13:7:3

System inspired by Risus and Shadowrun

13:7:3 v2.04
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
 13:7:3

NAME _________________________________________ Character Creation

CONCEPT _________________________________________
All characters start with 15 ranks to spend
on archetypes, race, and patron. Each level in an
RACE archetype costs one rank. Taking a race costs one
_________________________________________
rank. Taking a patron costs one rank. If you do not
take a race, your race defaults to human; this
PATRON _________________________________________
confers no bonuses or penalties. A character can, at
any given time, have at most one archetype at 5,
two at 4, three at 3, four at 2, 5 at 1.

Rolling
THE ADVENTURER ______________________________
For a given challenge, roll a number of d6s
equal to a relevant archetype. If you don’t have any
THE ARTISAN ______________________________ relevant archetypes, you get a single d6. If your race
or patron would help with the action, you get a
bonus die for either. If there is a factor affecting the
THE LEADER ______________________________
balance of a power in a situation, like someone
having blackmail or a weapon while the other
doesn’t, the person with the advantage gets a d6.
THE LONER ______________________________
Rolls of 5 or 6 are a success. GMs decide
how many dice a given challenge has and rolls them
too. Combat works by one character rolling against
THE MAGICIAN ______________________________ another character, with the net number of successes
being damage against the defender’s archetype. The
defender wins in the cast of ties.
THE MERCHANT ______________________________
When one’s archetype is damaged, it is
temporarily reduced, healing at a rate depending on
THE NOBLE ______________________________ the type of conflict. If all of someone’s relevant
archetypes are at 0, a single point more damage
causes them to lose the conflict. The GM has the
THE PEASANT ______________________________ final decision on whether or not a given archetype is
relevant to a given action.

THE PERFORMER ______________________________

Advancement

When a character does something note-

worthily in line with an archetype, such as The
THE PRIEST ______________________________
Warrior winning a hard duel they get one point
towards the archetype. When a character does
something particularly out of line with an archetype,
THE SCHOLAR ______________________________ it loses one experience point from that archetype. If
that archetype doesn’t have any experience points,
it is downgraded and given enough experience to
THE THIEF ______________________________ have one less than what’s needed to level up.

Increasing an archetype requires a number

THE WARRIOR ______________________________ of experience points equal to the new level. Gaining
a race or a patron costs one point, but requires great
dedication to earn it; finally spending it is the final
act of dedication.
System inspired by Risus and Shadowrun
13:7:3 v2.04
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
 13:7:3
Archetypes
THE ADVENTURER
The Adventurer is a wanderer, an explorer,
a tourist, and a sight-seer. The Adventurer is good at
keeping on the move, finding hidden things, and
fitting in with new people. Its magic has to do with
mental, physical, and social travel.
THE ARTISAN
The Artisan creates things. The Artisan is a
painter, a blacksmith, an architect. The Artisan is
good at designing things, at building things, and at
directing builders. Its magic has to do with art and
crafting.
THE LEADER
The Leader leads others. The Leader is
good at formulating group tactics, giving commands
and having them followed, and being a politician. Its
magic has to do with battlefield tactics and imposing
its will on others.
THE LONER
The Loner is self-sufficient. The Loner is
good at wilderness survival, is streetwise, is good at
first aid, withstanding pain and harsh conditions, and
generally getting by alone. Its magic has to do with
being the ultimate survivor.
THE MAGICIAN
The Magician is magical. The Magician is
good at casting spells, analyzing arcane runes, and
enchanting items. Its magic has to do with
controlling the elements, imposing its will on the
physical world, and manipulating other magic.
THE MERCHANT
The Merchant trades. The Merchant is
good at haggling, tracking down items, making a
profit, smooth-talking, and charming. Its magic has
to do with trading things for other things, finding
items, and getting what other people want.
13:7:3 v2.04
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
THE NOBLE
The Noble lives highly. The Noble owns
land, employs servants, and is the master of its own
domain. It is good at dealing with other wealthy
people, getting followers, and being high-class. Its
magic has to do with charming, manipulating, and
securing their own domains.
THE PEASANT
The Peasant lives low. The Peasant is good
at making do with shoddy tools, surviving on few
supplies, manual labor, and agriculture. Its magic
has to do with plants, animals, and making tools
work magically well.
THE PERFORMER
The Performer entertains. The Performer is
good at socializing, playing instruments, singing,
acting, and dancing. Its magic has to do with
boosting others, charming others, and distracting
others.
THE PRIEST
The Priest is holy. The Priest is good at
understanding archetypes and patrons, identifying
dangerous monsters, consoling people, and giving
advice. Its magic has to do with healing, casting out
monsters, and inspiring worship.
THE SCHOLAR
The Scholar knows things. The Scholar is
good at knowing facts, learning, reading, analyzing
facts and information, and researching. Its magic
has to do with finding and analyzing information of
all kinds.
THE THIEF
The Thief takes things. The Thief is good at
stealing, tricking, lying, and hiding. Its magic has to
do with stealth and taking things away from others.
THE WARRIOR
The Warrior fights. The Warrior is good at
withstanding punishment, dodging, and fighting of
all kinds. Its magic has to do with avoiding damage,
harming, and rendering people unable or unwilling
to continue fighting.
System inspired by Risus and Shadowrun
 13:7:3
Races
Adopting a race is a long and dedicated
path. The vast majority of people in the world are
human. However, the perks of the various races are
attractive enough that people continue to pursue
even the hardest to achieve racial archetypes.
THE ELF
Elves appear as graceful but strong female
humanoids. They tend towards being tall, with long
pointed ears and elegant features. They live close to
nature and dislike artifice, preferring the company of
animals and plants. They tend to wear light clothes
which by baseline human standards seem skimpy,
but as they are immune to anything but extremes in
weather this does not bother elves. The path to
become an elf is difficult and exacting, and only the
most dedicated eventually become one.
THE GOBLIN
Goblins are tall, male, muscular humanoids
with tough skin and thick hair. They are almost
always tribal, living off the land by hunting and
gathering, and deciding pecking order by contests of
strength, skill, and cunning. Goblins value strength
and skill in battle, cunning, tactics, and trickery.
Sometimes areas suffer an explosive growth of
goblin populations because goblins will actively
capture baseline human clans and raise all their
children to be brutal, vicious and eventually become
goblins themselves. Such large hordes will eventually
threaten the other races by sheer momentum,
resulting in wars. Goblins range from strong, noble
warriors to lithe, cunning tricksters to savage, brutal,
animalistic monsters.
THE DWARF
Dwarves are male, short, stocky and
muscular, with large beards and heavy features.
They dwell underground and greatly value strength,
solidity, tradition and stoicism. Dwarves are crafters
as well, but in opposition to the elves they craft by
twisting and bending natural materials to their will,
rather than carefully shaping things into fragile
beauty. Dwarves are not aggressive, but will gather
together and defend themselves to the last.
Dwarves range from rough, alcoholic workaholics to
charming and fashionably bearded gentlemen.
13:7:3 v2.04
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
THE GNOME
Gnomes appear to be young teenage girls of
short stature and curvy figures, and constantly
appear to be flitting about, talking and examining
things. They love to invent and tinker, but in contrast
to the dwarves love to experiment, discover new
paths. Gnomes tend to be reclusive, living in school-
like towns or cities, or in great academies of science.
They prefer to avoid combat, but can be deadly
enough when cornered or choosing to fight.
Gnomes can be pretty or plain, and tend to dress
either in ostentatious, colorful, sometimes garish
fashions, or in functional work clothes and they tend
to be both creative and unreliable.
THE WYRM
Usually known as dragons, Wyrms are the
symbol of male virile power. Wyrms can be anything
from impressive scaled men with reptilian eyes to
enormous serpentine reptiles with no trace of
humanity. They normally dwell very far from any
other race, on top of mountains or even on clouds
themselves. They prefer to pursue their own
inscrutable agendas, feeling themselves far beyond
the mortals they once were. They are great scholars
and their long lives make them wise, if sometimes
very intolerant. Often a wyrm takes a liking to a
particular area, either conquering it or protecting it.
Some wyrms are charming and commanding beasts
with glittering scales and striking appearance, and
others appear much as horrible beasts, bristling with
scars and natural weapons.
THE OUTSIDER
Outsiders are called by many names, but
generally appear similar. They are very tall and
powerfully built female humanoids with huge wings
protruding from their backs. Depending on their
personal ideas of morals, they may have any skin
color; have thick leathery wings or elegant feathered
pinions. They are the feminine creative counterpart
to wyrms, and promote fertility, feminine power,
and noblesse oblige be it through manipulating
mortals to their own ends or sheltering and
protecting them with their strength. Nonetheless,
Outsiders never dwell long among other races. Their
countenance is just as often demonic and terrifying
as it is angelic and beautiful, or even just drab crones
with wings of brow, ratty feathers. Outsiders are
tremendously rare and tend to be quite reclusive.
System inspired by Risus and Shadowrun
 13:7:3

Patrons The Creation Myth

DESTRUCTION In the beginning, there was nothing, and

Destruction is the force of change, of chaos,
of entropy. Destruction at its best destroys the old
to make way for the new. Destruction at its worst
destroys the healthy without heed to balance.
then Creation created itself. Creation created
Destruction, for that was the only thing that could be
that wasn’t Creation. Creation and Destruction
fought, and the balanced fight created Balance, and
there was harmony.

CREATION The three great forces worked together and

Creation is the force of stability, of law, of
growth. Creation at its best makes new things
where there is nothing. Creation at its worst
stagnates or overgrows.
created the world. The world was empty, though,
and so they created Man. Thirteen were created, six
men, six women, and one, the Loner, of unknown
gender. Each man and each woman were lovers,
and all was good.

BALANCE Each of these Men explored themselves, for

they were created anew and knew themselves as
Balance keeps the forces of both little as they knew the world. Each, in turn, came to
Destruction and Creation in check. When embody different principles and talents, according to
Destruction goes overboard, Balance reins it in or their nature, and these archetypes came to be
strengthens Creation. When Creation goes named after these Men.
overboard, Balance stops it and lets Destruction
loose. What’s more, three of these couples found
their forms unlike their nature, and gradually
became The Elf, The Goblin, The Dwarf, The Gnome,
The Wyrm, and The Outsider.

This done, with all of the Men knowing and

being true to their natures, they reproduced and
made new generations of all seven of the races.
Once they did, and they were truly seen and revered
as the truest members of their archetypes and races,
they ascended, leaving the world of mortals behind
to sit with Creation, Destruction, and Balance, in a
realm outside of normal time and space.

To this day, men and women who act in line

with an archetype find Creation giving them power
to continue, Destruction taking the power for acting
out of line, and Balance moderating them both.
They do this because, when the original 13
ascended, they became as inherent to reality as the
three forces themselves are. Men who act as elves
become elves. Women who act as wyrms become
wyrms. People who act to an archetype are
empowered according to that archetype.

And sometimes, every now and then,

someone who embodies an archetype as much as
one of the original 13 spontaneously ascends, adding
another aspect, another facet, to the law of reality
that is an archetype.

System inspired by Risus and Shadowrun

13:7:3 v2.04
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.