over your untrained
foes, but helps you take a stand against veteran
combatants too. You might favor a certain fighting
style or set of weapons, but you could just choose to
fight with whatever happens to be at hand.
Whatever you choose, you know how to conduct
yourself on the battlefield, to power through the
pain and overcome the setbacks to come through
conflict victorious.
LEVEL 1
Attributes +1 to two; Health +6
Charge When you take the initiative, you can move and
use an action to attack. If you move before you make
the attack, you make the roll to attack with 1 boon. Once
you use this talent, you must wait one minute before
you can use it again.
Combat Training You make rolls to attack with weapons
and unarmed attacks with 1 boon. When the total of
your roll for a weapon attack is 20 or higher and
succeeds, the attack deals an extra 1d6 damage.
LEVEL 2
Health +6; Attack Dice +1
Combat Expertise When you use an action to attack, you
can make an additional attack using a weapon you are
wielding or an unarmed attack. You must assign at least
one Attack Die to each attack you make.
Weapon Specialization You become an expert in the use
of weapons. Choose one Fighter Specializations talent
from those presented below.
LEVEL 5
Health +6
Battle Recovery You can use an action, or use a reaction
when you take damage, to heal all damage. Until you
take your next turn, you impose 1 bane on rolls made to
attack you. Once you use this talent, you must finish an
eight-hour rest before you can use it again.
Combat Mastery When you use an action to attack, you
can make an additional attack using a weapon you are
wielding or an unarmed attack. This talent works with
Combat Expertise, granting you a total of two
additional attacks. You must still assign at least one
Attack Die to each attack you would make.
Weapon Specialization You become an expert in the use
of weapons. Choose another Fighter Specialization
talent from those presented below.
Fighter Specializations
The Weapon Specialization talents enhance your
use with weapons, conferring onto those weapons
special properties to make you more effective in
battle.
Axe Specialist
Associated Weapons Battle axe, great axe, hatchet
Brutal When you roll a 1 on a die for damage with a
weapon associated with this specialization, you can
reroll the die. You must use the second number rolled,
even if it is another 1.
Deadly (Strength 14+) If you roll at least one 6 on an
Attack Die, the attack deals an extra 1d6 damage.
Bludgeon Specialist
Associated Weapons Mace, warclub, warhammer
Shattering If the total of your roll to attack is 20 or higher
and succeeds for an attack made with an associated
weapon, the target becomes impaired (luck ends).
Concussing (Strength 14+) Whenever you deal 18 damage
or more from an attack made with an associated
weapon, the target must succeed on a luck roll or
become stunned until the end of its next turn.
Bow Specialist
Associated Weapons Bow, longbow, short bow
Rapid Shot When you use an action to attack with an
associated weapon, you can increase your number of
Attack Dice by one and the number of attacks you can
make by one, but you make each roll to attack with the
associated weapon with 1 bane and you must assign at
least one Attack Die to each attack you make.
Precise Shot (Agility 14+) Your attacks with associated
weapons ignore the Friendly Fire Rule and banes
imposed by all but total cover.
Chain Specialist
Associated Weapons Chain, flail
Flexible When you make a disarming attack or an
unbalancing attack with this weapon, you make the roll
with 1 boon.
Thwart Defense (Strength 12+, Agility 12+) You make
your roll to attack with the associated weapon with 1
boon.
Heavy Blade Specialist
Associated Weapons Great sword, long sword, scimitar,
sword
Keen If the total of your roll with the associated weapon is
20 or higher and succeeds, the attack deals an extra 1d6
damage.
Wounding (Strength 14+) If a target takes 18 damage or
more from an attack made using an associated, the
target also loses 1d6 Health.
Lance Specialist
Associated Weapons Lance
Couch the Lance While mounted, if your mount runs
before you make the attack, the attack deals an extra
1d6 damage.
Shiver the Lance When you trigger the Unreliable
property of the lance from rolling a 20 or higher, the
target of your attack takes an extra 1d6 damage and falls
prone.
Unseat (Strength 13+) When you succeed on a roll to
attack with the lance while mounted on a steed and the
total of your roll beats the target number by 5 or more,
2
 you dismount the target if it is mounted and the target Whip Specialist
falls prone.
Associated Weapons Whip
Reach You can make a lunging attack with a whip without
Light Blade Specialist spending an Attack Die to do so.
Associated Weapons Dagger, knife, rapier Flexible When you make a disarming attack or an
Precision When you attack with an associated weapon, unbalancing attack with this weapon, you make the roll
you can roll against Agility instead of Defense. with 1 boon.
Swift (Agility 14+) When you use an action to attack with Swift (Agility 14+) When you use an action to attack with
the associated weapon, you can make one additional the associated weapon, you can make one additional
attack, but you must assign at least one Attack Die to attack, but you must assign at least one Attack Die to
this attack. this attack.
BATTLE SCARS AND MEMENTOS
Longarm Specialist d20 Scar
Associated Weapons Pike, polearm, spear, and trident 1 A jagged line running from your hairline down your
Long Arm When you make a driving attack or cheek.
unbalancing with an associated weapon, you make the 2 A puckered mark where you took an arrow.
roll with 1 boon. 3 A missing tip of one or more fingers.
Defensive Haft (Strength 13+) While you wield an 4 A notch in your ear.
associated weapon with both hands, you have a +1 5 A line across the bridge of your nose.
bonus to Defense. 6 A split lip.
7 A grisly gash on your arm.
Shield Specialist 8
9
A few missing toes.
A white line on your scalp.
Associated Weapons Buckler, shield 10 A crooked nose.
Shield Bash When you make a driving or unbalancing 11 Markings for each enemy you have killed.
attack with an associated weapon, you can do so 12 Several body piercings.
without having to spend an Attack Die. 13 A pronounced limp.
Superior Defense (Strength or Agility 14+) Increase the 14 A persistent cough.
bonus to Defense granted by the associated weapon by 15 Cauliflower ears.
1. 16 Bad burn scars.
17 An odd depression.
Staff Specialist 18
19
A missing eye or ear.
A tattoo of your squadron’s numerals.
Associated Weapons Quarterstaff
20 Tremors, twitches, or a tic.
Tripping When you make an unbalancing attack with an
associated weapon, you make the roll with 1 boon and
you impose 1 bane on the roll made to resist falling
prone.
Swift (Agility 14+) When you use an action to attack with
the associated weapon, you can make one additional
attack, but you must assign at least one Attack Die to
this attack.

Unarmed Specialist
Natural Weapon Your hands count as natural weapons
and use the following rules.

UNARMED STRIKE
You swing your fist and strike with profound force.
Range Melee; Target One creature or object
Roll Strength or Agility against Defense
Light If this weapon is one of two with which you attack
using one action, you ignore the 1 bane imposed by
attacking with two weapons.
Success [Attack Dice] + half your Strength modifier
damage.
Swift (Agility 14+) When you use an action to attack with
the associated weapon, you can make one additional
attack, but you must assign at least one Attack Die to
this attack.

3
Godsworn
Maybe the gods chose you. Maybe you chose the
god. Either way, you enjoy a special connection with
one or more deities, a connection that lets you call
upon the divine to aid you in your times of need.
The gods answer your prayers and give you the
ability to perform miracles, such as healing the sick,
smiting unbelievers, and shielding others from
harm. Your gifts could elevate you in the eyes of the
religious institution or could make you a pariah,
believing you to work blasphemy with your magical
arts.
The gods mark you. Some typical signs appear on
the Godsworn Marks table. Choose one or make up
one or more signs if you like.
GODSWORN MARKS
God Marks
High One Dancing flame above head when
performing a prayer, faint, flickering glow
in lit zones, metallic sheen to skin
Death/Last Door Face obscured fully when hooded,
whispering, rustling sounds, cold presence
Mother Sun Unusual comeliness, emanate warmth,
sparkle in sunlight
Draconus Serpent eyes, scaly skin, forked tongue
Sky Father Short temper, wild, blazing eyes
Fates Throw three shadows instead of one,
appear young, old, or somewhere in
between at random times
Grandfather Tree Small, leafy vines grow from skin, small
twigs form a crown, plants flourish
Horned One Small horns on the brow, long, sharp
teeth, pungent, wild odor, always dirty
Urbanus Calm demeanor, always clean, writing
under the skin reveals philosophical truths
Revel Bloodshot eyes, grapevines appear,
infectious laughter
Blind Eyes become milky white without
interfering with sight, laws appear on skin
Pestilence Cadaverous, ghastly appearance, reeks of
rot, rattling cough and congested sinuses
Abraxus Random sparkling light, musical sounds,
changes color of nearby flames
Abaddon Empty eye sockets, black saliva, skin, voice
edged with faint screams
Oceanus Slimy skin, coral like growths, webbed
fingers and toes
Honored Dead Ghostly flames wreathing body, shining
mouth and eyes
Lord and Lady Androgynous appearance, fluid gender
LEVEL 1
Attributes +1 to two; Health +4; Tradition Theurgy;
Spells +2
Divine Power You can use an action to call upon your
patron deity to aid you. You can use Divine Power a
number of times equal to your level and each time you
do, you choose one of the following options. You regain
expended uses of this talent when you finish an eight-
hour rest.
GODSWORN SMITE LEVEL 1
The divine guides your hand to strike with mighty force.
Requirement You must be wielding a weapon.
Effect Make an attack with a weapon you are wielding.
On a success, the attack deals an extra 1d6 damage. On
a failure, the attack deals half damage.
LAY ON HANDS LEVEL 1
Your touch eases suffering and speeds healing.
Range Melee; Target One creature
Effect The target heals damage equal to 1d6 + your level.
Level 5+ The target heals an extra 2d6 damage.
LEVEL 2
Health +4; Spells +1
Shared Recovery Use an action to heal all damage. Then,
choose one ally within your zone. The target heals all
damage. Once you use this talent, you must finish an
eight-hour rest before you can use it again.
LEVEL 5
Health +4; Attack Dice +1; Spells +1
Divine Aid The gods favor you with their attention,
granting you and each ally in your zone 1 boon on luck
rolls.
Combat Expertise When you use an action to attack, you
can make an additional attack using a weapon you are
wielding or an unarmed attack. You must assign at least
one Attack Die to each attack you would make.
DIVINE CALLING
d20 Calling
1 An angel visited you and announced your service.
2 You fasted and prayed until your patron took notice.
3 A bolt of lightning struck and blinded you for a few
days.
4 A voice spoke to you from a roaring fire.
5 Your patron deity visited you in a dream.
6 You died and returned to life with a new purpose.
7 You hear voices and see things others cannot see.
8 A sect, after generations of selective breeding,
produced you to become a vessel for your god.
9 You climbed a mountain and saw the face of the
divine.
10 You are an immortal entity who claimed this body
and now use it to serve your divine masters.
11 You are the product of an immaculate conception.
12 You committed a crime against your god and now
must spent your days righting the wrong.
13 You have amnesia. You cannot remember anything
that happened in the last year.
14 You read from a sacred scroll or holy book.
15 You performed a heroic deed that won divine
attention.
16 A whirlwind lifted you into the heavens where you
received your gifts.
17 Another godsworn passed their gift to you.
18 You consumed the blood of an angel.
19 You lost everything you had and everyone you loved.
20 You underwent a sacred ritual that set your feet on
the path of divine service.
4
Mage
8 You made a bargain with a faerie, infernal, or
something else.
9 You found an old book filled with arcane lore.
No mere conjurer tricks, you wield real magic, the 10 One of your parents was an otherworldly being.
stuff of creation, and with a word and gesture you 11 You ate or drank something that was forbidden to
can fling fire into the faces of your enemies, lift you.
yourself to fly into the air, plumb the secrets of the 12 You were born with the gift.
13 You don’t know since you can remember any details
cosmos and more. Magic is the key you need to
about your life.
unlock the door that hides true, lasting power. 14 You broke something magical and got some on you.
As a mage, you have access to a wide range of 15 You learned from a talking trout you found in a lake.
spells. The traditions you discover and the spells 16 You made a wish from a spirit you released from a
you learn from them go a long way toward defining bottle.
your capabilities. Most traditions offer a mix of 17 You are an ardent follower of the god of magic.
combat spells and utility spells, the latter giving you 18 You were struck by lightning.
19 You were held prisoner by fox-headed faeries and
the tools to overcome just about any challenge. The
figured out how to cast a spell that allowed your
traditions you choose can also say a great deal about escape.
your character’s training and future development, 20 You died, but somehow came back to life.
while also adding detail to your character’s identity.
LEVEL 1
Attributes +1 to two; Health +2;Traditions +3; Spells +4;
Languages Arcane
Mage Sense Use an action to cast your senses out into
your zone to detect the presence or absence of magic in
your vicinity. You pinpoint the location of each ongoing
magical effect in your zone and then your sense fades.
You can use this talent a number of times equal to your
level and regain expended uses when you finish an
eight-hour rest.
LEVEL 2
Health +2; Spells +2
Spell Recovery Use an action to heal all damage and
regain all expended castings of your spells of level 2 and
lower. Once you use this talent, you must finish an
eight-hour rest before you can use it again.
LEVEL 5
Health +2; Spells +2
Spell Expertise When you make a roll as part of the
casting of a spell, you make the roll with 1 boon. When
a roll is made for a creature to resist a spell you cast, you
impose 1 bane on the roll.

Source of Magic
The ability to wield magic, to cast spells, and sense
it around you comes from somewhere. You can use
the following table to randomly determine your
source, choose the one you like most, or make
something up.
SOURCES OF MAGIC
d20 Source
1 You were buried alive.
2 A banded serpent bit you and injected you with its
venom.
3 You have mystical runes branded in your skin.
4 The blood of a magic-using ancestor flows through
your veins.
5 You served an apprenticeship under another mage.
6 You are the seventh child of a seventh child.
7 A spirit possessed and merged with your soul.

5

Rogue
You could have been anything. You have the mind,
the drive, and the talent to excel at any task you set
for yourself. You might have studied magic, learned
how to fight, or embraced the mysticism of a church,
but you chose a different road, a crooked path to
reach your destiny. Good or bad, you employ
techniques others might deem underhanded to get
what you want because your success and yours
alone is what matters most. What obligations you
feel toward others stand only so long as it serves to
advance your interests. Your life, your dreams, your
goals are the only things that matters and to hell
with anything else.
LEVEL 1
Attributes +1 to two; Health +4
Trickery Once per round, you can grant yourself 1 boon
on an attribute roll you make or impose 1 bane on an
attribute roll made against you.
Uncanny Reactions You can use two reactions each
round, but you must use each reaction to perform a
different activities.
Signature Talent You develop a signature technique to
carry out your trickery. Gain one Rogue Talent of your
choice.
LEVEL 2
Health +4
Dastardly Strike When you succeed on a roll to attack
and you made the roll with at least 1 boon, you can use
a reaction to deal an extra 2d6 damage.
Swift Recovery Use an action to heal all damage and then
retreat. Once you use this talent, you must finish an
eight-hour rest before you can use it again.
LEVEL 5
Health +4; Attack Dice +1
Cunning Evasion When you take damage from one
source, you can use a reaction to reduce the damage to
0. Once you use this talent, you must wait at least one
hour before you can use it again.
Exploit Opportunity Once per round, when you roll a 20
on the die for a roll to attack with a weapon, you can
either move or use an action.
ROGUE TALENTS
Backstab Whenever you deal damage on a weapon attack
and you rolled a 4 or higher on at least 1 boon, your
attack deals 1d6 extra damage or 2d6 extra damage at
level 5.
Beloved of the Gods You make luck rolls with 1 boon.
Also, if you roll a 1 on the die for an attribute roll, you
roll luck and use the result of the luck roll in place of
your attribute roll.
Magic-Use You learn the Arcane language, discover one
tradition, and learn two spells. You learn an additional
spell at level 2 and level 5.
Mockery When you hinder an enemy, you can roll
Intellect against the target’s Will. On a success, the
target becomes enraged (luck ends). While enraged, the
target makes rolls to attack targets other than you with 1
bane and grants creatures other that you 1 boon on rolls
made to attack it. On a failure, the target becomes
immune to your Mockery for 24 hours.
Skirmish When you take the initiative, you can move and
use an action.
Subterfuge When you hinder an enemy, you can roll
Intellect against the target’s Intellect. On a success, you
trick the target and the target becomes impaired (luck
ends). On a failure, the target becomes immune to your
Subterfuge for 24 hours.
CROOKED PATHS
d20 Source
1 You joined a criminal organization such as a thieves’
guild or assassins’ guild and work to advance through
the group’s ranks.
2 You are a survivor and do what you have to do to get
by.
3 You stole something from a shrine or temple and
developed your talents from the object you took.
4 You botched an apprenticeship and had to find some
other way to make ends meet.
5 You are a bon vivant and your talents arise from your
efforts to keep yourself in manner to which you have
become accustomed.
6 You worked with a military unit, possibly as a scout,
guerilla, or commando.
7 You made enemies of the wrong people and have
had to stay on the move.
8 You worked in law enforcement and studied criminal
techniques to capture lawbreakers in your
community.
9 You have blood on your hands from being in the
killing business.
10 You fought for money and cut your teeth battling
foes in the fighting pits.
11 You belong to a sect, cult, or congregation devoted
to Revel.
12 You made an enemy of a magician and you know this
person hunts you.
13 You are an heir to a crime family.
14 You crave adventure and excitement. You can’t stay
in one place very long.
15 You are a raconteur and are considered a character
by locals in your community.
16 Someone wronged you and you will have your
revenge, even if it means spending your whole life in
pursuit of it.
17 You spent a fair amount of time in the wilderness,
possibly as a guide, explorer, or, maybe, a bandit.
18 You deserted from a military unit and have been
laying low ever since.
19 You made a living robbing graves and tombs.
20 You spent much time among the faeries and learned
a few of their tricks.