Essence Core

Colin D. Speirs’

An introduction to the fast-play d20-based Essence system for tabletop role-playing

DEDICATED TO JONATHAN HICKS ities, such as how strong or how intelligent they are.
Anytime you need to perform a task whose success is
Design & Development: Colin D. Speirs in doubt, characters roll the D20 and try to get a result
equal to or under the appropriate attribute. Skills can
Editing & Layout: Andy Staples modify that chance.

INTRODUCTION To determine attributes for a beginning character roll

a D20, halve the result (round up) and add 5. Roll 9
The Essence RPG system has been developed since times, assigning to attributes as desired. You then have
2000 and used in fantasy, adventure, war and pulp SF 5 more points you can add as you wish.
in settings from spirit-haunted Iron Age empires to
star-spanning federations. Strength (STR) How strong you are
Constitution (CON) How healthy you are
This fully playable, free set of the core rules is an intro- Agility (AGL) How fast and nimble you are
duction to the system. Rocket Jocks, a pulp SF imple-
Intelligence (INT) How smart you are
mentation, and Vis Imperium Victoriana, a 19th-cen-
tury pulp game, are available at low cost through Wisdom (WIS) How much common sense you have
DrivethruRPG and Brittannia Game Designs’ website. Discipline (DIS) How much self-discipline you have
Appearance (APP) How nice you look
THE BASICS Bardic Voice (BV) How nice your voice is

All players need are these rules, pencils, some paper Piety (PTY) How religious you are
and a single die, a 20-sided die (D20) available from
any RPG shop. One player should act as the Games- DERIVED ATTRIBUTES
master (GM), who sets the scenes the other player’s
characters react to and who takes on the personas of The character also has measures of how much dam-
people the characters meet. age they can withstand and their stamina. BPs are the
general fabric of the body whilst FAT is stamina and
Example: Your characters are old friends, a former soldier, fitness.
a mendicant, a hedge-magician and an outlaw. You are
travelling on an errand for outlaw’s father when you learn Body Points (BP) Equal to ½STR + CON + 10
the village you are in is being terrorised by deserters oper- Fatigue (FAT) Equal to STR + CON
ating from a nearby cave. What do you do?
In combat damage is scored against FAT first as people
You tell the GM what you want to do, and, with the aid of expend energy avoiding wounds. Fatigue is also spent
your character’s skills and some dice you find out whether performing actions.
you succeed or not.
Once FAT is spent your character will start to lose BPs.
CREATING A CHARACTER Also, when fatigue reaches zero then all attributes are
counted as being halved for attributes checks and skill
Numbers define characters’ attributes and skills. Attrib- use. Once BPs reach zero then the character becomes
utes (raw abilities) are determined by random die rolls. unconscious. If not healed back into positive body
Skills (experience) are determined by a player’s choice within CON minutes the character dies.
of their character’s Social Class and Vocation.
BPs are recovered at the rate of CON/6 (round up) per
Players are encouraged to flesh out all other details of day of full rest. FAT is gained at the rate of CON/10
their character – including their appearance, gender, (round up) per 10 minutes of rest.
motivation and background – in as much or little de-
tail as they see fit. This should be done in cooperation SOCIAL CLASS
with the GM and other players to ensure the character
fits the setting and the group. Most societies are unequal. Those at the top have in-
fluence, power and often money; those in the middle
ATTRIBUTES might have one or two of the three and at the bottom
have none. The classes here represent medieval times;
Attributes represent a character’s raw, untrained abil- other settings may call for other backgrounds.
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 2 Essence Core RPG

Each social class gives adjustments to the attributes

of the character, some Skill Levels (SL) and some Skill WARRIOR A fighter, whether militiaman or
Points (SKP) with which to buy more Skills so that the knight.
player can tailor their character to their vision. +2 skill levels to be used to buy weapon
skills, +1 skill level with Dodge and 1 to
All characters get 1 Skill Level in their native language. use either for Ride or Brawl.

RURAL The poorest farmers and fisherfolk,
POOR tied to the land and dependant on
their local rulers.
+2 STR, +2 AGL, +1 PTY, 5 SKP, +1 skill level
with Brawl, +2 skill level with Craft (farming),
+1 skill level with 1 other craft.
Rural Poor start with a quarterstaff or a
threeshing flail, the clothes they stand in, and
two days of food. Carrying a flail as a weapon
might be seen as a sign of revolt.
FORESTER Hunters and trackers of the woods.
+1 level of Bow, +1 level of Geography,
+1 of Stealth and+2 levels of Survival
(woods and forests)
BANDIT Thugs for hire.
Has +2 skill levels in one weapon skill
or +1 skill with two weapons, +1 level of
Hide, and +1 level of Survival (woods and
forests)

RURAL Tenant farmers and crafters. Slightly
MIDDLE better off and able to move freely.
CLASS +2 AGL, 7 SKP, +1 skill level with Bow or
Spear, +1 skill level with Craft (farming), +1
skill level with any one Craft.
Free folk start with 4 silver pennies, their
clothes and either a bow or a spear.
URBAN The workers in the towns.
POOR +1 AGL, 9 SKP, +1 skill with Knife, +1 skill
level with two Crafts.
THIEF One of the older professions.
+1 skill level with Knife, +1 of Hide, +1 of
Stealth and +2 levels of Sleight of Hand
MENDICANT A travelling holy person.
+2 skill level with Prayer, +1 level of Sing-
ing, +I level of native Language and +1
level of Read/Write
A mendicant may swap any weapon skill
gained from their social class for skill
with the Staff.

Townsmen start with 8 silver pennies, a knife,

the clothes they stand in and a set of tools for
one of their crafts.
URBAN The monied middle-classes, mer-
MIDDLE chants, professionals, and artisans of
CLASS the towns.
11 SKP, +1 skill level with Sword; +1 skill level
with two Crafts or +1 skill level with 1 Lore
Has a suit of clothes, 50 silver pennies, a
sword and tools for one craft.
HEDGE-MAGE Keepers of hidden and ancient
lore.
+2 skill levels with Magick, +1 level of
Language, +1 level of any one Lore and
+1 level of Read/Write
PHYSICIAN Healers and masters of herb lore.
+1 level of Lore (Herbs), 2 level of Heal-
ing skill, 1 level of Poisons and 1 level of
Language.

NOBLES Knights, barons and royalty. They
have the right to use any weapon.
+1 AGL, 7 SKP, +1 skill level with one weapon,
+1 skill level with Ride Horse, +1 skill level
with one other language
Has two suits of clothes, a riding horse, two
weapons of choice, 4 gold nobles and either a
suit of maille armour or a trained hawk.
VOCATIONS
MOUNTEBANK Charlatans, confidence tricksters
and quacks.
+1 skill level of Sleight of Hand, +2 skill
levels of Bargain, +1 skill level of 1 Lore
PERFORMING ACTIONS
Routine actions, such as crossing a well-made bridge or
a blacksmith making a normal horseshoe, are assumed
to succeed automatically.

Vocations are the what the character was doing with DF Description DF Description
their life before they entered the game. Each vocation 1 Not that simple 9 Difficult
gives some starting skills and benefits to the character. 2 A bit tricky 12 Very difficult
3 Annoying 15 Extremely difficult
GMs should edit the available vocations to suit the set-
ting, editing, creaating or vetoing particular vocations 5 Challenging 18 Nearly impossible
as necessary. 7 Demanding 24 Inconceivable!

In dramatic situations the GM should ask the character

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 Essence Core RPG 3

to roll a D20. The player is trying to roll a number un-
der or equal to an appropriate attribute (less a number
based on how difficult the task is). Higher successful
rolls are usually better (see Resisted Skills and Critical
Successes).
For every five full points of Success Chance above 20,
you increase the range of Critical Success by one. If you
have a skill chance of 27, you have a Critical Success if
you roll 18 or 19. If your skill chance is 33, then you
roll a Critical on 17, 18 or 19, and so on.

Skills add bonuses for specific tasks. These are bought THE SKILL LIST
using Skill Points (SKP). Each time you pay the SKP
you get an extra Skill Level, which adds 1 to the char- Each skill has a cost per level in Skill Points (SKP), an
acter’s chance. attribute you use it with, and a short description.

If a skill exists for a task, add the number of levels you Skills marked (Specify) can be taken multiple times for
have in that Skill to your attribute before rolling. If a different specialties. A character might speak several
skill exists but you don’t have it, subtract twice the SKP languages, or be able to ride both a Horse and a Camel.
of that skill from your chance. A roll of 20 always fails,
no matter how high your success chance is. If your The GM should feel free to delete skills they don’t
chance is less than 1 to succeed, roll anyway. If you think appropriate or to add those they think should be
get a 1 on the die, roll again; if you roll below half the available, basing SKP on skill difficulty and using the
attribute (round up) you succeed. listed skills as a guide.
The total chance to succeed with Skill SKP ATT Description
SUCCESS CHANCE (SC)
a skill.
Archery 3 AGL Bows for hunting or combat
The number of levels you have in
SKILL LEVEL (SL): Axe 1 STR Axe use in war
a skill.
Bargaining 1 BV Haggling to sell at a higher
price or by at a lower price. If
If the GM allows, someone can help the person at- the item is covered by a skill
tempting a task, adding a quarter of the appropriate that you have then add half
Attribute (round up) to the Success Chance. your skill level (round up) to
your chance.
Example: Wat is trying to swing on a rope from one side Brawl 1 STR Fisticuffs and wrestling
of the gorge to the other. His Agility is 14, the task is ‘a bit Bludgeon 1 STR Blunt weapons like clubs or
tricky’ (-2) but he does not have the Tumbling skill, so his maces.
chance is reduced by double the Tumbling SKP (2, for a Climb 1 CON Climbing
penalty of 4). His chance to deftly swing across the gorge Craft (Specify) 1 AGL Any one skill at making
is 14 – 2 – 4 = 8. things. Take a new craft skill
for each different craft, e.g.
He must roll 8 or less on a D20 to succeed. If he were Carpentry or Blacksmithing.
helped by Friar Osric (STR 11) he would add 3 to his Crossbow 2 AGL Crossbows for war or hunt-
chance as his friend gives him a boosting shove across the ing.
gorge. Detect 1 WIS Hearing or seeing things
hidden from you
RESISTED SKILLS Dodge 1 AGL Being where the attacking
weapon isn’t
Sometimes someone will use a skill in a contest against Drive (Specify) 1 WIS Guiding one type of vehicle
someone else. Each rolls their chance. The person with
the highest successful roll wins the contest. If it is a tie Flail 2 STR Using a war flail in combat
the person with the higher Skill Level wins. If both fail Geography 2 INT Finding your way around.
but someone must win, roll again. The further you are from
your usual locality the harder
it gets.
Example: Wat is trying to Detect the dastardly thief who
has just stolen his gloves from his belt. His detect chance Hide 2 AGL Not being seen.
is 11, the thief’s Hide chance is 15. Wat rolls 10, The Thief Healing 2 WIS Patching up wounds and
rolls a 9. Wat spots the thief lurking behind a pig. curing disease Can only be
done once per set of wounds.
and subtracts half the level in
CRITICAL SUCCESSES this skill (round up) from a
character’s wounds.
For a normal skill check, a success on the dice that is History 2 INT An area’s history. The further
the exact value of your success chance is a Critical Suc- back or the further from your
cess. This might be double the wounds healed or a culture, the harder it gets.
particularly good item made. If your success chance is Knife 1 AGL Fighting with a knife or
20 or higher you gain a Critical Success whenever you dagger.
roll 19.
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 4 Essence Core RPG

Language 1-3 INT Speaking a language. Ancient Item Cost Item Cost
(Specify) languages cost 2 SKP. Alien
Cheap meal 1p Backpack 40p
languages cost 3 SKP.
Longarm 2 AGL Using a two-handed firearm Average meal 2p Flint and Steel 6p

Lore (Specify) 2 INT Knowledge of one particular Good meal 4p Cooking gear 60p
area of learning, e.g. Herb Banquet 8p 20 arrows/bolts 20p
Lore or Astronomy.
Ale (1 pint) 1p 4 yards of rope 2p
Magick 4 INT The skill of working magick.
Wine (1pt) 2p Thieves' tools 75p
Music (Specify) 1 BV Play 1 musical instrument.
Bad room/night 4p 2lb loaf 1p
Navigate 2 INT Using stars, maps and guides
to find your way Average room/ 6p 1lb salted meat 2p
night
Pistol 2 AGL Using a firearm designed for
one hand Good room/ 8p 2 torches 1p
night
Poisons 3 INT Identify and create poisons.
If poisoned you must roll Poor tunic 3p 1-gallon waterskin 6p
against your CON with half Average suit of 30p Riding horse 1n
the poisoner’s SC as a DF clothes
Prayer 4 PTY The correct prayers to con- Good suit of 70p Warhorse 20n
tact your god. clothes
Ride (Specify) 2 DIS Riding a specified animal. Clothes for 4n Stabling (per horse 3p+
Read/Write 1-3 INT Reading languages. Cost as court per night)
(Specify) per Language
Shield 2 AGL Putting a bit of wood be- ARMOUR
tween you and your attacker.
Singing 1 BV Singing in tune Although armour is assembled from pieces covering
Sling 2 AGL Using the sling for hunting
different parts of the body there is no space in Essence
or war. Core for a hit location system. A “suit” of armour is
Sleight of Hand 2 AGL Picking pockets, palming
assumed to be an all-inclusive piece of protection. It
items, picking locks, defusing works by subtracting its Damage Protection (DP) from
traps. the damage done by a weapon before they are applied
Spear 2 AGL Using the spear or lance to the victim.
Staff 1 AGL Using a Staff as a weapon Armour Cost DP Notes
Stealth 2 AGL Sneaking around unheard Leather 30p 2 A single layer of hide
Survival 2 WIS Tracking, navigating, foraging Akheton* 50p 3 Quilted canvas
(Specify) and surviving in one particu-
lar terrain type. Cuirbouilli 80p 4 Treated, stiff leather

Swim 1 CON Swimming Brigandine 2n 5 Quilted canvas with metal

reinforcements
Sword 2 STR Using a sword
Scale 4n 6 Overlapping scales of horn or
Throw 2 AGL Accurate throwing of objects metal
and weapons.
Maille 5n 7 The classic “chainmail" ar-
Tumbling 2 AGL Trained in acrobatics and use mour of interlocking rings
of rope swings, tightropes
and other feats of agility. Plate and 7n 8 Maille armour with plate
Maille reinforcement
Willpower 1 DIS Resist attempts to mentally
dominate you. Plate 12n 10 A full suit of plate
Light Space - 12 Future armour
Armour
THE MARKETPLACE Medium - 16 Future armour
Space Armour
MONEY
* The Akheton is usually worn under heavier forms of armour
The basic unit of currency is the silver penny (p). 100 and is assumed to be part of them already. It can also be worn
under Leather and Cuirboulli armour to add its protection.
silver pennies make a gold noble (n).

GOODS & SERVICES SHIELDS

Essence Core has no rules for the weight of objects or Shields work by reducing (or hopefully preventing to-
their encumbrance. Just use common sense and your tally) damage from reaching the user. However even if
best judgement. See Combat for the use of weapons the shield parry fails the shield still reduces the damage
and armour. by its DP unless the attacker gets a critical success.
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 Essence Core RPG 5

Shield Type Cost DP Weapons Cost R ROF D Skill Notes

Makeshift (stool, dagger, rolled up cloak) varies 2 Bow 60p 10 M 6 Bow
Small wicker shield 5p 3 Crossbow 1n 16 2 6 Crossbow
Large wicker shield 10p 4 Javelin 15p 6 M 4 Spear
Small wooden shield 15p 6 Sling 10p 7 H 3 Sling
Large wooden shield 20p 7 Spear 25p 6 M 5 Spear
Small reinforced shield 25p 9 Thrown Axe var. 5 M 2 Throw
Large reinforced shield 50p 12 Thrown Knife 10p 6 M 1 Throw
Thrown Rock - 6 M 2 Throw
If a shield stops more damage than its DP, then reduce
its DP by 1. It is a fact of life, shields do not last. R = base range in yards.
Short range = ½R (round up): + 1success chance, +2 damage
MELEE WEAPONS Medium range = R: no modifications
Long Range = 3R: -2 success change, -1 damage
Restricted weapons may only legally be carried by no- Extreme Range = 5R: -4 success chance, -2 damage
Maximum Range = 12R: -8 success chance, -4 damage
bles and those authorised by them.
Only Bows, Crossbows and Slings may be used at Maximum
Weapons Cost L W D Skill Notes Range.
Punch - L L 1 Brawl ROF = weapon weight for the purpose of calculating Blows (see
Combat).
Kick - M M 2 Brawl
Hand axe 15p S M 3 Axe
FIREARMS
Battle axe 50p M H 6 Axe Restricted
Dane axe 60p L 2 9 Axe Restricted Sample historical, modern and futuristic firearms. Fire-
Club m M M 3 Bludgeon arms do not get additional damage for character STR.
Mace 30p M H 6 Bludgeon Restricted Weapons Mag R ROF D Skill Notes
Maul 40p L 2 8 Bludgeon Flintlock 1 5 H 10 Pistol Smoothbore
Threshing 10p M L 4 Flail May use ½ Pistol
flail Craft (Farm- Flintlock 1 10 2 13 Longarm Smoothbore
ing) skill Musket
(round up)
Revolver 6 11 M 10 Pistol
War flail 60p M M 5 Flail Restricted
Semi-Auto 10 11 M 11 Pistol
Knite 10p S L 1 Knife Pistol
Javelin 15p M L 3 Spear Bolt Action 10 18 M 16 Longarm
Spear (1H) 25p M M 4 Spear Rifle
Spear (2H) 25p L 2 6 Spear Shotgun 5 15 M 15 Longarm Smoothbore
Quarterstaff m L M 3 Staff Blast Pistol 20 16 L 18 Pistol
Short sword 70p S M 4 Sword Blast Rifle 30 20 L 22 Longarm
Sword 1n M L 3 Sword Light sword Mag = weapon capacity before reloading
Broadsword 2n M M 5 Sword Restricted Smoothbore firearms cannot be used at maximum range.
Cost: m = make; make this weapon youself or pay a nominal cost.
L = weapon length (S = short, M = medium, L = long)
COMBAT
W = weapon weight (L = light, M = medium, L = long, 2 = Sometimes persuasion and reason aren’t enough to
two-handed) settle disputes, and it will come to blows. Combat is
D = base damage of the weapon. divided into rounds of approximately a minute, which
is further divided into blows. To find out how many
RANGED WEAPONS blows you have divide your AGL by a factor based on
your weapon weight or ROF (round down).
If a target can see the missile coming then they can
dodge or use their shield to block it. Weapon weight/ROF Blow Factor
Light 3
A character can aim with a ranged weapon, delaying Medium 4
the attack by up to 1Blow per level of Skill. For each ex-
Heavy 5
tra blow delayed, add +1 to either the Success Chance
or the roll (decide in advance). 2 (except Spear, treated as M) 6

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 6 Essence Core RPG
6

Example: Red Wulfhere has AGL14 and is using a Battle attack, for a total of 18 damage. As Ceowyn is wearing
axe (a heavy weapon). He has (14/5) = 2 blows. scale armour (6 protection), she loses (18-6) = 12 fatigue.

Each blow is an action and the person with the most MULTIPLE ATTACKERS OR DEFENDERS
blows goes first. If you are attacked you can choose to
expend a blow (thus losing your next attack) or you Attackers can combine against one opponent by add-
can spend a point of fatigue in order to defend. ing their highest Attribute and their combined Skill
Levels then rolling one die. If they succeed they each
Each person takes a blow in turn until everyone has do half normal damage to the attacker — full damage
used all their blows and the rounds start again until and a BASH chance on a Critical Success.
combat is finished. This will mean that characters with
fewer actions will have to expend Fatigue to be able to Defenders can also combine shield defences against op-
defend themselves if they have used all their blows this ponents. Two can combine against a human-sized at-
round of combat. tacker, three against a Giant. Just like attackers they add
their highest attribute (AGL) plus their combined skill
If two people have the same number of blows then the levels and roll a single die. If they still take damage then
person with the highest AGL goes first. each takes half the damage (round up). If the attacker
gains a critical success both defenders take full damage.
RESOLVING BLOWS
DESPERATE DEFENCE
Combat is a resisted skill. The attacker rolls their attack,
the defender rolls their defence and whoever rolls the If you are worried about being outclassed in combat
highest successful roll wins that challenge. then you can expend 4 FAT for a desperate defence.
Add a D20 roll to the skill of the defender. Subtract
A critical success with an attack from a swung weap- double that same number from the next attack within
on (not spears or knives) means that the character two rounds.
has been BASHED backwards. They must roll against
their AGL to stay standing, else they are knocked to RECKLESS ATTACK
the ground. A critical success with a defence does the
same (the attacker has been bashed with the shield, or If you are worried about not being able to penetrate
the defender has dodged out of the way of the stroke the defence of a foe an attacker can, when attacking,
and the attacker has overbalanced). A successful BASH expend 2 FAT and add a D20 to the skill of the attacker,
does (½D20) damage to Fatigue. It takes one blow to however you must also remove the same amount from
get up. the next defence you try within two rounds.

DAMAGE SHOCK (OPTIONAL RULE)

A weapon does its base damage, plus ½ the attacker’s
Strength (¼ if it is a Light weapon) plus ½ the number
rolled in a successful attack (round up).
Damage from regular attacks goes first to Fatigue, then
Body when Fatigue is exhausted. If an attack is a Crit-
ical Success, all damage (after armour) goes to Body
Points and add ½D20 (round up) straight to BPs, with
armour not protecting.
Example: Ceowyn is under attack by a bandit. The bandit
is using an axe with 3 skill levels and STR(14). Ceowyn
has AGL(13) and 2 levels of skill with shield. The bandit
must roll 17 or less to hit, Ceowyn must roll 15 or under.
If she manages to roll a higher successful number than
the bandit's then she successfully puts the shield in be-
tween herself and the axe.
Ceowyn rolls a 13, the bandit rolls 15, beating Ceowyn
but ALSO a critical success. If there had been a tie the
bandit would still have won as he has higher skill. Ceowyn
manages to roll under her AGL and remains standing.
The bandit is using an Axe with a base damage of 3, + 7
for their Strength and 8 for half the number rolled in the
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If a character suffers at least half their CON in damage
from a single attack, then they must roll a Contest of
Skills of the Damage suffered versus the Character’s
CON. If they fail then they are downed and lose 1 BP
per Combat Round unless healed. This is better used
for NPCs rather than player characters.
SWASHING YOUR BUCKLE
Characters can (and should) try heroic things in com-
bat, like disarming their opponent or cutting the belt
from their trousers.
Disarming Opponents
The attacker subtracts 2 from their Success Chance.
If they win the Contest of Skills, use the damage in a
second contest of skills versus the Strength of the de-
fender. Winning that disarms the opponent.
Contest of Wits
Possibly better role-played, if in a one-on-one duel with
a boss villain or right-hand sidekick, the player charac-
ter can try to engage them in repartee.
 Essence Core RPG 7

Villain: “Your overconfidence will be your route to the or Mass unless and until they show contrition and per-
grave, Aelflinde of Runthorpe.” form an act to redeem themselves.

Aeflinde: “The grave will be yours, and no tears will water Prayer/Ritual DF Effect
it.” Mass 1 Affects all those who share the
same religion as the clergy within
For this, the character can use their language skill as a earshot.
Defence, if they win the contest they have successfully Adds half the clergy’s Prayer skill
defend and get +1 to either their Success Chance or level (round up) to any one task
done by a character during the
die roll in their next Attack. GMs should award a +1 next day (24 hours). This cannot
to +3 bonus to the Defence Success Chance or dice affect combat or magick skills.
roll based on the quality of the insult and repartee the
A Mass only be done once a day
player comes up with. and is only effective until the fol-
lowing dawn. It takes half an hour
Affront to Dignity to say Mass.
Bless 3 Affects only one person, the next
As an alternative, flashier, attack, the attacker can try to act they try and perform will be
trip their opponent up, or spin them around and shove boosted by half the clergy’s Prayer
them off balance or swing from a rope and kick them Skill Chance (round up)
off a horse or wall. This is a normal attack, though pos- Lay on Hands 4 Restores half the first BPs then
sibly using Tumbling Skill instead of an weapon skill. FAT to the person touched. The
The GM should assign a penalty if it seems appropri- amount restored = half the PTY
of the person touched plus the
ate. Prayer skill level of the clergy.

Example: Friar Osric, seeing his friend Wat surrounded Divine Strength 4 Adds half the Prayer skill chance
to the target’s strength.
and in trouble, swings down on the chandelier rope to kick
a guard down the stairs. The guard can’t see the attack Unmask False Heart 5 Reveals the identity of any ene-
mies of the clergy within (Skill
coming, so the GM says it is a straight Tumbling Skill Level) yards
Check at -2. Osric makes it and the guard is launched
down to the cellar. Smite the False 6 Adds the PTY of the Target to
weapon Success Chances when
fighting enemies
PRAYER Purify 3 Purifies food and drink if spoiled
or tainted.
Clergy, whether tending a parish, in cloistered orders or
Remove Curse V Lifts a curse from one Character.
mendicants, are of varying levels of piety and may or A Curse will have a Difficulty
may not be in their deity’s good books. Number that it subtracts from the
chance
How much the power of the divine or of magick is part Exorcise Spirit 6 Banish a Spirit or Undead
of the campaign is up to the GM and players, but if it is, Creature. The Spirit must enter a
then the most holy are able to achieve divine interces- Resisted Skills Contest between
sion, perhaps through an intermediate Saint or Spirit. the Exorcise Prayer and the Spirit’s
will.
Prayer is treated as a skill. The actual prayer, however, Shun the False 7 Any enemy or creature of evil
has a difficulty number (DF): the more powerful and subtracts half the clergy’s Prayer
Skill Chance from any skill whilst
complex the intercession, the higher the DF. within 4 yards of them.

The DF is subtracted from the clergy’s Prayer Success

Chance and is cumulative during the day, so if you do
two Blessings and a Mass in a day the first Bless has a
DF of 2, the second has a DF of 4 and the Mass has a
DF of 5. At six o’clock in each morning the cumulative
effect resets with the first Prayer being at its normal
cost.
Prayers that directly affect enemies are resisted by the
PTY of the target. If they also have the Prayer skill then
they add the Skill level to their resistance. Prayer is a
“Heavy” weapon and unless stated otherwise a Prayer
takes three blows.
If a character shows a lack of respect or blasphemes
against their Deity then they cannot benefit from Bless
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MAGICK
Magick will probably be rare. The only known magi-
cians might be a secretive hermit, a wandering hedge-
mage who may well be a fraud, or an evil sorcerer with
ancient and forgotten secrets wrested from unholy
tombs.
Magicians try and control the complex forces of nature
and supernature, and, though the source of their pow-
er may differ, the effects and mechanics are the same.
When a magician learns a spell they pay the SKP point
cost once, just to learn the spell. Their chance to cast
the spell is based on their Magick Success Chance.
 8 Essence Core RPG

The more levels of Magick skill the mage has, the more Anne L’Arnai, 10 yards away for at least half an hour.
they can do with it manipulate it to do more with it. As That is 1 adjustment for range and 1 for duration. She
mages grow in power they often make a focus, which has INT 13, has 3 levels in magick and a focus so the spell
might be a Staff, or Wand, or Ring or Dagger that they would normally cost 3 points of Fatigue. With two extra
use to concentrate and project the forces called. changes it now costs 9 points. If using the optional rules,
the chance is reduced to 14 and it takes 3 Blows to cast.
All mages know a spell allowing them to store up to
twice their Magick Skill Level in Fatigue Points into a RESISTING SPELLS
single item. If they have a focus, they can store up to
four times their Magick SL in fatigue in the focus to Spells that affect the target’s mind are resisted by the
use to power spells later. target’s DIS (plus Willpower skill). Spells that shoot
missiles that have to travel to the target can be dodged.
SPELLCASTING FATIGUE In the sample spells included here, that is only the
Create Fire spell. The GM may choose to create more
Although they tap other forces to their will, it still costs spells.
mages FAT to control a spell. The cost is (3 * SKP) –
ML, where SKP = the skill point cost of the spell and SPELL LIST
ML = the level of Magick skill the character has.
Spell SKP R D Effect
If the mage has a focus then the cost of the spell is (2 Focus 6 N N A focus helps magi direct spells. It
* SKP) – ML. reduces the energy cost and gives
a +2 skill bonus.
The cost of the spell can never be reduced below 1. Charm 3 Y Y Entrances target to do the magi-
cian’s bidding as long as it doesn’t
threaten the victim’s life. Sample
NON-MAGI SPELLCASTING Charms include ‘Fall Asleep’, ‘Run
Away’, and ‘Do Not Move’.
Non-mages can learn a spell, but if they don’t have the
Sense 2 Y N Any item within the sight of the
Magick skill then the spell will always cost more to cast Magick Mage that has a spell cast on it or
and their chance to cast is always INT – 8. has magickal properties shows up
as glowing.
BASE RANGE, TARGETS AND DURATION Blurry 3 Y Y Subtracts half the Mage’s skill
Image chance from any attack on the
Spells that affect other people always have up to 4 target.
yards range and affect one person. If there is a dura- Create Fire 3 Y Y Creates a small fire. If cast on
tion, it is always (SKP * 5) minutes. another it can be dodged. It does
Magick SL * 4 damage
ENHANCING SPELLS Open Lock 3 N N Opens a lock with the Mage’s
Magick SC as their skill chance
Spells can be manipulated for greater range, power and Mage Lock 3 N Y Locks together two surfaces with
numbers affected. This costs more by taking more time the Mage’s Magick SC as the
and feeding in more fatigue. You can only make as many strength of the bond
adjustments as you have levels in the Magick skill. Circle of 4 N Y Within a radius of the Mage’s SL
Protection in yards any attacker must sub-
For each change, add the cost of casting the spell again tract half the Mage’s SC from any
attack, including ranged attacks
to the total cost to cast. So a spell costing 4 Fatigue and spells
with three extra changes will cost 16 Fatigue in total.
Confuse 4 Y Y Subtracts half the mage’s Magick
• For each 4 yards of range Skill Level (round up) from the
• For each other person affected target's success chances
• For each extra period of duration
Enthrall 8 Y Y If the target of this spell is
entalled, they become totally
If the mage has a focus, then the range of a spell is obedient to the will of the caster.
doubled so that you pay for 8-yard increments rather They will fight to the death to
than 4-yard increments. defend the caster

R = Ranged [Yes/No]. D = Duration [Yes/No]

CASTING TIME

In combat spell casting is considered a “light” weapon, MYSTIC ARTEFACTS

and a spell takes two blows to cast. As an optional rule,
for every two changes you add 1 extra Blow to that Holy relics or ancient heirlooms. Whether or not they
casting time and reduce the Success Chance by 1. hold real power depends on the campaign. If so then
these should be rare, powerful, the subject of quests,
Example: Maud D’Anscove wishes to cast “Charm” on but come at a cost.
© Colin D. Speirs, 2022. Permission granted to print and share this file freely for personal, non-commercial use.
Moises Guerrero (Order #40592142)
 Essence Core RPG
The Horn of Herne
This hunting horn, said to be a gift from the master of
the Wild Hunt, can summon three dire-wolves to fight
for the person who blows the horn. It costs 12 Fatigue
and 6 Body Points to sound the horn.
The Sword of Volund
This was the sword taken from Volund by King Nithuth.
It counts as a Broadsword, but is faster, giving the same Example: Aeflinde has INT 13. If she wants INT 14 then
number of blows as if it is Light, but normal damage. she must spend 28 experience points.
If the wielder ever rolls a natural 20 then roll a check
against Agility, if failed the sword has slipped and struck The GM grants experience points as follows:
the wielder for 10 points of damage (armour protects).
The Chalice of Glastonbury
It is said that if water is drunk from this, it heals all
wounds, cures all diseases and relieves all infirmities,
though it cannot regrow that which has been lost.
GAMESMASTERY
IMPROVISING RULES
These rules are light and open, but hopefully give the
GM enough to work with, and to cope with any situ-
ation, adding and adapting as the situation develops.
Example: If a Thief (or mage using the Open Lock spell)
tries to open a lock then that becomes a resisted skill be-
tween the thief’s Sleight of Hand skill, and the locksmith’s
Craft (Locksmith) skill. Alternatively, the GM might sim-
ply decide to subtract half the Locksmith’s Skill Chance as
a Difficulty Factor.
Example: If Wat wishes to throw a garland of flowers over
the head of his true love, and he is behind them, there
is nothing in the rules to cover this. The GM decides the
throw is not resisted and that Wat gains +2 to his chance.
FEAR AND TERROR
There will be times when the characters will come up
against things that will challenge their courage. Fear
is resisted by DIS, aided by Willpower, in the face of
monsters, as a result of magick, or by other, unearthly
powers. The character will want to resist that, and that
would be a Contest of Skills using DIScipline, or Will-
power if the character has it, versus the Fear strength
of the cause.
If the character fails the check they have been affected
by Fear. What form that takes will depend on the situa-
tion. The default is a reduction in Attack Skills, physical
and magical, to half the normal Success Chance, as the
victim is shaken.
EXPERIENCE AND ADVANCEMENT
After every adventure, the characters are given experi-
© Colin D. Speirs, 2022. Permission granted to print and share this file freely for personal, non-commercial use.
Moises Guerrero (Order #40592142)
9
ence points. These points can be spent improving char-
acter abilities.
Improving or learning Each Skill Point costs 3 Experience
skills points
Improving attirbutes To add one attribute point you must
spend experience points equal to
double the new attribute score.
2 points to each character who survives the adventure
1 point to each character that fulfils the primary function of
their vocation in a way that benefits the group
1 point to a character if the GM feels that the player role-played
the character well
The GM may decide to award one or two extra points
if the dangers or challenges the adventurers faced were
extraordinary.
If an adventure spans many sessions, the GM should
award experience mid adventure, perhaps one set of
awards for every six hours of play.
MERRIE ENGLAND
A sample setting
It is 1193. Two years ago Richard the Lion-Hearted, set
forth to war in foreign lands, putting England and his
faith in the hands of his justiciar and chancellor Wil-
liam Longchamp.
On his journey home Richard was captured by his en-
emy Leopold V, Duke of Austria. Prince John has pro-
claimed himself regent, and he and his cronies are ex-
torting a ruinous tax, allegedly to pay the ransom.
No wonder the people rebel, and seek to emulate the
legendary hero of Sherwood and his band. Whether
Saxon peasants, dispossessed nobles on the run, dissat-
isfied clergy or bearers of the last vestige of Celtic mys-
ticism, in the towns, hills and forests of Merrie England
the spirit of Sherwood lives!
OPPRESSED SAXONS
Saxons, and those Normans who offend the rich and
powerful, have grievances. Those judging them will
want a share of any money available, including charg-
ing plaintiffs for issuing writ by right of “soke”. Courts
are supposed to seek to find ways of reparation, but,
with landowners and feudal lords acting as judges, too
often they impose harsh fines, seize chattels or land, or
condemn the accused as outlaws.
Worse are the hated Forest Laws protecting the pri-
vate hunting grounds of royalty and nobles, with those
 10 Essence Core RPG

found hunting without permission subject to punish- MURDER AT THE MELEE

ment. In the world of Merrie England, that includes Adventure Seed
harsh punishment that might encourage rebellion.
A tourney will be held in the town of Ranchester, an
EVIL SHERIFF opportunity for the Baron de Curzoin to find suitors for
his daughter and for his tax collectors to make an ac-
Sheriffs are appointed officials. They have a reputa- counting. The countryside is abuzz as the melee is said
tion for cheating and oppressing those below them, or to include those fearsome knights, the Norman Sir Rollo
cheating and stealing from those who appointed them. FitzHerbert and the Saxon Dame Egifu of Lomston.
Excellent villains.
The party have had word of a tax collector coming by an
TOWNS abandoned road cutting through a wood, in the hopes
of secrecy, but it is perfect for an ambush. Unbeknown
Under the Normans, towns are becoming more im- to the party’s informant, there is a plot afoot to pay an a
portant. This is useful not only as places to find Lincoln lesser knight to stab Dame Egifu with a poisoned dagger
Green clothing, but places where many strangers are in the melee so Baron de Curzoin can seize her land.
expected and a rebel might lose themselves in a crowd. Papers in a treasure chest attest to the plot.

DEHYDRATED CREATURES AND FOES

Type STR CON AGL WILL BP FAT Blows Attack DMG Dodge DP Instant Notes
SC Skill
Ruffian 12 13 11 10 29 25 2 13 9 13 0 9 Club
Outlaw 13 13 12 11 29 26 3 16 10 13 0 12 Spear or Bow
Guard 12 13 12 12 29 25 3 14 10 13 4 11 Spear
Sergeant 13 13 13 13 29 26 3 15 11 14 5 13 Sword
Archer 12 13 14 12 29 25 3 16 10 15 3 12 Knife and Bow
Young knight 13 12 12 11 28 25 3 15 12 14 6 11 Broadsword
Knight 14 13 13 12 30 27 3 17 13 14 6 13 Broadsword
Townsman 11 11 13 11 26 22 4 14 6 14 0 11 Knife
Boar - - - 18 57 34 3 22 16 10 9 -
Deer, hart - - - 12 25 18 5 10 10 18 2 -
Deer, stag - - - 12 32 20 5 12 12 17 2 -
Dog - - - 15 23 20 3 15 8 15 1 -
N
Rat Pack - - - 12 12 24 4 15 6 9 0 - 12 rats. Bite SC6
poison (cumulative)
Wolf - - - 17 41 32 4 21 12 16 2 -
N
Dire Wolf - - - 18 43 34 4 23 14 17 3 -
Pony - - - 18 61 27 3 12 15 13 1 -
Horse - - - 18 84 38 3 11 17 13 1 -
Warhorse - - - 18 89 43 3 16 22 14 6 - +4 to rider's attack
N
Demon, Imp 14 13 13 17 57 30 4 17 9 19 0 12 M (30/10/40)
Ghoul N 14 14 14 16 49 32 3 17 11 16 1 13 Undead
N
Skeleton 10 12 11 12 39 0 3 12 7 10 0 9 Undead
Skeleton 12 13 14 15 44 0 3 17 12 10 5 9 Undead
warrior N
Living Dead N 10 14 10 14 43 0 3 15 12 10 2 10 Undead
N
= This creature has night vision and can see in the dark as well Rare individuals have better statistics:
as a human can on a dull day.
Superior +2 STR, +1 AGL, +1 to Body, +2 to Fat, +2 to Dodge,
M(N/X/Y) means the person has a Magick Skill Chance of N, a +2 to Attack and +2 to Instant Skill
Skill level of X and Y skill points to spend on Spells. Hero +3 STR, +1 CON, +2 to AGL, +3 to Body, +4 to
“Instant Skill” refers to any non-combat skill that the non-player Fat, +3 to Dodge, EITHER +3 to Attack and + 5 to
character might be called upon to use. The number is the success Instant Skill OR +5 to Attack and + 3 to Instant Skill
chance the character will have in that skill. Major +3 STR, +2 CON, +3 to AGL, +3 to Body, +5 to Fat,
Undead and Demons cause Fear. Resisting Fear is a Contest of Hero +4 to Dodge, EITHER +7 to Attack and +5 to Instant
Skills vs the Instant Skill of the Undead. Skill OR +5 to Attack and +7 to Instant Sk

© Colin D. Speirs, 2022. Permission granted to print and share this file freely for personal, non-commercial use.
Moises Guerrero (Order #40592142)
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Moises Guerrero (Order #40592142)
 ESSENCE CORE CHARACTER SHEET
Character Name: Social Class:
Origin: Vocation:

Physical ATT Mental ATT Social ATT Body Points: Difficulty Factors
STR INT APP Fatigue: DF Description
CON WIS BV 1 Not that simple
Experience
Points: 2 A bit tricky
AGL DIS PTY
3 Annoying
Base ATT Skill Success
Skill SKP
ATT Rating + Level + Bonus = Chance 5 Challenging
7 Demanding
Native Language ( ) 1 INT
9 Difficult
12 Very difficult
15 Extremely difficult
18 Nearly impossible
24 Inconceivable!

Money

Equipment

Armour Type Shield Type

Damage Max Protection (DP)
Protection (DP) Current Protection (DP)

Damage
Melee Weapon Length Weight Base + STR Mod = Total Blows Skill
Punch L L 1 Brawl
Kick M M 2 Brawl

Damage Range (yards)

Ranged Weapon Length Weight Base + STR Mod = Total Blows Skill SR MR LR ER Max

© Colin D. Speirs, 2022. Permission granted to print or share for personal, non-commercial use.
Moises Guerrero (Order #40592142)