The Years of Adventure

A Sandbox Fantasy Tabletop Roleplaying Game

By Brandon Webster and Ethan Watson

The Years of Adventure is a tabletop roleplaying game that takes characters across lifetimes as they learn, adventure,
live, rule, and leave a legacy throughout the years. Pivotal moments in this game often come down to seconds and minutes,
but the weeks and years leading up to those moments are just as important. In long campaigns of The Years of Adventure,
characters journey through their entire life, gaining skills and abilities as they go from inexperienced youths to seasoned
veterans. Eventually, characters may even retire, or perish, while the game continues on through their successors.
Inspired by epic fantasy series such as the Malazan Book of the Fallen, Earthsea, and A Song of Ice and Fire, The
Years of Adventure was designed to create sweeping, large scale stories with a human focus. Characters in this game may
delve into ancient ruins and dark dungeons, explore mystical places, and battle magical beasts, but they are just as likely
to negotiate a peace treaty with a neighboring monarch, lead soldiers into a large-scale battle, or spend years researching
the secrets of immortality. They may even take a break and live quiet lives for 10 years before the call of adventure pulls
them back out once again.

Credits
The text of The Years of Adventure © 2024 by Archstone Press is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this
license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
All Rights Reserved for the layout and illustrations of The Years of Adventure © 2024 by Archstone Press.
Design, Writing, Editing, Layout
Ethan Watson, Brandon Webster
Illustrations
Ethan Watson
Playtesters
Kiprian Rusak Gernat, Nastasia Gernat, Alex Chrysanthopoulos, Yanka, Sahil Suri, John Stathis, Stephanie S. Kim,
Mariane H. Kim, and everyone else we’ve had the pleasure of gaming with!
 Table of Contents
Table of Contents 3 Elemancy 69
Locomancy 78
How to Use this Book 7 Necromancy 82
Introduction 8 Psychomancy 87
The Scale of Time 9 Minor Attributes 92
Inspirational Works 10 Hit Protection 92
General Terms 11 Determination Points 92
Stress 93
The Years 12 Injuries 93
Measuring Time 12 Encumbrance 93
The Year Turn 12 Armor 93
Year Actions 13 Effort 93
Weekly Play 14 Character Advancement 94
Skipping Years 14 Gaining Skill Points 94
Spending Skill Points 94
Characters 15 Changing Motivations 94
Introduction to Character Creation 16 Houses and Playing Multiple Characters 95
Quick Character Creation 16 Equipment 96
Advanced Character Creation 16 Encumbrance 97
Character Concept 17 Currency 97
Ancestry and Culture 17 Weapons 98
Background 17 Armor 100
Motivations 18 Mounts 101
Age 19 Gear Packs & Consumables 102
Skills 20 Costs of Living 104
Animals 21
Athletics 24 Playing the Game 105
Communication 26 Skill Checks 106
Crafting 29 Opposed Skill Checks 106
Fighting 33 Motivation Checks 107
Knowledge 36 Saving Throws 107
Leadership 39 Combat Encounters 109
Marksmanship 41 Turns, Rounds, Initiative, and
Performance 43 Ambushes 109
Perseverance 45 Anatomy of a Turn 109
Sailing 47 Attacks and Damage 109
Stealth 49 Hit Protection and Mortal Wounds 109
Survival 51 Common Combat Actions 110
Toughness 53 Execution Attacks 111
Magical Skills 54 Social Encounters 112
Metamancy 56 Social Turns 112
Biomancy 60 Determination Points and
Chronomancy 65 Demoralization 112
 Mixed Encounters 113 Building Structures 159
Dealing Damage 113 Structure Upkeep and Income 160
Morale 113
Fleeing Combat and Chases 114 Armies, Navies, and Mass Combat 162
Stress and Injuries 115 Mass Combat Units 162
Dealing with Stress 115 Battle 163
Injuries 117 Naval Combat 164
Status Effects 118 Ships 164
Questing 119 Ship Traits 165
Overland and Sea Travel 119 Ship Weapons 165
Environmental Hazards 120 Ship Modifications 166
Magic 122 Ship Supplies 166
Scrolls and Grimoires 122 Naval Combat Actions 167
Undead 122 Theater of the Mind 168
Freeform Rituals 123 Simplified Mass Combat 168
Military Campaigns 169
Running the Game 124 Supplies and Army Morale 169
The Principles 124 Army Travel 170
Framing Your Campaign 125 Siegecraft 170
The Sandbox 126
Components of the Sandbox 126 Character Origins 171
General Advice 127 D66 Random Origin Table 171
A Sandbox World 128 Alchemist 172
Non-Player Characters 130 Bard 172
Creating Problems 135 Beast Tamer 173
Designing New Techniques 136 Berserker 173
Compatibility with other Games 137 Blacksmith 174
Mechanical Analogues 137 Blink Warrior 174
Importing Adventures 137 Cleric 175
Cook 175
Domains 139 Diplomat 176
Domain Maps and Scales 139 Dungeoneering Expert 176
Domain Resources 140 Facestealer 177
Province Development 140 Flame Slinger 177
Domain Costs 141 Foot Soldier 178
The Domain Turn 142 Healer 178
Domain Problems 142 Hedge Mage 179
Domain Turn Actions 147 Historian 179
Managing Non-Player Domains 149 Investigator 180
Knife Thrower 180
Factions 152 Martial Artist 181
Faction Resources 152 Mounted Archer 181
Faction Costs 153 Necromancer 182
The Faction Turn 153 Noble 182
Faction Actions 154 Officer 183
Faction Problems 156 Oracle 183
Structures 158 Polymath 184
Structure Cost 158 Ranger 184
Rogue 185
 Sailor 185
Sapper 186
Shadow Assassin 186
Shapeshifter 187
Spellsword 187
Telepath 188
Warden of Death 188
Wizard 189
Wyrd Caller 189

Appendix 191
Common Creatures and People 191
Example Concoctions List 191
Example Modifications 193
 How to Use this Book
The Years of Adventure has many modular systems, which can be overwhelming at first glance. Luckily,
many of these systems are optional, and only need to be used when they would make GMing easier. The following
guide outlines the most important information needed based on your experience with the game.

For your first session:

Players: Use the Quick Character Creation section to create your first character. Familiarize yourself with
how to make a skill check, as well as your character’s abilities and motivations. If you have time, learn how to make
attack and damage rolls.
GMs: Understand how Quick Character Creation works to aid your players. Read the Introduction, the
entirety of Playing the Game, with an extra focus to understanding skill checks, as well as all types of encounters.
Also, read the “The Principles” from the Running the Game chapter. For GMs new to tabletop RPGs in general, we
recommend using an introductory adventure module, such as those made for The Years of Adventure or popular
adventures in the style of the New School Revolution or Old School Renaissance. If you expect your first session
to involve Mass Combat, give that section a quick read, and understand how to blend it with normal combat. If
you don’t expect to need this system, it can wait until you do need it.

For your next few sessions:

Players: Between the next few sessions you play, you should read the following sections in whatever order
interests you: The Years, Characters (aside from skills), and Playing the Game. By your 5th session, you should have
a solid understanding of your character’s abilities, combat and social encounters, and how to progress and drive
the game through the Years system.
GMs: Before your second session, you should understand The Years, and how to use this system to encourage
sandbox-style play in your game. Most importantly, once the adventure started in your first session is complete,
you should guide the players into choosing their next adventure through choosing Year Actions. As you run the
next few sessions, familiarize yourself with the Running the Game section to begin building your toolbox and
learning how to create NPCs and challenges for your players.

As you play your first long campaign:

Players: Learn how to advance your character over time, and gradually read through the available skills and
techniques as you level up. Follow your interests, and build your knowledge of the system over time. If your
character rises to the level of Faction or Domain play, become familiar with those systems as you play through
them.
GMs: Continue learning the Running the Game section, and practice coming up with NPCs on the fly. Begin
learning the Domain and Faction sections, and create at least one Domain and a few factions to run in the
background of your campaign, generating more adventure hooks and ways for your player’s characters to get
involved in the world of your campaign. At this point, the campaign should be entirely driven by the players
motivations, and you can familiarize yourself with any remaining systems whenever you expect them to come up
in play.
 Introduction
The primary design goal for The Years of Adventure is to support sandbox fantasy roleplaying inspired by the
stories told in epic fantasy literature, such as those listed in the following “Inspirational Works” section.
Specifically, the game hopes to support tabletop campaigns that involve:
• High player agency: Player characters should be the force driving the campaign forward, and their actions
should have wide-reaching impacts on the game world.
• High stakes: Not only are characters in potential danger, the fate of whole towns, cities, empires, and cultures
are likely at stake in this game. While not every character will care about large-scale events, they will always
care about something or someone, and that interest should motivate them to act.
• Long Time Scales: Few major problems are solved in a day, and many may require years or even lifetimes to
resolve. In long-running campaigns, the game comes to focus on the life story of the player characters, and the
story of the world that they inhabit, rather than any one individual adventure.

The term sandbox refers to a specific way of running tabletop roleplaying games that does not always
have a strict definition. When used in this game, it is specifically referring to a style of play that revolves around
high player agency, lack of prepared plotlines or story arcs, and an emphasis on simulation as a method driving the
game forward. The many modular systems within The Years of Adventure come together to support this style of
play in various ways.
• Year Actions, defined in the chapter The Years, are the core framework that the rest of the sandbox revolves
around. They encapsulate and standardize time across characters, domains, factions, armies, and any other
aspect of the sandbox. This allows the GM to keep the world dynamic flowing and always provides new
opportunities for the player characters to get involved.
• Characters, defined primarily by skills, techniques, and motivations, are the most important part of the
sandbox. The near-limitless combinations of these attributes allow characters to create unique stories through
their chosen Year Actions. Characters only gain skill points at the end of a Year Action, meaning that time must
progress in order for their skills to advance.
• Playing the Game provides rules for the basic building blocks for the game: skill checks, combat and social
encounters, injuries, travel, and freeform magic. Skill checks and encounter rules help to guide character
activities in the pivotal moments of their stories, such as convincing a ruler to avoid war, assassinating a rival
faction leader, tracking down an ancient relic, and anything else a character might pursue.
• Domains provide fodder for the political elements of the sandbox, allowing players and GMs to more easily
simulate their world. Domains can be used in multiple ways: as a backdrop for the GM to generate adventure
hooks, a side element for PCs who choose to engage with the politics of their world, or as the entire focus of a
campaign. Domains are particularly useful for keeping the sandbox fresh and dynamic in long-running
campaigns.
• Factions are designed to encapsulate the potential orders, guilds, cults, organizations, and other groups that
players wish to form or participate in, but that are not quite the ruling government of their land. This system,
like Domains, are designed to be malleable to the player and GMs’ needs. This system is particularly useful to
PCs looking to get more involved in their world, who aren’t quite ready to engage with larger domains. It is
also useful for campaigns existing entirely within a single domain, and it is meant to be used in addition to the
Domain system.
• Armies and Mass Combat provide systems that are necessary when Domain and Faction diplomacy breaks
down. This chapter includes rules for managing armies, mass combat from a small skirmish of dozens up to
thousands of soldiers, naval travel and combat, sieging of cities and strongholds, and much more. While this
chapter is particularly useful for military-focused campaigns, the rules for mass combat can be useful at even
small scales, to speed up small-scale combat encounters involving a party of plucky adventurers against a few
too many foes.
 The Scale of Time
An important element to running The Years of
Adventure is the concept of “zooming in and out” on
the timeline of a campaign. Gameplay can exist on
the scale of seconds, such as during combat rounds,
or of minutes, such as in a social encounter. Many
elements of gameplay, however, exist on a longer
scale, such as weekly magic use and the recovery of
hit protection, or recovering injuries and relieving
stress over multiple months.
For example, after several in-game months of
adventuring and many sessions of play, the party
elects to return to the safety of their headquarters,
giving their characters a chance to rest, relax, spend
their newfound wealth, train, and speak with NPCs.
Both the adventure and the downtime afterwards are
important, and likely feature a number of moments
that are incredibly impactful to the characters
involved. They are also full of long stretches of time
where nothing particularly interesting happens. By
“zooming out,” the long periods of monotony in-
game can be resolved in moments of real time. By
“zooming in,” the important moments that break up
that monotony can be given the attention they
deserve, regardless of when they happen narratively.
The “zoomed out” time is not meant to be
skipped over entirely and ignored from a
storytelling perspective – quite the contrary. A party
of adventurers deciding to train for a year also allows
political organizations to operate and move assets,
allows evil entities to amass power, and allows for
storytelling opportunities for GMs and players to
exist on a large and long scale. Players should
describe what their characters do during this time
period, but many aspects of this long scale
storytelling can be handwaved, such as work and
projects being completed or travel through safe
territories, without the need for specific roleplay or
storytelling.
GMs may choose to “zoom in” suddenly during
these periods, inserting story beats and plot elements
as they see fit, or they might choose to let their
worlds exist as a sandbox using the mechanics and
systems of this game. Either way, the amount of
short scale and long scale storytelling that your table
and campaign ultimately require will depend on the
systems that you overlay and the scope of the story
and world you are trying to create.
 Inspirational Works
The following media, including novels, television shows, movies, and video games all tell the types of stories
that The Years of Adventure seeks to enable. When looking for ideas to help with running or playing The Years of
Adventure, these works may serve to inspire you as well.
Full Descriptions of the list below can be found in the Appendix of this text.

Novels & Writing

• Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
• The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Black Company by Glen Cook
• A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
• Rumo, The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear, & The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
• Bone by Jeff Smith
• The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
• The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate by Ted Chiang
• The Burning Kingdoms by Tasha Suri
• Inda by Sherwood Smith

Films & Television

• Avatar: The Last Airbender (and other stories set in this universe)
• The Last Kingdom
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
• Princess Mononoke
• Labyrinth
• Vinland Saga
• Naruto

Video, Board, & Tabletop Games

• Worlds Without Number and Stars Without Number by Kevin Crawford
• Cairn by Yochai Gal
• Into the Odd by Chris McDowall
• Root - Leder Games
• Darkest Dungeon 1 & 2 - Red Hook Studios
• Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2 - Larian Studios
• Total War series - Creative Assembly
• Crusader Kings and Imperator: Rome - Paradox Interactive
 General Terms
GM (Game Master): The Game Master plays all non-player characters, as well as the world and setting that
the player characters live in.
Player: A player is a person playing this game. They control one or more characters.
Party: The collection of all players in the game is referred to as the party.
Character: A character is an entity in the game world.
Player Character (PC): A character controlled by a player is referred to as a player character.
Non-player Character (NPC): Any character not controlled by a player, and instead controlled by the GM.
Session: Usually, a 2+ hour period of time where the GM and players play the game.
Campaign: Multiple sessions of a game are often referred to as a campaign.
“Narrative Sense”: Occasionally, these rules will refer to the “narrative” of the story being told. Put simply,
the narrative is the collective story told by the GM, the players, and the rolls that they make. It is everything in the
game beyond the mechanics. First and foremost, the rules serve the narrative, and GMs and players are encouraged
to change rules or roll outcomes in individual cases to better suit the collective narrative being told.
Dice Abbreviations: Like other tabletop games, dice are abbreviated to dx with x being the number of sides
required. The number that precedes the dice value is the number of dice required in a roll. For example, 2d6 would
call for rolling two six-sided dice.
Natural: In relation to rolling dice, natural refers to the result of the roll before any modifiers are added.
 The Years
In The Years of Adventure, time may pass very slowly or very quickly depending on the narrative. A single
minute of combat for characters may take half an hour for a group of players to navigate, or a tense negotiation
may last for an hour in game but encompass an entire session of play. Likewise, long term projects like developing
the infrastructure of a nation or recovering from a near-fatal wound may take months in game, but pass in minutes
of player time. In general, a GM should only spend as long on any single event as it takes for the players to
communicate their intentions. Players should not feel hurried, but GM’s should not be afraid to explain away long
time periods with narrative flair. When it is relevant, time may be measured using the following divisions, from
largest to smallest: year, season, week, scene, and turn.

Measuring Time
A year is the longest unit of time in the game, assumed to be roughly the same length of time as a year on
Earth. Character ages are measured in years.
For every year, there are 4 year actions. These represent the 4 major actions the player characters can partake
in during the length of a year. This may take various forms, described in the next section. Generally, the action will
consume significant time and effort on the part of the character. Some actions may require less time but prove
more intensive and require downtime to recover. Year actions do not need to be equally spaced throughout the
year. They may all occur in short succession, or even simultaneously, such as a warrior learning weapon skills
while on campaign. Any extra time in the year is assumed to be used either planning for or recovering from those
actions.
Weeks are used to represent the breakdown of time within a year action. Weeks are used to measure short-
term recovery, such as healing from minor injuries or replenishing magical energy. They also measure travel time
and resource consumption when on campaign or an adventure without easy access to supplies. Some year actions
are limited to a maximum number of weeks before another action must be used. Generally, a week is assumed to
be in the range of 5-10 days, but it does not need to be a static length of time, and may vary as the narrative
demands.
Scenes are a specific event or activity that the characters interact in, similar to a scene in a movie or television
show. Many short-term effect durations are measured with scenes. A scene is generally no longer than about 15
minutes, although it could be longer at the discretion of the GM. Some examples of a scene would be a single
combat encounter, a conversation with an NPC, or the exploration of a single room in a dungeon, or piece of
wilderness. Longer events, such as a large-scale battle or siege, feast or festival, or an entire dungeon delve should
be broken into multiple scenes.
Turns are used in fast-paced sequences such as physical encounters or social challenges. They are generally no
less than 10 seconds or more than 1 minute in length, to be determined by the GM based on the type encounter.

The Year Turn

Every year, characters may take up to 4 year actions. These actions are chosen sequentially, although actions
for multiple characters may happen in parallel if those characters are not involved in the other’s actions. Once all
actions have been taken, the year review occurs.
Each character gains their earned skill points, and may allocate them as they see fit, or hold on to them to save
for a high cost skill or technique. Each character must also roll a Toughness or Perseverance saving throw for each
stress point they have. On a failure, they gain an Injury ({{PAGE}}) representing the compounding of various mental
and physical trauma they have experienced. They may choose which skill to use for the first stress-related saving
throw, but most alternate the skills after that. For example, if they have three stress points, they may choose to use
Toughness first, but then must use Perseverance for the next one, and Toughness again for the last saving throw.
Lastly, characters increase their age by one. If they have entered a new age range, they must adjust their skills
appropriately.
Significant actions are year actions that will require a large amount of roleplaying, and should include the
whole party. Significant actions may take course over an entire session of play, or even multiple sessions of play.
Generally, the party should decide together on the significant actions that they would like to take, each player
choosing one character from their house to play as during that significant action. There is no limit on the number
of significant actions that a party may take per year, beyond the limit of 4 year actions per character.
Before, in between, and after significant actions, each character should also choose minor actions to fill out
their quota of 4 per year. Minor actions usually involve little to no roleplay, and as such they are often individually
chosen for each character. While minor actions may take up many weeks of in-game time, they should not take up
more than a few minutes of real time, unless the players would prefer to add some minor roleplaying to the action.

Year Actions
The following is a list of the most common year actions. Other actions may occur at the discretion of the GM.
Generally, an action is significant if it involves a session or more of roleplaying. Significant actions in the following
list are marked with an asterisk (*).
Domain Action (*): When using the optional domain rules, this action may be taken to allow a character to
participate in a significant domain action, such as Wage a Campaign or Deal With a Problem.
Learn Common Information: This action is used for a character to discover things about the world that are
known by others, but not themselves. It generally involves hunting down scholarly texts, talking to experts,
teachers, or primary sources, and other sources of fact finding. This action is guaranteed to either give the
character the information they require, or give them enough information to plan a significant action (such as a
quest) to gather the remaining information. The following list contains example information to be learned; it is not
exhaustive.
• The history of a given region, culture, religion, or government
• The existence and location of a legendary weapon or artifact
• The existence and location of a famous ruin, dungeon, or other such quest location
• An NPC that has a job or quest for the characters to do, in exchange for friendship and some sort of
monetary or other reward. This includes the necessary research about how best to accomplish the job.
Learn Secret or Rare Information (*): This action is used to discover secret or hidden information about
the world and the people in it. It has some overlap with the above action, but generally also involves skill checks
and roleplaying opportunities. This action should be used for finding information that no one would be willing to
freely give out, and usually requires at least one session of roleplaying and adventure to completely learn the secret.
Develop Skills and Technique: While most techniques in this book will be commonly known such that
anyone can learn them with the right tutor, sometimes a player character may wish to develop their own
technique. Alternatively, they may be unable to acquire a mentor. In such cases, a character may take this year
action to attempt training themselves in the skill, or developing their technique. New techniques must be approved
by the GM. Upon completion of this action, the skill will be available for leveling this year. Similarly, the technique
may be developed, but the character will still need to spend the appropriate amount of skill points to fully acquire
it.
Quest (*): The party, each playing a character, partakes in a quest. The quest should have some general goal,
and involve actions that take no more than 12 weeks, including travel time. This action may be taken multiple times
to extend the length of a particularly long quest, each time extending it another 12 weeks. Example goals may be:
explore a small to medium sized dungeon, find a legendary artifact, explore a region of wilderness, one delve into
a megadungeon, complete a job for an NPC, or some other similar action. When using the optional domain rules,
this quest may count towards a domain’s quest action.
Recover Injury: This action may be taken to have a character spend time recovering from their injuries. Each
time this action is taken, the character may remove one injury of their choosing. This action must last for at least
3 weeks multiplied by the skill penalty of the injury. Injuries healed this way must still make a scar roll to
determine if they turn into scars.
Relax: Characters deserve a vacation as well. This action represents down time that a character takes in the
year to mentally recover from their adventures. Each time this action is taken, the character may remove stress
equal to their stress threshold value.
Train: The character taking this action dedicates a significant amount of time out of the year towards training
a skill. As a result, they may gain one skill point.
Work: Characters with skills related to everyday work may spend time during the year selling their labor. A
sailor may take a position on a ship for a few months, a blacksmith may try to find work in a local shop, a
biomancer may offer healing, and so forth. They may earn silver pieces depending on their skill level: level 0 would
earn 10sp over that time, level 1 would earn 50sp, level 2 would earn 100sp, level 3 and above would earn 500sp.
Higher level skills are unlikely to find work earning them more than 500sp, at this point a character of that skill
would generally need to run their own businesses to make more money. Additionally, it’s not always possible for
a character to find any work, and a GM is within their right to only allow work earning pay up to a certain level,
or not allowing it at all. For example, a sailor would have trouble finding work in a desert, or a biomancer may find
the town they are in already has a local healer who doesn’t want to let them in on the earnings.
Other Action: Many skills and techniques list their own year actions that may be taken. Additionally, some
techniques specify actions that occur over a week, or multiple weeks. These actions may be taken during the course
of a Significant year action such as a quest. If not taken during a quest, they may be taken as their own year action,
combined with any other week-long actions as desired.

Weekly Play
Sometimes, the scale of storytelling remains fairly zoomed in, truncating year actions into a week-by-week
system, utilizing the resting, effort, and even the effects of certain techniques that function on a weekly system.
GMs may choose to accelerate the growth of their player characters during such “zoomed in” play to allow for
those characters to gain skills and techniques to reward their actions and experiences. For example, characters
progressing through a dungeon over the course of several weeks may come across the means of gaining additional
skill points quickly during that time, rather than by using the Develop Skill and Technique or Train Year Action.
Characters should still be limited by their yearly skill point maximum (outlined in the Age section), even when
progressing throughout the year in this manner.
When playing on a weekly system, remember that the Years system should remain in place, with a new year
action occurring roughly every 12 weeks. If characters are spending this time continuing their weekly play, this
action might steadily remain as “Quest,” but Domains and Orders will also take their actions at this time. Weekly
play might not include questing at all, and might instead be used to describe in close detail the work of a crafter or
performer, or the specific training regiment that a character undergoes.

Skipping Years
Occasionally, a party of players may decide that they have no pressing matters to attend to. Their characters
would simply like to rest, relax, and live uninteresting lives for a period of time. In this situation, a GM is
encouraged to introduce a time skip. First, they should decide the number of years that will be skipped. Normally,
it’s not worth using a time skip for less than 5 years, as that amount of time may simply be played out. The time
skip will usually be ended either because the characters decide to once again return to a life of adventure, the
players are taking on a new generation of characters, or because some events in the world are demanding that the
characters act.
During a time skip, characters are still progressing in their lives. If a character enters a time skip with any
injuries, they are assumed to be healed with time, although players will still need to roll for scars. Characters will
still be training their skills, at a rate dependent on their age. Youth characters, who are at least 5 years old, will gain
skill points at a rate of 3 per year, Adults at a rate of 2 per year, and Middle-Aged characters at a rate of 1 per year.
Elder characters will not gain skill points during time skips.
Narratively, characters may still progress, although these changes are usually more gradual than while they are
during adventures. Characters are more likely to strengthen existing relationships, rather than making new
connections. Similarly, their personality traits are unlikely to change, rather they will often reinforce the lessons
they have learned during their adventures.
Characters
 Introduction to Character Creation
The Years of Adventure does not have classes or explicit archetypes, focusing on a wide variety of choices
when creating and playing a character. Both base training in a skill as well as the specific techniques that can be
learned within a skill are purchased with the same Skill Points, meaning players are frequently faced with
decisions on whether to rank up a skill or purchase a technique. This aspect, as well as the freeness with which
characters may gain new skills allows for huge variation in builds and variability over time while a character
progresses.
The number of skills and techniques present are designed to support all classic fantasy gaming archetypes as
well as new ones, and as such, there is an intentionally overwhelming number of techniques. This seems daunting
at first, but becomes a strength once you have familiarized yourself with the system. For new players, Quick Character
creation with Character Origins is recommended to ease into this system.
Quick Character Creation
This type of character creation is best for single-session or short campaigns, as well as for new players. It
prioritizes getting into the game as quickly as possible, and defining your character through play.

1. Pick or roll a Character Origin

2. (Optional) Answer the background questions in the Character Concept section.
3. Choose up to 3 Motivations
4. Choose a name

Advanced Character Creation

Experienced players, or those who prefer to take their time with character creation, can use this advanced
character creation guide for more control over their characters. Use the following steps to determine who your
character is, what skills and techniques they know, and what equipment they possess.

1. Develop a rough idea of your character Concept. This includes your character’s ancestry and culture,
background, motivations, and age.
Your GM might provide a starting age in order to guide your adventure. If using Character Origins, your character is expected to
be at the start of Young Adulthood for their ancestry.

2. Determine your starting Skill Points based on your character’s age. A character begins with a number of skill
points equal to twice their age, minus 20.
An 18 year old begins with 16 skill points, and is a good place to begin.

3. Review the Character Advancement rules (particularly Spending Skill Points) and use your skill points to level up
your skills and purchase techniques.
Remember to browse the descriptions of each skill’s core technique to understand how they influence your attributes and abilities.

4. Calculate your Minor Attributes, following the Minor Attributes section, including Hit Protection,
Determination Points, and Stress Threshold, Maximum Injuries, and Effort.
Don’t forget to add technique modifiers and bonuses.

5. Decide on starting Equipment and other fine details of your character. Calculate your readied and stowed
encumbrance.
Refer to the character origins to determine typical starting equipment.
 Character Concept
Ancestry and Culture
The Years of Adventure is setting agnostic, and so does not have any built-in ancestries beyond a default
human, and has no built-in cultures at all. Before creating your character, consult with your GM to determine what
ancestries and cultures are available for the game world you will be playing in. For GMs, the Running the Game
section has guidelines for including these important pillars of characters.

Background
What life did your character lead before the story begins? When creating a character, players should keep in
mind the life that a character led before the story begins. While some players enjoy creating detailed backstories
for their characters, a few major points will usually suffice. Answer the following questions as if you were your
character:
• Who raised you, and where? Consult your GM on locations that make sense.
Keep in mind how far away your home is from your current location, what culture and social status you were
raised under, and what values were instilled in you as a result
• Who is an NPC still in your life that you care about greatly?
• Who is an NPC that has served as a mentor or teacher to you?
• Who is an NPC that has been a rival to you?
• Consult with another player, and determine how your characters are connected to each other.
• What has motivated you to lead a life of adventure?

Example:
Atilia was born in a small farming village in the north. She was raised as the daughter and heir of the village
headwoman, who taught her how to lead by example. Atilia’s mother was an important figure for her growing up, and she
pulls her strength from those teachings. Growing up, Atilia’s best friend was the blacksmith’s son, Bromius, who she lost
contact with but is currently searching for. After her village was destroyed by an invading army, Atilia fell in with a group
of bandits, and was mentored by their leader, a jovial but violent man who taught Atilia how to survive in a cruel world.
This leader was killed by Atilia’s rival in the group, Cadjus, who took over and kicked Atilia out. She later met up with
another PC, Dullia, who took pity on her after Atilia failed to rob them, and the two have been fast friends ever since.
Motivations
Most player characters have a driving motivation behind the actions they have taken – their reasons for
leaving a quiet life behind to pursue adventure or the circumstances that have forced them into a life of constant
action. Motivations may be used to provide bonuses to character actions, although failing those actions or acting
against their motivations can have detrimental effects to the character. Characters may have up to 3 motivations.
Motivation strength is a measure of how strongly this motivation guides a character, and is measured on a
scale of 1 to 3, with 1 representing a weak motivation, and 3 representing a strong motivation. The strength of a
motivation determines how helpful it is when a character uses it, as well as how punishing it is if they fail or act
against it.
While motivations may drive character goals, they should be more general than a specific task the character hopes to
accomplish. For example, a character may seek to return the Darkwood Forest to its natural state after it was destroyed.
This character would not have “Restore Darkwood Forest” as their motivation, because this is a goal with a specific
conclusion. Instead, their motivation may be “Love of Darkwood Forest” if they wish to protect and support the forest, or
perhaps “Uphold the Sanctity of the Natural World” if their focus is less on this specific forest and more on the natural
world in general. If the character is motivated less by a love of the forest than hatred of those who destroyed it, their
motivation may be “Hatred of the Tree-Eating Empire”, or more generally “Hatred of People Who Destroy Forests”. The
key distinction is that these motivations are something that can drive a character’s interactions with the world beyond a
specific goal, without an expiration date.

The following are example motivations that may be taken directly or used as inspiration for creating a
personalized motivation. Motivations should be tailored to both your character, the other player characters, and
to the setting of your game. It is advised to discuss your motivations with the GM and other players before
completing your character.

• Love of • Fear of
• A single person • A person, people, place, or thing (Same
• A small group of people (your family, clan, subjects as Love and Hate)
close friends, etc.) • A concept (abandonment, commitment, death)
• A place (your home village, town, city, or • A common phobia (darkness, spiders, the deep
natural place) ocean, enclosed spaces)
• Your culture (the people, the values, or both) • Devotion to
• Your domain (tribe, city-state, empire, etc.) or • A god or religion
its ruler • A vow or promise
• Hatred of • Uphold
• Same subjects as Love • An ideal (Freedom, Order, Honor, etc.)
• Discover/Explore/Learn about • A lifestyle/culture (usually the one you were
• New places or cultures (new to you, or new to born to)
your society)
• Magic
• History
• Forgotten or uncommon knowledge (secrets)
• Desire for
• Power, Wealth, Glory
Example Motivations:

Age
Every character has an age equal to the number of years since their birth. Generally, player characters
engaging in adventures will be at least young adults. Age primarily affects how a character recovers from injury
and the maximum skill points a character can earn per year.

A character’s age is organized into the following four age ranges. Ages given are for human characters; other
species should have these ranges defined in a similar manner. Non-human species should generally live no less
than half an average human lifespan, and no more than twice the human lifespan.

Youth (13-17): Young characters are less likely to develop scars, and heal more readily. When making Injury
rolls, they may add a +4 bonus to the roll. They are less likely to accrue scars as well, and have a +4 bonus to their
scar roll. Youths have more capacity for learning, gaining a maximum of 6 skill points per year.

Young Adult (18-35): Adult characters are generally in the prime of their physicality, with plenty of skill
points to go around. They have no penalty or bonus to their injury or scar rolls. Like youths, Young Adults learn
quickly, gaining a maximum of 6 skill points per year.

Middle-aged (36-59): Middle-aged characters are still capable of being active, but their regenerative capacity
has slowed down. They suffer a -2 penalty to injury and scar rolls. Middle-aged characters have a maximum of 4
skill points learned per year.

Elder (60+): Elder characters are the most experienced characters in the game, but a lifetime of adventure
takes its toll on their body. They suffer a -4 penalty on injury rolls, and a -6 penalty on scar rolls. Elder characters
learn a maximum of 2 skill points per year.
 Skills
Skills represent a character's learned and trained abilities. At character creation, characters begin with a
number of skill points determined by their age. They may allocate these skill points to train skills, as described in
the Character Advancement section. Every skill has a Core Technique, which is accessed at level 0 for that skill.
Skills also have techniques, which may be purchased using skill points. Techniques list a minimum level of a skill
that is required for them to be trained.

Mundane skills are skills that require no magical abilities. While they still require a tutor, they do not require
any particular magical aptitude. The techniques associated with these skills may be impressive, but they are
decidedly non-magical.

Skill Reference Sheet

Animals Allows for animal riding without skill checks, rearing, and taming.

Allows medium & heavy armor and increases carrying capacity and feats of
Athletics
acrobatics and athleticism.

Communication Used in social encounters and to interact with others.

Allows the crafting of items, modifications, and alchemical concoctions as well as

Crafting
sapping and dungeoneering support.

Fighting Increases melee & thrown combat ability and increases Hit Protection.

Knowledge Allows a character to read & write and learn languages and esoteric information.

Leadership Increases Determination Points for the leader and their allies.

Marksmanship Increases ranged & thrown combat abilities.

Performance Used to perform and socialize with others.

Perseverance Increases Determination Points, Stress Threshold & Effort.

Sailing Allows for sailing without skill checks, leading a crew and surviving.

Stealth Allows for Execution Attacks, thievery and sneaking.

Survival Enables a character to survive and navigate in many harsh climates

Toughness Increases Hit Protection & Stress Threshold.

Metamancy Unlocks Magical Skills, increases Effort. Used for Enchanting.

Biomancy Allows for Healing, Facestealing & Shapeshifting. Increases Hit Protection.

Chronomancy Allows a user to glimpse near and far into the future and the past.

Elemancy Allows a user to call Wyrds and Elements to assist them.

Locomancy Allows a user to teleport themselves and others and summon Demons.

Necromancy Allows a user to raise, bind, or repel undead and control life & death.

Allows a user to peer into and twist the minds of others. Increases Determination
Psychomancy
Points.
Animals
This skill relates to working with animals, both domesticated and wild. This

ANIMALS 0
includes riding and managing them in battle, understanding their value for sale and
purchase, as well as caring for them and understanding their needs.
Core Technique: At level 0, you may ride domesticated animals without needing an
Animals skill check. At level 1, you may make attacks and cast spells while mounted.
Animal Companion* (Animals 0): You have developed a particularly strong bond with a specific
animal that you have either trained or reared, so long as they are lion sized or smaller. Animals are
only eligible as companions if they are already tame. This animal acts as your loyal companion, and
is intelligent enough to understand your commands, even complex ones. Your animal companion
cannot be demoralized in your presence, will never willingly leave you, and will obey all of your
commands. Animal companions do d6 damage on successful attacks, and have HD equal to your
Animals skill level + 1. You may only have one animal companion at a given time using this
technique. You may spend a Year Action to train a new animal companion after the death or release
of a previous one. If your animal companion ever dies, you gain an amount of stress equal to your
stress threshold.

Beast Rider (Animals 0): Requires Cavalier. You are familiar with animals to the point where you
may ride non-domesticated, but tamed animals, such as bears or bison. These creatures may have
been tamed using mundane means, although more often than not they were tamed using
Psychomancy, and while not fully domesticated, will be accustomed to working with humans.
There is no limit to the size of these beasts, so long as they are tamed and trained as mounts.

Exotic Animal Handler (Animals 0): You have a +2 bonus on any Animals skill checks to pacify
hostile or raging animals.
Animal Companion leads to:
Beast Maneuver [2], Pack Leader [5], and Raise Beast [Necromancy 3].

Cavalier (Animals 1): You are experienced in fighting from the back of a
ANIMALS 1

mount. Any battle-trained mount you ride cannot gain the demoralized
status. You may mount or dismount a mountable creature for 0 Action
Points. When taking the Mounted Charge action, attackers do not gain a
damage bonus against you for the next round.

Naturalist (Animals 1): Through ten minutes of uninterrupted

observation of a species in their natural habitat, you are provided a
description of the creature’s habits, including details like how
strong or intelligent they appear, what their social structure
might be, how they move around, etc. You also determine the
creature’s HD and armor. You are skilled in observing these
creatures, and do not need to roll Stealth skill checks to avoid their
notice unless they are particularly observant.
 Undying Loyalty (Animals 1): Requires Animal Companion. Your animal companions would do

ANIMALS 2
anything to keep you safe, and you would do the same for them. Once per round, your animal
companions may automatically succeed on a Screen Ally check to protect you, or you may
automatically succeed on a screen ally check to protect them.

Beast Maneuver (Animals 2, Fighting OR Marksmanship 1): Requires Animal Companion. Your
animal friends understand more than just simple commands, allowing them to perform Combat
Maneuvers.

Martyred Mount (Animals 2): You are able to reduce the damage you take by shedding it to your
mount. Whenever you would take an instance of damage while mounted, you may choose for your
mount to take that damage instead. Damage applied to your mount in this way is decreased by 1.

Mounted Marksman (Animals 2, Marksmanship 1): You are extremely effective at ranged attacks
made from horseback, or some other mount. While mounted, you may add your Animals skill level
to your damage rolls while making a ranged attack.

Cataphract (Animals 3): While mounted, by accepting a point of stress after the damage has been
ANIMALS 3

rolled, you may ignore all damage from a melee attack against you or your mount.

Beast Tamer (Animals 4): By taking a year action, you may tame a non-hostile animal. The animal
ANIMALS 4

must be either captive, or otherwise habituated enough with you such that you can interact every
day. Pack animals such as wolves may be tamed in a group with a single year action. Carnivorous or
otherwise abnormally hostile animals may require an Animals skill check to successfully tame, at
the GM’s discretion.

Friend to the Beasts of the Land, Sea, and Air (Animals 4): When rolling Animals skill checks to
interact with or tame nonviolent or hostile animals, you may roll 4d6 and take the higher two
values.
Pack Leader (Animals 5): Requires Animal Companion. You may have a second animal companion.

ANIMALS 5
Additionally, your companions gain the following benefits:
◆ Your animal companions gain +1 damage, including damage from swarm attacks.
◆ Your animal companions add +1 when making skill checks.

Rider’s Bond (Animals 5): You and your mount gain the following benefits:
◆ When using the Trample action, your target’s Athletics skill check has a difficulty of 10.
◆ You and your mount may take the Screen Ally action for 0 Action Points when screening one another,
and always succeed on the check to do so.
◆ You and your mount gain 1 armor while you are mounted.

Additional Animals Techniques:

Pack Tactics - Leadership

Beast Hunter - Survival
Raise Beast - Necromancy
Psychomantic Tamer, Psychomantic Unit, Rat Lord - Psychomancy
 Athletics
Used to perform feats of physical strength and dexterity, such as climbing a castle
wall, swimming a raging river, or lifting a heavy weight.

Core Technique: At level 0, the character may wear medium armor (all characters may
wear light armor). They may wear heavy armor at level 1. Athletics is also used to measure a

ATH 0
character’s encumbrance value.
Traveler (Athletics 0): You are used to long treks overland, and are capable of achieving impressive
daily mileage. When performing a hard march, you suffer no added stress.

Cardio Trained (Athletics 1): You may add half your Athletics skill level, rounded up, to Toughness
skill checks.
ATH 1

Nimble* (Athletics 1): You may add half of your Athletics skill level, rounded up, to your armor, so
long as you are not wearing any armor.

Mind Over Matter (Athletics 1): You may add half your Athletics skill level, rounded up, to
Perseverance skill checks.

Powerful Throw (Athletics 1, Marksmanship 0): Your thrown weapons have double their normal
range, and a +1 bonus to damage.

Skilled Swimmer* (Athletics 1): You are at home in the water, and can swim with ease at half your
normal movement rate. So long as you are wearing light or no armor, you never need to make swim
checks, even in rough water. You can hold your breath for 2 + your Athletics skill turns.

Strong Armed* (Athletics 1): You may add half of your Athletics skill, rounded up, to your melee
damage.
Nimble leads to: Acrobat [3].
Skilled Swimmer leads to: Freediver [2].
Strong Armed leads to: Pack Mule [2.].

Freediver (Athletics 2): Requires Skilled Swimmer. You may hold your breath for up to an entire
ATH 2

scene, even while swimming, or performing any other similarly vigorous activity. Additionally, you
are unaffected by significant changes in pressure, such as those experienced diving to depths up to
500 feet.

Pack Mule (Athletics 2): Requires Strong Armed. You may add 1 point to your Readied
encumbrance, and 2 points to your Stowed encumbrance.
 Skilled Climber (Athletics 2): You are adept at climbing any potentially
ATH 2
climbable surface. You do not need to make Athletics checks when
climbing, and are capable of scaling even castle walls and other normally
impassable vertical terrain at half your normal movement rate, so
long as the surface is not perfectly smooth.

Sprinter (Athletics 2): Your ability to quickly build momentum

means you are able to take the Charge action with no minimum
distance requirement, and your movement speed increases by
10 feet in combat.

Acrobat* (Athletics 3): Requires Nimble. So long as you are not

ATH 3

wearing any armor (you may still carry a shield), you may add
your entire Athletics skill to your armor. When using Athletics in
place of Performance for the purpose of physical performances such
as acrobatic displays or gymnastics, you may add a +1 bonus to the
check.

Robust* (Athletics 3): Requires Strong Armed. You have

gained the physique of a bodybuilder. You are likely widely
known for your strength. You may add a +2 modifier to any
Athletics skill check related to physical strength. Your unarmed attacks
have a minimum damage dice of 1d8 damage, plus any other skill bonuses
you may have to damage.

Robust leads to: Giant [5].

Acrobat leads to: Moves Like Water [5].

Peak Performance (Athletics 4): You may automatically succeed on an

Athletics skill check by accepting a point of stress, even after the skill
ATH 4

check has been rolled. Additionally, you are able to wear medium armor
while swimming so long as you possess Skilled Swimmer, and you may
move at your movement speed while climbing so long as you have Skilled
Climber.

Giant (Athletics 5): Requires Robust. You are strong enough to wield 2H weapons with one hand.
ATH 5
You are intimidating to your enemies, and may make an Athletics skill check to deal half of the
result, rounded down, as Determination Point damage immediately at the start of a combat
encounter.

Move Like Water (Athletics ): Requires Acrobat. While able to move freely, you cannot be the
target of a ranged execution attack. Additionally, each time you take an attack action, you may roll
your damage dice twice and take the better of the two.

Additional Athletics Techniques

Superior Sea Legs, Frequently Keelhauled - Sailing

 Communication
This skill is used to measure a character’s ability to interact socially with non-
player characters.
Core Technique: Communication skill checks are used for doing determination
point damage during social encounters and navigating the world.

COM 0
Body Language Expert (Communication 0): You are skilled at reading body language to determine
a target’s reactions and opinions. Characters with training in Stealth may resist you reading them
by succeeding on an opposed skill check. You cannot be surprised by the motion of a target that you
are watching, such as for a melee execution attack, even from characters with Stealth training.

Charismatic (Communication 0): You may add +1 to Communication skill checks made towards
friendly or neutral targets.

Intimidating (Communication 0): You may add +1 to Communication skill checks made towards
unfriendly targets.

Trade Cant (Communication 0): You are able to understand the regional trade cant, which is
sufficient to communicate simple ideas. If in a totally new location, you may learn the local Trade
Cant with a week of work if it is similar to one you already know, or a Year Action otherwise.

A Friend in Every Port* (Communication 1): You have a contact of the same or a lesser social class
COM 1

than yourself in every notable city and town in your region. You may utilize these connections for
minor favors, although anything requiring the connection to put themselves at risk, socially or
physically, will require more significant convincing.

Know-It-All (Communication 1, Knowledge 1): When rolling a

Communication skill check to convince a non-expert of some fact, you may
add your Knowledge skill level to the result.

Investigator (Communication 1): You are experienced in

determining lies from truth and investigating nefarious deeds.
You receive a +1 bonus on all Communication skill checks to
recognize lies, piece together evidence, and find clues
for a mystery.

A Friend in Every Port leads to: Friends in

High Places [3].
 Friends in Low Places* (Communication 2, Stealth 0): Requires A Friend in Every Port. You

COM 2
have an additional contact in each significant town and city. This connection is among those of the
criminal underworld in the settlement. No matter the lawfulness of the city or town, you always
know at least one contact with some unsavory connections, willing to work outside the law for the
right price.

Sap the Will (Communication 2): For 1 Action Point, you may plead your case to any people within
earshot of you, dealing d4 points of DP damage to all you choose to address. Outside of combat, you
may not lower a target’s DP below half of their maximum with this technique.

Skilled Liar* (Communication 2, Stealth 1): Your lies cannot be automatically discovered, even by
magical means, and magical means of truth discerning receive no bonus against you. You gain a +2
bonus to skill checks related to convincing others of your lies.

Smoothtalker* (Communication 2): You are adept at directing unfriendly attention off of yourself
and your companions. By accepting a point of stress, you may automatically succeed on a
Communication skill check to get yourself out of trouble. If used to do DP damage in a Social
Encounter, treat the check as if you rolled a 12.

The Negotiator* (Communication 2): When taking the persuade action in social encounters, you
may apply your skill check as direct determination point damage, rather than half damage.

Friends in Low Places leads to: Ears in the Underworld [3].

Skilled Liar leads to: Believe Me [5].
Smoothtalker leads to: Beloved [5].
The Negotiator leads to: Expert Haggler [4].

Councilor (Communication 3): At the end of a Significant Year Action, you may choose not to Deal
COM 3

With Stress. If you do not, any other character that took the Significant Year Action with you may
add your Communication skill level to their Deal With Stress roll.

Ears in the Underworld (Communication 3): Requires Friends in Low Places. You are able to
connect yourself well into any criminal underworld or black market. By spending a week exploring
a new population center, you may learn the basics of how the underworld works in that location,
well enough to know who is in charge, who to go to for certain jobs, etc. You may spend a Year
Action to ingratiate yourself in the local underworld, learning even of any secret societies, magic or
illegal item dealers, and befriending people willing to negotiate on their behalf with the criminals of
the area.

Friends in High Places (Communication 3): Requires A Friend in Every Port. You have an
additional connection in each significant town and city. This second connection is always of the
ruling class of that area, although generally not the ruler themself unless you are also of the ruling
class.

Inquisitor (Communication 3): Your ability to sense lies is unnerving. You may accept a point of
stress to immediately determine if an NPC is lying.
 Believe Me (Communication 5): Requires Skilled Liar. You automatically succeed at
COM 5

Communication checks required to convince targets of lies unless they are an expert in the topic of
your lie.

Beloved (Communication 5): Requires Smoothtalker. You are well liked by practically everyone
you meet. Minor faux pas and social slip-ups are always forgiven, even taken lightheartedly and
humorously, and people have a tendency to help you. When rolling Communication skill checks in
interactions with friendly or neutral targets, you may roll twice and take the better of your scores.

Additional Communication Techniques:

Appraiser - Crafting
Inspiring Speech - Leadership
Persistent - Perseverance
Social Chameleon - Stealth
 Crafting
An artisan or tinkerer’s ability to create goods. This knowledge also extends
to creating herbal medicines, poisons, and alchemical creations. Some
crafters understand the nuances of architecture or artillery.
Core Technique: You may create small mundane items, such as equipment, simple
jewelry, or very simple weapons such as short spears, clubs, and arrows. You may
create a number of items per week equal to your crafting level plus one. Items cost
half their purchase price in raw materials to create, and simple items require a
crafting kit to be able to create them.

CRAFT 0
Chef* (Crafting 0): Not only are you able to create delicious meals, baked goods, or road rations,
you are able to do it on a scale befitting a professional. Provided you have the supplies to do so, you
may create delicious food for 5 times your Crafting level people with a scene’s work, at a minimum
of 5. Even your cold rations provide full benefits for the purposes of rest and recovery. Additionally,
you may create intricate and difficult foods or large feasts (provided some assistants) without
rolling a Crafting skill check.

Weaponsmith* (Crafting 0): You have the skills to forge any mundane weapon. To do so, you will
require access to the necessary equipment, such as a blacksmith’s workshop, and raw materials.

Armorsmith (Crafting 0): You have the skills to forge any mundane armor. To do so, you will
require access to the necessary equipment, such as a blacksmith’s workshop, and raw materials.

Herbalist* (Crafting 0): You may spend a week’s worth of effort acquiring difficult to find herbal
ingredients, rolling a Crafting or Survival Skill Check with a difficulty of 8. If you succeed, you may
replenish an Herbalist’s pack for free, or reduce the material cost of your next five concoctions by
half.

Herbalist’s Healing (Crafting 0, Knowledge 0 or Survival 0): Requires Herbalist. You may use the
herbs and plants in your herbalist kit to produce poultices and wrappings that heal a number of
injured targets equal to your Crafting skill level +1 for 1d6 HP during a restful night’s sleep.
Additionally, you may create a number of Healing Salves each week equal to 4 times your Crafting
skill level +1. These salves expire after one week and must be refreshed.

Artisan* (Crafting 0): You are skilled in making luxury items such as pottery, complex jewelry,
paintings, and sculptures. You are able to add an artistic flourish to any work you create, increasing
its value by multiplying by half your Crafting skill plus one. For a 10sp spear and a skill of 1, this
would mean 10 x 1.5, or 15sp.

Chef leads to: Expert Palette [1].

Weaponsmith leads to: Knapper [3].
Herbalist leads to: Herbalist’s Healing [0]; Alchemist [1].
Artisan leads to: Appraiser - [1].
 Alchemist* (Crafting 1): Requires Herbalist. You are able to create potions, elixirs, and poisons,
CRAFT 1 referred to generally as concoctions, using the materials you collect and purchase. You are able to
create simple potions, poisons, and elixirs without a skill check. Powerful concoctions require a
Crafting skill check as well as material components not found in a herbalist kit, and examples of
these concoctions, their difficulties, and their material cost can be found in the Appendix.
Occasionally, a concoction will require specific ingredients and additional skill checks, role playing,
or questing to obtain. Even while adventuring, an Alchemist may create a number of concoctions
each week equal to twice their Crafting skill level, and when making powerful concoctions must
roll one Crafting skill check at the end of that week to determine their success. When their time is
focused exclusively on brewing, an Alchemist may double the number of concoctions they create.
Concoctions made by amateur alchemists are unstable and either must be remade or maintained
each week, requiring an additional skill check for the batch, but without the need for materials. A
success maintains the brew and a failure renders it useless. If an Alchemist fails to maintain their
concoctions, they may attempt to brew them again, requiring new materials and a new skill check.

Appraiser (Crafting 1, Communication 0): Requires Artisan. You are skilled in gauging the worth
of items. You can accurately gauge the worth of any valuable treasure. Magical items may require a
Crafting skill check to accurately gauge the price.

Expert Palette (Crafting 1): Requires Chef. You automatically detect poisons and toxins in
consumables before using them, so long as they possess even the faintest of scents or tastes.

Sapper (Crafting 1): You understand both sides of siegecraft: you can undermine walls, create and
operate catapults, battering rams, siege towers, and other
siege weaponry, and you can build the walls and gatehouses
that are necessary to defend a location. You have the
knowledge to build any sort of necessary equipment
required for a siege and know how to conduct one, on
either side.

Alchemist leads to: Poisoner, Potioner [2];

Master Alchemist [3].

Poisoner (Crafting 2): Requires

Alchemist. You have learned to stabilize your poisons, allowing their effect to
last an entire week after being applied to a weapon. You may add your Crafting level to the damage
you deal with poisons, and may apply poisons to weapons for 0 Action Points. CRAFT 2
Knapper (Crafting 2): Requires Weaponsmith. You may craft weapons from stone and other
natural materials that rival their metal counterparts.

Locksmith (Crafting 3): You may attempt to pick locks and disable traps and mechanisms by
passing a Crafting skill check. You gain a +1 bonus to disable traps.

Potioner (Crafting 2): Requires Alchemist. Concoctions you create, other than poisons, are
stabilized and no longer require a Crafting skill check to maintain at the end of the week.
Additionally, you are able to identify any common or mundane concoction.

Weak Links (Crafting 2, Fighting 2): Requires Armorsmith. When fighting against opponents
wearing armor, you may choose to deal no damage and instead sunder the armor, destroying any
single piece of armor with a value equal or lesser than your Crafting skill level.

Poisoner leads to: Multitoxicity [3].

CRAFT 3 Master Alchemist* (Crafting 3): Requires Alchemist. You gain the benefits of Subject Expert in
Alchemy. Additionally, you automatically succeed on Crafting skill checks to make concoctions
with a difficulty of 12 or less.

Master Crafter* (Crafting 3): You may create item modifications.. These modifications are unique
to the item, typically improve the basic functionality of the item, and require experimentation with
expensive materials. Modification material cost ranges from one to five thousand silver on average,
and they typically take between one and five weeks to produce. These modifications are not
technologically advanced enough to be anachronistic within your setting (such as producing iron in
a Bronze Age world), but can provide robust bonuses through creative thinking. Modifications are
easier to apply during the creation of an item or to an unmodified item, and in these instances,
require no skill check. Previously modified items require a difficulty 12 Crafting skill check to apply
additional modifications. On a failed roll, the material components of the new modification are
destroyed, and the crafter must try again. A list of example modifications can be found in the
appendix.

Multitoxicitiy* (Crafting 3): Requires Poisoner. Poisons you create deal 2d6 damage, instead of
1d6. Additionally, the Toughness saving throw required upon ingestion increases to a difficulty of
10.

Siege Engineer (Crafting 3): Requires Sapper. When making attacks with any siege weaponry,
you may add your Crafting skill to damage in addition to Marksmanship. You may use Crafting in
place of Marksmanship on the skill roll required to hit small targets with indirect-fire siege
weaponry.
Master Alchemist leads to: Cabinet of Alchemic Curiosities [5],
Alchemic Secret [Knowledge 2].
Master Crafter leads to: Modder [4], Famed Artisan [5].
Multitoxicity leads to: Perfect Poison [5].

Modder (Crafting 4): Requires Master Crafter. You are able to effectively modify gear that
CRAFT 4

already has modifications on it, removing the requirement of an additional skill check.
 Famed Artisan (Crafting 5): Requires Master Crafter. Your crafting technique is so
unique and well known that people seek your goods from all over the world. You never
have trouble finding a buyer for your items, so long as you are in a town-sized
CRAFT 5

settlement or larger, with denizens with enough money to purchase your goods.
Additionally, once per year, roll a Crafting skill check. On a 10 or greater, you are
offered a commission by a powerful party to create an item of great worth, with an
offered profit of 100sp multiplied by the result of your skill check.

Perfect Poison (Crafting 5): Requires Multitoxicitiy. When

you are the one administering or attacking with the poisons
you create, roll 4d6 instead of 2d6 and drop the lowest two.
Additionally, the Toughness saving throw required upon
ingestion increases to a difficulty of 12.

Cabinet of Alchemic Curiosities (Crafting 5):

Requires Master Alchemist. Reduce the material
cost of all concoctions by half. If you utilize Herbalist
to collect ingredients, remove the material cost
entirely. Additionally, concoctions you create never
expire and do not need to be maintained.

Additional Crafting Techniques:

Savvy Shopper, Alchemic Secret -
Knowledge
Resourceful Marksman - Marksmanship
Stagehand - Performance
Quick Eye, Consistent Finder - Survival
Magitechnician, Create Wand, Magic
Cauldron - Metamancy
Fighting
Fighting is a representation of a character’s physical, close-combat fighting ability.
This includes fighting with melee weapons such as swords, spears, axes, hammers,
and so on. It also includes punching, kicking, grappling, and other types of
unarmed combat. It includes thrown weapons, but does not include bows,
crossbows, or other types of ranged weaponry.
Core Technique: Your Fighting skill level is applied to all damage rolls you make in melee
combat.
Brawler (Fighting 0): Your unarmed attacks do d6 damage.

FIGHT 0
Martial Artist (Fighting 0): You gain an armor bonus equal to 1 + your Fighting skill level to your
when not wearing armor.

Unit Drilled* (Fighting 0): When making Swarm Attacks, you add +3 to damage, instead of the
normal +2 bonus.

Unit Drilled leads to: Hoplite[1].

FIGHT 1 Furious Blades (Fighting 1): By accepting a point of stress for 1 Action Point, you may deal 2
damage plus your Fighting skill level to all foes within melee range. In mass combat, this is treated
as an area of effect for purposes of doing damage directly to Hit Dice.

Grappler (Fighting 1): You may accept a point of stress to automatically succeed on an opposed
skill check to grapple a target, or resist being grappled.

Foot Companion (Fighting 1): Requires Unit Drilled. You may wield pikes while also using a
Small Shield. When operating as a unit with 4 or more Foot Companion combatants, you gain a +1
bonus to your armor.

Grinning Through the Pain (Fighting 1, Toughness 1): You have come to enjoy the thrill of battle
and blood, even reveling in the danger and pain at times. During your turn, if you took damage
during the previous round of combat, you may add your Fighting skill level to your next damage
roll in addition to your normal bonuses.

Shield Warrior (Fighting 1): When sundering your shield to avoid taking melee damage, you may
roll an opposed Fighting skill check against your attacker. If you win, your shield is undamaged.

Alert* (Fighting 2): You cannot be ambushed in combat, and you automatically succeed at the

FIGHT 2
Toughness saving throw to avoid being mortally wounded by melee execution attacks.

Calculated Charge (Fighting 2): When taking the Charge action, attackers do not gain a damage
bonus against you for the next round.

Professional Soldier (Fighting 2): For you, the Melee Attack Action requires only a single Action
Point, although you may only make 2 attacks on your turn.

Protector (Fighting 2): You automatically succeed at Screen Ally checks against targets with your
Fighting skill level or less. Additionally, you gain 1 point of Armor when screening an ally.

Sheath the Sword (Fighting 2): When attacked in melee combat, before a damage roll is made, you
may decide to accept the maximum possible damage from the attack. If you do so, you may then
make a free melee attack that also does maximum damage. The damage from both attacks is
resolved simultaneously.

Two Weapon Fighting* (Fighting 2): You gain a +2 damage bonus when wielding two weapons.
Your damage dice always uses the higher-damaging weapon. Your second weapon is also used for
parrying, giving you 1 additional armor.

Alert leads to: Hyper-alert [4].

Two Weapon Fighting leads to: Parrying Blade
[4].
 Brutal Assault (Fighting 3): All weapons wielded by you have the Armor Piercing trait.

FIGHT 3 True Warrior (Fighting 3): When making a Melee Attack, before damage has been rolled, you may
accept a point of stress to do your maximum damage. Additionally, when operating as a single-
character unit in mass combat, your attacks always apply directly to a unit’s HD, similar to area of
effect attacks.

Hyper-alert (Fighting 4): You act before anyone else in combat who doesn’t have this technique, or
a similar one. When using group initiative, your group always acts before any groups without this
technique or a similar one. You automatically succeed at the Toughness saving throw to avoid being
FIGHT 4

mortally wounded by any execution attacks.

Press the Attack (Fighting 4): You may perform 3 Melee Attacks on your turn, using 1 Action Point
per attack.

FIGHT 5
Legendary Fighting Style (Fighting 5): Years of practice and battle testing have caused all that you
have learned to coalesce in a fighting style all your own, one that is well-known and revered
throughout the land. When learning this technique, pick a weapon type. You may choose two of the
following benefits while using that weapon. This technique may be taken multiple times for the
same or additional weapons.

◆ Agile: You may accept a point of stress to avoid all damage from a single attack, even after the damage has
been rolled.
◆ Arcing Strikes: You deal 2 damage to all targets in melee range whenever you make a melee attack. In mass
combat, this is treated as an area of effect for purposes of doing damage directly to Hit Dice.
◆ Grievous: No armor can withstand you: your attacks always deal a minimum of 2 damage after subtracting
your target’s armor.
◆ Improvised Expert: Anything is a weapon in your hands, and does d6 damage if wielded with one hand, or
d8 with two.
◆ Intimidating: You automatically deal determination point damage to all opponents at the beginning of
combat equal to your Fighting skill.
◆ Killer Instinct: Against targets with less than 1 Fighting skill levels (2 HD) you always do maximum
damage.
◆ Quick: Your supernatural quickness grants you +10 movement speed and you always act first in combat
(unless someone else has an ability that would allow them to act first). In group initiative, your group always
acts first, unless another group has a member with a similar ability.
◆ Shield Master: Shields you wield add an additional 1 armor, and have 1 less encumbrance.

Additional Fighting Techniques:

Beast Maneuver - Animals Precognition, Time Warrior -
Weak Links - Crafting Chronomancy
Know Your Enemy - Knowledge Touch of Demise - Necromancy
Lead From the Front, Coordinated
Maneuver - Leadership
Momentum of the Waves - Sailing
Magic Fists - Metamancy
 Knowledge
Learning and retaining knowledge are encompassed in this skill.
Core Technique: You have the ability to read and write with as much proficiency as you
are able to speak in a language. Additionally, you may attempt to recall any information
about subjects and events that you may reasonably remember, adding your Knowledge skill
level to the roll.

KNOW 0
Physician’s Apprentice* (Knowledge 0): For 3 Action Points, you may make a Knowledge skill
check at difficulty of 6 to stabilize a target.

Know Language (Knowledge 0): You have a base level proficiency in another language. You know
enough to carry simple conversations in the language, but may struggle to understand more
nuanced or complex conversation. When encountering more complex topics, you may roll a
Knowledge skill check to determine how much you understand. This technique may be taken
multiple times for different languages.

Mapmaker* (Knowledge 0): You are skilled in the art of mapmaking, and have likely made a
number of maps of the local region. You have a good idea of how to get around in any area you’ve
been to, and can map out any area you are currently in. So long as you have access to your maps,
you cannot get lost.

Mapmaker leads to: Mental Map [2].

Bureaucrat (Knowledge 1): You have training as a scholar-official, a keeper of ledgers and records,
KNOW 1

and a collector or monitor of taxes and other such mundane government functions. You may accept
a point of stress to automatically succeed on any skill check related to reading or writing
government documents, or similar bureaucratic tasks.

Graphologist (Knowledge 1): Your keen eye for penmanship on

parchment or etchings on stone tablets allows you to discern the author
of a text with a scene’s worth of analysis. If you do not know the specific
hand, you are able to at least determine elements about the author or origin
and history of the text.

Know Dead Language (Knowledge 1): This technique can be used to

learn how to read and write ancient languages that are no longer
spoken, but may be encountered. Finding tutors or the necessary
research materials for this technique may be difficult, but is
almost always possible by taking a Learn Common Information
year action. Truly unknown languages may require the Learn
Secret Information action.

Know your Enemy (Knowledge 1, Fighting 1 or

Marksmanship 1): You may spend a week studying a
certain enemy to learn their weaknesses,
receiving a +1 bonus to damage when fighting that
enemy. You may only maintain this bonus against a
single enemy at a time. The enemy may be either
a category of similarly trained or behaving
enemy, or a single combatant. The research
may consist of watching them fight, finding
 texts about them, talking to survivors who have fought the enemy, learning any local tales of the
KNOW 1
enemy, and so forth. If you fight an enemy you would like to learn about, you may accept a -1
penalty to damage for a scene, and in return gain the bonuses of this technique after only a scene
instead of a week.

Savvy Shopper (Knowledge 1, Crafting 0): Rather than searching for materials in the wilderness,
you prefer to search for them in civilization. You may add your Knowledge skill level to Crafting
skill checks using Herbalist. Additionally, reduce the price of all mundane items by 25%.

Subject Expert (Knowledge 1): You have become an expert on a single subject, and no longer need
to make Knowledge skill checks to know even obscure facts about the subject. Subjects are
normally narrow, such as the past 50 years of history of a domain or faction, the precise road layout
and trade routes of a region, the complete collection of knowledge of a religion, and so forth. This
technique may be taken multiple times, once for each subject area.

Advocate (Knowledge 2): Given a week of study and access to necessary resources, you may

KNOW 2
become an expert in the local laws of your current location. Communication skill checks you make
when arguing legal matters have a +2 bonus.

Alchemic Secret (Knowledge 2, Crafting 3): Requires Master Alchemist. You may add a number
of powerful effects to your brews equal to your Knowledge skill level. When taking this technique,
choose one of the following effects for each level you possess in Knowledge. You gain an additional
effect each time your Knowledge skill level increases.

◆ Body and Mind: Characters who consume your concoctions to gain Hit Protection also gain that
many Determination Points.
◆ Coagulatory Toxin: Creatures affected by your poisons are automatically stabilized when mortally
wounded, but cannot be healed further without an antitoxin from you or another Alchemist, or healing
from a Biomancer.
◆ Looks are Everything: You may choose the properties of your concoctions, including consistency,
taste, smell, and appearance.
◆ Layered Poisons: Your weapon poisons are thick and sticky, and you may add multiple applications to
the same weapon, consuming one layer of poison for each successful hit. This effect only works with
basic poison.
◆ Selfish Immunity: You have built up an immunity to a certain poisonous substance, and may choose to
include it in any concoctions you make. You may take this multiple times, choosing a different substance
each time.

Logistician (Knowledge 2): You are an

expert at making sure supplies arrive where
they are meant to, and are used efficiently
when they arrive. When accompanying an
army, soldiers in the army are able to carry
an additional week of rations, and baggage
trains may carry 2 more weeks of rations
than usual. Alternatively, if you oversee the
supply train, those costs are halved, and
your supply lines are immune to disruption
so long as the army has not been completely
encircled.
 Mastered Language (Knowledge 2): This technique may be applied to a language that you have
already gained the Know Language technique for. This technique allows you to speak the language
fluently. You understand complex topics, and may not even have a noticeable accent.

Mental Map (Knowledge 2): Requires Mapmaker. You are incredibly skilled in mapmaking, to
the point of being able to maintain mental maps of any area you are familiar with. So long as you
KNOW 3

have been in a location, or have traveled to the location without explicit effort on the part of others
to conceal the journey, you cannot get lost. Even if completely blinded, you may attempt to navigate
to any location with a Knowledge skill check by consulting your mental map.

Physician (Knowledge 3): Requires Physician’s Apprentice. While biomancers may have an
instinctual understanding of living creatures, allowing them to identify and rapidly heal harm, you
have an extensive knowledge of medicine. You may aid characters in healing, adding your
Knowledge skill level to their daily healing. Additionally, you may spend a scene after any combat
tending to any newly acquired wounds of up to 10 people. This adds 4 times your Knowledge skill
level in healing, but cannot heal any damage gained before that combat scene, and requires the use
of an Herbalist’s kit or something similar. This healing does not add any stress. Lastly, you may aid
in injury healing, adding your Knowledge skill level to any scar rolls made by someone who accepts
your aid.

Multi Level Processing (Knowledge 3): When making Knowledge skill checks, you may add one
other relevant skill to the check For example, when attempting to remember the name and
characteristics of a plant, you could add your Survival skill level to the roll.

Subject Expert - Arcane School (Knowledge 3, Metamancy 1): Choose a magic skill in which you
have training. You are an expert in the field, able to immediately identify any spells, arts, or
enchantments related to the school, as well as its origin and original caster, even if you did not see it
cast. You may add the skill level of the school you have Subject Expert in when making Knowledge
skill checks relevant to the school of magic.

KNOW 4 & 5
Think, think! (Knowledge 4): By accepting a point of stress, you may automatically pass any
Knowledge skill check you could possibly know the answer to.

Theoretically… (Knowledge 5): Your extremely wide array of

knowledge gathered over years of inquiry has granted you general
ability in most skills. Gain a +1 bonus when rolling all mundane skill
checks other than Knowledge, Perseverance, and Toughness.

Additional Knowledge
Techniques:
Know-It-All -
Communication
Late Night Studies -
Perseverance
 Leadership
Inspiring others is the purpose of the Leadership skill. Leadership can be used to
inspire followers, restore Determination Points in others, and assist with the
various responsibilities of rule.
Core Technique: At the start of combat, allies in your presence may add a bonus to their
Determination Points equal to your Leadership skill level. This bonus does not stack if
multiple leaders are present, instead using the highest level. Additionally, you may make a
Leadership skill check for 2 Action Points to restore a number of Determination Points to
an allied character or unit equal to half the result of the check rounded down, so long as you
roll at least a 6.
Commanding Voice (Leadership 0): By accepting a point of stress, you may request that an NPC

LEAD 0
who is not hostile to you perform some non-violent action that will take no longer than a scene.
You must make an opposed Leadership vs. Perseverance skill check. Upon success, the NPC will
attempt to perform the action to the best of their ability. On a failure they will refuse, although
generally they will not bear any ill will.

Guide (Leadership 0): By spending a scene helping out, you may add half of your skill bonus in a
relevant skill, rounded up, to an ally’s skill check. It must be reasonable that you could help and you
must describe how you do so.
Lead from the Front (Leadership 1, Fighting 1): If you deal damage to an enemy combatant in melee
LEAD 1

combat, you may use your Core Technique to make a Leadership skill check for 1 Action Point to
restore the Determination Points of an allied character or unit.

Mentor* (Leadership 1): You may act as a mentor to an NPC or other PC. While mentoring someone,
you are expected to take vested interest in their development and safety, and generally speaking they do
the same for you. By accepting a point of stress, your mentee may gain a +1 bonus to skill checks in
skills that you are trained in to at least level 1 for the rest of the week. If you or your mentee become
Mortally Wounded, the other suffers a point of stress.

Natural Born Leader (Leadership 1): By accepting a point of stress, you may attempt to reroll a visible
ally’s failed skill check, taking your own result instead. If this is a Leadership skill check, you
automatically succeed.

Sacrificial Mentor (Leadership 1): Requires Mentor. You automatically succeed on Screen Ally
checks with your mentee.
 Coordinated Assault* (Leadership 2): You may add your Leadership skill level to all Swarm Attack
damage rolls that you are a part of.
LEAD 2
Coordinated Maneuver (Leadership 2, Fighting OR Marksmanship 1): You may lead units under
your command in Combat Maneuvers.

Inspiring Words* (Leadership 2): Your placid demeanor and ability to calm allies in tense
situations has enabled you to always pass Leadership skill checks when replenishing Determination
Points, regardless of your roll, treating roll results as a minimum of 6.

Selfless Leader (Leadership 2): You’ve seen how quickly your troops can perish in the wrong
circumstances, and you and your fellow soldiers are fully willing to put yourself in harm’s way to
protect them. You gain the ability to use the Screen Ally action on Mass Combat units, whether you
are acting alone, or screening the unit you are a part of.

Coordinated Assault leads to: Overwhelming Force [5].

Inspiring Words leads to: Hard Conversations

LEAD 3
Hard Conversations (Leadership 3, Communication 1): Requires Inspiring Words. At the end
of a Significant Year Action, you may choose not to Deal With Stress. If you do not, any other
character that took the Significant Year Action with you may add your Leadership skill level to their
Deal With Stress roll.

Reciprocal Mentorship (Leadership 3): Requires Mentor. Through a strong understanding of

each other’s unique skills, perspectives, and techniques, the mentor gains the same +1 bonus to skill
checks in skills their mentee is trained to at least level 1 in.

LEAD 4
Inspiring Speech (Leadership 4, Communication 1): You’ve mastered the art of inspiring your
troops just before the battle dawns. At the start of battle, when giving a speech, you may make a
Leadership skill check and add the result to your allies’ bonus Determination Points in lieu of your
skill level.

Overwhelming Force (Leadership 5): Requires Coordinated Assault. Your ability to lead a large
scale group has enabled you to get the most out of your unit’s attacks. You may add your Leadership
and the better of your Marksmanship or Fighting skill levels to the damage done by one mass
LEAD 5
combat unit you are in or adjacent to.

Additional Leadership Techniques:

Undying Loyalty - Animals

Councilor - Communication
Director - Performance
Wayfinder - Survival
 Marksmanship
This skill covers a character's ability to use ranged weaponry, from throwing knives
to slings, crossbows to ballistas.
Core Technique: Your Marksmanship skill level is applied to all damage rolls you make in
ranged combat.
Quick Hands (Marksmanship 0): You may throw Throwing Blades and Daggers for 1 Action
Point.
MARKS 1

Quick Reload* (Marksmanship 1): You may reload weapons with the Reload trait for 0 Action
Points, and items with the Slow Reload trait for 1 Action Point.

Resourceful Marksman (Marksmanship 1, Crafting OR Survival 1): As long as you have the
appropriate crafting materials required, you always succeed at Marksmanship skill checks to
recover ammunition.

Sniper* (Marksmanship 1): You may make Execution Attacks with a ranged weapon if you could
not already. When making a Marksmanship skill check as part of an Execution Attack, you may roll
3d6 and drop the lowest die.

Strapped (Marksmanship 1): You always have your tools and weapons close on hand. Add 1 to your
readied encumbrance and 2 to your stowed encumbrance.
MARKS 2 Crossbow Expert* (Marksmanship 2): Requires Quick Reload. When dual-wielding Hand
Crossbows, you gain a +2 bonus to damage. When attacking with any crossbow, you may accept a
point of stress to deal maximum damage.

Close Quarters (Marksmanship 2): You are adept at using ranged weapons in close quarters. You
may use 2-handed ranged weapons while within melee range of an enemy, albeit at a -2 damage
penalty. You may use one-handed ranged weapons in melee combat at no penalty. These attacks still
count as ranged attacks.

Longshot (Marksmanship 2): Double your normal range of bow weapons aside from crossbows.
Additionally, you reduce the penalty of shooting at maximum distance by one.

Throw Anything (Marksmanship 2): In your hands, every non-2H melee weapon has the
throwable trait. Additionally, any object you can reasonably throw may be used as a thrown weapon
with d4 damage.

Thrown Weapon Expert (Marksmanship 2): Weapons you throw do one damage dice higher than
their normal damage, to a maximum of d8. For example, a dagger that normally does d4 damage
would now do d6. This effect only applies when the weapon is thrown, not used in melee.

Master Shot (Marksmanship 3): You may accept a point of stress to do an additional d8 damage on

MARKS 3 MARKS 4 MARKS 5

any ranged attack you make.

Trick Shots (Marksmanship 3): While anyone with Marksmanship training may attempt trick
shots, you will automatically succeed at any trick shot that is physically possible. When competing
with another character who also has this technique, you must still roll opposed Marksmanship skill
checks to determine the winner. You receive a +2 bonus on any ranged Combat Maneuvers you
perform.

Crossbow Master (Marksmanship 4): Requires Crossbow Expert. You may reload all crossbow
types for 0 Action Points, albeit only once per turn. Your ranged attacks with a crossbow take only a
single Action Point.

Twin Shot (Marksmanship 4): Requires Quick Reload. Your ranged attacks with a bow require
only a single Action Point.

Perfect Aim (Marksmanship 5): Requires Sniper. Your weapon is an extension of your being, and
your being reaches across fields towards the chests and throats of your enemies. By using 3 Action
Points you may make an attack that ignores armor and deals maximum damage, provided your
weapon would be able to damage the target to begin with. You are still able to perform actions
requiring 0 Action Points during this time. Additionally, you are able to make nonlethal strikes with
ranged weapons.

Additional Marksmanship Techniques:

Beast Maneuver, Mounted Marksman - Animals
Powerful Throw - Athletics

Coordinated Maneuver - Leadership

Sway Steadied - Sailing
Magical Missiles - Metamancy
Precognition, Time Warrior - Chronomancy
 Performance
Performance describes the ability to sing, dance, play instruments, act, and
otherwise entertain. This also includes storytelling, either through oral traditions
or writing, and composing works that will be performed.
Core Technique: You may use your Performance skill in place of Communication for any
skill check where it is narratively relevant, at the discretion of the GM. Performances
including multiple characters roll two skill checks: from the characters with the best and
worst Performance skill, respectively. The overall Performance takes the average of the two
results.

PERF 0
Musician* (Performance 0): You are proficient at singing or a certain category of musical
instrument, such as string, wind, percussion, etc. You never need to roll skill checks for basic
performances, as you always play your instrument competently. Skill checks may still be required
for determining the impact of a performance. This skill may be taken multiple times for each
different category of musical creation, with the Performance skill used to measure proficiency in all
of them.

Stagehand (Performance 0, Crafting 0): You have spent time around the theaters and caravans of
performers, and are adept at helping to set up and tear down proper sets and backgrounds. In a
scene’s worth of time, you may set the stage for yourself or another performer. When multiple
people perform on these stages, you may use the highest skilled performer’s roll only.

Thespian* (Performance 0): You are proficient in many styles of the dramatic arts and have been
exposed to numerous plays and productions. You never need to roll skill checks for basic
performances, as you always put on a convincing and heartfelt performance. Skill checks may still
be required for determining the impact of a performance.

Bard (Performance 1): Requires Musician OR Thespian. A bard is more than just a musician:
PERF 1

they are a storyteller, and a chronicler of history. You are adept at learning the history of a land
through oral tradition. By spending a week in the taverns and bars of a small town or larger, you
can learn all common historical knowledge of the local region, and may repeat it yourself through
your performance. Additionally, you are often welcomed in even inhospitable lands, so long as you
plan on gracing the local tavern with a performance.

War Drummer* (Performance 1): Requires Musician. You are trained in using your musical
talents on the battlefield. When in combat, you may perform the Leadership core technique using
Performance (even if you do not have Leadership). You may also use your music to communicate
battle plans to any other person within earshot, assuming that person is trained to understand the
signals.
PERF 2 Director (Performance 2, Leadership 0): Requires Thespian. During a performance, you may
apply the bonuses of Thespian to the entire cast, allowing the performance’s roll to automatically
succeed.

Stage Combat (Performance 2): Requires Thespian. You gain the ability to make combat
maneuvers, if you couldn’t already. After an enemy attacks you, you may roll a Performance vs
Fighting skill check to pretend to be mortally wounded, immediately falling prone. Enemies
convinced that you are dead will be unlikely to attack you and will only discover you are alive if
they inspect your “corpse.” Additionally, in a fight with an audience, half the damage (after armor)
you deal to your target may be dealt to your audience’s DP as damage or restoration.

Sell It (Performance 2): You gain a +2 bonus to convince others that you are someone you are not.

Practice Makes Perfect (Performance 3): Choose a specific talent (i.e. dramatic acting, violin,

PERF 3
storytelling, etc.) which you have practiced more than any other. You become a master of that skill.
When rolling Performance skill checks with your chosen talent, roll 4d6 and take the two highest
results. You may take this technique multiple times, choosing a different talent, but each additional
acquisition is considered a (Performance 5) technique.

War Cry (Performance 3): Requires War Drummer. Your battle performances are so intense that
they are intimidating to your enemies. For 2 Action Points, you may make a Performance skill
check, and deal half the result of the skill check as Determination Point damage to a number of
characters equal to your Performance skill level. In Mass Combat, you may do Determination Point
damage to one unit, modified as single character damage versus a unit.

PERF 4
Recognition of Craft (Performance 4): When scrutinizing a lie, you are treated as a level 4
Psychomancer for the purposes of opposed skill checks and may use your Performance skill level
when rolling. Additionally, you automatically detect unskilled liar’s attempts at twisting the truth.

Generational Talent (Performance 5): You are known as far as the wind carries your name for

PERF 5
your exceptional gifts. You are treated with respect among all civilized people who know your craft,
and NPCs are more inclined to agree with you when you invoke your authority and fame.
Additionally, you gain the following effects:

◆ You may take a point of stress in order to automatically succeed on a Performance skill check.
◆ People flock to see you perform, and you can always fill a performance hall or tavern, so long as there are
people around.
◆ You gain a following of devoted fans, receiving the benefits of
[A Friend in Every Port].

Additional Performance Techniques:

Sea Shanty Specialist - Sailing

Imposter - Stealth
 Perseverance
Perseverance encompasses one’s mental fortitude, willpower, and resolve. Perseverance is
used to determine a character’s Determination Points and Stress threshold, and is also used
to resist magic.
Core Technique: Perseverance is the primary skill used to determine Determination Points
and also raises the Stress Threshold and Effort of a character.
Bottle Up (Perseverance 0): By accepting a point of stress before a Perseverance roll is made, you

PERS 0
may roll twice and take the better of the rolls.

State of Stress* (Perseverance 0): While your stress is equal to or greater than your stress
threshold, you may make a difficulty 12 Perseverance check once per scene when accepting a point
of stress. If successful, you do not gain the stress point.

Dig Deep (Perseverance 1, Metamancy 0): When asked to commit minor or major effort, you may
PERS 1

instead accept a point of stress to perform the technique as if you had committed Effort.

Guarded Mind (Perseverance 1): When presented with a Perseverance saving throw or opposed
skill check to avoid some Psychomantic effect against yourself, you may automatically succeed or
win the skill check by accepting a point of stress.

Late Night Studies (Perseverance 1, Knowledge 1): By studying a subject intensely for a week, you
may gain the benefits of the Knowledge technique Subject Expert. Unlike Subject Expert, this
knowledge is only temporary, and is replaced whenever you take this action again to learn new
knowledge.

Magically Dull* (Perseverance 1): You have a +2 bonus on any saving throws to resist magical
effects directed against you, but you lose the ability to perform magic yourself.

Cortisol Junkie* (Perseverance 2): Requires State of Stress. While at your stress threshold or
PERS 2

greater, you gain an additional 4 points of maximum HP and DP, and may add your Toughness skill
level to Perseverance saving throws.

Double Down (Perseverance 2): You may accept a point of stress to reroll any skill check or
damage roll, taking the new result. This ability may be used only once per check or attack.

Persistent (Perseverance 2, Communication 2): By accepting a point of stress, you may reroll a
failed Communication skill check, and add your Perseverance skill level in addition to
Communication when rerolling it.

Team Player (Perseverance 2): When a friendly character near you would accept a point of stress,
you may intercede as a Reaction, taking the stress in their place. You must describe how you are
taking the stress in their place. This technique may not be used to offset stress gained from magical
healing.
 Resilient (Perseverance 3): Incompatible with Toughness technique Resilient. Your mind is

PERS 3
remarkably capable of recovering from harm. You remove stress points equal to your Perseverance
skill at the end of every year action, regardless of the action taken.

Magical Resilience* (Perseverance 3): Requires Magically Dull. Your resistance to magic is
strengthened, allowing you to automatically pass skills checks and saving throws to resist magical
effects by accepting a point of stress. You have a +2 bonus to armor against magical attacks.
Unfortunately, this resilience is not optional: any magical healing done to you is reduced by 2.
Friendly mages must spend double the required Effort when including you in magical effects that
you do not wish to resist.

Magic Sink (Perseverance 3): Requires Magically Dull.Your resistance to magic extends in a field
around you to a distance equal to your Perseverance skill level time 20 feet. All beings within the
field gain a +1 bonus on skill checks to resist magic and gain 1 armor against magical attacks.

Spell Eater (Perseverance 5): Requires Magical Resilience. You are completely immune to all
PERS 5

magic, including friendly healing, hostile magical attacks, and everything in between. To magical
senses, you simply cease to exist. Chronomantic visions never take you into account, and
psychomancers cannot detect the presence of your mind. You may not be healed magically, and
magical items do not work for or against you. This resistance persists after death, immunizing your
body against any necromantic techniques. Whenever a spell or ritual is performed in your presence,
you may accept a point of stress to completely nullify its effects, taking the magic into yourself and
extinguishing it. The caster must still commit any Effort required by the technique. This influx of
magic heals you by 1d6 HP.

Stress Head (Perseverance 5): Requires Cortisol Junkie. While at your stress threshold or
greater, all skill checks you make aside from Perseverance have an additional +1 bonus, and attacks
you make have a +1 bonus.
Sailing
Any aspect of sailing a ship, from the smallest rowboat to a large galley ship, and all
the way up to a ship of the line is found within Sailing. Sailing also improves a
character’s naval combat ability.
Core Technique: Damage done by ship rams or ship-based siege weaponry in attacks you
are a part of adds your Sailing skill level, unless another participant in the attack has a
higher Sailing skill level.

SAIL 0
Red Sky in Morning (Sailing 0): When near large bodies of water, you may roll a Sailing skill
check to try to predict the weather for the next 24 hours.

Sea Savvy (Sailing 0): You may use your Sailing skill in place or Survival while sailing on seas,
rivers, and lakes and may apply the Survival core technique to gather supplies in these places.

Navigator (Sailing 1): You cannot get lost in any sea you are

SAIL 1
familiar with, and you may gain familiarity with any section
of sea after sailing upon it during at least 2 year actions.

Superior Sea Legs (Sailing 1, Athletics 1): While rolling

Athletics checks aboard ships, add your Sailing level to the
skill check.

Sea Shanty Specialist (Sailing 1, Performance 1): You know

every common sea shanty in the region, and most of the
uncommon ones as well. You can also make up new sea
shanties on the fly with no difficulty. While rolling
Performance checks to perform a sea shanty, add your
Sailing level to the skill check. During combat while at sea,
while singing a sea shanty, your crew gains a +1 bonus to
skill and damage rolls.

SAIL 2
Astronomer (Sailing 2): So long as you can see the sky at
night, you can determine your general position in the world.
If you have traveled to a significantly distant land such that
the stars are different, without being able to see the sky
during your travel to note the differences, you may need to
consult with locals to create a new sky chart.
 Tested Mettle* (Sailing 3): Any friendly characters at or below your rank automatically listen to
SAIL 3

your orders and advice, and captains will be glad to take you on as a crew member. Additionally,
you may add half your Sailing skill level, rounded up, to Communication and Leadership checks
made at sea. When you are part of a ship’s crew making a skill roll, you may add a +1 bonus to this
roll. Only one character may add a bonus from this technique to any given skill check.

Momentum of the Waves (Sailing 3, Fighting 0): Add half of your Sailing skill level, rounded up,
to melee attack damage made while on a ship.

Oar Protector (Sailing 3): You always automatically win the opposed skill check required to pull
your ship’s oars in, negating the effects of a Shear Oars action.

Ram Ready (Sailing 3): By accepting a point of stress as a Reaction, you may ignore the damage
your ship takes from a single Ram Action.

Sway Steadied (Sailing 3, Marksmanship 0): Add half of your Sailing skill level, rounded up, to all
ranged attacks you make on the water.

SAIL 4
Invasive Maneuvers (Sailing 4): When in a leadership position on a ram-equipped ship, your crew
receives a +2 bonus on all Ram Actions you take. Only one character may add a bonus from this
technique to any given skill check.

Master and Commander (Sailing 5): Requires Tested Mettle. You have spent so much time on
SAIL 5

the waves and open sea that your decision making is unparalleled and unquestioned. Your crew
cannot fall to zero Determination Points in battle, continuing to fight to the end, so long as they are
on the same boat as you. Additionally, any vessel captained by you will not mutiny.
 Stealth
Stealth measures a character's ability to perform actions without being noticed. It is

STEALTH 0
also associated with lockpicking, pickpocketing, assassinations, and other covert
actions.
Core Technique: You may make execution attacks. At level 1 and above, you may make
execution attacks against multiple targets at once. You may make the attacks against a
number of targets equal to your Stealth skill plus 1.
Lockpick* (Stealth 0): You may make a Stealth skill check to attempt to pick locks. You require
lockpicking equipment to make the check, and some locks are simply impossible to pick.

Poison Adept (Stealth 0): You may apply poisons to your weapons for 0 Action Points rather than a
single Action Point. You may only apply one poison per turn in this way.

Assassin’s Apprentice* (Stealth 1): You are well-skilled in the art of sudden murder. You may

STEALTH 1
perform execution attacks with only a single turn of preparation, although still only against foes not
currently engaged in combat, and while not engaged in combat yourself.

False Identities (Stealth 1): You may maintain a number of false identities equal to your Stealth
skill. These false identities cannot be people of great social importance, or anyone that would draw
particular scrutiny. You automatically succeed at any skill checks to maintain these identities,
although evidence that is so obvious as to not require a check may still expose you.

Social Chameleon (Stealth 1, Communication 1): You are able to easily blend into any social
situation you find yourself in. So long as you can speak the language of your conversation partners,
you can pass yourself off as a friendly equal to others. Particularly difficult to explain
asynchronicities, such as trying to pass as a noble in peasant clothing, or trying to pass as another
ancestry when it is clear you are not, may be explained away with a Communication skill check, at a
difficulty determined by the GM.

Takes a Thief to Catch a Thief (Stealth 1): You automatically notice evidence of tampering and
foul play when inspecting things like locks, doors, and treasure chests, indicating that a fellow thief
had recently been there.

A Sense for Traps* (Stealth 2): You’ve tripped one too many wires, stood on one one too many
pressure plates, and taken one too many blow darts to the neck to fall for them again. When rolling
Stealth skill checks for traps, add a +2 bonus.
STEALTH 2

Apparently Average (Stealth 2): If anyone would observe you, they would assume that you are
completely average in your abilities and skills. You fit perfectly into a throng of people, and double
your Stealth skill when used for checks to go unnoticed in crowded settings. Additionally, at the
beginning of combat, enemies will favor those around you, mistaking your act for a lack of ability.

Imposter (Stealth 2, Performance 1): You are a master of the art of impersonation. You may accept
one point of stress to reroll any failed Stealth skill checks related to maintaining a disguise.

Pick a Pocket, Any Pocket (Stealth 2): If your Stealth skill level is higher than an opponent’s, you
automatically succeed on Stealth skill checks required to pick their pocket. Otherwise, gain a +2
bonus to Stealth skill checks to pick pockets.
STEALTH 3 Cat Burglar (Stealth 3): Requires Lockpick. You may automatically succeed to unlock any mundane
lock. Additionally, if you spend at least one week casing a location and succeed on a difficulty 8
Stealth skill check, you gain a +2 bonus to any Stealth skill checks made on the premises.

Like Knows Like (Stealth 3): You are so familiar with the criminal arts that you are skilled in
recognizing it in others. You gain a +2 bonus on any skill checks to see through a disguise,
recognize a lie, investigate corruption, or otherwise discover crimes.

Subtle* (Stealth 3): Requires Assassin’s Apprentice. You are adept at being ignored, even in the heat
of combat. So long as no one is explicitly tracking you, and you are not the only attacker in melee
range of your foes, you may withdraw from combat for 1 Action Point. Once withdrawn from
combat, you may attempt to set up execution attacks against anyone not engaged in melee combat.

One with the Shadows (Stealth 4): You are innately capable of blending into the shadows. So long

STEALTH 4
as you are not in daylight, or a similarly bright environment, you are effectively invisible. If there is
some minimal light source (such as a clear and starry night), you may still see normally.

Master Assassin (Stealth 5): Requires Subtle. You are one of the most skilled assassins in the land.
You may perform Execution Attacks even against targets engaged in melee combat, so long as they
are not explicitly tracking you, and you are not in combat. Your execution attacks against foes with
less than 3 levels in Stealth, Fighting, or Marksmanship automatically succeed.

& 5
Additional Stealth Techniques:

Friends In Low Places, Skilled Liar - Communication

Quiet Caster - Metamancy
 Survival
Survival measures a character’s ability to keep themselves safe and fed without the
aid of civilization. It covers actions like finding food and water, identifying and
creating poisons, tracking animals or people, and scouting land. It also covers basic
first aid, such as stabilizing mortally wounded characters.
Core Technique: You may use your free time throughout the week to gather food and
water supplies to replace rations for a number of people equal to your Survival skill level +1.
If you are engaged in non-stop adventuring, such as in a dungeon, you will not have the
necessary free time to do this. Additionally, spending your time during the week doing
nothing but acquiring rations may triple the amount of rations collected. You may only use
Survival in regions you are familiar with, but may acquire familiarity with a new region by

SURV 0
taking a Year Action to explore it.
Wilderness First Aid (Survival 0): For 3 Action Points, you may make a Survival skill check at
difficulty of 6to stabilize a Mortally Wounded target.

At Home Anywhere (Survival 1): You gain the benefits of fully sheltered rest no matter where you
sleep, provided you are not completely exposed to the elements, restoring HP and stress normally.
SURV 1

Beast Hunter (Survival 1, Animals 0): You may add a +1 bonus to skill checks for tracking wild
animals, and gain a +1 damage bonus against such creatures.You need not roll to collect raw
materials from an animal, even difficult-to-extract materials, such as the poison gland of a reptile or
the intact wings of a butterfly.

Quick Eye (Survival 1, Crafting 0): Reduce the amount of time spent to find ingredients using
Herbalist to one day.

Braving the Elements (Survival 2, Toughness 1): You are able to shrug off the most intense

SURV 2
weather mother nature can throw at you. You do not suffer the effects of extreme heat or cold while
traveling, and receive no penalty to navigating in blinding weather conditions such as a blizzard or
sandstorm.

Consistent Finder (Survival 2, Crafting 0): Remove the skill check required while finding
ingredients using Herbalist.

Desert Astronomer (Survival 2): You the benefits of the Sailing Technique Astronomer.

Hunter Gatherer (Survival 2): Your cunning wit and extensive expertise suit a life in the wild
perfectly. In regions that you have expertise in, you are able to provide food for three times as many
people and their mounts.

Leave No Trace* (Survival 2): You are able to effectively mask the tracks and evidence of yourself
and up to two times your Survival skill level characters or animals while traveling. You cannot be
tracked unless the tracker has magical means.
 Alien Environments (Survival 3): You may apply your Survival skill in regions you are not

SURV 3
familiar with, at a -2 penalty. Additionally, you always sense if you are in an otherworldly or
extraplanar location, different to the world you know.

Become One With Nature (Survival 3): Given a scene’s worth of prep, you may disguise yourself
and up to five other creatures in the natural camouflage found around you. When hidden with this
camouflage and remaining completely still, characters cannot be observed through conventional
means. Magical means may still work, although you are hidden from heat-based sight such as
Infravision, and vibration-based sight such as Earthsight.
SURV 4

Wayfinder (Survival 4, Leadership 1): While traveling, a number of companions equal to your
Survival and Leadership skill levels combined gain the benefits of your Survival techniques,
provided they accompany you and follow your instructions while engaging in such techniques.

SURV
Silent Army, Shallow Footprints (Survival 5): Requires Leave No Trace. You are able to mask
the traces of up to an entire army, so long as they follow your instructions.

Additional Survival Techniques:

Herbalist’s Healing - Crafting

Resourceful Marksman - Marksmanship
 Toughness
Toughness is used to survive wounds and endure physical challenges. Hit
protection (HP) is primarily derived from toughness, as well as HP recovery.
Toughness also increases a character’s Stress threshold.
Core Technique: Toughness is the primary skill used to determine a character’s HP and

TOUGH 0
one of the primary skills used for determining a character’s stress threshold.
Hardy (Toughness 0): Your stress threshold is increased by an additional point per level of
Toughness (including level 0).

Low Center of Gravity (Toughness, 0): You cannot be knocked over by non-magical means during
combat.

& 1
Fast Healer (Toughness 1): You recover more quickly than normal. You may recover an additional
point of HP every week.

Musclebound Magics (Toughness 2, Metamancy 1): Your body has an incredible capacity for
TOUGH 2

exertion, increasing not only your physical prowess but your capacity for magic. Increase your total
Effort by half of your Toughness skill level, rounded up.

Thick Skin (Toughness 2): You are particularly skilled in shrugging off wounds. By accepting a
point of stress, you may ignore all damage from one attack, after the damage has been rolled.

Quick to Your Feet* (Toughness 2): Requires Strong Jaw. When you are stabilized by another
character, automatically regain HP equal to your Toughness skill level. Additionally, you may accept
a point of stress in order to instantaneously stand back up after being knocked prone.

Resilient (Toughness 3): Incompatible with Perseverance technique Resilient. Your body is

TOUGH 3,
remarkably capable of recovering from harm. You may remove stress equal to your Toughness skill
at the end of every year action, regardless of the action taken.

Toxophobic (Toughness 3): You are immune to common diseases and illnesses, and may make a
Toughness saving throw at a difficulty of 10 in order to avoid Powerful Ailments. Additionally, you
are immune to the effects of basic poison and reduce all poison damage taken by half. More
information on the specifics of Powerful Ailments can be found in the Environmental Hazards
section. Terminal illnesses are still impossible to avoid. 4 & 5
Adrenaline Rush (Toughness 4): Requires Quick to Your Feet. When you are Mortally Wounded
for the first time in a scene, you may accept a point of stress to shrug off the wound, regaining half
of your total HP. If you are Mortally Wounded again before the end of the scene, you automatically
die. At the end of the scene, you lose all of this HP and become Mortally Wounded once again,
requiring stabilization as usual.

Additional Toughness Techniques:

Grinning Through the Pain - Fighting

Braving the Elements - Survival
Battle Caster - Metamancy
 Magical Skills

The magical skills listed below cover a wide range of magical effects that a character may learn. The default
assumption in The Years of Adventure is that magic is a latent ability within every person, but it requires training to
fully utilize. Mechanically, this is represented with the Metamancy skill, which must be trained to level 0 before
any other magical skills can be learned. Narratively, this training is usually provided by a mentor who is well
trained in magic, although cases of spontaneous magical training are not unheard of.
Magical techniques are generally classified into three categories: Arts, Spells, and Rituals. In addition to their
minimum level requirements, each technique will be listed as Art, Spell, or Ritual depending on the category of the
technique.
◆ Arts are usually simple techniques that can be accomplished with just a thought from the character, and
usually require a Main Action at most, but occasionally only a Move, On Turn, or Instant Action. Arts are
very difficult to prevent from happening, even magical senses are not able to detect an art until it has already
been released.
◆ Spells are more complicated, and usually more powerful as a result. They require some obvious actions on
the part of the caster, usually chanting, gesticulation, or some other method of focusing their mental power
which is obvious to any bystander watching. Spells always require a
Main Action. Spells may be interrupted, either through magical techniques or simple violence.
◆ Rituals are even more powerful than spells, and require sustained casting over a period of time, usually no
less than a scene. Rituals may have more permanent effects than Spells or Arts, at the cost of longer casting
times. Rituals may be interrupted, either through magical techniques or simple violence.

If a character takes damage, they cannot cast a spell for a whole round, and rituals are interrupted. Spells may
also be interrupted with damage from Instant Actions. Magical techniques for stopping spells and rituals generally
require an opposed skill check. If a caster begins casting a spell or ritual and is interrupted, they must still spend
the effort used to cast.
Most magical techniques are powered by Effort. Effort is a reflection of the character’s mental stamina and
latent magical energy. A character’s Effort is equal to 1 plus the sum of their highest-ranked magical skill plus their
Perseverance skill. Any character trained in Metamancy has a minimum Effort of 1. There are also several
techniques which increase Effort.
Characters use Effort by committing it. Effort can be committed in a few ways, as described by the technique
using it:
◆ Commit Major Effort: The most powerful techniques are incredibly draining for the character that uses
them, and the magical energy expended needs time to regenerate. Major Effort is replenished at a rate of one
point per full night of rest.
◆ Commit Minor Effort: These techniques generally have an effect that is instant or lasts no longer than a
scene. At the end of the scene in which it is committed, all Minor Effort is regained.
◆ Commit Constant Effort: Some techniques require constant effort, but may be activated or deactivated
relatively easily. Constant Effort is regained immediately when the character stops committing it.

If a character has committed all of their Effort, they can no longer use any magical techniques that require
Effort. In dire circumstances, however, they may accept an Injury to use a technique that requires Effort, rolling on
the injury table as usual.
Effective Range
Many magical skills and techniques have an effective range determined by the skill level of
the caster. This range is defined as follows:
◆ 30ft at level 0
◆ 300ft at level 1
◆ 1 mile at level 2
◆ 10 miles at level 3
◆ 100 miles at level 4
◆ 1,000 miles at level 5

For example, someone with Locomancy 2 may teleport 1 mile using the core technique of
Locomancy. Generally, this range is defined for each skill, and the level in one magical skill does
not affect the maximum range of another skill. For example, someone with Necromancy 1 and
Locomancy 3 may only maintain bound undead within a range of 300ft, even though they can
teleport 10 miles.
Metamancy
The fundamental understanding and use of magic is collected into Metamancy.
Characters must have a Metamancy skill level of at least 0 to be able to take any
other magical skills. More advanced Metamancy techniques are used to enhance
one’s own magical ability, cast enchantments, or perform other magical tasks.
Core Technique (Spell): By taking any training in this skill, you gain access to magic. You
have a minimum Effort of 1, which increases as described above. You gain the ability to
identify any magic performed in your presence as magical, unless it is specifically concealed.
You may identify any magical items or structures as magical, although you do not receive
specific information about their purpose. You may perform freeform rituals related to
Metamancy, as described on page {{PAGE}}.
At level 1, as a spell, you may channel your raw magical energy into a ranged attack that
deals d4 + Metamancy skill damage. The range of this attack is 30ft + 10ft per Metamancy
level.

META 0
Magitechnician (Art, Metamancy 0, Crafting 1): Requires Enchanter. In addition to magic, you
are highly skilled in the art of crafting, and know the inner weavings and workings of items you
seek to enchant. When rolling Enchanter skill checks, you may add half of your Crafting skill level,
rounded up to the result.

Minor Magic (Art, Metamancy 0): You may create minor marvels of magic, things that may have
impact on the world around them, but are by no means powerful. This might be a candle’s worth of
light, a tiny illusion, or the whistling of a bird. You could also enchant a broom to sweep by itself, or
a harp to pluck its own strings. This art cannot damage or negatively impact a character directly,
but can be used intelligently to problem solve or influence situations. A Metamancer may only have
one Minor Magic effect at a time.

Psion (Special, Metamancy 0): Incompatible with Spellbook. This technique may only be taken
if you have no training in magic beyond the Metamancy core technique. Rather than learning
magical techniques the traditional way, you unlock them through expanding the powers of your
mind. You cannot train magical skills aside from Metamancy, and you may not perform Rituals,
even those in Metamancy. In return, you may learn Art or Spell techniques (spending skill points as
usual) in any magical skill, always using Metamancy in place of the specific magical skill of the
technique. If you would like to learn the core technique of a magical skill, you must acquire it at
each level, for 1 point at level 0, 2 at level 1, and so forth, but you need not acquire the core
technique to learn other techniques in that skill. You may learn Ritual techniques if there is a later
technique that allows you to perform it as an Art or Spell, but you may never perform it as a Ritual.
 Spellbook* (Special, Metamancy 0, Knowledge 0): Incompatible with Psion. You have learned

META 0
how to record arcane knowledge into a grimoire, allowing you to cast techniques without learning
them the traditional way. To learn more about recording techniques in a grimoire, see the Scrolls
and Grimoires section on page {{PAGE}}. Once recorded, you may cast any technique from your
grimoire as a Ritual, committing effort as normally required by the technique. Casting techniques
this way always requires a minimum of one Effort to be committed for the week. Arts that are
normally learned as permanent effects will instead last no longer than a week when cast this way. A
grimoire has an encumbrance value of 1.

Well-Practiced Mage* (Art, Metamancy 0): You’ve put in long hours honing your mind to
perform magic. As a result, your total Effort increases by 1.

Dispel (Art, Metamancy 1): As a 1 Point Reaction, you may commit major effort to attempt to
negate the effect of a spell being cast within your sight. You make an opposed skill check with the
caster, each using the better of Metamancy or the skill used to cast the spell. If you win, the spell is
wasted. If the target wins, the spell continues as normal. You both must commit effort as per usual
regardless of the outcome.
META 1

Identify Magic* (Ritual, Metamancy 1): You may spend a scene examining any magical items,
structures, or standing magical effects to determine their purpose. You gain a full description of all
unhidden magical effects present, and may roll a Metamancy skill check to discover hidden or
cursed magical features. If the hidden effect is related to another school of magic, you may
alternatively use that skill in place of Metamancy for this skill check.

Magic Fists (Art, Metamancy 1, Fighting 1): Your melee attacks count as magical attacks for
purposes of overcoming certain armor or immunities. Your unarmed attacks have a minimum
damage dice size of d6.

Magical Missiles (Art, Metamancy 1, Marksmanship 1): You may commit minor effort to infuse
magic into your ranged attacks. You may add your Metamancy skill level to the damage of these
attacks, and the attacks count as magical for purposes of overcoming certain armor or immunities.

Power Knows Power (Art, Metamancy 1): You are acquainted with the power of magic, and have
seen it reflected in all others who wield the same power. By casually observing or interacting with a
target, you may recognize other mages, magical beings, and even gods for what they are, so long as
they are not explicitly trying to hide their nature. If they are trying to hide, you may reach out to
them magically and make an opposed Metamancy skill check to determine their nature. This more
intrusive act, however, will never go unnoticed by the target.
Enchanter* (Ritual, Metamancy 2): May not be recorded as a spellbook technique. Some very

META 2
talented spellweavers may channel their power into inanimate objects, enchanting them with all
manner of magical abilities, effects, and enhancements. Magical items might range from simple
abilities to incredibly detailed and unique items. Magical items are limited only by the enchanter’s
imagination, provided you have the necessary materials and skill. Generally, enchantment requires
at least 10x the base price of the item you are enchanting in magical materials, and the item need
not be a weapon or piece of armor. An enchantment should cost at least 500sp, even for simple item
enchantments. The enchanter must spend around one week per significant enchantment or feature
added, and then roll a difficulty 10 Metamancy skill check in order to successfully enchant the item.
Alternatively, if the enchantment directly relates to another magical skill that a character has, they
may use that skill in place of Metamancy. Failure does not damage the item, but does consume the
material cost of the enchantment. Items with modifications on them may be enchanted at no
additional difficulty. At the discretion of a GM, items may be enchanted multiple times, although
the difficulty or cost may increase with each additional enchantment.
Magic items are very open ended in The Years of Adventure, designed to support existing
content, ease of use for game masters, and most importantly, the creative ideas of players. When
presented with particularly outlandish ideas from players, GMs are encouraged to experiment with
these rules. The GM may decide that the items are being enchanted with highly powerful effects, in
which case additional material cost or a more difficult skill check may be called for. Generally
speaking, magic items that provide flat bonuses to skills and attacks or damage, or provide access to
arts and techniques should either be discouraged or very expensive. Specifically, enchantments that
provide simple statistic bonuses like increased attack, damage, and armor class, or decreased
encumbrance, are more appropriately handled as Modifications, and not magical enchantments. A
sample of example magical items may be found in the Appendix.

Multifocal Barrage (Spell, Metamancy 2, Any Magic Skill 2): You are proficient in multiple types
of magic, and your understanding of the ways that magical energies intertwine have allowed you to
combine your proficiencies into one. By committing major major effort as a spell, you may combine
your magical energies into a single, devastating effect. You deal 1d8 worth of damage for each
magical skill, including Metamancy, which you have trained to level 2 or higher. This attack has a
range of 100ft.

Proficient Identification (Spell, Metamancy 2): Requires Identify Magic. You may identify
magical items and effects for only 2 Action Points, although you must commit minor effort to do so.
You may cast this spell retroactively to decipher the effect of a Ritual or Spell cast by someone else
since your last turn.

Spellbook Memorization (Special, Metamancy 2): Requires Spellbook. You are proficient in the
use of your spellbook and may cast spells from it more easily. Every week, you may memorize a
number of magical techniques equal to twice your Metamancy skill level that are normally cast as
an Art or Spell from your spellbook. These memorized techniques may then be cast as a Spell (they
may not be cast as an Art) by committing major effort. Arts that are normally learned as permanent
effects will instead last no longer than a scene when cast this way.

Second Nature (Art, Metamancy 2): Requires Well-Practiced Mage. You are so attuned to
casting magic that it has become second nature to
you. Your Effort increases by 1.

Quiet Caster (Art, Metamancy 2, Stealth 2): You

have learned how to cast without making any
obvious signs that you are doing so. You are able
to silently cast, and enemies will need to first pass
an opposed Stealth vs. their relevant skill check
to determine whether they can react in any way
to the spell.
Absorb Spell (Art, Metamancy 3): Requires Dispel. When dispelling, you may choose to try to

META 3
absorb the effort used by the target caster. If you win the opposed skill check, you need not commit
effort to dispel. If you lose, however, the target takes your effort, casting their spell without effort
while yours is committed for the week as usual.

Battle Caster (Art, Metamancy 3, Toughness 3): You are able to withstand more pain than your
average magic user, allowing you to cast spells even during rounds where you’ve taken damage.
Ritual spells are still interrupted through damage or magical means.

Create Wand (Ritual, Metamancy 3, Crafting 1): Requires Enchanter. Wands are powerful and
rare tools, used by certain mages who have access to the materials necessary to create one. A skilled
enchanter who is also able to craft powerful objects using their hands may attempt to create the
perfect balance in a wand that will accept and hold magic. This process takes a week of time, and
material costs equivalent to the intended power of the magic that it will hold. A wand for level 0
spells and arts costs 1,000sp in material costs, level 1 costs 2,000sp, level 2 costs 4,000sp, level 3
costs 8,000sp, level 4 costs 16,000sp, and level 5 costs 32,000sp. These material components are lost
in a failed attempt. At the end of the week, the enchanter rolls a difficulty 12 skill check, adding
both their Metamancy and Crafting skill levels. If they successfully create a wand, it can be bound
to a caster, allowing them to cast any single Spell or Art at or below the wand’s level into the wand
at its normal Effort or Stress cost. This technique is stored indefinitely, and can be unleashed at any
time by the owner as a spell without expending Effort. A character may only own and operate one
wand at a time.

Magic Cauldron (Special, Metamancy 3, Crafting 1): You are able to use a special cauldron
imbued with your magic energies while brewing concoctions, and you may add your Metamancy
skill level to skill checks made with the cauldron. Additionally, beneficial potions and elixirs restore
an additional 1d4 HP when being consumed and harmful concoctions deal an additional 1d4
damage when being applied.

State Change (Spell, Metamancy 3): By committing major effort, you may channel your energy to
change the state of matter of an object you touch for the rest of the scene. The object can weigh
anything, but can only be roughly as large as yourself. Therefore, this spell could change the state of

META 5
a normal sized door, but not a large portcullis. This object changes its state of matter, either from
solid to liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa. This spell cannot change a gas into a solid or vice versa.
Objects do not change their starting properties beyond their state, for example, stone changed to
liquid does not become magma.

Magically Infused Mundane (Art, Metamancy 5, Any Mundane Level 5 Skill): Someone who has
mastered both magic and the mundane can learn to weave the two together, unlocking incredible
and unpredictable results. When taking this technique, choose another mundane skill you have
level 5 in. From that moment onwards, that skill is
infused with magic and receives +1 to skill checks
and bonuses at all times. Additionally, you may
commit major effort to add your Metamancy skill
level to skill checks and bonuses related to a single
action. For example, one could add their
Metamancy skill level to a single damage roll using
Fighting, or could add it to a Stealth or
Communication Skill check.

Additional Metamancy Techniques:

Hastened Enchanting - Chronomancy

Subject Expert - Arcane School - Knowledge
Making the Effort - Perseverance
Magic Sword - Psychomancy
Biomancy
Magic related to life and living organisms, used for healing, shapeshifting, and body
modifications of the self and others. Biomancy is best known for its ability to drastically increase the
body’s natural healing ability to rapidly mend wounds, at the cost of additional strain on the body.
While countless Biomancers dedicate their lives to using their magic to understand the ailments of
the body, many aspects of how living bodies work are still not well understood, particularly complex
diseases. Some causes of death are even believed to be caused by excessive healing and body
modification as a result of Biomancy.
Shapeshifting: For the purposes of transformation and body augmentation, you must have the
appropriate knowledge or materials of the species you wish to imitate. This might entail biological
material collected from the species, such as a fistful of fur, an organ, or a bone, or can be gained
through the Naturalist technique. Biomancers understand when another biomancer is transformed,
allowing them to immediately recognize a transformed target that has a Biomancy skill equal to or
less than their own.
Biomancy is divided into General Techniques that benefit anyone, Healing Techniques to aid
yourself and others, and Shapeshifting & Facestealing Techniques to change one’s form.

Core Technique (Art: You may stabilize mortally wounded targets with a touch for 1 Action Point.
You may perform freeform rituals related to Biomancy, as described on page {{PAGE}}. Starting at
level 1, you gain the ability to heal others and yourself. For 2 Action Points, you may commit major
effort to restore d6 HP per level of your biomancy skill to yourself or a touched target. This healing
adds 1 Stress to the target if it heals more than 4 HP.

General Techniques

GENERAL 0
Flesh Flower (Spell, Biomancy 0): By committing minor effort and touching the ground, you are
able to grow an intriguing and hideous-smelling flower. You may choose the look of the flower, and
it emits an incredibly foul odor of rotting flesh. This odor permeates an area 1000 feet in diameter,
multiplied by your Biomancy skill level plus one. The odor smells of rotting offal and attracts all
carnivorous beasts, undead, and curious individuals to its source. The flower lasts for an entire
scene, and the smell quickly dissipates after it withers.

Flexible Sanguinity (Art, Biomancy 0): You are capable of switching

between hot and cold blooded, and retain your internal temperature even in
the face of extreme conditions. You are unaffected by extreme heat or cold
conditions.

Infravision (Art, Biomancy 0): You may commit constant effort for 0
Action Points in order to change your eyes to see in infrared, instead of the
visible spectrum.
 Accelerated Growth (Ritual, Biomancy 1, Chronomancy 1): By committing major effort, you may

GENERAL 1
cause a single living being to grow at an extremely fast rate. Level 1 Biomancers may affect plants
and fungi, and level 3 Biomancers may affect animals. This being experiences up to 10 years of
natural growth for each level of Chronomancy you have, and the ritual can continue indefinitely for
level 5 Chronomancers.

Grow Appendage (Spell, Biomancy 1): By committing minor effort, you may grow a new
appendage from somewhere on your body, increasing your readied encumbrance by 1, granting
you a +1 bonus on skill checks to maintain a Grapple, and allowing you to equip or use an
additional item. This appendage does not grant any additional actions, but could hold a shield while
your normal arms use a two handed crossbow, benefit from both a shield and two weapon fighting,
or it could hold and swing a sword while transformed into a wolf. Either a new arm, prehensile tail,
tentacle, or something else, this appendage lasts for an entire scene and then shrivels and falls off – a
harmless effect, but gruesome nonetheless.

Elastic Anatomy (Spell, Biomancy 2): Although uncomfortable, a skilled biomancer can alter their
basic anatomy in order to stretch and fit in incredible ways. By committing minor effort, you may
GENERAL 2

gain the ability to stretch your reach up to 15ft and fit into spaces as small as 6” in diameter (after
several minutes of slow stretching through the space). During this time, you cannot make attacks or
function at your normal athletic level, and you cannot cast additional spells or arts until you end the
effect. You do, however, reduce the incoming damage of blunt weapons and effects by half and
suffer no shock damage from blunt weapons.

Webs (Art, Biomancy 2): Your body gains the ability to create and launch sticky, strong webbing,
similar to a spider’s. By committing minor effort, you may utilize this ability to shoot your webs
where you choose. This webbing travels up to 10’ per Biomancy skill level and sticks to whatever
surface it hits. If attempting to shoot the web at another character, make an opposed Biomancy vs.
Athletics or Fighting skill check. Webbed characters are stuck to the rope, which can be used to pull,
wrap, or otherwise disrupt them, and they are unable to change their readied or stowed items while
webbed. These webs require an Athletics skill check with a difficulty of 10 in order to break free of,
although you may release your grasp at any time.

Natural Defenses (Art, Biomancy 3): By committing constant effort for 1 Action Point, you may

GENERAL 3
grow porcupine spines, acidic blood, or some other defense that can damage melee attackers. As a
Reaction, you may deal d6 damage when struck by a melee attacker as they are caught by your
defenses.

Respiratory De-stress (Art, Biomancy 3): For 0 Action Points, you may commit
major effort to magically supplement your lungs, allowing you to forgo breathing.
This can allow you to travel underwater or in vacuums, and exist in poisonous or toxic
environments with no ill effects. This lasts for a number of hours equal to
your Biomancy skill level, and is limitless for level 5 Biomancers.
 Healing

HEALING 0 & 1
Quick Diagnosis* (Spell, Biomancy 0): By committing minor effort, you may identify any ailments
or injuries, magical or otherwise, affecting a target or yourself.

Surge Healing (Art, Biomancy 0): When using your core technique, you may commit major effort
to heal the target of the core technique by an additional 3d6 + 3 HP. This more powerful healing
comes at a cost: the target of the healing must accept 2 stress points, and you also must accept a
point of stress, unless you were the target.

Far Healer (Art, Biomancy 1): Your healing may be performed at a range of 20ft multiplied by your
Biomancy skill level, but requires full line of sight of the target.

Heal Injury (Ritual, Biomancy 1): You are capable of great feats of healing, allowing you to
rapidly heal Injuries sustained by characters. As a ritual, you may commit major effort to heal
one Injury. However, this rapid healing comes at a cost, meaning that Injuries are more likely
to turn into Scars, as described in the Injury section on page {{PAGE}}.

Purge Poisons (Spell, Biomancy 1): Requires Quick Diagnosis. You may commit major
effort to purge all poisons from a touched target, who receives one point of stress but is
otherwise relieved from all effects of the poison.

Stasis (Spell, Biomancy 1): You may touch a willing or unconscious

creature and commit major effort. That creature enters a deep sleep,
their body in a complete stasis, lasting for exactly one week. Beings in
stasis may be healed, or harmed, and their bodies will be unaffected by
any harm done to them short of dismemberment. After a week, the
stasis ends, and normal bodily function returns.

Verdant Vest (Spell, Biomancy 1): By committing minor effort, you

may touch one willing target and bestow a soft plant vest upon their
body. This vest will move and reform to treat any injuries the target
might accrue, automatically stabilizing them after they become mortally
wounded and negating the possibility of injury gain. The effect lasts until
the end of the scene, you cancel it, or the effect is used to stabilize the target.

Cure Disease (Ritual, Biomancy 2): Requires Quick Diagnosis. As a Ritual,

HEALING 2

and by committing major effort, you may purge a target of the identified disease
inside of them. Magical diseases often require an opposed Biomancy vs. relevant
magical skill check against the caster who inflicted the disease.
Efficient Healer* (Art, Biomancy 2): Your healing requires less effort. By
committing major effort, you may utilize your Core Technique to provide
unlimited healing for the rest of the scene, with each use requiring 2 Action
Points, but without additional effort. Each use still requires the target to accept a point of stress.

Strong Healing (Art, Biomancy 2): You may add your Biomancy
skill level to your healing.
 Gentle Healing (Art, Biomancy 3): Your core technique healing now only applies stress when

HEALING 3, 4 & 5
healing over 8 HP.

Quick Healing (Art, Biomancy 3): Your core technique healing now requires only 1 Action Point.

Vine Armor (Art, Biomancy 4): Requires Verdant Vest. Your Verdant Vest is empowered, even
moving to protect its wearer from harm. When hit with an attack that would mortally wound them,
the armor absorbs the blow, negating the attack while destroying the armor. It also adds 1 point of
armor to the wearer until it is destroyed.

Second Wind (Spell, Biomancy 4): Requires Surge Healing. By committing major effort and
touching a target, you may completely restore their HP to their maximum. This massive healing is
incredibly taxing on the body, and increases the target’s stress by half their total Threshold, rounded
up. If this spell would bring the target’s stress above their stress threshold, they cannot be healed
this way.

Explosive Healing (Spell, Biomancy 5): Requires Efficient Healing. By committing major effort,
you may heal up to 10 targets at the same time. Unless you have the Far Healer skill, you must still
touch the targets for the effect to work. The healing value is rolled only once and applied to each
target, and each target still receives a point of stress if the healing is over your threshold.
Mass Heal (Ritual, Biomancy 5): Requires Efficient Healing. By committing major effort and
accepting a point of stress, you may heal up to 100 visible targets within a 50’ radius following the
normal rules of your core technique. Roll only once and apply the value to all targets of the healing.
Mass Heal requires calm, focus, and safety, and cannot be used while the caster or targets are
engaged in combat.

Shapeshifting & Facestealing

SHAPESHIFTING, FACESTEALING 0 & 1

Natural Weapons (Art, Biomancy 0): Requires Change Form. You have trained with the natural
weapons used by your more bestial forms. Your natural weapons always do a minimum damage
dice of d8.

Become Undead (Art, Biomancy 1, Necromancy 3): Requires Change Form. Skilled in the fine
line between life and death, you may change your form to resemble that of an awakened undead,
appearing that way both physically and under magical scrutiny. A biomancer masquerading as an
undead cannot be bound by necromancers, however, a successful Repel Undead or Empowered
Binding will revert the Biomancer to their original form. Additionally, they receive the benefits and
suffer the consequences of being undead.

Change Face* (Spell, Biomancy 1): By committing constant effort, you may change your physical
appearance to resemble another person. This appearance may be created by you, or may be taken
from another individual, provided you have a sample (blood, hair, etc.) from them. Observers who
know the target well will be harder to fool, requiring either a Stealth or Performance skill check to
maintain the disguise beyond appearance. You may adopt your new appearance permanently, by
accepting a point of stress.
Change Form* (Ritual, Biomancy 1): By committing constant effort, you may change your form

SHAPESHIFTING, FACESTEALING 2 & 3

into any animal or creature that you wish, so long as you have observed the animal, and so long as
the animal does not have more HD than twice your biomancy level. You retain your skills,
techniques, and minor attributes (hit protection, determination points, etc.), and may communicate
in your normal voice. You may not, however, cast spells or rituals or perform tasks impossible to
your form. When you transform, you receive abilities and bonuses appropriate to the creature you
transform into. For example, a crow would be able to fly quickly and a wolf would gain the benefits
of its keen smell and movement speed. Your natural attack damage dice is always d6, and your
armor is equal to your Biomancy skill level. You may use Biomancy in place of other skills for skill
checks and attack rolls so long as your form may justify the use. All readied and stowed items
carried by you remain in your inventory, but fuse with you during the transformation, and are
unusable for the duration. The effect lasts so long as you keep effort committed to it, and ends
automatically if you are mortally wounded.

Face Steal (Art, Biomancy 2): Requires Change Face. You may keep up to your Biomancy level in
permanent face changes, and may take the face of another person without needing a sample, only a
scene’s worth of observation. Additionally, you may add your Biomancy skill level to Stealth or
Performance rolls when attempting to evade scrutiny.

Quick Change (Spell, Biomancy 3): Requires Change Form. You may cast Change Form as a
spell instead of a ritual.

Additional Biomancy Techniques:

Repurposing the Rotting - Necromancy

Chronomancy
Visions of the future, precognition, prophecy, fate and luck are covered under Chronomancy. This type of
magic is most often used to see into the future. However, chronomancy may only be used to see into the
caster’s own future, not a general future. When gazing into the endless possibilities of their future, a
chronomancer is able to determine which scenarios are most likely to happen, but they cannot see possibilities
beyond the scope of their own viewpoint.
Some advanced techniques also allow visions into the past. However, visions into the past are unreliable,
muddied by the memories of the chronomancer. To ground visions into the past, most techniques require
centering the vision on a physical, non-living object. The memory of non-living objects is always clear, and a
good chronomancer may take advantage of this to see into the past.
When asking questions of the future or the past, a chronomancer is only able to gather a limited amount
of information. They may ask a single question, which must be answerable either through their own potential
future, or the past of some grounding object. For example, a chronomancer could not ask what will happen
the next day in a city on the other side of the world, if there is no way they could be in that city in such a short
amount of time.
The answer to the question is usually not a simple response. Often, the chronomancer is instead met with
a vision of some event surrounding their answer. In many cases, they may actually be presented multiple
visions, and have an estimation of the likelihood of each of them. For example, a chronomancer attached to an
army trying to defeat an enemy may ask the question, “How will the enemy attack us?” They may then be met
with a few visions, one showing the enemy leading a frontal assault, another where they are drawn into an
ambush, and a third where the enemy sets up to defend a chokepoint, inviting the chronomancer and allies to
remove them. The chronomancer would also know that of these three scenarios, the ambush is most likely.

Core Technique (Ritual): You may perform freeform rituals related to Chronomancy, as described
on page {{PAGE}}. By committing major effort, you may perform a ritual to answer a single question
you have about some potential future event in your life. The higher your level of chronomancy, the
further into the future you can see. At level 0, you can see only one day into the future. At level 1,
you may see one week into the future. At level 2, you may see three weeks into the future. At level 3,
you may see 12 weeks, or one year action, into the future. At level 4, you may see one year into the
future. At level 5, you may see up to 10 years into the future. As described above, visions present
only a possible future, and are not guaranteed to happen, particularly once you begin acting on the
knowledge you have gained.

CHRONO 0
Envisioned Assessment (Art, Chronomancy 0): By committing minor effort, you may peer into
the future to assess the skills of a number of targets equal to 1+ your Chronomancy skill level. For
these targets, you know their level in a specifically stated skill, as well as their highest level skill.

Hastened Enchanting (Ritual, Chronomancy 0): Requires Enchanter. By committing major

effort, provided you have the materials and a sufficiently stable work environment, you may
enchant an item that would take a week’s worth of time in the span of a scene. This does not last a
week’s worth of time for the Chronomancer, but rather hastens the spells and magics required. Due
to the mental drain of this ritual, you may perform it only once per week.

Piqued Awareness (Art, Chronomancy 0): You may add your Chronomancy skill level + 1 when
rolling initiative.

Quick Peek (Art, Chronomancy 0): Once per day, you may use the level 0 power of your core
technique as an Art, allowing you to see up to one day into the future for 1 Action Point and only
committing minor effort.
 Dream Quest (Ritual, Chronomancy 1): Once per night, or other period of extended sleep, you

CHRONO 1
may use your Core Technique to see up to one week into the future at the cost of no effort. As with
your Core Technique, you may only ask a single question.

Fated Contract (Spell, Chronomancy 1): While finalizing any contract, or verbal agreement, with
another character, you may commit major effort to magically seal the contract with the threads of
fate. The other party becomes aware of the now magical nature of the contract, as well as a general
idea of the consequences of breaking the contract, and must agree to it with this knowledge. Once
finalized, the contract is enforced by fate. If either party attempts to unilaterally break the contract
directly, or act in bad faith to fulfill the contract, they become gravely ill. They immediately take 1d8
points of HP damage per Chronomancy level of the caster. This damage cannot be healed until the
other party releases them from the contract or dies. If the damage taken mortally wounds the
character, they fall into a coma, and will die within one week if not released from the contract.

Mending* (Ritual, Chronomancy 1, Crafting 1): Requires Psychometry. By committing major

effort, you may attempt to magically return an item, object, or structure to its former glory, so long
as the majority of its pieces are still present. You must roll a Crafting skill check, adding your
Chronomancy skill level. Simple mundane items require an 8 on the skill check, complex items
require a 10, and structures and magical items require a 12. Some magical items may not be
repairable at all, or require additional work equivalent to a Year Actions worth of adventure,
determined by the GM. If successful on your skill check, the pieces of the targeted construction
move on their own to reform the object to its former glory.

Precognition* (Art, Chronomancy 1, Fighting OR Marksmanship 0): You can see

where a melee combatant is most likely to strike, or where a projectile is about to
land, giving a bonus to your chance to avoid attacks. You may commit constant
effort to gain a bonus to your armor equal to half your Chronomancy level,
rounded up, for as long as the effort is committed.

Psychometry* (Ritual, Chronomancy 1): While seeing into your

own past is often no more useful than recalling your own memories,
you’ve discovered how to tap into the stable memories of inanimate
objects. By committing major effort as a ritual, you may peer into the past
of an inanimate object you are touching. You may see an amount of time
into the past as if you were using the Chronomancy core technique at 1 level
higher than your current level. For example, a level 2 Chronomancer could see 12
weeks into the past. A level 5 Chronomancer can still only see 10 years into
the past for the object. For each ritual performed, you may answer one
question about the past of this object.

Impending Doom (Art, Chronomancy 2): Requires Precognition. You

have become adept with your ability to see the near future, so much so that
CHRONO 2

it is almost instinctual to you. Immediately before being subjected to an

Execution Attack against yourself or a visible ally, or otherwise being
ambushed and surprised, you receive a vision of the impending doom facing
you. You may commit major effort to receive this vision with enough time to react,
giving you one round of action to act before beginning an encounter normally.

Time Bubble (Spell, Chronomancy 2): You may commit minor effort to create a tight bubble of
fast-flowing time around one target. The target experiences time more quickly while this effect is
active, giving them 2 additional Action Points. This bubble lasts for a number of rounds equal to
your Chronomancy skill, and the target must accept one point of stress.
Former Glory (Spell, Chronomancy 3): Requires Mending. You may repair items and objects as

CHRONO 3
a spell rather than a ritual, committing minor effort rather than the week, and you needn’t roll a
skill check or commit effort for simple mundane items. Additionally, reduce the difficulty of
complex items and structures by 2.

Rust (Spell, Chronomancy 3): By committing minor effort you may touch a non magical piece of
armor or a weapon and cause it to rust to the point of uselessness. When used against weapons or
items held by another character, you must make an opposed Athletics or Fighting skill check to
touch the item.

Time Warrior (Art, Chronomancy 3): Requires Precognition. Not only can you leverage your
precognition to dodge incoming attacks, you can also utilize it to hit your targets as well. You gain a
bonus equal to your Chronomancy skill level to all damage rolls you make.

Survival Foretold (Art, Chronomancy 3): Requires Precognition. You are able to take calculated
risks based on your glimpses into the future. You gain the benefits of the Fighting technique,
Sheathe the Sword, but your future-sight allows you to avoid serious injuries, reducing the damage
taken from the enemy attack by half.

Temporal Hiccup (Art, Chronomancy 4): As a Reaction which may also be used at the end of your

CHRONO 4
turn, you may commit minor effort to repeat the last character’s turn, whether they are an enemy,
ally, or yourself. If the target does not wish to repeat their turn, they may make an opposed
Perseverance vs. Chronomancy check, with ties going to the target. If you succeed, you reverse
time, resetting everything to the start of that turn: positioning, hit protection, determination points,
stress, and so forth. The target may take different actions than before, rerolling any dice rolls that
they may have rolled previously. A Chronomancer may only use this technique to avoid being
mortally wounded if they have the Precognition technique.

Truthseeker (Ritual, Chronomancy 4): Requires Psychometry. Your ability to look into the past
is enhanced. You may ask a single question, viewing the history of an entire area that you are in, as
large as your effective range with Chronomancy, experiencing the event that answers the single
question as if you were experiencing it yourself. If focusing on a singular object instead, you may
see into the past all the way to the creation of the object. For example, you could see as far back as
the forging of a sword, but not all the way back to the formation of the metals that created the
sword.
A Moment Out of Time (Spell, Chronomancy 5): By committing major effort, you may remove a

CHRONO 5
sphere of space centered around you with a radius up to 60 feet from the flow of time for up to a
scene. While this spell is active, time does not pass outside of the sphere. Anyone within the sphere
may take any actions they choose, however they cannot affect the world outside of the sphere in any
way. Any person or object leaving the sphere immediately freezes from the perspective of anyone
inside the sphere once beyond the threshold, and loses all momentum in normal time, making any
ranged attacks or interactions beyond the sphere impossible. The limits of the sphere are clearly
marked as a hazy barrier, and disrupt any magical effects as well. Arts, Spells, and Rituals cast from
within the sphere only work on the creatures and objects within the sphere. You may end the spell
at any time before the end of the scene, and the spell ends automatically if you become mortally
wounded or fall unconscious.

Prophecy (Ritual, Chronomancy 5): By committing constant effort as a ritual, you may make a
one-sentence prediction about your own future, up to 10 years from the current moment. So long
as the prediction is physically possible, you make a reasonable effort to bring it to fruition, you keep
the effort committed until the predicted moment, and this ritual does not get disrupted by another
Chronomancer, the prediction will come true. You may only have one such prophecy active at one
time.

By combining their powers together, or through divine intervention, Chronomancers may make
prophecies beyond the reach of their own lifetimes. Occasionally, these prophecies are not even
intentional on the part of the Chronomancer, and may not even be desired by them. Generally,
these prophecies are provided by a GM, or suggested by a player and approved at the GM’s
discretion, and require no effort to be committed on the part of the Chronomancer. Further, GMs
are free to work with players to provide prophecies to characters without this technique, as fits the
narrative of play, although these prophecies are never chosen by the character.

Additional Chronomancy Techniques:

Accelerated Growth - Biomancy

Elemancy
Control over the natural elements is categorized under the broad umbrella of Elemancy.
There are a number of basic elements that comprise most of the core techniques of
Elemancers. These elements are Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Shadow, and Electricity. Finally,
elements may be logically combined by those with training in all component elements, such
as water and earth becoming mud, air, water, and electricity storms, or water and fire steam.
These combinations are constrained by the natural limitations of the world as well as the
Elemancer’s power and training, and some basic principles of physics apply even to
Elemancers.
Elemancy is divided into General Techniques that are not element specific,
Wyrd Techniques for summoning, binding, and using elemental Wyrds,
and Elemental Techniques for utilizing specific elemental control.
General Techniques
Core Technique (Art, Spell): As an Art, you may commit constant effort to maintain
minor control over your trained elements. This minor control can be used for lighting
candles, entertaining tricks, a cooling breeze, or other small effects. You gain the Basic
Element Training technique in one element for free. You may perform freeform rituals
related to Elemancy, as described on page {{PAGE}}. At level 1, as a Spell, this control can be
turned into a ranged elemental attack by committing minor effort. The attack deals d6
damage to one target per Elemancy skill level. This attack has a range of 30 feet per level of
the Elemancy skill.
Absorb the Fury of the Elements (Art, Elemancy 0): You may add your Elemancy skill level + 1

GENERAL 0
to your armor when damage is dealt to you from elemental attacks in elements that you are trained
in.

Basic Element Training* (Art, Elemancy 0): This technique is required to be taken for an
Elemancer to be able to control any of the elements: water, fire, earth, air, shadow, and lightning.
This technique can be taken multiple times, each time training a single element. Techniques that
manipulate a given element require that element to be trained first.

Elemental Control* (Spell, Elemancy 0): Your level 0 core technique is strengthened, allowing
you to manipulate elements in more meaningful ways. You may commit minor effort to manipulate
any element you have training in to perform significant, but non-permanent elemental changes to
your surroundings. For example, an Elemancer with earth training may raise a 10ft high wall of
earth, but the wall will collapse by the end of the scene. Similarly, an Elemancer with water training
may freeze a river, allowing them and their companions to cross safely, but the ice will melt unless
it could have naturally formed there. Notably, some effects may be permanent if their impact would
naturally remain, such as raising a wall of fire in a village, only to find
the fire catching and taking on a life of its own. As a general guide, you
may affect an area up to 50ft times your Elemancy skill +1 in diameter,
centered around a point within 100ft of you. Some manifestations of
this spell, such as a wall of fire or a localized earthquake, may do
damage to characters by committing major effort. This damage is
equal to damage done by your core technique, or 1 damage at level
0. Damaging versions of this spell affects everyone it interacts
with, as well as anyone in melee combat with those characters.
Characters may make an opposed Athletics vs Elemancy skill check
to halve the damage or avoid the non-damaging effect of the control.
 Defensive Casting (Art, Elemancy 1): When attacked with an element you are trained in, you may

GENERAL 1
commit major effort as a single point Reaction to negate all damage from the attack.

Elemental Resilience (Art, Elemancy 1): By committing constant effort for a single Action Point,
you may become resilient to the natural effects of the elements. You can withstand natural hot and
cold temperatures less than that of a furnace, and remain comfortable in normally unpleasant
weather such as extreme humidity or aridity.

Effortless Violence (Art, Elemancy 2): Requires Basic Element Training. You may perform a melee
GENERAL 2

or ranged attack that deals d6 + your Elemancy skill level damage for 2 Action Points, without
committing any effort. The ranged attack has the same range as your core technique, 30ft times your
Elemancy skill level. These attacks cannot be modified to be performed with Lightning Wielder.

Imbue Armament (Art, Elemancy 2): Requires Elemental Control. By committing minor effort,
you may imbue a weapon within sight with an additional 1d6 damage of a chosen element you have
training in, making the weapon damage magical.

Wallbuilder (Ritual, Elemancy 2): Requires Elemental Control. Powerful elemancers have the
ability to apply permanent changes on their environment. By committing major effort as a ritual, you
may use your elemental control to make changes to the environment permanent, provided they
logically make sense in the natural world. For example, an elemancer with water training may use a
ritual to change the course of a stream or small river, or one with earth training may raise a stone wall
around an area the size of a small village. However, elements that have naturally impermanent effects,
such as water being frozen or a fire being lit will not remain indefinitely, usually lasting only a week.

Elemental Splash* (Art, Elemancy 2): Optionally, when casting your core technique attack, you may
deal damage equal to your Elemancy skill to all characters within 10 feet of the target. This splash
damage affects both friends and enemies, you cannot choose to exclude certain characters. This damage
is dealt directly to units in mass combat.

Explosive Casting (Spell, Elemancy 4): Requires Elemental Splash. You may commit major effort
GENERAL 4 & 5

to target a specific point within the same range as your core technique attack with a large elemental
attack in your chosen element. All creatures within 5 feet per your Elemancy skill level take 2d6 plus
your Elemancy skill level damage, with an Athletics saving throw to halve the damage. This attack
deals damage directly against units in mass combat.

Elemental Mastery (Art, Elemancy 5): Requires Elemental Control. You have become open and
attuned to all of the elements, allowing you to receive all types of Basic Element training. When using
your core technique, the damage dice becomes a d8 as each element swirls and combines. The damage
of Explosive Casting also becomes a d8. Additionally, if you have the technique Chimerwyrd, you may
call and bind three different Wyrds to you.
Wyrd Techniques
Wyrds, spirits of the natural world, exist all around us, inhabiting the rocks and soil, the
water and ice, the air and the earth. Only those who are in tune with the elements can
comprehend their forms, understanding and potentially weaving their powers to the
Elemancer’s will. In order to call a Wyrd, an Elemancer must be trained in the Wyrd’s
element. They will be able to magically interact with any Wyrds they encounter in the
wild, or those under the control of another Elemancer, regardless of its element. Wyrds take
a variety of shapes, and their specific powers may be augmented by skilled Elemancers;
occasionally Wyrds might be born from multiple elements, in which case only an
Elemancer trained in that combination could wield them. Most Wyrds are thoughtless
manifestations of the elements, but truly powerful Wyrds may have not only sentience, but
their own goals and designs. These Powerful Wyrds are often terrifying in their strength.

WYRD 0 & 1
Banish Wyrd (Art, Elemancy 0): You may attempt to sever the connection of another Elemancer
and their Wyrd, regardless of the elemental type, shooing them back to the element from whence
they came. By committing minor effort and passing an opposed Elemancy skill check, you may
choose a Wyrd to remove from the enemy Elemancer. Additionally, this art may be used to banish
wild Wyrds, sending them back to the earth, provided they are not a Powerful Wyrd. Wyrds
banished in this way do not unleash their power on the battlefield.

Call Wyrd* (Spell, Elemancy 1): Requires Basic Elemancy Training. You may commit major
effort to call for a Wyrd, born of an element you are trained in, to aid you. This Wyrd appears from
the world around you and winds itself around your body, providing various benefits. These Wyrds
only allow themselves to be controlled for a single scene before returning to their origins. Each
Wyrd provides a unique benefit to you when bound, and its power can be discharged to perform an
attack similar to your core technique without committing additional effort. This attack deals 1d8
plus your Elemancy skill level damage to one target within 30ft per level. Techniques that improve
your core technique do not improve this ability. The unique benefits of each Wyrd can be found in
the table below. If you become Mortally Wounded while bound to a Wyrd, the Wyrd’s power is
unleashed, dealing 1d8 damage to all creatures within the range of the Wyrd’s attack, except you,
with a difficulty 10 Perseverance save for half damage.

While moving, you may hover on a thin layer of air at your normal movement speed over
Air difficult terrain and liquid surfaces. At Elemancy level 3, you may leap a distance up to your
normal movement speed, and at Elemancy level 5, your movement speed doubles.

Earth Increase armor by 1. This bonus increases to 2 at Elemancy level 3, and 3 at Elemancy level 5.

Add d4 to any damage roll you make, with or without a weapon. This bonus increases to a d6
Fire at Elemancy level 3, and a d8 at Elemancy level 5.
Your elemancy-powered attacks arc between enemies, dealing your Elemancy skill level to
Lightning all other creatures within 5ft. This range extends to 10ft at Elemancy level 3 and to 15ft at
Elemancy level 5.
Blind all other creatures within 10ft of you. This range increases to 30ft at Elemancy level 3,
Shadow and only affects enemies at Elemancy level 5.
Characters hit by your water attacks must pass a difficulty 8 Toughness or Athletics check or
Water become immobilized for one turn, as they become frozen in ice. This becomes difficulty 10 at
Elemancy level 3, and 12 at Elemancy level 5.
Bind Wyrd* (Art, Elemancy 2): Requires Call Wyrd. You may choose to commit constant effort

WYRD 2, 3 & 4
in order to keep a Wyrd with you indefinitely. This prevents the effort used to call the Wyrd from
being reclaimed until the Wyrd is released. This art can be used to bind multiple Wyrds at once,
expending only one effort, if you have Chimerwyrd. Wyrds bound in this way cannot be released
with an attack, as in Call Wyrd.

Sling Wyrd (Art, Elemancy 2): Requires Bind Wyrd. You have established strong control and
trust with your bound Wyrds, and can choose to lend their power to an ally. For 0 Action Points, by
committing constant effort, you may sling your Wyrd to a visible ally, temporarily granting them
the Wyrd’s bonuses. The ally always receives the Level 1 Wyrd bonus, until you reach skill level 5, at
which point they gain the Level 3 Wyrd bonus.

Enthrall Wyrd (Ritual, Elemancy 4): Requires Bind Wyrd. By accepting a point of stress while
binding a Wyrd, you may keep the Wyrd with you indefinitely, regaining the committed effort at the
end of the week, and retaining the benefits of the enthralled Wyrd. Only one Wyrd may be
enthralled by you at a time, and this technique does not increase the maximum number of Wyrds
bound in Chimerwyrd. The enthralled Wyrd does not, however, unleash its power on the battlefield
when you are mortally wounded, instead remaining with its master, even until your death.
 Elemental Techniques
Fire
Through the Fire and the Flames (Art, Elemancy 0): Requires Basic Elemental Training: Fire.

FIRE
By committing minor effort, you may negate any fire or heat-based environmental hazards up to
the heat of an active volcano and reduce all direct fire damage, including attacks, by half. This
damage may be further reduced by other techniques.

Localized Sunlight (Spell, Elemancy 1): Requires Basic Element Training: Fire. You may
commit minor effort to wield a bright flame in the palm of your hand, which lasts as long as your
hand is free to hold the flame, or until the end of the scene. This flame illuminates the space around
you as if it were daylight out to a distance of 20ft multiplied by your Elemancy skill level. Beyond
that, it tapers off very quickly. The flame may be seen from extreme distances, so long as there is a
line of sight to it. You may, for 0 Action Points, concentrate the light onto a single character in an
attempt to blind them for the rest of the scene. You may affect no more than one character this way
per turn, and the character gets a difficulty 8 Perseverance or Toughness saving throw to dodge or
resist the blinding.

Everlasting Flame (Ritual, Elemancy 3): Requires Basic Element Training: Fire. By
committing major effort, you may create undying flames on a number of items equal to one plus
your Elemancy skill level. These flames do not die unless purposefully doused or if an item such as a
sword is sheathed by its owner, and provide the light of a torch, as well as an additional d4 of
damage when used as a weapon. Additionally, you may reclaim any number of your imbued flames
for 0 Action Points immediately before casting your core technique attack, dousing the flames and
adding d4 damage to the attack per reclaimed flame.

Synthetic Photosynthesis (Ritual, Elemancy 3): Requires Through the Fire and Flames. You
are not just immune to heat, but feed off of it, gaining power from the sun’s rays. While outside
during the day, you may commit major effort to heal and rest your body. If you pass, you may heal
yourself for 1d8 plus your Elemancy skill level in HP. Additionally, if you have training in
Biomancy, you may add your Biomancy skill level to the healing value.

Water
WATER

Air Bubble (Art, Elemancy 0): Requires Basic Elemental Training: Air or Water.

You may commit minor effort to create a breathable bubble of air up to a size large enough to
encompass a number of people equal to one plus your Elemancy skill level. You must refresh the
bubble with fresh air in new scenes if you need to continue the effect.
 Ice Shield (Art, Elemancy 2): Requires Basic Elemental Training: Water. You may commit

WATER
minor effort to encase yourself in ice, making attacks against you impossible without first breaking
through the ice. This ice barrier has 5 HP per level of Elemancy you possess, and you may repair it
by d6 HP for 1 Action Point. When the barrier is reduced to 0 HP, it is dispelled entirely and must
be recast. You may make Water Elemancy attacks beyond the barrier, but otherwise cannot interact
with the world outside of the barrier while it is raised.

Blood Sense (Art, Elemancy 3): Requires Basic Element Training: Water. Water is all around
you, and some of it pumps through veins and arteries, around organs, and in the veins of vines and
trees. You may sense normal water, as well as living or undead creatures and plants with blood,
water, or putrescence inside them within 100ft per Elemancy skill level. By committing minor
effort as a Combat Maneuver, you may attempt to push or pull one of these creatures away from or
towards you. They make an opposed Perseverance or Athletics vs. Elemancy saving throw, and on a
failure are pushed or pulled up to 30ft away from or towards you.

Earth
Earth

Earthsight* (Art, Elemancy 1): Requires Basic Element Training: Earth. While effort is
committed, you can sense even the most subtle vibrations in the earth, out to a range of 50ft per
skill level. This allows you to see landscapes, as well as sense creatures no smaller than a rodent that
are not deliberately trying to be sneaky, and have a general idea of their weight and appearance. In
combat, you may function normally even if blinded, so long as you are on an earth, stone, or wood
floor, although not loose sand or metal.

Dust Stepper (Spell, Elemancy 2): Requires Basic Element Training: Earth.By committing
minor effort as a spell, you may gain fine-tuned control over the dust in the environment for the
rest of the scene. This control allows you to form the dust into very narrow pillars under your feet,
capable of holding your weight for a moment, allowing you to step through the air. The height of
these pillars is limited, only capable of reaching 30ft directly above any solid floor. The pillars form
in the instant before your step, and collapse immediately after. Taking damage while in the air will
interrupt your focus, requiring a Perseverance saving throw to maintain the spell. If the spell is
interrupted through damage or a counterspell while you are in the air, you fall to the ground prone,
and may take falling damage depending on your height.

Advance Earthsight (Art, Elemancy 4): Requires Earthsight. You have developed your
Earthsight technique to extreme levels. You cannot be ambushed by any creature touching the
ground, and your notice can detect creatures as small as insects. You may sense heartbeats in
living creatures, allowing you a +2 bonus on Observance checks to determine if a person is
lying. Your earthsight works even on metal or loose sand floors.
 Air
Air Bubble (Art, Elemancy 0): Requires Basic Elemental Training: Air or Water:
See under Water.

Air
Full Sails* (Ritual, Elemancy 1): Requires Basic Element Training: Air. You may commit major
effort to summon a strong wind to fill the sails of a vessel you are on. The ship travels at twice its
normal movement rate while the ritual is maintained. The constant vocalizations and gestures are
tiring, and this ritual can only be maintained for at most 8 hours a day. You may attempt to
maintain the spell for another 8 hours, but must commit another point of major effort, and accept 1
point of stress to do so.

Density Sphere (Spell, Elemancy 2): Requires Basic Element Training: Air. By committing
minor effort, you may change the composition and density of yourself and the air around you,
changing the buoyancy properties to that of salty water. This effect is centered on you, and affects all
creatures and objects in a sphere with a radius equal to 5’ times your Elemancy skill level. Ranged
attacks and missile spells into the sphere suffer a penalty equal to your Elemancy skill level. Ranged
attacks and spells cannot be cast from within the sphere. Anyone within the sphere may “swim,”
effectively flying at their swim speed so long as they move within the sphere, and the air remains
perfectly breathable inside. The effect lasts an entire scene or until you are damaged, and may be
canceled at any time.

Wind Jacket (Art, Elemancy 2): Requires Basic Element Training: Air. By committing constant
effort for 1 Action Point, you may surround your body with rushing wind that circles and moves
tightly around your body. This wind increases your natural defenses, increasing armor by 1, and
also provides protections against dust storms and other particulates. Additionally, you may commit
the effort used for Wind Jacket for 1 Action Point for the scene in order to rapidly shoot forth in a
direction of your choice up to twenty feet times your Elemancy skill level. Your Wind Jacket slows
falls and allows you to control your descent, floating down at a rate of 10’ per turn.

Stormbringer (Ritual, Elemancy 3): Requires Full Sails. By committing major effort as part of a
ritual, you may affect the weather in an area with a radius of 10 miles, centered around you. You
may call a storm of rain, wind, or snow, ensure clear skies and mild weather, abnormal heat or
cooling, or any other aberrant weather. The weather you call may not be completely impossible for
the land you are in, such as a snowstorm in a tropical jungle, but may be unlikely, such as rain in a
desert. This ritual is not powerful enough to summon extreme weather such as hurricanes,
typhoons, tornadoes, blizzards, and so forth, but it may divert incredibly powerful weather events
away from your location. While performing this ritual, any other elemancers in the region that will
be affected become aware of your meddling, and may perform this ritual to counteract your
command with an opposed Elemancy skill check. Your control over the weather may last up to one
week for mild weather events, or a day in the case of storms.
 Lightning
Static Shock (Spell, Elemancy 0):
Requires Basic Elemental
Training: Lightning. By
committing minor effort, you begin
to carry a strong static charge. For
the rest of the scene, whenever
anyone touches you (or hits you
with a melee weapon), you deal
1 point of damage to them,
ignoring any armor that they
may have.

Lightning Wielder* (Art,

Elemancy 2): Requires
Basic Element Training:
Lightning. In your hands,
lightning attacks are powerful,
and may add an additional 2d6
damage to a single target when
used with the Core Technique
for attacks. However, they are also
more taxing for you, and add 1
stress each time they are used this
way.

Lightning Jump (Art, Elemancy 4):

Requires Lightning Wielder. By
committing major effort as either a
Reaction or an action requiring a single
Action Point, you may change your
form into pure energy for a brief
moment, allowing nearly
instantaneous travel. You may travel the
distance of your core technique attack and
reach your target instantaneously. While using
this art, you may move as though you were a
bolt of electricity, moving in any direction
and at any angle you choose.
 Shadow

Shadow
Lobbed Darkness (Spell, Elemancy 1): Requires Call Wyrd, Basic Elemental Training:
Shadow. Shadow Wyrds are able to detach themselves from their Elemancer caller and position
their swath of shadow over the battlefield. When you call a Shadow Wyrd, you may commit minor
effort to throw the Wyrd, either at a specific target or place, creating darkness in a 30ft radius.

Shadow Walker* (Art, Elemancy 1): Requires Basic Element Training: Shadow. You may
commit constant effort to cover yourself in shadow, allowing you to add your Elemancy skill level
to any Stealth skill rolls made to conceal your movement, sound, or location.

Shadow Eyes (Spell, Elemancy 2): You may commit minor effort to see and hear out of any
shadows within 300 feet of you as if you were there. The effect lasts for as long as you like, up to a
scene. So long as you are looking through the shadows, you have no control over your body, and it
is vulnerable to attack as if you were incapacitated. Magical characters may notice your presence
with an opposed skill check, using whatever magical skill they can justify against your Elemancy.

Shadow Weaver (Spell, Elemancy 2): Requires Shadow Walker. By committing minor effort,
you may extend your shadows to cover your allies as well, providing your Elemancy skill level as a
bonus to any Stealth skill rolls made by any of them. This may extend over all chosen allies within a
30ft radius centered on the caster, or an entire mass combat unit.

Shadow Casting (Art, Elemancy 3): Requires Shadow Walker. You shroud your entire being in
shadow while in combat, confusing the enemy eye and drawing their attention elsewhere when you
are casting. You gain the benefits of Quiet Casting, allowing you to cast undetected. By committing
major effort, you may extend this benefit to chosen allies within 30ft of you.

Shadow Dancer (Ritual, Elemancy 5): Requires Shadow Eyes. You may manifest your control
over shadow into a physical form. By committing major effort as a ritual, you may make a shadowed
copy of yourself anywhere within a mile of your current location. For the duration of the ritual,
your consciousness leaves your body, and acts through your copy, which lasts for the entirety of the
ritual. The copy acts as if it was you, with your attacks and skills. However, the copy cannot take
damage, and may travel to any shadowed space within a mile of your actual body for a single Action
Point, even if you have never been to this location before. The copy may only be driven from an area
by magic, light as bright as sunlight, or torchlight or similar light within 5’ of it. Mind affecting
powers, such as Psychomancy, are able to reach through the copy to affect you. If your physical
body is attacked, the ritual automatically ends, and Execution Attacks against your hapless body
automatically succeed.
Locomancy
Locomancy is the magic of spaces, and the manipulation of space. The primary manifestation of this type of
magic is teleportation, but it also includes spatial awareness, dimensional travel, and summoning creatures from
beyond the local realm of existence.
Typically, Locomancy requires precision to function properly. The Locomancer must be touching any objects
they are attempting to teleport, must have been to their destination before, and any living targets of a teleportation
must be willing. Highly skilled Locomancers can handle teleportation without touch and may affect unwilling
participants in certain ways. Unskilled casters risk the magic fizzling out at best, and losing themselves in the
twisting nethers between dimensions at worst.
Some Locomancers may learn the techniques to contact, interact with, and even travel to other dimensions.
Dimensions may in fact be different universes, but they may also simply be other planets, or in a more fantastical
setting the realms created by other gods or other planes of existence. Generally, there will be a small number of
dimensions commonly known to the locomancers of the player character’s world, with standard types of creatures
in those realms contacted frequently. In fact, the governments of other dimensions may even have limited contact
with the government’s of the PC’s realm, holding treaties related to summoning their citizens. Ultimately, the
existence and appearance of these dimensions is determined by the GM.
Regardless of the type of creature in these alternate dimensions, any being summoned from another
dimension is visibly marked by their otherworldliness and can always be understood to be from another
dimension by anyone, even without magical experience. These creatures are commonly referred to as demons.
This is not to say that any demon is inherently evil. Demons may simply be natural creatures exercising base
instincts, or regular people (human or otherwise) forced to do the bidding of their summoner. Compared to Wyrds
who have more in common with forces of nature than sentient creatures, demons are always sentient beings with
their own wants and needs. Whether those desires are understandable to the player characters, however, is up to
interpretation. Occasionally, creatures from other dimensions may pass over of their own volition, either through
their own Locomancy or natural portals. These creatures may or may not be immediately recognizable as
otherworldly, and likewise may or may not qualify as demons for the purpose of Locomancy techniques.

Core Technique (Art): You may perform freeform rituals related to Locomancy, as described
on page {{PAGE}}. For 2 Action Points, you may commit major effort to teleport to any location
you can currently see, or have been to and seen in the past, within your effective range. You
bring along anything you are wearing: Readied and Stowed items. You may selectively leave
behind any items you are wearing, such as shackles or bindings. You cannot teleport to
immediately dangerous places, such as high into the air with no safe means of descent, or into
space already occupied by matter, like a wall or mountain, and will instinctively abort teleports
into known places that are no longer safe, consuming the effort but remaining in
your original location.
 Anchor (Art, Locomancy 0): By committing minor effort as a Reaction or for 1 Action Point, you

LOCOMANCY 0
may totally affix your position in space, anchoring yourself exactly where you are. While anchored,
you cannot move or be moved, knocked prone, or otherwise positionally affected by Combat
Maneuvers. Additionally, this technique may be used to anchor yourself in midair during a high fall
or in place during a knockback effect. In this case, you are able to control your momentum to avoid
taking fall damage. The effect may last no longer than a scene, and be ended at any time by you.

Locomantic Blocking (Art, Locomancy 0): While arts are generally very difficult to prevent,
locomancers with this technique have a unique ability to prevent other locomancers from
teleporting in their vicinity. With this technique, you become instantly aware of any locomancers
teleporting into, out of, or within your effective range. Additionally, you may commit major effort
as a Reaction to attempt to block the teleportation. If the other locomancer is teleporting as a Spell
or Ritual, you automatically succeed at canceling their teleport. If they are teleporting as an Art, you
must roll an opposed Locomancy skill check, blocking the teleport if your result is greater than or
equal to the result of the opposed locomancer’s. The blocked locomancer must commit effort even if
they are blocked.

Maker’s Mark (Art, Locomancy 0): Requires Enchanter. You always put a subtle magical
signature on the items you enchant, undetectable except by those looking specifically for it. This
signature allows you to commit constant effort to detect the exact location of all items bearing your
signature, provided they are not magically guarded. These locations remain burned in your vision
for as long as the effort is committed, and this sight extends outwards as far as your effective range,
treated one level higher.

Returning Weapon (Ritual, Locomancy 0): You may commit major effort as a ritual to bind a
weapon or other similarly sized item to yourself for the rest of the week. Once bound, you may call
upon this weapon to bring it into your hand as a readied weapon for 0 Action Points, so long as it is
within your effective range. You may even call the weapon if it is held by someone else, although
they may make an opposed skill check using Perseverance or another relevant skill against your
Locomancy to attempt to break the binding.

Banish Demon (Ritual, Locomancy 1): As a ritual, you may commit major effort to forcibly
LOCOMANCY 1

return a summoned demon that is willing, captive, or incapacitated to their natural realm.

Burdened Teleportation (Spell, Locomancy 1): You may commit an additional point of major
effort to bring willing companions with you when teleporting. You may include up to 3 times your
Locomancy skill level companions with you when teleporting, as well as the equipped items on
those characters. This technique may also be applied to Ritual Teleportation.

Dimensional Call* (Ritual, Locomancy 1): There are many realms and dimensions in existence,
and skilled Locomancers may learn how to tap into realms that are not their own. By committing
major effort as a ritual, you may make contact with a being in another dimension. If they are an
intelligent being, you may communicate with them, even if you normally would not share a
common tongue. Regardless, you become aware of their general characteristics, including
appearance, strengths, and weaknesses. The connection lasts no longer than a scene, occurring as
part of the ritual itself. You may ask any questions you want of the target, although the target is
under no obligation to answer truthfully. When making contact with a new target, you may give a
one-sentence description of the type of creature you would like to contact. After contact has been
established with a target once, you may choose to search for a new target, or connect with any you
have previously contacted.

Proficient Teleportation* (Art, Locomancy 1): If you are teleporting as an Art, you may do so
for 1 Action Point. Additionally, personal teleportation at a distance up to 30ft may be done without
committing effort, and further teleportation may be done by committing minor effort rather than
for the week.
 Ritual Teleportation (Ritual, Locomancy 1): You may teleport as per your core technique, but as

LOCOMANCY 1
a Ritual and at a distance as if your Locomancy level were 2 levels higher. For example, a level 1
Locomancer would be able to teleport 10 miles instead of 300ft. Techniques that apply to the core
technique may not be applied to this technique unless specifically stated to do so.

Determining Distance (Spell, Locomancy 1): By committing major effort, you may speak one
proper noun, be it a person, place, or thing. You are immediately aware of your distance to the
thing, albeit not the direction in which to travel. If the target is further away than your effective
range, then you will be unable to determine the distance. Additionally, targets of this spell that are
magically shrouded or hidden cannot be found.

Bilocation* (Spell, Locomancy 2): By committing minor effort, you are able to rapidly teleport
LOCOMANCY 2

between two points in space. By choosing two points within range of your core technique, you may
effectively exist in either place at once. This allows you to take actions from either place, attack
anyone within range of those spaces, and gain a +2 bonus to armor. You may also be targeted and
attacked at either location, although any individual attack may only affect you in one location. This
spell lasts for an entire scene, until you are mortally wounded, or until you cancel it. You may move
one of your two points to another point within your normal movement range from its original
location for 1 Action Point, but you may not take a normal Move action or other teleportation
without breaking the spell. You may end the technique for 0 Action Points, fully appearing at one of
the two points.

Empowered Banishment (Spell, Locomancy 2): Requires Banish Demon. You may cast
Banish Demon as a spell, and against demons that are free, aware, and even in combat. If the demon
is currently under the command of another locomancer, their summoner may roll an opposed
Locomancy skill check to block the banishing. If the demon has been freed, but does not wish to
return, they may roll an opposed Perseverance vs. Locomancy skill check to block the banishment.

Tether* (Ritual, Locomancy 2): By committing constant effort, you may touch an inanimate
object or willing being to gain an understanding of the exact location and position of the target
relative to you so long as effort is committed. Additionally, you may use your core technique to
teleport to the location of the target, even if you cannot see their location or have never been there
before. If the distance between you and the target exceeds your effective range, the tether is severed

LOCOMANCY 3
and the effort is automatically uncommitted.

Dimensional Summons (Spell, Locomancy 3): Requires Dimensional Call. By committing

major effort as a spell, you may summon a target from another realm that you have previously
contacted with Dimensional Call to your current location. This summoned target may attempt to
resist the summons with an opposed Perseverance vs Locomancy skill check. The summons lasts
only for a scene, and the summoned demon is bound to follow your commands for that time. At the
end of the scene, you must make a Locomancy skill check at a difficulty of 2 + the higher of the HD
or WD of the summoned being. If you fail, the summoned being is released, and may choose to
permanently stay in this dimension with no obligation to listen to you.

Expert Teleportation (Art, Locomancy 3): Requires Proficient Teleportation. You may
teleport yourself up to 1 mile without committing effort. When teleporting others, such as with
Burdened Teleportation, you may commit minor effort, rather than for the week.

Multilocation (Art, Locomancy 3): Requires Bilocation. You may occupy a number of locations
equal to your Locomancy skill level with Bilocation. These additional locations allow you to
perform a swarm attack, provided they are all within range of the target. The swarm attack counts
each of your locations as a separate attacker.

Target Forcing (Spell, Locomancy 3): By committing major effort, you may choose one target,
living or nonliving, that you can see. For the duration of a scene, you may teleport and redirect a
number of non-magical ranged attacks equal to your Locomancy skill level towards your target.
This spell may affect friendly or enemy attacks, and you may teleport the missiles around corners
and light cover, eliminating those modifiers.
Tether Snap* (Art, Locomancy 3): Requires Tether. When establishing a Tether with allies, you

LOCOMANCY 3, 4 & 5
may choose a maximum length, up to your effective range. Once per round, when you or an ally
exceed the distance of this tether, you may teleport yourself to their location for no effort. Doing so
maintains the tether.

Tether Whip (Spell, Locomancy 3): Requires Tether Snap. By committing major effort, you
may attempt to tether any target within 30ft, even unwilling ones. You must win an opposed
Locomancy vs. Perseverance skill check against the target. If successful, you gain the ability to
Tether Snap the enemy, and may also teleport the target to yourself. You must, however, succeed on
another opposed skill check after each subsequent teleportation or risk the tether being broken.

World Hop* (Ritual, Locomancy 3): Talented locomancers are capable of travel to other realms.
This type of travel is very demanding, and requires 3 points of effort to be committed for the week.
You may choose a region within the realm you are entering, but can only choose the precise
location of your teleport if you have been there previously. If you have made contact with a being
in that dimension, you may alternatively open a portal to their location. Failing that, it opens into a
relatively obscure and safe part of the region. If you have Burdened Teleportation, you may bring
companions with you as described there.

Locamantic Pull (Spell, Locomancy 3): Requires Tether. Your locomantic tether is
strengthened, allowing you to create tethers with a number of targets equal to your Locomancy
skill level. You still need only commit a single point of effort to tether these multiple targets. In
addition to being able to teleport to your targets, you may commit minor effort as a Spell to teleport
the targets to your location. Living targets must still be willing to be teleported in this manner.

Pierce the Veil (Ritual, Locomancy 3): Requires World Hop. Your ability to travel dimensions is
improved dramatically. By committing major effort as a Ritual, you
may open a portal to another dimension, permitting travel in either
direction. The portal remains open for the length of a scene,
permitting up to 100 creatures to pass through it, and any beings
or objects as large as a horse-drawn carriage. Additionally, when
using World Hop, you need only commit a single point of
effort.

Additional Locomancy Techniques:

Crania of Communication - Necromancy

 Necromancy
Magic related to death, undeath, and immortality. Used for raising,
commanding, repelling, and destroying the undead. Also used for communing with
spirits, and at high levels but at a high cost, avoiding death and aging itself. For
more information about undead, see the Undead section on page {{PAGE}}.
Core Technique (Art): You may perform freeform rituals related to Necromancy, as
described on page {{PAGE}}. At level zero, you may get a one sentence description of any
undead you can see which will indicate how strong the undead is, if it is under the control
of a necromancer, and whether or not it is awakened. Awakened undead attempting to
appear mindless may make an opposed Perseverance vs Necromancy skill check to avoid
this scrutiny. Controlled undead have a distinct magical signature that any necromancer can
see, identifying who the undead is controlled by. Starting at level 1, you may heal undead d6
HP per your level of Necromancy as a Spell by committing minor effort. This healing applies
one point of Stress to the target.
Delay the Rot* (Spell, Necromancy 0): You may touch a corpse and commit constant effort
to imbue it with an aura of preservation, keeping them intact and in their current form until

NECROMANCY 0
the effect is dropped. The effect lasts as long as effort is committed.
Descry the Dead (Ritual, Necromancy 0): As a ritual, you may commit major effort to
detect corpses around you. You can detect the location and position of any deceased
creatures, including undead, in a radius equal to 100ft multiplied by your Necromancy level
+ 1. You may detect the remains even through solid wood, stone, or metal. Magical surfaces
and materials can inhibit this sense.
Examine Corpse (Art, Necromancy 0): Necromancer’s innate understanding of death,
combined with knowledge of anatomy, can grant insight into the recently deceased. By
touching a corpse and committing minor effort, you are given a one sentence description of
the cause of death and visible wounds/injuries on the creature. This information may be
sufficient to determine specifics such as the type of poison used, but won’t be able to
determine the context of a creature’s death, such as who killed them.
Repel Undead (Spell, Necromancy 0): As a spell, a necromancer may apply the
demoralized status to a number of undead within sight equal to their skill level + 1.
Mindless undead bound by another necromancer get a saving throw to resist this spell,
using their master’s Necromancy skill for the saving throw. Awakened undead receive d8
points of DP damage.

Bind Undead* (Ritual, Necromancy 1): By committing major effort as part of a ritual,
you may bind a visible, pacified or immobilized, mindless undead to your service. If the
NECROMANCY 1

target undead is bound by another necromancer, even if they are not present, a
contested Necromancy skill check must be performed, with the undead being bound to
the winner. Bound undead can be commanded verbally by the necromancer, and will
attempt to perform any commands given to them. They will follow simple commands,
such as attacking an enemy, equipping weapons and armor, following their master,
staying where they are, or defending a target, but will struggle to understand more
complex commands. If the complexity of a command is uncertain, you may roll a
Necromancy skill check to determine if the command is understood. The undead
remains bound as long as they are within your effective range.
 Careless Ceasing of the Cycle (Art, Necromancy 1): By committing constant effort, you gain the
NECROMANCY 1
ability to painlessly end the life of any mortally wounded character, or any creature smaller than a
cat for 1 Action Point. You must be able to see your target. This art cannot be used on any creature
that has hit dice or skill levels, unless that creature has been mortally wounded.

Pacify Undead (Spell, Necromancy 1): By committing major effort, you may pacify a number of
visible mindless and unbound undead equal to your skill level + 1. Pacified undead will remain in
their current position and take no actions until you move beyond sight range, at which point they
go back to normal. Bound undead may be pacified so long as their master is not within sight
range, although the master will always be aware that their undead have been pacified and may
resist the pacification with an opposed Necromancy skill check.

Spirit Finder (Ritual, Necromancy 1): You may commit major effort as a ritual to commune with
the restless spirits of the land. These will generally be those who have died in nearby areas in ages
past. You may attempt to find spirits from any time period, although they are not always
guaranteed to exist in any location. You may ask a number of questions equal to your Necromancy
skill level, and the spirits will do their best to answer. This ritual may be combined with Bind
Undead, committing effort for both, to attempt to bind intelligent spirits to your service. However,
like awakened undead, spirits are difficult to bind, and can only be bound after a successful
Necromancy skill check at a difficulty equal to 6 + the Will Dice of the spirit for the same amount
of time as awakened undead. If the check fails, the spirit may decide to attack you.
NECROMANCY 2 Delay Decay (Ritual, Necromancy 2): Requires Delay the Rot. By committing major effort and
touching the head of a corpse who died within the last 24 hours, you may completely stop the
natural decay process of the corpse indefinitely. This corpse will not rot, will retain memories of its
past life, and the soul that inhabited it will remain near the corpse, available to be implanted if the
corpse is raised. Corpses generally must be preserved in this way to be raised as an awakened
undead. You may delay the decay of a number of targets equal to your Necromancy skill level. After
this point, you may decide to release the ritual from certain corpses, to then place it on others.

Empowered Binding (Spell, Necromancy 2): Requires Bind Undead. Your ability to bind
undead is empowered. Rather than a ritual, you may now bind undead as a spell even if they are not
pacified. You may also attempt to bind awakened undead if you could not already do so, although
this action requires an opposed Necromancy vs Perseverance skill check. Awakened undead may
only be bound for a scene, and are generally not friendly towards a necromancer who has bound
them once freed.

Repurpose the Rotting (Spell, Necromancy 2, Biomancy 1): As a spell, you may commit minor
effort and channel the life essence of a number of recently deceased corpses equal to your
Necromancy skill level into the living, healing HP equal to half of the corpses’ maximum HP. This
healing may be divided however you choose, directing the energy of the corpses into multiple
targets. This art does not require physical contact with the deceased or targets of healing, but all
targets must be within 30ft of you for the effect to work. This type of healing is unpleasant, and adds
2 points of stress instead of 1.

Final Moments (Spell, Necromancy 2): While touching a corpse, you may commit minor effort as
a spell to determine the cause of death of the corpse. Generally this is given as a short vision from
the perspective of the corpse’s final moments. This memory is generally heavily clouded by the
thoughts and memories of the deceased, and limited by their knowledge and experience of that
moment.

Raise Beast (Ritual, Necromancy 2, Animals 1):

Requires Animal Companion. Losing a beloved
friend is devastating, but luckily you have found the
means of bringing them back. By committing major
effort and taking a point of stress damage, you may
target a deceased animal and bring them back to life
as an undead companion. This undead companion
functions in the same way as an animal companion,
however, upon coming back from the dead, the
companion loses 1HD. This undead animal is immune
to poison and disease, and can be revived again from
death, provided the corpse is not destroyed beyond
repair. Other bonuses granted from the Animals skill
still apply to your companion.

Strong Chains of Control (Art, Necromancy 2): Requires Bind Undead. Your connection with
undead bound to your service becomes even stronger. You may commit constant effort for 1 Action
Point to see through the eyes of undead bound to you, replacing your normal vision with theirs
until the effort is uncommitted. Additionally, you may commit major effort to completely take over
control of the bodies of any mindless undead bound to you for a scene. You are granted full control
over the undead’s body as if it were your own. You may relinquish this control early at any time.
While in this state, your body remains motionless and helpless to attack by others.

Touch of Demise (Art, Necromancy 2, Fighting 0): You may commit minor effort and make a
melee attack that deals d6 + Necromancy skill level damage in necrosis, as the flesh of the creature
begins to rot under your touch. This type of damage refuses to heal naturally, and if it is not
magically healed within a week, it will begin adding one Injury every week until it is healed, as the
necrosis slowly takes over the body. Normal biomantic healing will resolve the issue, and a
necromancer of skill level 2 or more may remove the necrosis effect through a ritual, although any
injuries gained must be healed normally.
Arbiter of the Gate (Art/Spell, Necromancy 3): All attacks you make against undead always do

NECROMANCY 3, 4 & 5
maximum damage. Additionally, as a spell you may commit minor effort to sanctify one weapon in
sight, melee or ranged, giving it an additional d6 damage when dealing damage against undead. This
sanctification lasts only for a scene.

Raise Mindless Undead* (Ritual, Necromancy 3):

Requires Bind Undead. To raise an undead corpse, you
require a few materials. Most obviously, you need the
corpse itself, in any stage of decay so long as the skeleton
is mostly present and intact. For the purposes of this spell,
the corpse must be humanoid, and roughly the size of a
human, give or take a few feet in height. Next, you need
precious metals or other rare focusing materials to
ground the necromantic magic that will animate the
corpse. This focusing material is consumed by the ritual,
and thus not recoverable from other raised corpses. You
need 250sp worth of focusing materials for each HD of
the target undead. Once you have collected this material,
you may commit major effort and perform a ritual to raise
the corpse. You may choose the strength of the raised
corpse, measured in Hit Dice. However, you cannot raise a
corpse with more than twice the Hit Dice the creature had
in life, and no more than twice your necromancy level.
Raised corpses are automatically bound to the
necromancer that raised them. All undead cease decaying
once raised, but their bodies will not repair damage, even
if rebound using the Necromancy core technique.

Raise Awakened Undead* (Ritual, Necromancy 4): Requires Raise Mindless Undead. This ritual
functions similarly to Raise Mindless Undead, with a few notable differences. First, the cost is
multiplied by 10, and measured by the higher of the raised undead’s HD or WD. The soul of the undead
must not have fully passed into the afterlife, often because they have died only recently, or have been
bound in some way such as with Delay Decay. In this case, the Awakened undead will remember almost
all of its life before death. Alternatively, the corpse may be filled with an entirely different soul, such as a
bound spirit, although this process is generally somewhat unpleasant for the spirit. Spirits raised in
bodies that were not their own often struggle to retain their identity, consumed with the memories of
the body they inhabit. These memories become less powerful the more the body has decayed. Awakened
undead are not automatically bound to the necromancer that raises them.

Mass Raising (Spell, Necromancy 5): Requires Raise Mindless Undead. IIncredibly skilled
necromancers are able to raise corpses very quickly. You may commit major effort as a spell to raise up
to 5 corpses within sight as mindless undead, without needing to make contact with them or pay the
cost in focusing materials. This spell may be cast multiple times. These corpses will remain raised for a
scene before collapsing back into lifeless corpses. Before the end of the scene, you may apply focusing
materials to each corpse for 2 Action Points, allowing them to remain raised indefinitely, as described in
Raise Mindless Undead.

Additional Necromancy Techniques:

Become Undead - Biomancy

Psychomancy
Magic related to the mind and illusions. Used for telepathy, mind reading, mind control, illusory images,
and the defense against such acts.

Core Technique (Spell): You may perform freeform rituals related to Psychomancy, as
described on page {{PAGE}}. By committing minor effort, you may get a one sentence
description of the current emotional state of someone in sight. This concentration is
obvious enough that it is unmistakable as performing magic to the target or any onlooker,
but would require magical means to discern that it is mind reading. At level 1, you may get a
one sentence description of the current surface thoughts of the target, although they will get
a Perseverance saving throw to resist each time this technique is used. At level 2, you may
attempt to open a mental link with the target. This link may be shut down from either side
at will, even immediately by the target, but otherwise lasts for as long as the effort is
committed. At level 3, you may ask the target’s mind a question, and receive a short (one to
two sentence) answer, with the target receiving a Perseverance saving throw to resist. If the
target passes their saving throw, they become aware that you were trying to read their
mind, but they are unaware otherwise. At level 4, this mind read is expanded to the full
context of a target’s knowledge of a single subject, with the same saving throw to resist as at
level 3. At level 5, your mind reading expands to fully encompass a target’s memory, at a rate
of one question per round, with only a single saving throw to resist, similar to the one at
level 3.

PSYCHOMANCY 0
Commune with Beasts* (Art, Psychomancy 0): You may open a Mind Link with an unintelligent
creature by committing constant effort for 2 Action Points. While their minds are normally
incapable of expressing complex thoughts or language, emotions and simple actions can usually be
understood. As with all Psychomancy techniques, the beast may attempt to block the mind link
with a Perseverance saving throw, although normally they do not understand enough to do so. If
you have an animal companion, your bond is great enough to allow you to communicate fully with
them.

Demoralize (Spell, Psychomancy 0): You may

commit minor effort to cast a spell which deals d4 +
your Psychomancy skill level in Determination Point
damage to a visible target within 60 feet
of you.

Intercede* (Art, Psychomancy 0):

When another Psychomancer within
range uses a Psychomantic technique,
you may accept a point of stress in
order to intercede on the target’s
behalf, rolling an opposed
Psychomancy skill check against the
opponent. Upon success, the effect is
negated, and upon failure, you become the new
target of the technique, with no further
saving throw to resist.

Temporary Tongue (Spell, Psychomancy

0): By committing major effort, you may gain the
benefits of Know Language for an entire scene by
opening a brief mental connection with a willing target
who understands the language.
PSYCHOMANCY 1 Ancient Tongue (Art, Psychomancy 1, Chronomancy 0): Requires Temporary Tongue. When
using Temporary Tongue, you may gain the benefits of Know Dead Language as well. To interact
with the dead language, you must be near an object with writing in that language, as you make a
connection with the residual memory of the author stored in the object.

Behested Babble (Spell, Psychomancy 1): Although it is difficult to affect someone’s thoughts, it is
not always as great a challenge to affect what they do. By committing major effort, you may attempt
to enter the mind of a target you can see and cause them to speak whatever words you wish. The
target must win an opposed Psychomancy vs Perseverance skill check or be forced to say whatever
you wish for a number of rounds equal to your Psychomancy skill level. The target may still move
and otherwise act normally.

Overload (Spell, Psychomancy 1): By committing major effort, you may force a visible creature to
make an opposed skill check using the higher of their Perseverance or Toughness skills against your
Psychomancy. If you win, they fall prone and are unable to take any actions for a number of turns
equal to your Psychomancy skill as you overload their mind with false sensory feedback.

Hardened Mind (Art, Psychomancy 1): You may use your Psychomancy skill in place of
Perseverance when making a saving throw or skill check to resist mental effects, and you get a +4
bonus to this check. You automatically succeed at saving throws or skill checks related to mental
effects against those with a lower Psychomancy skill level than yours.

Mind Links* (Spell, Psychomancy 1): By committing minor effort, you may create a network of
psychomantic links between yourself and up to 2 willing targets per Psychomancy skill level. With
this link, everyone connected may communicate through thoughts, conveying normal speech or
images and emotions. Links may be formed with anyone within sight, and maintained up to your
effective range. The link lasts until the end of the scene.

Psychomantic Tamer (Ritual, Animals 2, Psychomancy 1): Requires Commune with Beasts.
Through using a Psychomantic mind link, you may quickly tame a wild animal over the course of a
week. While the taming is occurring, you can perform no other actions beyond eating, resting, and
other daily maintenance actions. Particularly violent animals such as carnivores may require either
an Animals or Psychomancy Skill (better of the two) check to tame, rolled at the end of the week.
Animals tamed in this way become docile and are able to be taken as animal companions or used as
beasts of labor.

Suggestion (Art, Psychomancy 1): You may commit minor effort to mentally suggest a single action
for another character to perform, initiating an opposed Psychomancy vs. Perseverance skill check.
If you win, they perform the action, and the suggestion is subtle enough that it can only be noticed
by another psychomancer observing at that moment. If the target wins, they become aware that
someone was attempting to influence them, and are under no obligation to perform the action.
Mind altering substances that ease suggestion, such as alcohol, may apply a -2 penalty to their
Perseverance check.
Detect Lies (Art, Psychomancy 2): When reading a target's mind, you may automatically detect

PSYCHOMANCY 2
when they are lying. If the target is trained specifically in deception (Eg. Skilled Liar or Believe Me),
your skill level is treated as one higher in determining the truth.

Dream Catcher (Ritual, Psychomancy 2): By committing major effort, and spending a scene each
night preparing and casting spells on the places you are resting, you may choose a number of
willing targets equal to your Psychomancy skill level plus one. When the group rests that week, you
spend your time weaving in and out of their dreams, causing them to confront what they are
avoiding and deeply rest when they need to. Although you suffer the effects of a week of poor
sleeping conditions, you guarantee that those under your spell are fully rested as if they had slept in
well equipped lodging, and they may remove one point of stress that they had accumulated this
week.

Pass Without Notice (Spell, Psychomancy 2): You may commit minor effort to make yourself, and
a number of visible allies equal to your Psychomancy skill level multiplied by 3, unseen and
unheard to those around you. This effect lasts for the rest of the scene. Characters with equal or
greater Perseverance or Psychomancy than you have Psychomancy skill levels may make an
opposed skill check to see through the illusion hiding you. Additionally, any character passing
within 10 feet of you or a concealed ally may make the same check. If you or a concealed ally
interacts with anyone else physically or magically, such as with an attack or a casted spell, the
illusion is immediately broken.

Psycholinguistics (Art, Psychomancy 2): Requires Temporary Tongue. When using Temporary
Tongue, you gain the benefits of Mastered Language.

Soul Sword (Ritual, Psychomancy 2): Requires Enchanter. When enchanting an item, you may
imbue it with a soul in your possession, eternally binding the soul to it. These souls might already be
trapped within other items, taken from willing or unwilling living creatures, hanging around as a
restless spirit, ripped from beyond the pale, or bargained for with a divine being. If the soul has a
living body, it is destroyed by this process. Whatever the source, the item gains all the knowledge of
the soul, is aware of creatures within a 30ft sphere, and is able to communicate telepathically with
any intelligent creature within this space.

Strong Links (Ritual, Psychomancy 2): Requires Mind Links. You may maintain your mind
links indefinitely as long as your effort remains committed, up to your effective range.

Subtle Mind (Art, Psychomancy 2): Your Core Technique is modified to be an Art, rather than a
Spell. It still requires 2 Action Points to perform, but may be done so subtly that only magical
techniques could detect it, even if the target passes their saving throw.

Unnatural Fear (Spell, Psychomancy 2): By committing major effort, you may cause all chosen
targets within 30 ft of you to be hit with a wave of unnatural terror, encouraging them to flee from
the area. You make a Psychomancy skill check, and apply half the result, rounded up, of the check as
DP damage to all targeted creatures. Unintelligent creatures, such as animals, will automatically flee
from this spell unless they are tamed or domesticated and trained for combat.
PSYCHOMANCY 3 Befuddle (Spell, Psychomancy 3): Requires Suggestion. You may commit major effort to attempt
to thoroughly confuse a visible target. If you win an opposed Psychomancy vs. Perseverance skill
check, you may leave them stumbling around in a haze for the next turn. All attacks against them do
maximum damage, and they may not take any actions or reactions. If you lose, they avoid any ill
effects and are aware that someone attempted to influence them. If you tie, they still avoid ill effects,
but they are unaware of the intended influence.

Inception (Art, Psychomancy 3): Requires Suggestion. By committing major effort as a spell, you
may empower your suggestions. Rather than encouraging a simple action, you can implant an
entire idea into the mind of your target. If successful, they believe they have developed the idea
themselves, and will adopt it as their own. Inceptions have the same penalties to failure and skill
check modifiers as Suggestion.

Master Minds (Spell, Psychomancy 3): Requires Mind Link. By committing major effort, your
Mind Link forges a strong mental bond between its members, granting each member more mental
strength, but sharing the effects of mental strain amongst everyone linked. Each character linked
gains a bonus to Perseverance skill checks and saving throws equal to the number of individuals
linked. However, If one individual suffers a negative effect as the result of a failed Perseverance
check, all linked individuals suffer the effect. If a linked individual dies, the link is immediately
severed and each individual must roll an unaided Perseverance saving throw of difficulty 10 or gain
a point of stress.

Mind Guard (Art, Psychomancy 3): Requires Intercede. Small tethers connect your mind to your
allies. By committing constant effort, you may choose a number of targets equal to your
Psychomancy skill level. While guarding their minds, it no longer costs stress to attempt to
intercede the effect.

Psycomantic Unit (Ritual, Psychomancy 3): Requires Commune with Beasts. By committing
constant effort and touching each target of the spell individually, you may form a cohesive unit of
any tame or willing beasts for the purposes of mass combat. This could be a unit of grizzly bears or
a unit of eagles, but the maximum size of the unit is equal to 5HD times the sum of your
Psychomancy, Animals and Leadership skill levels. For example, a level 4 Psychomancer with 2
Leadership and 1 Animals could lead a unit size of 35HD.

Rat Lord (Spell, Psychomancy 3, Animals 1): Requires Commune with

Beasts. By committing major effort, you may send out a signal, calling
creatures the size of rats or smaller in the nearby area to your side,
under your control. These critters may be controlled at a
high level, and you receive basic visual and auditory input
from the vermin while they are linked. The result of your
Psychomancy skill check is the total HP of the swarm
of creatures, and their skill level is equal to your
Psychomancy skill level minus one. These creatures
remain under your control for an entire scene, and
will follow your directions as much as physically
possible.

Psychomantic Assault (Spell, Psychomancy 3): By committing major effort and winning an
opposed Psychomancy vs. Perseverance skill check, you may perform a mental assault on a single
target. You may cause the target to relive their most painful memory, view some future that is
incredibly disturbing to them, or otherwise deeply unsettle them. This assault causes the target to
suffer immense mental distress, dealing d8 damage per your level in Psychomancy to the DP of the
target. If the target becomes demoralized from this spell, rather than flee, they sink to the ground in
despair, unable to act for the rest of the scene.

PSYCHOMANCY 4 & 5
Erase Memory (Ritual, Psychomancy 4): You may commit major effort as a ritual to systematically
erase the memory of a single person, place, object, or event from the mind of your target. The target
must remain within your sight for the duration of the ritual, and they are permitted an opposed
Psychomancy vs. Perseverance skill check to resist the erasure. The target is always aware of the
ritual being commenced, and that they are the target of it, although other characters will not be
aware unless they see you performing the ritual.

Many Tongued Master (Art, Psychomancy 4): Requires Psycholinguistics. You may cast
Temporary Tongue without expending effort.
Domination (Spell, Psychomancy 5): The most powerful psychomancers are able to completely
dominate the minds of others, bending them to their will. You may commit major effort to attempt
to dominate the mind of a character within sight, by making an opposed Psychomancy vs.
Perseverance skill check. If successful, you control the actions of the dominated character
indefinitely. They retain their own thoughts, but must follow any command you give them, and
these commands may be given telepathically at no extra effort. For each unique task that they are
given that is strongly opposed to their motivations, they may make another opposed Psychomancy
vs. Perseverance skill check to break free from the control. If a target wins or ties the initial
opposed skill check, or breaks free afterwards by winning the opposed skill check, they are immune
from domination for the rest of the scene. Domination spells are always incredibly obvious to
onlookers when they are being cast, but difficult to detect once they have succeeded. They may be
detected only by another Psychomancer, either with an opposed Psychomancy skill check, or
through use of the Core Technique at level 2 or above.
 Minor Attributes
Hit Protection
A character’s ability to avoid being mortally wounded is referred to as their Hit Protection, or HP. HP is an
abstraction of the overall physical condition of the character, and not a direct representation of the damage on
their body. A character with their maximum hit protection is well rested, fully in control, with not a scrape on
them, and at peak physical ability. A character with low hit protection may be exhausted from a fight, may be
actively bleeding from multiple small wounds, bruised, and battered. They are closer to death, but only because
they are more likely to make a mistake in their worn down state, and not because they are heavily wounded. A
character with low hit protection may be one second away from stumbling into an opponent’s attack, but if they
survive the encounter they will heal naturally over time without any need for medical or magical intervention.
When a player’s hit protection reaches zero, they become mortally wounded. HP cannot go below zero. For
more information about this, please see the {{ENCOUNTERS}} section. All players start with 4 HP. Hit protection
is added based on levels in the skills Toughness, Fighting, and Biomancy, according to the following table. Total HP
is equal to the sum of each row, stopping at the character's level in each skill. For convenience, the sum of each row
at every level is provided in parentheses.

Skill Untrained Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Toughness 4 +4 (8) +4 (12) +6 (18) +6 (24) +8 (32) +8 (40)
Fighting 0 +2 +2 (4) +3 (7) +3 (10) +4 (14) +4 (18)
Biomancy 0 +1 +2 (3) +2 (5) +3 (8) +3 (11) +4 (15)

For example, a character with Toughness 2, Fight 1, and untrained Biomancy would have 4 + (0 + 4 + 4 + 6) + (0 + 2 + 2) + (0) = 22 HP.

Characters naturally regain hit protection equal to their Toughness skill, to a minimum of 1, per good night of
rest. If the character spends their entire day focusing on recovery, this amount may be doubled. Alternatively, with
the attention of a Biomancer of skill level 1, this recovery amount may be doubled, but these effects do not stack.
Biomancers also have techniques that allow them to rapidly heal characters, however this is always at the cost of 1
added stress per attempt.

Determination Points
Determination Points (DP) are similar to hit protection, but represent a character’s mental fortitude. These
points represent the hope that a character feels to continue on with their current actions. When a character’s
determination hits zero, continuing their current course of actions becomes more difficult, and they gain the
demoralized status. For more information about this, see the Social Encounters section.
DP are calculated using the Perseverance, Leadership, and Psychomancy skills. All players start with 4
determination points. These points can be increased according to the following table, in a similar manner to HP.

Skill Untrained Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Perseverance 4 +4 (8) +4 (12) +6 (18) +6 (24) +8 (32) +8 (40)
Leadership 0 +2 +2 (4) +3 (7) +3 (10) +4 (14) +4 (18)
Psychomancy 0 +1 +2 (3) +2 (5) +3 (8) +3 (11) +4 (15)
 Stress
During the course of adventure, characters will push their limits, inflicting mental and physical tolls on their
bodies. Certain magical effects, such as healing, also take a toll on the body. This accumulation of ailments is
represented with Stress. A character’s stress threshold is equal to 2 + their Toughness skill + their Perseverance
skill, to a minimum of 1. Stress may be removed at the end of a Significant Year Action by Dealing with Stress,
or by taking a whole Year Action to relax. See Stress and Injuries {{PAGE}} for more information.
Characters may exceed their stress threshold up to twice their stress threshold. At this point, their body and
mind begins to shutdown. For every stress point they add over their doubled stress threshold, they gain an injury.

Injuries
Characters may gain injuries over the course of their adventures. Injuries are gained from being mortally
wounded, or for accruing too much Stress. A character may have a maximum number of injuries equal to 2 + the
better of their Toughness or Perseverance skills. Any injury they would take beyond this maximum will kill them.

Encumbrance
Equipment, including weapons, armor, and the various tools a character may find helpful, are explained in a
later section of this rulebook. A character may carry a number of items as determined by their Maximum
Encumbrance, which is calculated separately for readied and stowed items. Characters have a maximum
encumbrance for readied items equal to 5 plus their Athletics skill level. Their maximum encumbrance for stowed
items is equal to double their maximum encumbrance for readied items.

Armor
Armor, either literal or granted through some ability, prevents damage to a character. When a character is
attacked, they subtract their armor from the damage before applying it, to a minimum of zero. Armor is
cumulative, individual pieces of armor as well as armor granted from techniques is added together.

Effort
As discussed in the Magical Skills introduction, effort is a measure of a character’s mental stamina and latent
magical energy. A character’s Effort is equal to 1 plus the sum of their highest-ranked magical skill plus their
Perseverance skill. Any character trained in Metamancy has a minimum Effort of 1. There are also several
techniques which increase Effort. More information on the use of Effort can be found under Magical Skills.
 Character Advancement
Gaining Skill Points
Characters gain skill points by partaking in Significant Year Actions. At the end of each Significant Year Action,
a character earns two skill points. They may also gain a single skill point from the Train Year Action. GMs may also
award additional skill points for particularly notable events, although this should be a very rare achievement. A
character may not earn more skill points in a year than they are allowed by their age range.

Spending Skill Points

Skill points may be used to level up a character’s skills, or to acquire techniques within the skill. Skill points
may be spent at any time, reflecting the accumulation of experience and training coming together to improve a
character’s abilities. The cost to raise a skill by one level is equal to the level that the skill is being raised to plus one.
To purchase a technique, it costs the minimum required level of the technique plus one. Techniques are always
listed with a level (e.g. Know Language (Knowledge 0)). This is the minimum skill level required to be able to
acquire this technique. For techniques that list two skill requirements, only the primary skill (the first skill listed)
is used for determining the skill point cost. However, both required skills must be at the specified levels to attain
the technique. This cost is also explained by the following chart:
The cost to purchase each skill level and technique, as well as the (total investment) cost of each skill level is
listed below.

Desired Level 0 1 2 3 4 5

Skill Level 1 (1) 2 (3) 3 (6) 4 (10) 5 (15) 6 (21)

Technique 1 2 3 4 5 6
Note that Skill Level 0 represents the point investment of untrained to Level 0.

Additionally, to raise a skill to 0, 1, or 2, a character will require some form of instruction. Usually, this is from
a mentor who has at least a level of 2 in that skill. These mentors are readily available in any populated place for
any mundane skill, and will usually provide their services to any apprentice willing to perform some simple tasks
for them. Often, a mentor in one skill may be suitable to mentor in multiple related skills. The GM should decide
how common these mentors are for magical skills, depending on the prevalence of magic in their setting.
Additionally, some skills such as Knowledge or Communication may be gained without a mentor through reading
or simple trial and error. A GM should determine if a character’s actions throughout a year allow leveling the skill
without a mentor. The Toughness and Perseverance skills never require a mentor, being related to a character's
internal determination.

For example, Ragnar the Barbarian currently has a Toughness skill of 4, and a Fight skill of 1. He would like to raise
his Fight skill by 2 levels, and purchase the Thick Skin technique (minimum level 2). To raise his Fight skill, Ragnar needs
to spend 3 skill points to raise it to level 2, and then another 4 skill points to raise it to level 3. To purchase the Thick Skin
technique, he needs to spend 3 skill points.

Changing Motivations
At the end of every year, characters may raise or lower the strength of their motivations by one point. They
may not raise it higher than 3. They may remove a motivation entirely by lowering it below a strength of 1. During
this time they may also add a new motivation, if an old one has been removed or if they have fewer than 3 total
motivations.
 Houses and Playing Multiple Characters
Players are encouraged to have multiple characters under their purview. A player will have at least one
primary character, as well as one or a few heirs. They may also have a retired character who occasionally rejoins
the action, or a sibling, spouse, hireling, or other auxiliary character used in particular scenes. There is no limit to
the number of characters a player can create. In fact, GMs should encourage players to create more characters, to
help them fill out the world.
The collection of characters created by one player is referred to as their house. Generally, these characters will
know one another in game, and may or may not be beholden to one another. However, they may also be complete
strangers, at the discretion of the GM. All characters in a house should be created by the player controlling them,
including their background, personality traits, skills, and techniques. In some cases, with mutual consent a
character may be shared across multiple player houses, able to be played by either player.
Generally, a player will play as all of the characters in their house, even in scenes where multiple house
characters are present. This means that they may end up needing to roleplay conversations between their own
characters. While some experienced players, especially those who have been a GM in the past, may enjoy this
challenge, other players prefer to only play a single character at a time. At the players discretion, they may opt to
give control of all but one of their characters to other players, or to the GM. When playing a character belonging
to another player’s house, it is important to respect the narrative built around this character, and consult with the
player who controls their house.
Players and the GM should strive to ensure that everyone at the table has a character to play in as many scenes
as possible. If one player finds themself without a relevant character for multiple scenes, this may be a good time
for them to create another house member. However, it may also be a sign that the players and the GM are not on
the same page with the story being told. It’s important for a GM to check in with the players often, to make sure
everyone is happy with the direction the game is taking, and make changes as needed to try to keep the game
entertaining for all.
Some campaigns in The Years of Adventure may function as a single, coherent storyline with only one thread
of action, where others may feature many possible adventure hooks. Some GMs may choose to have multiple
locations or adventures available to their tables and campaigns, and players should be encouraged to have several
possible characters within their house to bring with them on those adventures. A large variety of characters going
on many adventures simultaneously can be a unique way to create a rich and living world.
Equipment
Encumbrance
There is a limit to the amount of items that characters can carry, known as their encumbrance. Every item in
the following lists is given an encumbrance value (often marked “Enc.”). This is a measure of how much space and
weight the item takes up. An item that is light and small will have little or no encumbrance, an item that is small
but heavy or bulky but light will have a moderate encumbrance, and an item that is both heavy and bulky will have
the highest encumbrance.
Characters may bring items with them as either readied or stowed. Readied items are those that are easily
accessible to a character, and require an insignificant amount of time to be used. Sheathed swords, strung bows, or
strapped daggers would qualify as readied items. Donned armor also counts as a readied item. Stowed items are
items that are carried by the character, but stowed away in some manner of storage. Generally this will be in some
sort of pack, or strapped to the character in a manner that is not easily accessible.
Characters may have a number of readied items equal to 5 plus their Athletics skill. They may have a number
of stowed items equal to twice their number of readied items. Characters traveling with a large number of items
may wish to use porters or beasts of burden to help ease their load. Generally, it can be assumed that a normal NPC
porter can carry an encumbrance value equal to a character with an Athletics skill of 1. A typical beast of burden,
such as a donkey, horse, or ox, may have a stowed encumbrance value of 20 to 25, depending on the size and
strength of the creature, and cannot have readied items.
Characters may overburden themselves by a number of encumbrance values equal to half their Athletics skill
rounded down in readied items and their Athletics skill in stowed items. Overburdened characters move at half
speed, and have a -2 penalty to damage and skill checks that require movement. Characters traveling overland
while overburdened add 1 point of stress for each day of such travel due to the extra exhaustion of carrying so
many items.

Currency
While there are many different forms of barter and currency systems available to the denizens of fantasy
worlds, it is easier to simplify these transactions for modern players and GMs. In general, it is easiest to
denominate costs in some basic unit of currency. In The Years of Adventure, this is the silver piece (sp). Most
commonly used by merchants and urban residents, these most often take the form of literal silver coins, often
minted by the local ruler, or their predecessors. Depending on the preferences of the GM, all transactions may be
performed using silver pieces, or some transactions may be limited to bartering, albeit with the relative silver piece
value of the exchanged items taken into account.
Generally, silver pieces have an encumbrance value of 1 per 100 pieces. Particularly well off characters may
prefer instead to denominate in gold pieces (gp), which are each worth 10sp. These gold pieces are generally only
available to the wealthiest members of society, and are often themselves a mark of status. Most average people are
unwilling to accept gold pieces directly, for lack of means to use it and fear of unwanted attention. Gold pieces also
have an encumbrance value of 1 per 100 pieces.
For simplicity's sake, it can be assumed that the coinage of one nation is acceptable in another. While the
intricacies of currency exchanges and measurement of differently weighted coins may be of interest to some
playgroups, most would prefer to simplify the process and assume it is handled “off screen”.
Weapons
The following weapons will be commonly available in most polities. They may take different shapes based on
the cultures of those who created them, but their statistics will be roughly similar. Ranged weapons are listed with
a normal range and maximum range. Targets within normal range are attacked normally, and targets between
normal range and the maximum range may be attacked at a -2 penalty.

Weapon Damage Range (ft) Traits Cost Enc.

War Axe 1d6/1d8 - T, M, SH 10sp 1
Bow, Large 1d8 150/450 2H, R, P 30sp 2
Bow, Small 1d6 100/300 2H, R, P, M 15sp 1
Claw Blades 1d4 - S 10sp 1
Club 1d6/1d8 20/40 E, LL, M, SH, T 1sp 1
Crossbow 1d8 100/300 2H, AP, E, P, SR 100sp 2
Crossbow, Hand 1d4 50/200 E, M, SR 150sp 1
Dagger 1d4 30/60 P, S, T 3sp 1
Javelin 1d6 40/80 AP, M, N, T 5sp 1N
Long Sword 1d6/1d8 - M, SH 100sp 1
Mace/Hammer 1d6/1d8 - AP, M 15sp 1
Pike 1d8 - 2H, B, L 20sp 2
Poleaxe/Halberd 1d8 - 2H, AP, L 50sp 2
Shield Bash 1d4 - LL - -
Sling 1d6 200/600 AP, M, S, SR 1sp -
Spear 1d6 30/60 B, CH, E, L, T, M 10sp 1
Staff 1d6 - 2H, L, LL, M 5sp 1
Short Sword 1d6 - - 20sp
Throwing Blade 1d4 30/60 N, S, T 3sp 1N
Unarmed Attk. 1d4 - LL, S - -
Weapon Traits

Two Handed (2H): This weapon requires two hands to use.

Armor Piercing (AP): Armor piercing weapons ignore 2 points of armor, or 4 points if they are wielded with 2
hands.
Bracing (B): This weapon is capable of withstanding charges if properly braced, and can be used for the Brace
Action.
Charging (CH): This weapon may be used while mounted for charge attacks. When used in this way, it has the
Long trait, can be used 1 handed, can only attack targets directly ahead, and has a 1-in-20 chance of snapping for
each attack.
Easy (E): Easy weapons are so simple that anyone can use them. When using an easy weapon, no -1 penalty is
applied if the character does not have training in the respective combat skill, Fighting or Marksmanship.
Long (L): Long weapons allow melee attacks to be made up to 10 feet away, as opposed to the usual 5 feet. They
may also be used for Melee Attack Reactions against targets that enter your extended melee range.
Less Lethal (LL): When an enemy would normally be mortally wounded with this weapon, they can instead be
left alive but incapacitated at the attackers discretion.
Mounted (M): This weapon may be used while mounted. Two handed melee weapons used on a mount receive a
-2 damage penalty, unless used as described by the Charging trait.
Numerous (N): These items are small enough to be stacked together when stored, 5 of them count as 1
encumbrance.
Precise (P): When used for Execution Attacks, the weapon applies an additional -2 penalty to the Toughness save
made by the target.
Reload (R): This weapon takes one Action Point to reload.
Subtle (S): Can be easily hidden in ordinary clothing.
Slow Reload (SR): This weapon takes two Action Points to reload.
Switch Handed (SH): This weapon may be used with 1 or 2 hands. It does more damage with 2 hands. Individual
weapons of this type may not actually be switchable, and work with only a single or double-handed grip, at GM
discretion.
Throwable (T): This weapon may be thrown as a ranged attack to the listed range.
Armor
Armor subtracts from damage applied to its wearer, to a minimum of 0. Each armor listed below applies to a
specific location, and only one armor may be worn at each location. All armor worn by a character adds to their
armor total, which is applied to all incoming damage.
Armor comes in 3 different categories. Light armor is flexible and provides no skill check penalties to the
wearer. Medium armor is metal, and is both noisier and shinier. Its encumbrance value is subtracted as a penalty
from any Stealth skill checks. Heavy Armor involves metal, as well as thick padding underneath. It significantly
impacts its wearer, subtracting its encumbrance from both Athletics and Stealth checks taken by the wearer.
Characters attempting to swim in Medium or Heavy armor must make an Athletics check at minimum difficulty
8 once per scene, or once per turn in combat, to avoid drowning. They may instead make an Athletics check at
difficulty 8 to strip their armor (destroying it in the process) for 3 Action Points.
Shields are a common addition to any suit of armor, and often found among levies, peasants, and other poorly
equipped fighters due to their benefit at a cheap cost. Those bearing a shield may choose to have their shield
sundered (completely destroyed) to ignore the damage of a single attack.
Small shields are often strapped to one arm, preventing use of two handed weapons, but allowing use of the
shield hand for minor manipulation or spellcasting. Large shields, such as tower shields, may be almost as large
as their bearer, and prevent any use of the shield hand. Large shields may also not be used while mounted.
Some armor is listed as having half encumbrance. Only armor can have half encumbrance, and only while
worn. Stowed armor with half encumbrance rounds up encumbrance up to 1, but rounds down when readied if
there is a half remainder after summing all armor.
Mages cannot cast spells or rituals while wearing armor on their arms, wearing a helmet of type Medium or
greater, holding a shield, or wielding an offhand weapon. They have no other restrictions on armor. They may cast
arts regardless of what they wear or carry.

Armor Type Armor Location Cost Enc.

Linothorax Light 1 Torso 30sp 1/2

Mail Shirt Medium 2 Torso 250sp 1

Cuirass Heavy 3 Torso 500sp 2

Scaled/Banded Armor Heavy 4 Torso 1,000sp 3

Light Helmet Light 1 Head 50sp 1/2

Full Helmet Medium 2 Head 150sp 1

Greaves Medium 1 Legs 100sp 1

Gauntlet and Bracer Light 1 Arms 30sp 1/2

Chain/Scaled Sleeves Heavy 2 Arms 300sp 1

Small Shield Light 1 Offhand 20sp 1

Large Shield Medium 2 Offhand 30sp 2

Mounts
The fantastical nature of magic in The Years of Adventure leads to the possibility of mounted creatures beyond
those typically seen in the real world. The typical horses and elephants may be joined by more exotic mounts such
as bison, moose, bears, lions, and other typically untameable animals. In addition, there may be creatures
completely unique to the fantasy world the players are inhabiting. The following is an abbreviated list of such
creatures that should hopefully provide enough examples for GMs to create their own mounts. Mounts listed here
have a maximum readied encumbrance of 12, and calculate their stowed encumbrance normally. The
encumbrance values of readied and stowed items of a rider are added to the mount's own readied and stowed items
so long as they are mounted.

Name HD WD Armor Dmg. Move Cost

Bison 4 5 2 1d8 50’ 4,000sp
Bear, Grizzly 6 4 4 1d8 40’ 5,000sp
Horse, Draft 2 1 0 1d4 40’ 150sp
Horse, Riding 2 2 0 1d4 60’ 300sp
Horse, Heavy War 3 4 1 1d8 50’ 2,000sp
Horse, Light War 2 4 1 1d6 60’ 1,000sp
Elephant 6 4 2 1d8 40’ 5,000sp
Lion 5 3 1 1d8 40’ 5,000sp

The cost listed on the above chart is for the purchase cost of a tamed and trained animal. These animals also
generally have a maintenance cost equal to 1/5th the purchase cost per year.

Animal Armor
Armor for mounts is a staple of heavy and shock cavalry, dating back as far as the classical era. The armor
provided here assumes a mount roughly the size of a horse, armor for significantly larger or smaller mounts may
cost more or less at the GM’s discretion. As in humanoid armor, this armor is cumulative with any other armor
the mount may have.
All mounted armor may only be placed on mounts that have been trained for combat. Light armor does
not impede mounts significantly, and applies no penalties to mounts at the cost of less protection. Medium
Armor for mounts applies a -2 penalty to Stealth due to its noisiness. Heavy armor applies a -3 penalty to Stealth
and a -2 penalty to the mount’s Athletics skill checks.
Animal companions smaller than mounted animals may also be armored. However, animals smaller than
a horse cannot manage to wear heavier armor than Light armor.

Armor Type Armor Cost Enc.

Padded Capirisons Light 1 60sp 2

Leather Lamellar Barding Light 2 500sp 2

Scale Armor Barding Medium 3 1,000sp 3

Banded Armor Barding Heavy 4 2,000sp 4

Gear Packs & Consumables
Gear Packs
There are many items beyond weapons and armor that an adventurer must take with them on their journey if
they hope to survive. Rations, ranged weapon ammunition, torches, tinderboxes, and ropes are staples in the lives
of many who leave the safety of civilized lands. However, keeping track of all of the various accouterments on a
character is a task that not every player and GM enjoys. The Years of Adventure attempts to simplify this process
by bundling together gear needed for certain types of adventures into packs.
Gear packs will contain all of the necessary materials for a given type of adventure, as determined by the GM.
If a player needs an item, and it is not too heavy or valuable, the GM can assume that they have it if they are
carrying an appropriate gear pack. Consumable items, except for ammunition, may be contained in a pack if
relevant, but they must be replenished after a certain point. Packs are listed with weights with and without
consumable items, and listed with costs to purchase and to replenish.

Pack Sample Items Cost Cost* Enc. Enc.*

Dungeoneering Torches, Rope, Crowbar, Grappling hook 200sp 20sp 6 3

Tinderbox, Cooking gear, wood axe, bedroll, hunting and

Wilderness 30sp - 3 -
fishing equipment

Artisan Tools, common repair materials 50sp 10sp 4 2

Performer Instruments, outfits, repair tools 100sp - 5 -

Criminal Lockpicks, crowbar, disguises, tools 20sp 1sp 4 3

Noble Fine clothes, writing implements, jewelry 1,000sp 100sp 3 3

Warrior Blade oil, grindstone, bowstrings 15sp 10sp 2 1

Soldier Warrior pack, entrenching tools, mess kit, tent 30sp 10sp 4 3

Sapper Woodworking tools, entrenching tools 40sp - 3 -

Officer Comfortable tent, luxury food, table, brazier 100sp - 10 -

Herbalist Healing ingredients, bandages, small knife 15sp 10sp* 3 1

Alchemist Brewing equipment, ingredients, flasks 75sp 25sp 4 3

Traveler Spare clothes, basic essentials of travel 10sp - 1 -

The first Cost column is to purchase the whole pack, second is to replenish consumables. First encumbrance is with
full consumable, second encumbrance is with no consumables. Some packs contain no consumables, and are marked with
a dash. Some packs may be replenished with foraging (requires Survival 0), and their consumable price has an asterisk
(*).
Consumables
Consumable items are usually listed with quantities measured in units. A single unit may contain as many
items as is needed for a scene, week, or year action, depending on the item, which is referred to as its use time. After
a unit of consumable items have been used for this amount of time, the player must roll to determine if they have
consumed all of the items or not. Generally, they will roll a skill check at difficulty 8, with the skill determined by
the time of item. Most often this will be a Marksmanship skill check for ammunition or a Survival skill check for
most other rations. If a character is being particularly careless with their non–consumable pack items, a GM may
require the player roll to keep the whole pack as if it were a consumable item with a use time of a year action. Some
consumable items, marked on the following list with an asterisk (*), are automatically lost after their use time, with
no roll to save.

Item Notes Enc. Cost Use Time

Arrows In an accessible quiver 1 2sp Scene

Heavy Arrows Half range, +2 to damage 2 10sp Scene

Bolts For use in a crossbow 1 5sp Scene

Sling bullets Lead, -1 damage but free if stones 1 2sp Scene

Oil Flasks When used aggressively 2 4sp Scene*

Torches To light up the dark 3 1sp Week

Lantern + Oil Lantern is permanent 2 10sp, 4sp oil Week

Rations Preserved food and water for a week 4 5sp Week*

Pack If used carelessly By pack By pack Year Action

Net To immobilize 1 10sp Scene

Adhesive To adhere things together 1 5sp Scene*

Costs of Living
Food, shelter, and basic necessities such as clothing do not come freely to characters. These living expenses
assume that a character is not living a self-sufficient lifestyle, such as farming or hunting and gathering in the
wilderness. Characters who directly benefit from a domain (and consume domain productivity) must still spend
this amount, although in this case the amount will often balance out.
◆ Poverty means barely scraping by, generally with poor food and inadequate lodging. Characters living in
poverty recover only half their usual HP and Stress, and will generally be treated poorly by those living
Wealthy or Noble lifestyles, unless they can convincingly disguise themselves as a higher class.
◆ Characters living a Common lifestyle have no benefits or penalties.
◆ A Wealthy lifestyle provides characters with rich meals, finehousing, and well-tailored, stylish clothes.
Characters living this lifestyle are generally entitled to petition their government at least once per Year
Action to settle disputes or bring attention to problems.
◆ Characters living the Noble lifestyle are living as the political, economic, and social elites of their domain,
and will be treated as such by all they encounter. The extent of their privileges will depend on the laws of the
land they are living in, and the respect they receive from others will depend on the local culture.

Type of Living Weekly Cost Year Action Cost Yearly Cost

Poverty 4cp 5sp 20sp
Common 1sp 12sp 50sp
Wealthy 4sp 50sp 200sp
Noble 20sp 250sp 1,000sp
Playing the Game
 Skill Checks
Whenever a character attempts an action that does not have a clear outcome, the GM may call for a skill check.
Skill checks should never be used when an action would automatically succeed based on the training of the
character, or when they could never succeed. Skill checks may apply to multiple related actions, and an additional
skill check should never be rolled unless the situation has changed significantly. Skill checks are the core resolution
technique in The Years of Adventure, and should be the go-to solution for resolving uncertainty at the table unless
there is another subsystem the GM would rather use, such as combat or social encounters.
To perform a skill check, the GM first decides on the relevant skill for the action, if it is not explicitly called for
by the rules. Next, they pick the appropriate difficulty for the check, aided by the following table. After that, the
player rolls 2d6 + the skill level of the relevant skill. If they are untrained in the skill, they have a -1 penalty to the
roll instead. If the result of the roll is equal to or greater than the difficulty of the check, they succeed. Otherwise
they fail. In some situations, the GM may instead offer degrees of success based on the roll. For example, a
Knowledge skill check with a high roll may grant extensive information, with a low roll still granting a small
amount of information.

Skill
Description
Difficulty
Relatively basic, but difficult enough that untrained characters will have trouble performing
6
it consistently
Significantly challenging to characters with basic training, but still easy enough to succeed
8
somewhat consistently
Very difficult for all but the most skilled characters, although masters may still achieve this
10
level of difficulty somewhat often
12 Only skilled characters can hope to achieve this, and then only rarely
Even an absolute master would struggle to succeed at this check, and anyone else would
14+
certainly fail

Opposed Skill Checks

An opposed skill check may be used when another character is opposing the action of a skill check. In this case,
rather than having a difficulty for the skill check, each character rolls a relevant skill check for the action being
performed. The highest result wins, and is able to complete their action. Unless otherwise specified, ties go to the
player when rolling against an NPC, or the check is rerolled if there are no players or multiple players involved.
The skills used in an opposed skill check do not need to be the same. For example, an opposed Fighting vs. Stealth
skill check may be used by a veteran soldier to spot an approaching assassin with a knife.

For example, a character is trying to climb a large and steep rock face. The GM decides that the
character doesn’t have enough experience to climb these rocks without a chance of failure. The GM
calls for an Athletics skill check, which the character passes with a result of 8. The character is able
to climb the rock face, but then discovers that there is another, larger rock face beyond it. The
character wants to continue climbing, so the GM uses the existing skill check result and decides that
they are able to make it to the top of the cliff. Once at the top, the character finds an elemancer, who
throws a chest of silver off the cliff and then coats the rock face in a sheet of ice. The character wants
to climb down to receive the silver, but because the situation has changed significantly (the sheet of
ice), the GM decides they need to roll a new skill check.
Motivation Checks
Players may decide to act on their character’s motivation whenever a skill check is called for, but must justify
how the motivation is relevant. If the GM agrees with the justification, the player may add their motivation
strength score to the skill check. However, if a character fails a skill check where they were acting on their
motivation, they must accept one point of Stress. Only one motivation may be used at a time to impact any single
skill check.
If a character ever acts in direct opposition to their motivations, the GM may call for a Motivation check. The
character rolls 2d6 and subtracts their motivation strength score. If the result is equal to or greater than 8, the
character may perform the action. Otherwise, they must forfeit the action, or accept a point of stress to continue.

Saving Throws
Occasionally, characters may find themselves facing certain disaster. Perhaps the floor has given out below
them, they’ve ingested a terrible poison, or they are trying to avoid the effects of a hostile psychomancer. To avoid
these unwanted effects, characters may attempt to make a saving throw. In The Years of Adventure, saving throws
are handled the same as skill checks. Unless specifically stated, techniques or other abilities that modify skill checks
also modify saving throws.
For example, a character hoping to dodge a pit trap may be asked to roll an Athletics skill check. Generally, the
difficulty of the skill check for saving throws is 8, although the GM is always free to modify this difficulty as the
situation calls for.
 Combat Encounters
Many adventurers inevitably find themselves on the wrong side of a blade. While combat is a dangerous
endeavor, it is in some cases unavoidable. The following rules govern the nature of these types of encounters.

Turns, Rounds, Initiative, and Ambushes

Combat in The Years of Adventure is measured in a series of sequential turns. A round is composed of a single
turn for all characters in the scene. Some effects are measured in terms of rounds, and mark the rounds by the
character whose turn it was when the effect began.
Within a round, the order that characters take their turns is referred to as initiative. At the beginning of
the combat encounter, all characters roll a Fighting or Marksmanship skill check. The results of these checks
become the initiative order, with higher numbers going first. Ties between PCs and NPCs go to the PCs.
Alternatively, some groups may prefer to use group initiative. In this case, each side makes a single Fighting or
Marksmanship skill check, from the character with the highest skill level on each side. All characters in the group
with the higher roll go first, followed by the opposing side.
Occasionally, one side of a combat encounter may be surprising another. Usually, this will require an
opposed Stealth check by the most skilled character of each side. If the ambusher succeeds in the opposed skill
check, all ambushers may take a turn before all combatants roll for initiative.

Anatomy of a Turn
There are four types of actions that a character may take on their turn. Once they have taken all actions they
desire to take, they end their turn and pass to the next character.
Action Points power most actions that a character can take in their turn. Every character has 3 action points
that they may use per turn, on their turn.
On Turn Actions are quick actions that require a minimal amount of effort on a character’s turn, and require
no action points. This could be saying a few words, diving to the ground, or other such trivial action.
Reaction Points are used to take reactions in response to the actions that another character takes on their
turn. Each round, characters have a single reaction point to use.

Attacks and Damage

Attacks against a target begin with the attacker rolling damage, with a dice determined by their weapon, or
the description of the technique used for the attack (such as a spell). Melee attacks add the attacker’s Fighting skill
to their damage, and ranged attacks add the Marksmanship skill. The defender then subtracts their total armor
from the damage, and subtracts the remainder from their Hit Protection. Hit Protection cannot go lower than 0.
This attack, the damage, armor, and Hit Protection are all a reflection of the various strikes, parries, dodges,
glancing blows, maneuvering and all other intricacies of combat. A single attack represents a full 10 seconds of
combat, and all that entails.

Hit Protection and Mortal Wounds

When an attack lowers a character’s HP to zero, they become mortally wounded. They cannot move, take
actions, or do anything beyond screaming and falling unconscious. Immediately upon being mortally wounded,
characters gain one injury.
Mortally wounded characters need to be stabilized by the end of the scene, or they will die. Additionally,
mortally wounded characters who receive further damage die immediately, regardless of whether or not they have
been stabilized. The Biomancy, Knowledge, and Survival skills provide techniques that allow a character to
stabilize a mortally wounded target. Stabilized characters return to 1 HP at the end of the scene, at which point
they are no longer mortally wounded and may move and act normally.
Common Combat Actions
0 Action Points (On Turn Action)
◆ Delay an Action: Hold your remaining action points until later in a round. You must use the Held Action
reaction to use these points in reaction to some other character’s actions.
◆ Drop a Readied Item: Any readied item can be dropped on your turn at no cost.
◆ Swap Readied Item: Switch the items in your hands with other items you have readied.

1 Action Point
◆ Apply Poison: Apply a readied poison to a readied weapon.
◆ Brace: Using a weapon with the Bracing trait, prepare yourself for a charge. You gain an extra Reaction
Point which may only be used to take the Melee Attack Reaction against targets taking a Charge action
against you.
◆ Move: Move at your standard movement rate (30 ft for most characters).
◆ Combat Maneuver: Make an opposed Athletics, Fighting, or Marksmanship skill check (both sides using
their best skill) to affect a target in some way, such as pushing them, grappling them, blinding them, etc.
Possibility of an attempted maneuver is ultimately decided by the GM. This action cannot be used to directly
damage a target, but may indirectly damage them (such as pushing someone off of a ledge).
◆ Pick up an Item: Pick an item up off the ground and into your readied items.
◆ Reload Regular Ranged Weapon: Reload a standard ranged weapon, such as a bow.
◆ Screen an Ally: Protect an adjacent ally from attacks. Any character wishing to attack your screened ally
must make an opposed Fighting or Marksmanship skill check against you. If the attacker wins, the attack
happens normally. If you win, the attack passes to you instead. If multiple characters attempt to screen the
same ally, all screeners participate in the opposed skill check, and the attack is applied to the screening
character with the lowest successful contested skill roll, or the screened ally if no screeners succeed.
◆ Stand Up: Stand up from a prone position. Characters who fall unconscious will be prone, and will need to
stand up if they are healed.
◆ Focus Defense: Focus on defending yourself from incoming attacks, adding +1 to your armor for the round
if you have no shield, or +2 if you are holding a shield or hiding behind cover. This action may only be taken
once per turn.

2 Action Points
◆ Cast a Spell or Use an Art: Casting a spell generally requires verbalizations and movement of hands to
direct the caster’s will onto the world. Arts are more subtle, and require no indication of their activation.
While most arts require 2 Action Points, certain arts may require only 1 or 0 Action Points, and others may
be a Reaction.
◆ Drink a Potion: Quaff a readied potion or apply a readied salve.
◆ Melee Attack: Makes a melee attack against a single target using a readied melee weapon. The target must
be within melee range, usually 5ft for most weapons.
◆ Ranged Attack: Make a ranged attack against a single target using a readied ranged weapon. The target
must be within the maximum range of your weapon, and any target beyond the normal range applies a -1
penalty to the damage roll. You may not make ranged attacks with 2-handed ranged weapons when within
range of a melee-weapon-wielding enemy. One-handed ranged weapons may be used at a -2 damage penalty.
◆ Swarm Attack: When attacking a target that is also being attacked by an ally, you may forfeit your damage
roll to add a +2 bonus to your allies damage roll. This bonus stacks for each attacker performing a Swarm
Attack against that target in this round.
◆ Ready or Stow Item: Dig through your pack or otherwise stowed items and ready one, or put a readied
item away.
◆ Reload Slow Weapon: Reload a weapon with the “Slow Reload” weapon trait, such as a Crossbow.
3 Action Points
◆ Charge: Charge at a target in sight that is between half your movement speed and 3 times your movement
speed from you. Your attack does +2 damage. Your reckless attack, however, means all attacks against you
have a +1 damage bonus for the next round.
◆ Mounted Charge: Mounted charges follow the same rules as a regular charge, but may roll the damage dice
twice and take the sum (before applying other modifiers) instead of the +2 damage bonus if using a Charging
weapon. You may also run past your target on a mounted charge, but you may suffer a Melee Attack Reaction
from the target, as per usual when moving past a melee attacker. The +1 damage bonus applies to this
Reaction.
◆ Trample: Some mounts, and other types of large creatures, may turn a Charge action into a Trample by
attempting to run through their foes. This action can only be taken against smaller targets, such as a horse
with a rider attempting to trample a human. In this case, the target must win an opposed Athletics or
Fighting skill check or suffer the mount's maximum damage and be knocked prone. If the target does win the
opposed check, the Trample becomes a passing Mounted Charge, following those rules as normal.

Reactions
◆ Melee Attack Reaction (1 Point): You may use this reaction against anyone moving past you so long as you
have a melee weapon readied. Weapons with the “Long” trait allow you to also use this reaction against
targets that enter your weapon range.
◆ Held Action (1 Point): If you hold Action Points on your turn using Delay an Action, you may use them in
reaction to an action on another character’s turn. If you don’t use these Action Points before your next turn,
they are lost.

Execution Attacks
An attack against an unsuspecting enemy, with the goal of killing the enemy before they can respond is
referred to as an Execution Attack. To make an Execution Attack, you must have training in the Stealth skill and a
full minute (6 combat rounds) to prepare the attack against your target(s). For a ranged attack, this requires lining
up the shots, judging distances, and planning for sudden movements from the targets. For melee attacks, this
usually involves moving close enough to the targets in a hidden or non-threatening manner.
A would-be assassin must first win an opposed Stealth (vs. an appropriate skill) check against their target. The
target should use whatever skill fits the situation and their skills best: Communication against a hidden dagger in
a crowded party, Survival against an ambush in a dense forest, Fighting for a veteran soldier who has seen
everything, and so forth.
If an assassin has hidden from their target, they may proceed with the Execution attack. The assassin and the
target roll an opposed Fighting or Marksmanship (depending on the type of attack) vs. Toughness skill check. If
the assassin wins, the target becomes mortally wounded. If the target wins, or there is a tie, they take the maximum
damage from the assassin’s normal attack with this weapon.
A would-be assassin with a Stealth skill of 1 or greater may make simultaneous execution attacks to
multiple targets, up to their Stealth skill plus one. In this case, the most skilled target rolls the opposed skill check
to discover the assassin, and each target rolls their own Toughness skill check, compared to a single roll from the
assassin, to determine how much damage they take.
 Social Encounters
Not all, or even very many, encounters with NPCs will dissolve into a combat encounter. Facing potential
death, many characters will instead prefer to resolve their differences with words.
Roleplay vs. Rollplay: Social skill checks are always meant as a supplement to roleplaying, not a
replacement. If a player makes a convincing, passionate speech in-character to convince an NPC of something,
they’ve already succeeded. Similar to how a combat encounter may be won or lost depending on the players’
tactics, a social encounter may be determined by the players’ roleplaying. Conversely, in the same way that a
tactically-weak player may rely on their character’s abilities to succeed in a combat encounter, a socially-weak
player may rely on their character’s mechanically-granted charm. As always, adjust these rules to best fit the
culture of play at your table.
Social Encounters may be used in situations where a single skill check is insufficient in respect to the impact
on the campaign. Any social situation that takes up a significant amount of play time, involves forethought and
planning, or has larger implications for the future of the player characters is an apt candidate for a social
encounter.
Social encounters are not necessary for relatively minor discussions, such as purchasing a common item or
simple misunderstandings. Minor social encounters may be resolved with a simple Skill check. As a general rule,
if the social encounter is not an important or particularly interesting part of the shared story, it is better handled
as a simple skill check.

Social Turns
Social encounters are not nearly as regimented as combat encounters. Actions happen simultaneously, and
turns last no less than 10 seconds and no more than a few minutes. Characters in a social encounter do not use
Action Points, such as in a combat encounter, and may instead take a single action from the following list, or an
action of their own creation at GM discretion. None of these actions require roleplay, but skill checks may always
be waived in favor of roleplay at GM discretion.

◆ Discover: Make an appropriate skill check to learn something about the environment you are in or an NPC
you are engaged in the social encounter with. For example, you may make a Communication skill check to
try to determine what a target you are trying to convince wants.
◆ Distract: Make an opposed skill check with an appropriate skill vs. Perseverance to distract a target
character or group. If you succeed, they spend the rest of the turn focused on your distraction.
◆ Impress: Perform some impressive feat, and make an opposed skill check with an appropriate skill vs.
Perseverance to show a target how great you are. On a success, you may add a +4 to all Communication skill
checks you make with the Persuade action for the rest of the encounter.
◆ Persuade: Make a Communication skill check, and subtract half the result to your target’s determination
points. If their determination points reach zero, they may become convinced.

Determination Points and Demoralization

When a character’s determination points reach zero, the effects they suffer depend on the current context. If
they are in a purely social encounter they will become convinced. If the character is an NPC, they will simply give
in to the demands of the one who convinced them, unless it is a demand that will bring them personal harm for no
benefit. If the character is a player character, they will suffer a -4 penalty to social skill checks, but they will not be
forced to do anything the player does not want them to do. If a purely social encounter suddenly turns violent, all
characters present will instantly regain half of the determination points lost during the social encounter, rounded
up.
Determination points may be regained in a few ways. If a demoralized character leaves the source of their
demoralization, they immediately regain half of their determination points. Certain skills also have techniques
that allow them to restore determination points. Lastly, an allied character may make a Leadership skill check to
restore a number of determination points equal to half the result of their check result rounded down, so long as
they roll at least a 6.
 Mixed Encounters
Often, player characters may find themselves in an encounter that is both social and combat. Perhaps a player
has been betrayed by a trusted friend, and now needs to face them on the battlefield, or a meeting with an unsavory
crime family has turned violent, but the PCs still hope to sway their enemies, or a third party, to their side. Quite
possibly, a player character has engaged in some sort of ritual or sport combat, where the spectacle may be even
more important than the fight itself. Large scale battles often see player characters take the role of leaders who
must inspire their followers to continue fighting.

Dealing Damage
In mixed encounters, damage is traditionally dealt normally. Combat damage is dealt to hit protection, and
social damage is dealt to determination points. However, in certain circumstances, a character may decide to deal
combat damage to determination points. The player or GM should provide some narrative explanation for this
shift, such as an army’s champion embarrassing the rival champion to demoralize their allies, or a wizard turning
their own deadly spell last minute simply to display a gap in power. Social damage, however, can never be dealt to
hit protection.

Morale
In most combat encounters, non-player characters will not fight to the death. Just like an NPC’s will to resist
demands in Social Encounters is linked to their Determination Points, so too is their morale in combat encounters.
NPCs take DP damage during combat from the following events:
◆ When an NPC takes HP damage, they must also take the same amount of damage to their DP.
◆ If an allied character dies or retreats from combat and the NPC is aware of it, the NPC loses the
determination points equal to the hit dice (HD) of that character
◆ Certain magical and mundane techniques do DP damage during combat. These techniques apply to player
characters and NPCs.
If in an encounter with combat, characters with 0 DP lose all hope and gain the demoralized status.
Demoralized characters will have trouble pursuing their objectives or stopping others. When in this state, all skill
checks receive a -4 modifier unless they relate to retreating from the situation, and attack rolls receive -8 modifier.
There is one exception to this: if a character is backed into a corner with no possibility of retreat, certain death if
they surrender, and no foreseeable way out of the situation, they will not receive any penalties and may act as
normally until they have a chance of escape or peaceful surrender.
Non-player characters put into this state will always try to flee, unconditionally surrender, or give in to the
demands of the hostile party present. Trained fighters may attempt an organized retreat, using the Fighting
Withdrawal action if possible. Demoralized player characters are never forced to do anything as a result of this
state: players are still free to take the actions they want, albeit with the aforementioned check penalties. The
demoralized status is lost immediately once determination points are raised above zero.
Note that NPCs may often attempt to flee an encounter before they become demoralized. Any NPC not
trained for combat will likely flee as soon as their side appears to be losing, and even a battle-hardened veteran
knows to make an ordered retreat when their companions begin to route. The difference between this type of
retreat and a demoralized retreat is that the former is often much more organized.
Fleeing Combat and Chases
It is inevitable, particularly in sandbox-style games like The Years of Adventure, for both player characters and
NPCs to find themselves on the losing side of an engagement. A rational character will always prefer to save their
own lives, perhaps to live to fight another day, so long as they have the option to. For most combat encounters,
when one side decides they no longer want to fight, that is the end of the encounter. The defeated party flees the
scene, or in some cases surrenders to the other side. However, there are some cases where the winning side won’t
let them escape so easily.
When the winning side in a combat encounter wishes to pursue the losers, a chase begins. Additionally, chases
may occur outside of a combat encounter as well, with the beginning context of the chase determining the starting
phase. There are 4 phases to a chase, linked to both units of time, and to how closely the pursuers are on the tail of
the chased. The first phase, instant, is used when the pursuer is within bowshot of their target and can clearly see
them. The second phase, scene, is when the pursuer is close on the trail of their target, but not close enough to see
them yet. The third phase, week, is when the target may be days ahead of their pursuer, and the pursuer needs to
carefully attempt to find their target’s trail. The last phase, year action, is used when the target has essentially
escaped their pursuer, and the pursuer must spend the remainder of their year action, or whole new year actions,
to attempt to find the target again.
During each phase, a single opposed skill check is used to determine if the target is able to escape their pursuer.
During the instant phase, both the target and pursuer roll opposed Athletics checks. During the scene, week, and
year action phases, the pursuer and target may choose the skill they are rolling, so long as they can justify its use
narratively. The target gets a bonus of +1 to their roll during the scene phase, +2 during the week phase, and +4
during the year action phase, to represent the further distance from their pursuer.
If the target rolls higher than their pursuer, the chase shifts to the next highest phase (i.e. instant to scene). If
the pursuer wins, regardless of the current phase, they find the target sometime during that phase, and an
encounter will begin. If there is a tie, the phase does not shift, but an amount of time equal to the phase (or a few
combat rounds during the instant phase) passes before the check can be repeated.
The pursuer can choose at any time to give up the chase. Players may choose to give up a chase whenever they
like, or continue it indefinitely if they so desire. Players who choose to take a year action to pursue a target may
count it as a Significant Year Action, earning skill points, regardless of the success of the chase. For NPCs, most
characters will give up the chase relatively quickly, or not even begin one in the first place. Only the most
determined of NPCs will pursue a chase through all phases. These NPCs will likely only pursue a chase so long if
they have sworn an oath of vengeance, desperately want to retrieve something the players have stolen, or have
some similar reason for pursuing their target so doggedly.
 Stress and Injuries
Dealing with Stress
The challenges faced during Significant Year Actions are likely to inflict Stress upon the characters
participating in them. To manage this, characters who have Stress equal to or greater than their Stress Threshold
may Deal With Stress at the end of every Significant Year Action by choosing one of the following actions, and
rolling on the appropriate table to determine the result of that action. Each of the following actions will remove
Stress equal to the character’s Stress Threshold, unless otherwise specified.
◆ Carouse: Joined by friends or strangers, you party until you’ve forgotten your worries. You may have
traveled to a large city to lose yourself in the crowd, attended a party in the local village, or anything in
between.
◆ Wander: You try outrunning your problems, spending time in nature or visiting new places. Either way,
most of your time is spent outside of settlements.
◆ Wallow: You find a safe and comfortable place, likely your home, and vow not to leave until you feel better.
You hide away from the world, alone or with up to a few close companions.

Carouse
2d6 Result
2 You awake, barely, in a dark alley in immense pain after receiving some sort of beating. You don’t
remember what happened. Gain an Injury.
3 You don’t remember how, but you’ve gained a powerful new enemy in the local government. What did
you do?
4 You awake in an alley or other quiet place, with some new cuts and bruises and anything of value stolen
from your person. You don’t remember what happened.
5 You’re lucky to have good friends or met kind strangers, because you were a mess. You owe them one.
6 Well, you certainly won’t be welcome in that tavern/village/mead hall/establishment again, but at least
you had fun.
7 You had a good time, and feel relaxed.
8 You found yourself gambling, and luck was with you. Double the money you had on your person when
you began carousing. If this is a significant sum of money, you may have angered some powerful people
as a result.
9 This is exactly what you needed. Remove all of your stress, not just up to your stress threshold.
10 You’ve made a lifelong friend, or perhaps even something more, out of one of your carousing partners,
whether you knew them before this or not.
11 While carousing, you overhead some information that was definitely not meant for your ears, but which
you will find very valuable.
12 Some lowered inhibitions were what you needed to get over obstacles in your personal growth. Gain an
additional skill point, in addition to any you may have normally learned in your year action.
Wander
2d6 Result
2 While in the wilderness, you found yourself hunted by a powerful creature. You survived, but barely.
Gain a new injury.
3 You’ve gotten wildly, inextricably, lost. Your maps were lost in an accident, and unless you have some
technique that prevents you from getting lost (such as Mental Map), you must spend the next Year Action
finding your way home.
4 The weather was horrible, and relaxation felt impossible. Recover no stress.
5 You took a tumble, or had to scramble to escape some beast, and lost an important item. Lose an item of
sentimental value or the most valuable item you have on you worth less than or equal to 300sp. You may
search and find it, but if so the stress of the ordeal will mean you only recover stress equal to half your
stress threshold.
6 You had an unfortunate encounter with some group of travelers, local residents, or a nomadic group.
They won’t forget it or forgive you anytime soon.
7 You had a good time, and feel relaxed.
8 You’ve foraged a rare plant or mushroom, found a precious object, or hunted a powerful beast. Add the
fruits of your search, worth up to 50sp.
9 This is exactly what you needed. Remove all of your stress, not just up to your stress threshold.
10 You happened upon and saved a small child from some mortal danger, and their family is eternally
grateful. They will owe you some major favor, and may prove surprisingly helpful. Alternatively, if you
have the Animals skill but not the Animal Companion technique, you may have saved a baby animal
which would like to join you as an animal companion (gain the technique and a companion).
11 You found something of great value in your wandering: an ancient ruin, untouched dungeon, rare
creature, valuable or even magic item worth up to 500sp, or some other find at the GM’s discretion.
12 Your discoveries wandering the world have inspired your growth. Gain an additional skill point, in
addition to any you may have normally learned in your year action.

Wallow
2d6 Result
2 You fixate on the most stressful portions of your adventure, to an unhealthy extent. It’s going to take
much longer to get over this. Gain an injury.
3 You find yourself unable to relax, restless and uncomfortable with the stress of your previous adventure.
You may try to continue wallowing, but you know it won’t help. Recover no stress.
4 It’s nice to wallow, and you aren’t ready to go back out into the harsh world. The next Year Action you
take must not be a Significant Year Action.
5 You’ve neglected some of your friends in this downtime. Better make it up to them, if you would like to
hold onto that friendship.
6 Wanting to spoil yourself after a hard adventure, you’ve splurged on some self care. Your Cost of Living
for this Year Action is bumped up a grade, or doubled if you were already living as a noble.
7 You had a good time, and feel relaxed.
8 You’ve used this time to reset, and feel good. Roll on this table again, and take the new result only if it is
better than this one.
9 This is exactly what you needed. Remove all of your stress, not just up to your stress threshold.
10 In a frenzy of productivity, you have spent time working on the structure you were wallowing in. That
structure does not need to pay upkeep this year, or may remove 100sp off the cost of an expansion.
11 The muses have been with you. You’ve created something exceptional, be it a musical piece, oral or
written story, piece of art, crafted item, unique fighting style or training regime, etc. It might be valuable
or make you famous if sold to or shared with others.
12 You’ve used this time to better understand yourself. Gain an additional skill point, in addition to any you
may have normally learned in your year action.
Injuries
Injuries manifest as negative modifiers applied to all skill checks and damage rolls. Each injury that a character
has applies a -1 penalty to those rolls. A character may have a maximum number of injuries equal to 2 + the better
of their Toughness or Perseverance skills. Any injury they would take beyond this maximum will kill them.
Injuries may be healed with time using the Recover Injury year action. Biomancers also have techniques
that allow them to heal injuries more quickly. However, this type of accelerated healing is more likely to leave scar
tissue, as described below.
When injuries heal, there is a small chance that the injury may turn into a Scar. A scar is a permanent skill
level decrease by one level, requiring that the skill be re-acquired using skill points. Techniques with a minimum
level above the new skill level are disabled until the skill is increased again, but they do not have to be re-learned.
When gaining a scar, players may choose which skill it affects. To determine if an injury turns into a scar, the
character rolls a 2d6, modified by their age according to the following table. If the injury was healed over time, a
scar is formed if the roll is less than 6. If the injury was rapidly healed with magic, the scar is formed if the roll is
less than 10.
Scars may be physical scars left on the body of the character, or mental trauma that they carry with them.
Players should determine the manifestation of their character’s scars, taking into account the skill that they are
affecting and the manner that the injury was received in. Beyond the mechanical penalty of scars, players should
keep in mind that the scars may affect the narrative and roleplaying of their character.

Age Scar Modifier

Young +4
Adult 0
Middle Aged -2
Elder -6
Status Effects
In addition to injuries, there are a number of temporary status effects that may be inflicted on a character,
either as a result of another character’s hostile actions, or a simple factor of their environment.
Blindness
Partially blind characters, such as those in poor light conditions, heavy fogs, blizzards, or sandstorms, or
effects created by another character, receive a -4 penalty on all damage rolls, and may receive a -2 penalty to skill
rolls if the action depends on sight, at GM discretion. For completely blind characters, such as those who are in
complete darkness, blindfolded, permanently blind, or otherwise unable to see at all, these penalties are doubled.
Characters who have trained to rely on other senses may be exempt from these penalties, at GM discretion.
Grappled
Characters may be grappled as a result of a combat maneuver, ensnared in a trap, or immobilized due to some
environmental effect. A character who is grappled cannot move on their own, although they may be moved by the
character grappling them as a result of an additional Combat Maneuver action. Grappled characters generally may
only take the Combat Maneuver or Melee Attack actions, and only against the character or object that is grappling
them. Weapons without the Subtle trait receive a -4 penalty to their damage while grappled.
Prone/Knocked Down
While prone, enemies in melee range gain a +2 damage bonus against you. Standing up requires 1 Action Point.
Immobilized
Occasionally, characters will be unable to move without being knocked prone or entirely stunned. This might
result from their feet being stuck to the ground through adhesive or ice, or could be a magical effect that eliminates
their ability to move. In these instances, characters may still act normally, with the assumption that they cannot
move the position of their feet for the duration.
Asleep/Unconscious
Through natural or magical means, creatures occasionally fall asleep or unconscious even during the chaos of
battle. In these instances, the length of the effect should be outlined in its description, and a character can assume
that they remain asleep for that duration, unless they possess something that would rouse them, or an ally chooses
to do so. For an ally to rouse an asleep or unconscious creature, they must spend a 1 Action Point in melee range
waking them. Any damage taken will also wake them. Some sleep effects cannot be broken, in which case, magic
or other creative problem solving might be required to remedy an ally in need.
 Questing
Overland and Sea Travel
Barring the occasional powerful teleporter, most people must travel in the mundane manner of feet and
hooves, or oars and sails. This travel is slow and taxing on those moving from one place to another, typically
requiring logistics and careful planning in order to successfully reach one’s destination. The speed of travel varies
greatly depending on the size of the group and their resources, the terrain or land they traverse, and the weather
and seasons roiling in the background. Travelers must rest their bodies and eat substantial meals in order to
continue at a high pace, and they face myriad challenges along the road. From the simple cycles of darkness and
light or cold and warmth, to the intense dangers of bandits, wild animals, or strange, unexplainable occurrences,
the road is dangerous. The following sections outline these considerations for travel and how players can traverse
dangerous territory.
Travel Speed
There are many factors which can affect the distance a traveling group may cover in a day. Most importantly
is the terrain they are traveling through, and their familiarity with it, but other factors such as the fitness of the
characters and the size of the group also have an effect. The following graph can be used to determine daily travel
speeds for characters and groups traveling over land or sea.
Parties or armies with a particular need to move quickly may perform a Hard March, sacrificing rest and
recovery time in exchange for doubling their daily mileage. Player characters engaging in a hard march add 1 stress
per week of hard marching, with the stress being added on the very first day of the march. NPCs and army units
cannot increase their determination points above half their maximum until they have had a week without hard
marching. Similarly, oar-powered ships may require their rowers to Row Hard, extending their rowing time
beyond the usual 8 hours per day. This is incredibly taxing, halving HP for all characters on rowing duty, in
addition to the penalties of a Hard March.
The specific values on this table are meant as a guideline, and the ratios and multipliers may be applied to fit
your specific map or Hex map in order to facilitate smoother play. For example, you may assume a daily travel time
of 10 hours to calculate rough averages for hourly travel. You may also use the different ship travel speeds to
determine bonuses in naval Chases, or even automatically determine a winner.
Rest and Recovery on the Road
While traveling, it is assumed that characters will rest indoors whenever possible. In towns and cities, there
will almost always be inns or some other form of traveler’s lodging. Similarly, on well-traveled roads in populated
areas, there will often be traveler’s inns and way-stations along the way, where travelers may stay the night, for a
fee. However, many parts of the world are not so civilized, and travelers in these places may struggle to find an
adequate place to rest their heads.
When traveling for extended periods, character’s may find their ability to rest and recover impacted. If a
character is staying in well equipped-lodgings, generally including good food, a bed, and a roof over their head,
such as one would find in taverns, inns, and waystations, then they may recover their full hit protection,
determination points, and major effort as normal. If they are staying in uncomfortable accommodations, such as
sleeping in a stable or eating cold rations with no campfire, they only recover half of the hit protection and
determination points they normally would, but still recover major effort normally. Lastly, if they are roughing it
in the wilderness with no shelter, they recover no HP , DP, or major effort. If the situation changes throughout the
week, recovery is based on the average state for the week, at the GM’s discretion.
If for some reason a character is not able to achieve the required amount of rest per night (generally around 8
hours of sleep), or cannot eat a full rations-worth of food, they do not gain HP, DP, or major effort, and instead gain
1 point of stress at the end of a week where the majority of their days were spent this way.
 Terrain or Modifier Speed or Multiplier
Overland travel in easy terrain (mostly flat, lightly forested, deserts or plains) 15 miles/day

Overland travel in difficult terrain (mountainous or hilly, dense forest, 10 miles/day

wetlands, etc.)
Blizzard, deep snow (without proper equipment), glacier, cliffs and canyons, 5 miles/day
or otherwise very difficult terrain
Well-traveled, paved road with way-stations, or well traveled trails in very x2
easy terrain
Hard March, at a cost of 1 added stress per week and halved DP for NPCs/ x2 (max 45 miles/day)
army units
Mounted March, with at least 3 mounts per rider, with standard stress and x2 (no limit)
DP penalties of a Hard March
Traveling with cart, without a road or in bad conditions x0.5

Foul weather, mud, heavy rain with flooding x0.5

Army with baggage train on campaign x0.5

Army creating a trail as it marches x0.5

Ships By ship

Rowing Hard, at a cost of 1 added stress and halved HP for PC rowers, and x1.5
halved DP and HP for NPC rowers
Rowing without full complement, at half capacity or greater x0.5

Rowing benches less than half capacity 0 miles/day

Poor weather when using sails exclusively x0.25

One, two, or three Elemancers using the Full Sails technique, one at a time up x2, x3, x4 sailing speed
to 8 hours each per day

Environmental Hazards
Along the road of adventure, many challenges, mundane and magical, lie in one’s way.
Darkness
Most normal characters cannot see effectively in light levels less than torchlight, which is referred to
mechanically as being partially blind. All but magically-enhanced characters cannot see in complete darkness,
referred to as being blind. Blindness and partial blindness are described under the status effects sections. Certain
skill techniques may mitigate these penalties, as described in the technique. Ultimately, it’s up to the GM and the
game narrative as to whether these penalties apply in any given situation.
Extreme Heat or Cold
Exposure to extreme elements such as very high or low temperatures may have a significant impact on
characters. At low levels of exposure, characters are unable to recover HP and DP. At more intense levels, such as
arctic or desert conditions without the proper equipment or shelter, or temperatures beyond the normal range of
human survivability, they suffer 1d4 points of HP damage every day. This temperature does not need to last for the
entire day; for example a cold night may inflict damage to unprepared parties, even if the daytime temperatures
are more comfortable. In the most extreme temperature ranges, this may change to damage per scene, or even per
turn.
Falling
Characters will generally take 1d6 HP damage for every 10 feet that they fall, to a maximum of 20d6.
Poisons & Diseases
Whenever a character is exposed to a poison or disease, they may make a Toughness saving throw at difficulty
8 to avoid succumbing to the effects. Some poisons or diseases cannot be avoided even with a successful saving
throw, but the effects may be halved.
Poisons and diseases that are named in a spell, item description, or adventure module should be treated as
“powerful ailments”. These ailments require a difficulty 12 saving throw to avoid, and affect even those who might
otherwise be protected from mundane ailments and diseases. Additionally, if an ailment specifically outlines a
means of curing it, it is considered powerful. Ailments that exist in the environment naturally, are non-lethal
(colds, flus, skin irritants) or are less specific in origin might be considered mundane. GMs ultimately decide
whether an effect is powerful or mundane.
For poisons that possess a “save or death” description of the effects, GMs might decide to instead reduce the
player to HP equal to 1 + their Toughness skill level or have them become mortally wounded.
Water
Occasionally, characters may find themselves needing to swim through or simply tread water. Normal
characters swim at a speed equal to one quarter of their normal movement rate, although this may be modified by
techniques. They may hold their breath while swimming underwater for 3 rounds, plus twice their Athletics score.
Dehydration, Starvation, and Sleep Deprivation
Occasionally, characters find themselves without water or food, or unable to sleep through the night. The
stages of deterioration are the same for each of these hazards, beginning in discomfort, progressing to
exhaustion and eventually leading to mortal wounding and death.
The first stage, discomfort, occurs after half a day without water, 1 day without sleep, or after three days
without food. At this threshold, and for each day spent in discomfort (or half day for dehydration), characters must
pass a Toughness (or Perseverance, for sleep deprivation) skill check at difficulty 8, or gain one point of stress and
advance to the next stage. Characters with discomfort do not regain HP or effort when resting.
The second stage, exhaustion, involves a character’s health progressively worsening. While in this state, their
maximum hit protection and determination points are halved, and they gain one point of stress per day, which
cannot be avoided or reduced. If they become mortally wounded while in this state, they immediately die after one
turn. Additionally, characters may begin hallucinating, have trouble focusing, or otherwise begin to lose their
grasp on reality. They suffer a -2 penalty on all skill checks, and a -2 to damage in combat.
Starting a full day in the second stage, characters must make a Toughness skill check of difficulty 10 at the end
of every day, with the difficulty increasing by one each day. If they fail this check, they become mortally wounded,
and will die after one more day. Resolving their unmet need at any stage will return them to normal.
 Magic
Scrolls and Grimoires
Characters with the Spellbook (Metamancy) technique, also sometimes known as wizards, must have a
grimoire, where they record magical rituals and spells. A grimoire may only be created and written in by a
character who has the Spellbook technique, although any character with Metamancy 0 and Knowledge 0, except
for those with the Psion technique, may learn techniques from them.
Recording a technique into a grimoire requires a tutor who knows the technique, or another mage’s grimoire
or scroll to work off of. Characters do not need to be trained in the skill of the technique they are acquiring, instead
using their Metamancy skill level in place of the minimum magic skill level of the technique. If a technique has
another prerequisite technique, the prerequisite must be recorded first. There is no limit to the number of spells a
grimoire may hold.
Techniques must be recorded as a Year Action, with a mage able to record as many techniques as they have
Metamancy skill levels. A character may create a limitless number of grimoires. If copying from their own
grimoire, a wizard may copy twice as many techniques per Year Action.
Due to the difficulty of creating them, wizards are rare to part with their grimoires, even for exorbitant prices,
although they may allow a friend to copy from them given the right persuasion. Stolen or otherwise acquired
grimoires may occasionally be sold. While the market for such items is small, those few who are interested are
often willing to pay hefty prices for them. A grimoire is generally worth a sum based on the total number of
techniques in it, and each technique is worth 100sp multiplied by its level plus one.
Scrolls are powerful artifacts charged with the energy of a magical technique. To create a scroll, a mage must
have the Spellbook technique, and must have the technique being stored in their scroll in their grimoire. Scrolls
generally require magical components in their creation, which may be obtained through questing or purchased
from the rare magical dealer at a rate of 50sp per level of the recorded technique. Scroll creation is performed as a
Ritual lasting one scene, and requires effort committed for the week. Scrolls do not expire, although they lose their
power if damaged.
A scroll may be used to cast the magical technique stored within it, and may be cast by either a mage with the
Spellbook technique and a Metamancy level equal to or higher than the technique’s level, or a mage with training
in the same skill as the scroll’s technique, with equal or higher level in that skill.

Undead
When dealing with undead, there are two general classifications of the undead. First are mindless undead.
These include mindless zombies, skeletons, mindless spirits, and any other undead that behave with the
intelligence of an animal, reacting solely on instinct. Most mindless undead have very simple motivations,
generally revolving around tormenting, killing, and possibly eating any living beings around them, unless they
have been bound to a necromancer. Mindless undead do not have Will Dice or determination points, and will not
become demoralized or flee any encounter unless as a result of a necromantic technique. Additionally, mindless
undead may be bound to a necromancer.
Second are awakened undead, who have full use of their minds, similar to any living human or other similar
ancestry. Typical types of awakened undead are vampires and liches, but may also include particularly intelligent
zombies, spirits, and so forth. awakened undead cannot be automatically controlled by necromancers, but
powerful necromancers may generally make skill checks to attempt to temporarily control these beings. They have
Will Dice and Determination Points and may be demoralized like any living creature.
Necromancers may take techniques that allow them to raise and bind undead. There are some limits to this,
modified by their Necromancy skill level. Necromancers must be near a body to raise it, and must be able to see an
undead to bind them. They must always be within a distance equal to the necromancer’s effective range for
Necromancy. If the undead ever becomes farther away from the necromancer, they immediately become
unbound, with mindless undead reverting to their most base functions, and awakened undead choosing to do as
they please. Similarly, undead become unbound immediately upon the death of a necromancer.
Necromancers may bind awakened undead only for a limited amount of time, a number of scenes equal to
their Necromancy level. After this, the awakened undead is free to break away whenever they choose, and cannot
be bound by the same necromancer for at least one week.
A necromancer may bind any number of mindless undead, and may do so indefinitely. However, mindless
undead have very simple minds, and cannot be given complex commands. They will only accept commands from
the necromancer who bound them, the command must be delivered in person with the necromancer in range to
speak with the undead, and the undead will take every command extremely literally. If a command is particularly
complex or the undead is presented with a situation not covered by the command, the necromancer must roll a
Necromancy skill check at a difficulty determined by the GM. On a success, the undead acts in the way the
necromancer would like them to, and on a failure they fail to fully complete the task or do something contrary to
the necromancer’s desires.
As an example, a level one Necromancer may give a mindless undead the command: “Attack anyone who
passes through this door.” The undead will then attack any being (except for the necromancer themself) who passes
through the door, regardless of their relationship with the necromancer, until they are destroyed, bound by
another necromancer, unbound due to distance, or given a new command. The necromancer may instead say
“Attack any enemy who passes through this door”, but then they will need to make a Necromancy skill check
whenever the undead is forced to decide if someone is an enemy.

Freeform Rituals
Any characters with training in a magical skill may attempt to perform their own custom rituals relevant to
that skill. These rituals may be as diverse in their purpose as the mages performing them, and can be used to solve
a wide variety of problems facing a magic user and their allies. The customized nature of freeform rituals grants
them a lot of power. However, unlike more rigid technique rituals, they are much more difficult to perform, and
have high consequences to their failure.
To prepare a freeform ritual, a mage must first decide on its goal. This goal must be something achievable using
the magical skills that the mage possesses. For example, an elemancer would be hard-pressed to exorcize a vengeful
spirit possessing their friend, but a necromancer would have the skills to do so. The goal will guide the rest of the
process of ritual creation, and it is important that the mage have a clear idea of what they are hoping to achieve
with the ritual before continuing.
Once a goal has been settled on, the GM must decide the difficulty of the ritual, and make the mage’s player
aware of the difficulty. This difficulty is used during the ritual as a difficulty to beat with the appropriate magic skill
check. Difficulty should be determined by the scope of the ritual and the ambition of the goal. Scope is a way of
measuring the reach of the ritual, how many people it will affect, over how much time, and over how large of an
area or distance from the site of the ritual. Ambition attempts to track the impossibility that the magic of the ritual
is attempting to solve, and is inherently much more nebulous than scope as it depends heavily on the rules of magic
in the world the mage is inhabiting.
The easiest rituals, with a difficulty of 6, will usually involve only a handful of individuals or cover an area no
larger than a small village, with no lasting effects, and will be unambitious enough that they could have been
completed by mundane means given enough time. As any of these factors are changed, the GM should increase the
difficulty gradually, up to a maximum of 12.
Many ritual goals, however, will be wide-ranging, long-lasting, or ambitious enough that a single skill check
cannot encompass their difficulty. For these rituals, in addition to the skill check, they may require additional
resources. This may range from simple material components, to additional mage participants, to being in a certain
location or having access to a specific person, to providing some animal or mortal sacrifice, or even the blood or
body of a god or other powerful being. The nature of these resources should be decided upon by the GM, and may
be intuitively understood by the mage, or may require their own ritual or even a Year Action to determine what is
needed.
Once the freeform ritual has been prepared, the mage, and any of their assistants, may perform it as they would
a normal ritual, lasting a scene and requiring effort to be committed for the week. At the beginning of the ritual,
the mage leading the ritual must make a skill check with the relevant magical skill, and meet or exceed the difficulty
decided upon earlier. If they succeed, and their ritual is not interrupted, the goal of the ritual is completed. If the
goal of the ritual involves affecting other characters, those characters may make a relevant saving throw to avoid
the effects. If the mage fails in their skill check, the ritual goes horribly wrong. The GM may create a negative ritual
outcome based on the ritual itself, or roll a mishap from the tables below, modifying as they see fit.
 Running the Game
The following sections detail the tools available to GMs in order to create and run games, beginning with
creating a campaign and campaign world, how to populate those worlds, how to augment your game system, and
how to utilize and integrate other content and modules into your games.

The Principles
The following guidelines are the foundations of running The Years of Adventure. Everything else you need to
run the game is built upon these principles.
• Foster trust: First and foremost as a GM, you need to ensure that your players are comfortable roleplaying
with you and together. Real world safety always comes first.
• All rules are guidelines: The rules provided in The Years of Adventure provide a common language to guide
gameplay, but they are not the final arbiter, the GM is. As soon as the rules get in the way of the fun, ignore
them. If you can’t remember a rule in the moment, make a ruling and look up the rule after the session. If the
rules don’t cover a situation that the players are engaged with, that doesn’t mean they can’t perform the action.
If there is no uncertainty to the action, let it happen, and if there is uncertainty, let a skill check or something
similar cover the action.
• Making Rulings: Good rulings follow the common sense of the game world, and should be formed after
a brief conversation between the players and the GM. Most of the party should understand the reasoning
behind a ruling.
• Dealing with uncertainty: When a character takes an action that has an unclear outcome, a Skill Check
is almost always the best way to resolve the action.
• Uncertain penalties: Sometimes a character may perform an action that is harmful to them in some
unclear way. The easiest way to mechanically represent these types of penalties is by giving the character
1 point of stress.
• Embrace the sandbox: The Years of Adventure features sandbox play as a core component. There are no
story arcs for the GM to meticulously plan and run their players through. Instead, the GM creates a world, the
players create characters, and the story is created from the interaction of these elements. While the GM is
encouraged to create characters and situations that provoke story-telling opportunities, they should avoid
forcing the players into any specific actions, and instead give them the freedom to explore the sandbox.
• Have Fun. This might sound obvious, but seasoned GMs know that the pressures and expectations to create
meaningful and engaging worlds, characters, and story hooks can often become time consuming and tedious.
Part of fostering trust with your players is creating the understanding that you are not only the source of game
content, but an active and equal member of your group. Don’t be afraid to be honest about your enjoyment
and encourage others to be honest about theirs. It is through frank and well-intentioned conversation that the
entire party can create a more fun (and more sustainable) game culture. Maybe that means teaching a player
some of the systems you have mastered and allowing them to GM, or maybe it means taking a hiatus from the
normal flow of your campaign and trying something new. This is a game after all, and GMs deserve to have
fun too!
 Framing Your Campaign
Before starting your game, it is important
to discuss the expectations for your game with
your players. Many GMs prefer to have a “Session
0”, where players create characters, with the whole
group discussing safety tools and expectations for
the game. This may be an entire, multi-hour
session of play, but it may also be a 15 minute
discussion at the start of a single-session game
(commonly referred to as a “one-shot”). During
this introductory discussion, the following
questions can be used to guide your discussion:
• What tools will we use to ensure safety at the
table?
• What is the expected length of this campaign?
• What is the scope of this campaign and will we
be utilizing the domain and faction systems?
• How many characters will each player be
allowed/expected to run? What will the roles
of multiple characters be in your campaign?
• What are the goals of the players?
What tools will we use to ensure safety at the
table?
The Years of Adventure is capable of enabling
you to tell stories that may be upsetting, or worse,
for players. While this type of roleplaying can be
rewarding, it can also ruin what is meant to be a
fun experience with friends if done poorly. There
are many tools available for GMs and players to
safely tackle these difficult topics in their own
games. Before you begin play, make sure everyone
at the table understands what tools they have to
ensure that the game is safe and fun for everyone
involved.
What is the expected length of the campaign?
This question refers to both the in-game
length of the campaign, and the number of
sessions and real-world amount of time you are
expecting to dedicate to the campaign. Will it
encompass a single session of play, relating to a
short period of time in game? Will it be a grand
campaign, playing through the entire lifetime of
the player characters, no matter how long that
takes in the real world? Will it be somewhere in
between? Players may want to take this
information into account when creating
characters. Characters created for a single session
will likely be much less complex than one intended
to progress over a long campaign, and the amount
of effort put in by the player for each character will
also vary.
What is the scope of this campaign and will
we be utilizing the domain and faction
systems?
At times, the scope of a campaign is unknown
to everyone at a table before a campaign begins,
but it is a good idea to get a sense of what everyone
hopes to get out of the system. Characters created
for a large-scale, domain-level campaign may have
different motivations and techniques than those
created for a campaign centered around small-
scale dungeon crawling or one focused within a
single city. The scope of a campaign can change as
it goes on, so it can be useful to check in with
everyone’s answers to this question as the
campaign goes on.
How many characters will each player be
allowed/expected to run? What will the roles
of multiple characters be in your campaign?
After getting a rough idea of what the scope of
your campaign might be, it is then important to
determine whether or not the players in your party
will control multiple PCs at a time. Having
multiple characters might look different in
different campaigns, depending on the roles of
those characters. For example, it might be difficult
for a large group of players to maintain multiple
PCs each in a combat scenario, but those same
players might have several PCs in their stronghold,
contributing to the PC’s party or domain.
Additionally, there are many options available to
support peaceful or non-combat PCs, and players
might choose to create this type of character in
addition to or instead of a combat oriented PC.
Players should not feel pressured to create
multiple characters at the beginning of a campaign
unless a GM calls for it, as it is possible to add
additional characters to your control after the start
of a campaign.
Additional information on this topic can be
found under Controlling Multiple Characters on
{{Page Number}}.
What are the goals of the players?
Similar to deciding the scope of a campaign, it
is important to go over what the goals are for
everyone playing the campaign. What are the
players (not the player characters!) hoping to get
out of this game? Do they want to play a certain
type of character, or tell a particular story? Is the
GM interested in running a particular adventure
or sandbox module? This decision is crucially
important for players creating characters, to
ensure the characters have motivations and skills
that fit into the larger campaign. It is also
important to go over this beforehand to make sure
everyone is happy about the campaign concept.
Groups should revisit this question throughout
the scope of a campaign: The Years of Adventure is
modular, and when goals change, systems and
toolsets can be added or removed to reflect the
changing scope of a campaign.
The Sandbox
The Years of Adventure is built around
sandbox play, and this style is the intended way to
run a campaign in this system. In this game,
sandbox play is defined as adhering to the
following principles:
◆ Player-driven adventures: The GM lays out
the structure of the sandbox (the world,
NPCs, Factions, problems/adventure hooks,
etc.), and the players decide what to build
within that (the direction of the story).
◆ High player agency: Players are free to act
and solve problems in whatever way they see
fit, or not at all. There is no prepared story
that the GM has created for the players to
follow along with. Instead, the story is created
by the interaction of the player characters and
the rest of the world, played by the GM.
◆ A living world: The world must react to the
players’ actions, and to the players’ inaction.
Regardless of what the players do, the NPCs
and factions should have their own goals that
they are working towards in the background,
which may or may not be interrupted by the
players’ own machinations. The world should
not revolve around the players, but must take
their presence into account. The world must
always be changing, not a static background
that only moves when a light is shined on it.
Components of the Sandbox
Key Components: There are four
components to develop when building out a
sandbox campaign: the setting, NPCs, factions,
and problems. Depending on your preferences,
these components may have varying importance,
but all are necessary to some extent to create a
complete sandbox experience.
Setting: Setting encompasses a few distinct
ideas: the literal world that the campaign takes
place in, the laws of reality that govern the world,
and the themes that the campaign hopes to explore
within that world. Setting is crucial for aiding your
ability to improvise at the table. The following
section “A Sandbox World” provides advice on
building a setting for your campaign.
NPCs: Non player characters bring the world
of your campaign to life. NPCs are one of the best
ways to introduce the specifics of setting, factions,
and problems to the players in your campaign.
Advice about creating, running, and even creating
tables for randomly generating NPCs on the fly,
can be found in the “Non-Player Characters”
section.
Domains and Factions: The worlds of
sandbox campaigns should be dynamic, both
reacting to the actions of the player characters and
changing outside of the actions of the players.
Domains and factions can be used to inspire the
player characters into action, and show the impact
they’ve had afterwards. Players may even choose
to run their own Domain or Faction, tying them
explicitly into the changes of the world. Through
the Domain and Faction Year Actions, these
organizations can also take their own actions,
providing GMs with an optional structure for
affecting their world. The section “A Sandbox
World” describes how to create Domains and
Factions, as well as advice on how to include them
in your campaign, while the chapters on Domains
and Factions provides the rules for running these
organizations.
Problems: In an ideal sandbox campaign, play
will be entirely driven by player-chosen objectives.
This ideal can be difficult to achieve, particularly
for newer groups, so a wise GM will provide
backup adventure hooks, otherwise known as
problems, to guide players when they aren’t sure
what to do next. A problem is something in the
sandbox that the players have the opportunity to
solve. It should be open ended, so that players can
solve it in whatever manner they choose, and a
good problem will involve the existing factions in creating situations that even the GM did not
and NPCs present within the setting, or introduce expect, and fudging dice rolls ruins that. Second, it
new players to them. See “Creating Problems” for allows players to understand implied competency
more advice on this topic. of their adversaries. For example, if in a combat a
GM rolls an attack privately and then asks the
player “does a 20 beat your AC?” the player does
General Advice not know anything new. Instead, if the GM openly
rolls a 5 on an NPC’s attack, and then asks the
Preparation Time: One of the advantages of
player the same question, the player may have a
a sandbox play style is the time that a GM can save
better idea that they are in over their heads. This
in preparing for sessions of play, when done right.
applies to all in-game rolls: there is almost no case
The most time-intensive part of any sandbox
where the modifier applied to a skill check or
campaign is in building it, either before the
attack roll would not be represented with
campaign starts, or when adding new elements to
character competency in the system as well.
an existing campaign. To keep preparation time
Hiding this information from the players, even
manageable, focus on preparing the bare
though their characters would likely have it, does
minimum needed for your next session first, and
everyone a disservice.
only think about long-term preparation when you
have the time and desire to do so.
GMing should be a fun activity, even during
solo preparation. If you find yourself spending
more time preparing for a session than playing in
it, you are likely preparing more than you need. If
you are enjoying the preparation and have the time
for it, carry on! If not, review your key
components and decide what is absolutely
necessary for the next session, and what isn’t. At a
minimum, a session needs no more than 2 factions,
a problem, and 2 to 4 NPCs.
Using the Domain and Faction Systems:
These systems are meant to guide and inspire your
sandbox play, not replace your own ideas as a GM.
As the GM, you know yourself, your players and
your setting the best. If you or your players have an
idea that sounds fun, but doesn’t perfectly fit
within the systems provided here, you should
modify it or ignore it as you see fit.
Player Knowledge: While the GM has nearly
complete knowledge of the world, the players only
know what the GM tells them. Players require as
much information as possible to make decisions. If
players are making a choice that seems non-
sensical to the GM, it is likely because there is
some miscommunication between the GM and the
players about the world. When a situation like this
arises, it never hurts for the GM to take a step back,
and make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Open Rolls: As an addendum to player
knowledge, it’s important for GMs to make all of
their rolls in the open. This has a number of
benefits in sandbox play. First, it cuts out any
opportunity to fudge dice rolls (in either
direction). One of the great joys of sandbox play is
A Sandbox World
 Non-Player Characters
Non-player characters are one of the most important aspects of The Years of Adventure, after player
characters. When creating them, it is important that the GM balances simplicity, to help the game run smoothly
and let the player characters shine, with enough depth to ensure that each character has enough of an identity that
the players remember who they are. To aid in this, The Years of Adventure advises dividing NPCs into three
different categories: Simple Combat NPCs, Simple Social NPCs, and Complex NPCs.

Simple Combat NPCs

Simple Combat NPCs are people, or creatures, that the player characters will interact with mostly in the
context of violence, or potential violence. These are the typical horrifying giant insects, faceless henchmen,
mindless undead, and any other foe that the PCs may battle without too much social interaction. Simple Combat
NPCs are usually represented with a statistic block relating mostly to combat, such as:

Name HD WD Armor Dmg. Move

Peasant 1 1 0 Wpn 30’
Knight 4 4 9 Wpn + 2 30’

Hit Dice (HD) represent a non-player character’s general combat power. An NPC’s HP is equal to 4 per HD
for non-martial characters, and 8 per HD for martial characters. GMs hoping for more randomness may roll 1d8
for each HD and sum the result to get the character’s HP. GMs looking for more consistent NPCs may simply set
their HPHit Dice roughly correlates to the Toughness skill, but also includes all other combat-related skills as well.
Athletics, Observance, and Stealth may fall under this category as well. When needed, an NPC’s combat-related
skills can be derived from their hit dice, by dividing by 2 and rounding down. If relevant, an NPC may have a stress
threshold equal to half their HD, but they generally will not have Injuries.
Will Dice (WD) are a measure of an NPC’s force of character. It correlates to the Perseverance skill, but also
to magic skills, as well as some personality-based skills such as Leadership and Communication. Similarly to Hit
Dice, an NPCs Determination Points may be generated from Will Dice, by rolling 1d8 for each WD, and skill levels
can be derived by taking half the WD and rounding down.
Armor is the same for NPCs as for PCs.
Damage (Dmg.) is done when an NPC makes an attack. Some NPCs will have their damage listed as “Wpn”,
which means they do damage according to the weapon they are equipped with. Occasionally, this may be modified
for NPCs particularly skilled at combat.
Move is how far an NPC can move in a typical combat round, measured in feet.

Simple Combat NPCs with particularly high HD or WD may also be given a few techniques in their most
relevant skills. This isn’t necessary for every random enemy, but it can be a simple way to add some uniqueness to
an NPC. As a good rule of thumb, one technique for every 4 HD or WD is recommended.
Not all skills can easily be represented with Hit Dice and Will Dice. For profession-related skills such as
Animals, Crafting, Knowledge, etc. GMs can follow a few simple rules. The average person will be untrained in
these skills, or perhaps have level 0 in them if they are slightly related to their profession. A novice of the skill will
have 1, and a professional will have 2. A master of the skill will have a level of 3, and the best in a region will have
4. NPCs rarely have a 5th level in a skill, and those that do are likely at the very top of their field.
Note that while rules are given to calculate NPC skills, NPCs aren’t actually skilled in everything. A knight will
generally not know how to sail, and a peasant is unlikely to know much magic. A GM should always assume that
an NPC is untrained in a skill unless it directly relates to their profession.
Combat Triggers
Combat Triggers are actions that an NPC will take after a predetermined event has occurred. They are specific
to the NPC, or type of NPC, and do not always provide a benefit to them. Combat triggers are a simple and
effective means of diversifying an encounter with minimal work for the GM.

Name HD WD Armor Dmg. Move

Knight 4 4 9 Wpn + 2 30’
Combat Trigger – Will honorably refuse to attack an unarmed opponent.

As a simple example of this, the knight listed above might have a combat trigger that reads as follows:
Combat triggers might also come in the form of special abilities. A large monster with a powerful tail might
sweep that tail in a circle if surrounded by combatants, or a crazed beast may attempt to flee past enemies, even to
their own detriment. Perhaps a magical NPC saves their most powerful attack until they are brought to half health,
or a lover becomes reckless and enraged when their partner falls in battle. Whatever the trigger, it can be used to
turn a simple combat NPC into one with a bit more variety to their interactions.

Magical NPCs
NPCs and enemies with magic present unique and interesting challenges and opportunities for encounters
and adventures, however, they can occasionally be difficult to create quickly. Generally speaking, a magical NPC
would have 1 level in a relevant skill for every 2 WD they possess (starting at level 0), and a new magical technique
each level. Additionally, assume that these characters gain an additional level in Metamancy for every 4 WD they
possess.
Therefore, a magical NPC with 6 WD would have a magical skill at level 3 with 3 techniques learned and a
Metamancy of 1.
Simple Social NPCs
Simple social NPCs are characters that the players are likely to interact with socially, and never in combat.
These characters may appear in only a single session, or they may be minor background characters such as a local
artisan or a loyal informant. These characters generally don’t need a stat block more complex than a Will Dice.
However, they do need developed personalities, or at least the semblance of one. While it can be useful to give these
NPCs Motivations, this is not always necessary. For simple NPCs, the following list of personality traits can be
used, rolling or choosing as many as necessary. When roleplaying as these NPCs, you can keep these traits in mind
to determine how they will react to the player characters. You should also note the profession, or societal role of
this NPC, for your own notekeeping. Thus, a note block for a simple social block may appear as follows:

Character: John Doe, Human Blacksmith in Adventure Town, 3WD, Traits: Devout, Personable, and Trusting

50 Personality Traits

d100 Trait d100 Trait d100

1-2 Anarchical 35-36 Fickle 69-70 Narcissistic
3-4 Arrogant 37-38 Finicky 71-72 Obedient
5-6 Ascetic 39-40 Forgiving 73-74 Patient
7-8 Bitter 41-42 Gluttonous 75-76 Personable
9-10 Blunt 43-44 Greedy 77-78 Pessimistic
11-12 Boisterous 45-46 Honorable 79-80 Petty
13-14 Bold 47-48 Hopeful 81-82 Proud
15-16 Calm 49-50 Impulsive 83-84 Selfish
17-18 Caring 51-52 Independent 85-86 Spiritual
19-20 Cruel 53-54 Jealous 87-88 Stubborn
21-22 Curious 55-56 Just 89-90 Subversive
23-24 Devout 57-58 Lazy 91-92 Suspicious
25-26 Disciplined 59-60 Loner 93-94 Terse
27-28 Discrete 61-62 Loyal 95-96 Trusting
29-30 Energetic 63-64 Manic 97-98 Vengeful
31-32 Extravagant 65-66 Miserly 99-100 Zealous
33-34 Feral 67-68 Modest
Complex NPCs
Complex NPCs usually involve a combination of both Simple Combat NPCs and Simple Social NPCs. These
NPCs require more work, and are only worth it if they are major characters that the player characters are
interacting with regularly. Alternatively, they may be a pivotal NPC in an adventure. At a bare minimum, these
NPCs will have everything that a Simple Social NPC will have, plus a combat stat block if relevant, and a physical
description. Usually, the GM should go a step further to create goals for the NPCs future, and stories from their
past.
Complex NPCs meant to represent significant combat challenges for players may also be given a few
techniques relevant to their role on the battlefield. Magical NPCs should also be given techniques relevant to their
focused magical skills, of which they will usually only have one or two well trained, and perhaps a few trained to
¼ their WD if they are particularly powerful.
There are a few ways to add more notable points to the social aspect of NPCs. First, give them a few
distinguishing physical features, such as an abnormal build, distinctive hair style, scars, or other memorable
feature. In a pinch, you can roll on the following table for features. When rolling, try to embrace seeming
contradictions or unexpected results. Perhaps the grizzled war male veteran is also “particularly pretty” or the
talented musician is “missing a finger”. These features create more memorable characters, and may even inspire the
roleplaying for that NPC. Second, NPCs who will be sticking around for more than a scene may have a goal that
they are working towards. Goals are objectives that an NPC is working towards in their own time, and may or may
not intersect with the player characters. They also provide an opportunity for player characters looking to befriend
or impress an NPC, assuming they can determine the NPC’s goals. Random goals can be rolled on the table below,
or chosen, at the GM’s discretion. Additionally, NPCs might carry mementos that remind them of their past or
plans for the future.

d20 Notable Physical Features Memento

1 Missing a finger A bundle of bright feathers
2 Has an abnormal eye color Clay figurines of deities
3 Missing/rotted teeth A fossil
4 Prominent birthmark A rabbit’s paw, or other lucky charm
5 Noticeable facial scar Beaded bracelet
6 Large body scar A woven dreamcatcher
7 Missing a limb Ratty leather cloak
8 Acne or warts A set of turquoise dice
9 Masculine face A beautiful, but valueless stone
10 Feminine face A small, marble sundial
11 Androgynous face A leatherbound journal
12 Particularly pretty A locket on a braided chain
13 Premature aging, weathered A purloined letter, sealed with wax
14 Baby-faced Half of a treasure map
15 Unusually tall/short A pair of children’s shoes, never worn
16 Unusually bulky/thin Bear claw necklace
17 Abnormal hair/skin color or texture A coin from a far-off land
18 Distinctive scent A scrap of crimson cloth
19 Abnormally good skin/teeth/hair A shrunken finger
20 Remarkably average A prominent family’s ring
d20 Personality Features Goals
1 Takes things incredibly personally. Support their family
2 Always willing to drink or gamble. Grow their wealth
3 Quiet and terse, unless angry. Learn something new
4 Talkative and vapid in conversation. Make a new friend/ally
5 Has a hatred towards a specific group of people for wronging them. Improve their social class
6 Wishes bitterly that they had more in life. Retire to a peaceful life
7 Trails off at the end of every… Avenge a loved one
8 Very particular in their tastes, interests, or desires. Preserve their traditions
9 Extremely stubborn and ornery, except towards one other person. Spread their faith/culture/beliefs
10 Prefers the company of animals over humans. Master their craft
11 Extremely clean, anal about organization. Achieve fame and glory
12 Uses humor to connect and cope. Discover new or forgotten things
13 Phobia(s), both normal and unique. Achieve enlightenment
14 Voracious eater. Defeat a foe
Save an ailing/endangered loved
15 Insatiable thirst for knowledge and secrets
one
16 Extremely secretive and mysterious. Improve self
17 Has a love for wanton violence. Escape a dark past
18 Holds the principles and pursuit of peace above all else. Live up to expectations
19 Overly dogmatic in their beliefs, becomes rabid when pressed. Avoid death
20 Holds strange conspiracy theories about the world. Atone for past sins
Creating Problems
 Designing New Techniques
A player may decide that there is an ability they would like to have which isn’t possible with the techniques
provided in this rulebook. Alternatively, a player or the GM may wish to bring in abilities from other similar
games, such as a spell or class ability. These abilities are usually best represented as skill techniques.
When creating or importing techniques, a few rules should be observed to keep gameplay consistent.
While The Years of Adventure does not strive for balance between characters, it does strive to ensure every player’s
character has their own important skills to offer.
◆ Techniques must be relevant to the skill they are associated with. Techniques that have multiple relevancies
should have multiple skills as their requirement, with the most relevant skill being the one the technique is
defined under. For example, a technique designed to aid in ranged assassinations might have Marksmanship
as the primary skill, and Stealth as the secondary skill requirement.
◆ Techniques must have the appropriate level requirements for the size of their effect. This can be incredibly
subjective, but there are a few guidelines GMs can follow. First, the GM should compare the technique to
existing techniques that may be similar. For example, a technique that deals damage should not do more than
other techniques at the same level. Second, the scale of the effect can be used to determine the level of the
technique. A technique that lasts for only a scene, against a single target, may be level 0 or level 1. A
technique that affects a large area for an extended period of time will likely be higher level. Lastly, if
importing an ability from another game as a technique, the skill level can often be approximated by finding
the minimum character level that the ability would be gained at in that game, and dividing by two.
◆ Particularly powerful magical techniques, such as those that extend lifespans, perform true resurrection, or
those with significant permanent effects, will usually require some cost greater than their effort cost. These
may be costs inflicted upon the caster, or require them to perform some gruesome acts.
 Compatibility with other Games
The Years of Adventure was created to be easily compatible with many games in the NSR (New School
Revolution), and the OSR systems that preceded it. Other fantasy systems are possible to convert with a little
additional work. It is relatively trivial to run adventures created for any of these game systems in The Years of
Adventure, and with some work spells and abilities from those games may also be imported as techniques, or even
whole skill categories. The following sections provide some guidelines to doing this, although ultimately every
game is unique to its GM and players, and the GM should decide what works best for them.

Mechanical Analogues
Many adventures written for systems similar to The Years of Adventure can be imported directly, and run as
written. The only notable changes may be related to NPCs, and their stat blocks. Most of the similar games in this
genre do not have social combat rules, and many of them use Morale instead of Will Dice for their NPCs.
The conversion for WD is relatively simple: Will Dice will generally be roughly equal to Hit Dice, except for
NPCs more focused on the mind such as mages or diplomats with notably higher WD than HD, or particularly
cowardly-but-powerful foes such as wild animals with the opposite. In these cases, GMs should apply a Will Dice
that they find appropriate, usually no less than half the Hit Dice, and no more than 5 times the Hit Dice. If the
creature has a Morale score, this may serve as a rough guide to their Will Dice.
In games that do not provide Hit Dice and only provide Hit Protection (or Points), Hit Dice may be derived by
dividing the HP by 4 for non-martial characters, and 8 for martial characters.
Some games use Armor Class (either ascending or descending) in place of damage-reducing armor. The easiest
way to convert armor class is to find an equivalent armor setup in this system based on the provided description.
This is often not possible, unfortunately. In such a case, you can derive armor using the following formulas. For
ascending AC, subtract 11 from the provided AC. For descending AC, subtract the AC from 10. In either case, limit
to a maximum of 10 armor.
Many games use Saving Throws and Difficulty Checks of various types to determine outcomes and reactions
to spells, events, or abilities within a combat or adventure scenario. When converting these to skill checks, think
about the fiction first when finding an appropriate skill to use instead of the mechanics of the other game.

Importing Adventures
Perhaps the most difficult part of using adventures not written for The Years of Adventure is determining their
relative difficulty for a party of classless-characters. Many compatible systems are based on classes, where
characters have an overall character level, and adventures are described in terms of the appropriate character
levels for the adventure. The simple solution to this is to ignore the recommended character levels: The Years of
Adventure is designed for sandbox play that ultimately does not attempt to scale encounters to character’s ability,
but rather let the players decide when they need to retreat or surrender.
Of course, this is not the most satisfying answer, and many players will not enjoy entering a dungeon that is
guaranteed to kill them all immediately. Nor is it always enjoyable to walk through an adventure with hardly any
challenge. GMs wishing to avoid these scenarios may try to estimate a party’s ability using the closest equivalent
in The Years of Adventure: total skill levels. This process is somewhat math-intensive, but is the most accurate
measure of how well a party will be able to handle an adventure. Sum the total combined trained skill levels of the
entire party, and add techniques as well at their minimum level. Divide this sum by {{10}}, and then by the number
of characters in the party, to reach an average level comparable to other games.
 Domains
When playing campaigns over the long time-scales expected in The Years of Adventure, characters may often
find themselves engaging with sovereign governments, either as an outside party, or by ruling a domain of their
own. Some games may even begin with a player, or party, of rulers, while others may see player characters building
wealth and power over time before taking on a leadership roll within a domain. The following rules are meant to
serve as a guide for groups looking to engage in those types of narrative. Additionally, they may be useful to a GM
looking to create a living world for the players to engage with, even if they do not directly join a domain.
Domain Maps and Scales
Modern GMs have a plethora of mapping options available to them, from the classic hand drawn hex map, to
free online map generators such as Azgaar’s Fantasy Map Generator (https://azgaar.github.io/), to paid
mapmaking software. Additionally, there are many guides, rules, advice, and other media about how to create a
custom fantasy map. Rather than reinvent the wheel, The Years of Adventure encourages GMs to use their favorite
resources and methods to create a map, and provides the necessary tools to convert existing content into the
domain system. While creating a map to use with these Domain rules, there are a few points to consider to ensure
the map works smoothly with the rules, namely population density and size.
These domain rules use population as the most important metric of a land. They assume a population density
of 5-100 people per square mile, depending on the development and safety of a region. To make population
tracking easier, it’s wise to group map sections into units which will not be divided further (unless the narrative
particularly calls for it). We’ll refer to these units of land as provinces. When directly assigning population for an
area, the following chart can be used, scaled to the size of your map’s provinces (or each individual province).
Provinces can be grouped together into regions. A region should contain somewhere in the range of 5-15
provinces, with roughly similar climate and geography throughout. Some regions may represent a single
dominant culture or nation, while others may be a nexus of mixing cultures and empires. Generally, a single region
is large enough to encompass many sessions of gameplay, and indeed an entire campaign could occur in a single
region. More ambitious players and game masters may instead prefer to incorporate multiple regions into their
worlds and play, tracking a single large spanning empire, or simply traveling far afield and interacting with many
different peoples. The rules laid out in the following sections provide direction for either style of play.
Creating or converting a map from scratch can be a time consuming process that not every GM will enjoy
doing. As with every piece of prep work, the GM should only do this if they enjoy it or it is necessary for play. These
rules encourage GMs to use modern tools to
Density Description make their mapmaking easier, or use existing
setting content such as the Years in the
Dragon Empire setting created for this
5 people/mi2 Total wilderness, no notable settlements
system. Whether creating their own realm, or
Tribal or nomad land, small towns are using an existing setting, it’s important to
20 people/mi2 the largest settlements, or razed land keep in mind that domain play should be fun
following major conflicts for both the GM and player. Domain play is
not for everyone, so it is important to
Average density of settled, peaceful land, consider whether this element of the game is
40 people/mi2 large towns common, may even have a right for your table. In some cases, it may be
city or two desirable to have only a subset of players
engaged in the domain management aspects
Developed land, many large towns and
of a campaign. These rules are designed to be
60 people/mi2 cities, likely quite fertile with temperate
handled swiftly, and so they may be
climate
performed in between sessions, or at the start
Very populated land, likely the capital or end of play.
region of a large empire, either
80+ people/mi2
incredibly fertile or dependent on food When working with hex maps, GMs can
imports calculate area based on the size of the hex, and
apply population based on that area and the above graph. When using Azgaar’s Fantasy Map Generator, or similar
tools that generate population automatically, simply adjust the population slider until it aligns with the above
guidelines. If hand drawing a map, or otherwise using a map without easily calculated province area, rough
calculations are more than sufficient. Few civilizations are likely to have accurate census keeping, and so the math
does not need to be accurate, and should instead focus on playability and ease of creation.
Domain Resources
There are three main resources used to measure a domain: productivity, wealth, and stability. Domain
outputs are measured using productivity, which is derived from the population of a land and the resources within
it. Wealth is the non-land resources of the domain, measured in silver pieces where 1 wealth is equal to 10 silver
pieces worth of goods. This may include actual silver and other precious metals, but also encompasses other
valuable goods, such as crafted weapons and tools, magical items, livestock and food stores, raw resources such as
metals, wood, and stone, and any other item that may hold value. Stability is a measure of the support given to a
ruler by those in their domain, including everyone from the lowliest serf, to the royal family. It has a maximum
value of 10. At 0 stability, the government of the domain has lost all credibility, and functionally ceases to exist.
This may result either in a land of complete lawlessness, a fracturing into many smaller petty domains ruled by
whoever can bring order to the chaos, or the rise of a powerful faction within that domain.
Calculating Productivity: Productivity is calculated for each province, and is equal to the population of the
province divided by 10, modified by any resources and problems faced by the province, as described in those
respective sections. The total productivity of a domain is equal to the sum of all provinces.
Using Productivity: Productivity is used in a variety of ways. The ruler of a realm must support themself and
their family, along with any courtiers and servants. They must also support any full-time soldiers or companions
(loyal warriors). These warriors are often supported with land that is given with permission of the ruler, and not
inherited (as opposed to vassal land). The church(es) of the domain may also demand a tithe of the ruler. Lastly, the
structures of the domain require maintenance. This includes roads, bridges, castles/forts, and so forth. These costs
can be calculated using the table below. Some entries are marked as (High, Average, Low); these different values
correlate to different costs being paid, and will have benefits or penalties mentioned later in the guide. Any
remaining productivity after these costs are taken into account can be used to generate wealth for the ruler, at a
rate of 1 wealth per production. Additionally, if the domain has a productivity deficit, it can cover the deficit with
its wealth at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Province Development
In addition to the productivity earned as a result of the people in a province, domains may also further develop
provinces to increase their productivity. To do so, a domain must take the Develop Domain action to spend wealth
equal to the current total productivity of the province. In return, the province gains a development point. For
each development point that a province has, it adds an additional 5% of its productivity gained from population to
its total productivity. For example, a province with 100,000 people would have 10,000 base productivity. If that
province had 3 development points, it would earn an additional 15% productivity: 1,500 in this case, for a total
productivity of 10,000 x 1.15 = 11,500.
 Domain Costs
The following encompass most of the recurring
Item Cost costs that a domain might expect to pay in a year. If
a domain has productivity higher than their actual
100 prod/adult, 20 prod/ productivity, they may cover the difference with
Nobles/Upper Class
child their accumulated wealth. If they cannot cover the
5 prod, plus 5 prod for difference with their wealth, they must go into a
Professional Soldiers deficit, rolling an additional maintenance problem
each HD and WD over 1
and stability problem at the start of every year until
0 prod, up to 1/10th the deficit is resolved.
Levy
regional productivity Nobles: Nobles represent the ruling class of a
5 prod per WD, domain who are directly dependent on the ruler,
Court Hirelings including family members and the ruling members
multiplied by 2 for mages
of the government, such as senators or ruling
Per maintenance cost, council members. These nobles may or may not be
Ship
converted to prod of “royal blood”, depending on the importance of
that in the society of the domain. Some nobles may
Church Tithes (High,
20%, 10%, 5% be useful for the domain, either leading soldiers or
Average, Low)
providing valuable skills, but just as many are
Maintenance (High, unlikely to be doing anything useful at all, and in
20%, 10%, 5% fact may be simply a burden.
Average, Low)
Professional Soldiers: For these warriors,
being a soldier is a full time job. Unlike levies, they have no fields or villages to return to when the battle is done,
and instead earn a regular salary through employment in the military. Professional soldiers are generally paid by
their level of experience, measured in their Hit Dice and Will Dice. In smaller domains, there will usually be few
professional soldiers, representing a warrior class, household guard, or a few units meant to supplement levy
forces. In larger domains, there may be entire legions of professional soldiers solely responsible for defending the
realm, and attacking others.
Levies: In addition to full-time warriors, a ruler may also raise a levy from the common folk of a region they
control. Levies have only the most basic training, represented by a HD and WD of 1. They also come lightly
equipped, with total weapons and armor worth no more than 25sp, plus the equivalent of one Soldier kit and
Wilderness kit split among every 4 levied soldiers. Levies are raised on a per-region basis, and the maximum size
of the levy is equal to 1/10th the productivity of a region. Levies are drawn from the able-bodied population of a
domain, and usually are required to serve their ruler. They are generally unwilling to serve far from their homes,
and suffer a morale penalty, starting any encounter with half of their normal determination points when outside
their home region.
Court Hirelings: Hirelings represent non-noble members of a ruler's court. This could be a skilled crafter,
diplomat, local guide or interpreter, low-level mage, or some other skilled person.
Church Tithes: Every ruler must dedicate some money towards supporting the local religious structures or
appeasing the gods of the domain. Most domains will simply pay average tithes, and provide no particular benefits
or drawbacks. High tithes may be paid to bolster the church, and provide a bonus to the domain of increasing
stability by 1 per year. Low tithes lead to an unhappy church, and by extension an unhappy people, generating a
Tithe Problem every year, as described in the Domain Turn section. A domain may also pay no tithes, and roll
twice on the Tithe Problem table.
Maintenance: Domains must devote some portion of their productivity to the upkeep of infrastructure. A
domain paying high maintenance is a desirable place to live: the population will grow by 1% per year due to a
healthier populace and incoming migration. Domains paying average maintenance receive no benefit or
drawbacks. Domains paying low maintenance must roll a Maintenance Problem as described in the Domain Turn
section. A domain can also choose to pay no maintenance, and roll twice on the Maintenance Problem table.
 The Domain Turn
The domain turn is taken once a year. At the start of the year, the ruler must decide if they want to change their
tithe or maintenance allocations. They may also choose to dismiss courtiers, and companion warriors. Next, the
domain rolls on the problem tables, described in the next section. After that, the action rounds begin. First, all
domain rulers roll a Leadership skill check to determine their initiative order. Then, each domain may take one
action each in the initiative order until they all have no actions left. Once all actions have been taken, the domain
accounts for any unresolved or ongoing problems and their effects. Lastly, they gain 1 wealth for every 1 point of
production that is not already allocated to something else (modified by any active effects on the domain).

Domain Problems
Every year, domains must roll a number of problems from the tables below. Some problems give active effects
to the domain, which will not disappear until the problem is resolved. Other problems have only a one-time effect,
either inflicted immediately, or if the problem is not resolved in a certain amount of time. Domains must roll 1
time on the appropriate table for each of the following conditions met:
• Every domain must roll one general problem
• Domain maintenance spending is low
• Domain tithe spending is low
• Stability is at or below 5
• Roll an additional maintenance and stability problem if Wealth is below 0

Generally, the domain ruler will roll the problem for themselves. In some cases, the GM and players may
decide that a rolled problem makes no narrative sense for the shared story. In this case, and only with GM
approval, the problem may be rerolled, or the GM may choose a different problem. In some more narrative driven
campaigns, the GM may prefer to choose problems rather than having domains roll for them. In this case, chosen
problems must make narrative sense.
Maintenance Problems

Abandoned Fields: Poor management has caused some farmland to fail in a single province of the
domain, chosen at random or by the GM. There is significant risk of starvation, and those who can are
1
seeking to move elsewhere. Until the problem is resolved, the province has a negative malus, producing
half of its normal productivity.
Waste Mismanagement: The villages and urban centers of a province have built up an excessive
amount of human waste, which in turn has caused disease. 10% of the population of the province dies as
a plague sweeps through the cities. If the plague is not contained through the Deal with a Problem
2
domain action, it will spread to a neighboring province at random the next year, as well as remaining in
the current province. It will do this every year from each affected province until the problem is resolved,
potentially spreading to other domains as well.
Undersupplied: Funds meant to be given to support the levies and soldiers have been misallocated. For
3
this year, all units of this domain begin battles with half of their normal determination points.
Food Shortage: Mismanagement or corruption has led to disturbingly empty granaries across the
domain. If not resolved by the end of the year, lose 2 stability and 10% of the population of the entire
4
domain to starvation. If attempting to purchase replacement food stores, the average price will be 1
wealth for every 5 productivity of the domain.
Disrupted Merchants: Some critical infrastructure relied on by merchants for trade has broken down,
be it a road, harbor, bridge, or something else. To resolve this issue, pay the maximum in maintenance for
5
1 year. Every year this is not resolved (including the first year), disgruntled merchants lower stability by
1.
Pirates: Sea-based trade routes have been interrupted by raiders. If the domain has any Ports province
6 resources, they are disabled until the pirates are dealt with. Otherwise, 20% of wealth generated at the
end of the year is lost to the pirates.
Corrupt Taxmen: The people collecting tax from the domain have decided to take more for themselves.
7
Until dealt with, wealth gained from production is reduced by 20%.
Resources Lost: Negligence in upkeep has led to the collapse of some resource, such as a mining cave-
8 in, defensive walls falling in disrepair, or other destructive event. One province resource is lost entirely,
needing to be rebuilt for half the original cost before it can work again.
Overharvesting: Some critical natural resource or food resource has been overharvested in a province
and will need to naturally recover. This may be overfishing in a nearby sea, overlogging of wood, or
9
overworked farmland leading to barren fields. For 5 years, that province produces only half its normal
production.
Missing Coffers: The stored wealth of this domain, usually kept under a watchful eye, has been steadily
stolen over the past year. Either one quarter of the Wealth of the domain or 5,000 Wealth (whichever is
10
greater) has gone missing. If it is not found using the Deal with a Problem action by the end of the year, it
will be unrecoverable.
Tithe Problems
Note: the first 8 problems may be applicable to any domain, while the final 2 are best suited to domains/
campaigns where the divine powers of the world take an active role in the ongoings of individual domains. If this
is not in the style of the campaign, simply exclude those by rolling d8 instead of d10.

Ill Omens: The lower classes are restless with tidings of bad omens. Due to some esoteric signs they
1
claim to have read, they believe calamity is coming for this domain. The domain loses 1 stability.
Restless Undead: For some reason, the church has not been able to adequately provide funeral rites for
2 all of the recently dead in the domain. Unfortunately, this has led to some restless spirits harassing the
common folk. Until resolved, lose 1 stability at the end of every year.
Disgruntled Clergy: The clergy are unhappy with the direction the domain is taking, and have begun
actively working against the ruler. Until they are placated, roll an additional time on the Stability
3
Problem table at the start of every year, including when this is first rolled. As an alternative to the Deal
With a Problem action, the clergy may also be placated by paying high church tithes for 3 years.
Schism: Disagreements between the religious leaders within the country have reached a boiling point.
Communication has broken down between the two factions, and both are on the verge of labeling the
4
other heretics. Until resolved, lose 1 stability and roll an additional Tithe problem at the start of every
year.
Cultists: A group of religious zealots, foreign or local, have found a home in this domain. Five percent of
the population of a province reveal themselves to be members of this cult. Every year, the cult spreads to
an additional province, although never more than 10% of any province. Cult members do not contribute
5 to productivity, and may raise their own levies and personnel using productivity calculated from their
share of the population of the domain. The cult may be dealt with through the Deal with a Problem
action, or particularly brutal domains may lead a pogrom with the Wage a Campaign action, although
this extreme violence is certain to have further repercussions.
Proclaimed Heathens: The dominant faith in the domain has been declared an enemy of a foreign
religion. All followers of this foreign faith are expected to treat followers of the local faith as enemies, at
6
least publically. Foreign domains may be forced to cut diplomatic ties with this domain if the issue is not
resolved by the end of the year. The domain loses 1 point of stability.
Crusade: A holy order, either of the same religion as the domain or a foreign one, has called a crusade
7 against the ruler of the domain. They will begin waging war in whatever manners they possess in the goal
to remove the current leadership of the domain.
Lost Faith: The people of this domain have lost interest in performing the typical religious rites required
8 of them. Their discontent is likely to grow beyond religion. If not resolved by the end of the year, roll an
additional time on the Stability Problems table next year.
Godly Disfavor: One or more gods have clearly expressed their disfavor for the ruler of this domain.
Until placated in some way (usually communicated publicly or privately to the ruler), they will work to
9 undermine the ruler. All skill checks made by the ruler in ruling their domain must roll an additional die,
and drop the highest rolled die. The stability of the realm decreases by 1, and an additional 1 at the end of
every year if this is not resolved.
Absent God: A normally attentive god related to the domain has gone quiet. The local religious leaders
either do not know where the god is, or are hiding their whereabouts from the ruler. The populace are
uneasy with the god’s absence. At the end of every year with the god absent, the domain loses one
10
stability. With no action from the ruler, the god will return after 1d6 years, but may come back earlier
through a successful Deal With a Problem action. The GM is free to decide if the ruler’s actions are
sufficient to bring the god back, and why the god disappeared in the first place.
Stability Problems
Note: If the domain has a stability score greater than 5, roll a d6. Otherwise, roll a d10. The last 4 problems are
more severe than the first ones, and would only happen in less stable domains.
Spread Thin: Due to any number of issues, the military forces of the domain are spread thin. Maximum
1 levy size is decreased by 20% for the next 1d4 years. This cannot be mitigated with the Deal with a
Problem action.
Underfunded Patrols: Corrupt, understaffed, or just overwhelmed patrols have allowed bandits/pirates
2 to move into the domain. They are impacting trade and making the people of the domain feel unsafe.
Until dealt with, stability is lowered by 1 every year, and wealth from productivity is lowered by 10%.
Rebel Cells: Dissidents are beginning to gather in opposition to the ruling class of the nation. These
rebel groups are mostly composed of the lowest class, although they may have funding from discontent
3 members of the merchant class, a foreign nation, or even some from the ruling class using them as
pawns. Until these rebel groups are disbanded, they lower stability in the nation by 1, increasing by 1
every year.
Rogue Wizard: A powerful magic user has appeared somewhere in the domain, either a homegrown
discontent mage, or a foreign usurper. Either way, they believe that their superior power of magic means
that they are surely the true ruler of the realm. They will be trying to grow their power base, and
4
eventually challenging the ruler of the domain. Until defeated, they inflict 1 point of stability loss every
year, and will make one attempt to usurp the rule of the domain every year, either through magical
means or military action.
Scheming Nobles: The ruling class of the domain have been unhappy with the performance of the
current ruler. A few have gone so far as scheming to have the ruler overthrown. So far, these plans have
5 come to naught, but they will need to be quashed before going further. Until resolved, stability is
decreased by 1 per year. At zero, the nobles will attempt to usurp the ruler, either through open rebellion,
or a more stealthy coup.
Assassination Attempt: Sometime this year, someone will make an attempt on the life of the ruler of
this domain. The GM should decide what an appropriate attack will look like. Detecting the plans for the
attack will require an opposed Observance vs. Stealth check from a member of the domain vs. the
6
assassin. If not prevented through a Deal with a Problem action after the attack has been detected, the
assassination attempt should be handled in a session worth of action, with success or failure being
determined by that narrative.
Rebellious Province: An area of the domain comprising at least one quarter of the provinces has
7 declared independence. They will either attempt to join a neighboring nation, or try to hold on to their
own independence.
Legitimacy Crisis: Significant factions within the domain have made claims that the ruler is not the
legitimate ruler of the realm. Due to some claimed lack of noble blood, unfit mental state, or some other
perceived failure of character, this party believes someone else would better fit in the role of ruler. They
8 are demanding the resignation of the ruler (to be replaced with their own suggestion). If no resignation
happens by the end of the year, or the offending party is not dealt with in some other way, they will rise
up in civil war, bringing up to 60% of the provinces of the domain with them, depending on their own
power base.
Peasant Uprising: The lower class of the realm has had enough, and is starting to take out their
frustrations through violence. For the rest of the year, levy size is reduced to only 25% of the total,
9 everyone else ignores the call. If the peasants are not placated before the end of the year, they will rise up
in a genuine revolt, with 50% of the levy size of the domain rising as an army that will march on the
capital with the goal of deposing the ruler.
Rogue General: The general of one of the armies of the domain (or a neighboring one) has gone rogue,
10 and is seeking to install themselves as a dictator. Their army is fiercely loyal to them. This is treated as a
foreign invasion, and may be dealt with similarly.
General Problems

Drought: The rains have not come this year. Unless mitigated in some way by the end of the year, 20% of
1 the wealth from productivity is not gained this year, and stability decreases by 1. This problem will
resolve automatically after the year is over.
Famine: Caused by a blight, poor weather, mismanagement of resources, or some other phenomena,
there is not enough food to go around. The productivity of the domain is halved until the end of the year.
2
A productivity deficit may be paid for from the wealth of the domain, at a rate of 1 wealth to 1
productivity. If there is not enough wealth, soldiers and courtiers will begin deserting.
Natural Disaster: an earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, powerful storm, or some other sign of
nature’s displeasure has wreaked havoc on the realm. A skilled elemancer or chronomancer may try to
3
predict this disaster with a DC 10 magic check, although preventing it will still require a domain action.
If not prevented, 1d3 provinces produce no productivity for the next 2 years.
4 Unrest: The common folk are unhappy for some reason. Lose 1 stability.
Corruption: The administrators of the domain are taking more than their share. Until dealt with, lose
5 10% of wealth gained from productivity. This increases by 10% for every year it is not dealt with, to a
maximum of 50%.
Plague: A deadly disease, either magical or mundane, is running loose throughout the domain. For every
6 year this is not resolved, the entire domain loses 10% of it’s population. This may spread to neighboring
domains after 1 year if they do not seek to quarantine. After 3 years, the plague will resolve on its own.
Wild Beasts: For some reason, there has been an increase in terrifying creatures emerging from the
7 wilder parts of the domain. They are attacking the common folk, and making trade difficult. Stability is
decreased by 1 point per year until resolved. This will resolve automatically after 5 years.
Spies: It has come to the ruler’s attention that someone in their court is not working in the interest of
8 the domain. However, they are unsure who it is, or who they are working for. The Deal with a Problem
action may be used to uncover the spies.
Trade Breakdown: Trade with a neighboring domain has broken down. This could be due to raiders
along the way, some sort of natural disaster, a blockade from a neighboring power, or newfound hostility
9
with the nation of trade itself. If not reinstated, lose out on 30% of wealth from productivity this year.
After the year ends, this problem automatically resolves as trade routes reroute.
Magical Anomalies: The natural patterns of magic have been thrown out of order. Strange storms,
interdimensional rifts, wild spirits, and other strange magical events plague the domain. Mages
10 attempting to use magic in the realm are immediately aware of the disruption whenever they try to use
their magic. Stability is decreased by 1 point until the problem is resolved. At GM discretion, it may be
resolved only by direct intervention, or it may resolve automatically after 1d4 years.
Domain Turn Actions
The domain may take up to 4 actions every year, chosen from the list below. Actions of a given type may only
be performed once per year, unless noted otherwise. Significant actions requiring characters to use their yearly
actions to take part in are marked with an asterisk (*). Instant Domain Actions may be taken in response to an
action by another Domain outside of initiative order, as defined by the action.

◆ Wage a Campaign (*): A ruler, or their generals, may embark on an offensive military campaign against
another domain. The campaign will usually have some goal, such as conquering a neighboring province,
defeating another army outside the borders of the land, quelling an uprising, or other similar military action.
The campaign generally should not last longer than 12 weeks; if it does, the ruler will need to use another
domain action to continue the campaign. If the campaign goal is successful, the ruler may make a Leadership
skill check at difficulty 8, on success the domain gains 1 point of stability as word of the military success
spreads. If the campaign is unsuccessful, the domain always loses 1 point of stability. When raising levies for
a campaign, it takes 1 week for 50% of them to gather, and another week for them to be all gathered. Full
time soldiers will be ready to begin a campaign immediately.

◆ Raid Lands: Rather than perform a full scale campaign, a Domain may choose to raid the lands of a single
province. Raids are fast strikes intended to steal the resources of a domain. They may only be performed by
Professional Soldiers, not Levies, and similarly may only be responded to with Professional Soldiers
currently located in the target province. Naval raids may only be responded to with naval forces based in the
target province. Raids are performed as an opposed skill check by the raiding domain against the target
domain, using whatever skills are deemed relevant. If the raider succeeds, the target domain loses 1 stability,
and the target province's productivity is decreased by 20% for that year. The raiding domain receives half of
the lost productivity as Wealth, with the rest generally distributed among the raiding soldiers. If the target
domain wins the opposed skill check, the raider loses one quarter of their raiding soldiers.

◆ Defend the Lands (*): This action may be taken as an Instant Domain Action in response to a hostile
Campaign against the domain. The ruler may raise their levy to defend the land from hostile actions. If a
ruler has already spent all of their domain actions, they may still take this action, borrowing from the next
year. This action may be taken multiple times, however each additional time this action is taken in a year
after the first, the domain must roll a stability problem.
◇ Failure to Respond: If a ruler does not respond to a campaign raised against them, or fails to defend it,
the domain loses 1d4 stability, in addition to the consequences of losing the invasion.
◇ Responding to Raids: Defending the land from Raids may be performed as an Instant Domain Action,
but it does not involve raising levies and is not a significant action, and is instead performed as a single
opposed skill check, as defined in Raid Lands.

◆ Bread and Games: Spend accumulated wealth to throw extravagant festivals throughout your domain with
the purpose of increasing stability. The festivals may be about whatever the ruler desires (in line with the
culture of the people of the domain), but generally will have plenty of food, drink, and some sort of sporting
contests for the amusement of the common folk, and machinations of the ruling class. If a ruler spends 1
wealth for every 4 production they have, stability is increased by 1 point. If they spend 1 wealth for every 2
production, they can increase stability by two points. Stability cannot be increased beyond 10.

◆ Quest (*): The ruler of the realm (along with their companions) may engage in a quest, either for the glory of
the realm, or to stop some great evil. On successful completion of the quest, they may earn some appropriate
reward, be it productivity, wealth, or stability depending on the nature of the quest.

◆ Diplomatic Mission (*): The ruler, or ambassadors representing them, may embarq on a diplomatic
mission to another domain. This mission may have a goal of acquiring or maintaining an alliance, brokering
a truce, negotiating mutual treaties and trade deals, or any other similar domain-level agreements. Success or
failure in this mission will provide benefits described by the mission itself.
◆ Deal with a Problem (*): As described earlier in this section, every year each domain must roll on the
Problems table. The domain may take this action to deal with such a crisis. In some cases, this may just
require spending some wealth. In other cases, the ruler of the realm may need to engage in a session or two
worth of play time to deal with the problem. This action may be taken once for every problem the domain
has.
◇ Alternatively, this action may be taken to try to improve the stability of a domain. Rulers of the domain
may engage in a session worth of actions to try to improve the stability of the domain. The ruler may
propose the method of increasing stability, and the GM should decide on how much it can increase
stability, from 1 to 3 points. The actions of the ruler should be tailored towards the type of difficulties the
domain has faced, and be scaled to suit the size of the domain. For NPC domains, the session can be
replaced by a skill roll from the ruler, with a DC of 10 to get 2 points of stability.

◆ Inflict Problem (*): The rulers of the domain may attempt to inflict a problem, choosing from any of the
problem tables, onto another domain. This usually requires at least one session worth of adventuring. NPC
domains may attempt this with a contested skill check against the ruler of the target domain.

◆ Raise an Army: Unlike recruiting new artisans or individual guards and warriors, creating an army of full-
time soldiers requires a significant effort on the part of a domain. Veteran soldiers must be found and enticed
to join, and recruits must be enlisted and trained to a basic level of efficiency. Any time a domain wishes to
recruit soldiers who will not be permanently stationed as a garrison or household guard, they must take this
domain action. When this action is taken, the domain may recruit a number of soldiers up to 1/100th the
productivity of the entire domain. By accepting a Stability Problem, the domain may press more soldiers
into service and recruit up to 1/10th the productivity of the domain. No more than 1/10 of the recruited
soldiers may have more than 1HD and 1WD, as veteran soldiers are hard to come by.

◆ Build a Navy: Similar to raising an army, a domain may seek to build a naval fleet. This action performs
similarly as recruiting Raise an Army when it comes to crewing the navy, with the same limits on the max
number of recruits that may be found. To build ships, the domain must either allocate a portion of their
yearly Productivity, or spend accumulated wealth, for each ship they are building.

◆ Develop Domain: Spend wealth to add a single development point to a province as described in Province
Development.
 Managing Non-Player Domains
In many ways, non-player domains (further abbreviated as NPDs) are made to follow the same rules as
domains, to prevent GMs from needing to learn multiple rulesets. However, there are obviously a few differences
that come from having NPDs entirely controlled by the GM. NPDs mostly exist to support the narrative story
being told, to provide players with allies and enemies in their endeavors, and to fill out the sandbox of play.
There are two important points to keep in mind when creating and running NPDs. First, the domain should
provide an engaging facsimile of a nation. Second, the domain should be as easy to manage as possible. GMs should
strive to provide NPDs that have the appearance of complexity and realistic behavior, while cutting into actual
play time (and preparatory time) as little as possible. The rules in the following sections provide advice on
supporting these two points.

Creating NPC Domains

Estimating Costs: In general, it can be assumed that a domain gives at least 10% of its productivity to
supporting the court. Another 5-20% will generally be spent supporting warriors, depending on how warlike the
ruler is. NPC domains will spend the average amount on tithes and maintenance.

Non-Player Domain Actions

When players are not directly involved in an action, GMs are encouraged to heavily simplify the actions
occurring to ease the speed of play. Generally, this means that every NPD Domain Action should be handled with
no rolls at all, or at most a single skill check on a relevant NPC. NPDs waging a campaign on another NPD may
have the result decided entirely by the GM, or can be resolved in a single opposed skill check following the
Simplified Mass Combat rules on page {{PAGE}}. Many domain actions list simplified rolls for NPDs to use.

Background Domains
Not every domain exists as a driving force behind the sandbox campaign. These distant domains have only a
marginal influence in the primary domains of the campaign after dealing with their own issues closer to home.
Most GMs do not have the time to run 5 domains in their campaign, let alone the hundreds that likely exist in their
fantasy world. If you find yourself wanting to simulate the domains at the fringe of your campaign, but do not have
the time to run more domains, consider running them as background domains.
Background domains are created similarly to regular domains, with stability and productivity dependent on
their population. When running these domains, however, consider only the resources they can spare to influence
the foreground domains. Their wealth is not tracked, and they are assumed to only be able to apply 10% of their
yearly productivity towards other domains. Background domains do not roll for yearly problems, and only gain
problems when inflicted by another domain. Most importantly, background domains only have a single year
action per year, which they take at the start of the year.
From Background to Foreground: Occasionally, a background domain may become more important,
either due to shifting focus in the campaign, or as a result of the background domain taking more direct
involvement in the interests of the PCs. For example, if a foreground domain decides to directly invade a
background domain, the background domain should rise to the foreground.
Background Interactions: If multiple background domains are present in a campaign, it can be tempting to
have them use their year action to interact with one another. This temptation should be avoided in order to
maintain the purpose of the background domain, which is in adding verisimilitude to the primary politics of the
campaign. If the interaction between these domains matters directly to the campaign, they should not be
background domains in the first place. Otherwise, if two background domains have reason to interact significantly
and ignore the foreground domains, such as going to war against each other, they don’t need to be run as
background domains at all until their conflict is decided.
 Factions
The Domain system can be used for large-scale sandboxes involving large groups of people, but within each
domain are many organizations with their own interests and goals. These Factions encompass any group that is
not strictly defined by its borders and politics. Factions can be small: a handful of skilled assassins, or large: an
entire army of mercenaries. In either case, factions should have an impact on the world around them, including
domains and the player characters. The goal of factions, similar to that of domains, is to provide the GM with tools
to respond to the actions of the player characters in the world. Similarly, they are a tool for player characters who
join or start factions to influence the world in a more profound way.
The Faction system is intended to be used in conjunction with the Domain system, and requires at least one
Domain to be created for the Factions to exist within. Managing multiple factions and domains may present an
undue burden on time-strapped GMs, so it is advised to move both domains and factions into the background
whenever they are irrelevant to the current interests of the players and a burden to the GM.
Every populated area of a game world is home to many organizations, but not every organization will need a
corresponding Faction. Factions should take an active role in a campaign, directly interacting with and reacting to
player characters. GMs are encouraged to only create Factions that actively shape the world. Factions should take
actions that impact other factions, domains, and the player characters.

Faction Resources
Holdings are similar to a Domain’s productivity.
While productivity is an approximation of the taxes The level of granularity given to a Faction’s
and other resources available to a domain, holdings Holdings is up to the GM to decide based on the
represent the resources bringing steady wealth into a situation, and may be changed throughout a
faction, such as a farming estate, mine, leased city campaign. For example, if a campaign relates to
block, livestock herd, merchant contracts, or any other organizing workers at the mines of a mining
similar means of income. Holdings have a value in guild Faction in a single province, it may be
terms of Wealth, and are defined in relation to the relevant to list the value of each mine as an
Province they are located in. An individual Faction individual Holding that the faction can lose.
may not have Holdings in a Province greater than the Alternatively, a religious Faction may use
Productivity of that Province. Holdings do not take Holdings to list the accumulated donations
away from domain productivity, but represent the from their worshippers in each province over a
resources gathered beyond what the domain can large region, in which case only the total
capture. Holding values are needed to represent the
Wealth is handled in the same manner as domains, religion’s followers in each province.
with 1 wealth equaling 10sp in goods or coin. Factions
may earn yearly wealth from their holdings, but they may also earn wealth through a number of year actions
available to them. Some factions will possess no holdings at all, earning wealth entirely through their actions.
Influence is a measure of how other factions, domains, and regular people view a faction, on a scale from 0 to
10. Factions are able to spend influence to recruit members or attempt to increase their holdings, but they lose
influence for failing in their goals or due to the actions of other groups. A faction with high influence can affect
great change, while one with low influence is in danger of falling apart entirely. If a Faction would be brought
below 0 Influence for any reason, they must choose to spend half of their Wealth salvaging some influence, or have
half of their members abandon the faction (measured by the member cost).
 Faction Costs
Unlike Domains, Faction costs are measured entirely in Wealth, and limited solely to supporting their
members. Factions do not need to pay maintenance or tithes: their Holding income is assumed to take upkeep of
the Holding into account, and Factions aren’t responsible for maintaining infrastructure in the same way a
Domain is.
Faction members, whether leadership or employed personnel, are paid in the same manner as Domains, based
on their HD and/or WD depending on their role. Faction members are paid at the start of a year, directly from a
Faction’s Wealth. If the Faction does not have enough Wealth to pay their members, they may choose who gets paid
and who doesn’t. Any members who do not get paid will leave the Faction, seeking work that can provide a living.

The Faction Turn

At the start of every year, Factions must pay their members, as described in Faction Costs.
Throughout the year, factions may take four Faction Actions, functionally very similar to Domain Actions.
These actions may require simulation or role playing by the GM or party, with required skill checks and resulting
gains outlined within the action descriptions. If the Faction has no more Faction Actions remaining, but have a
problem inflicted upon them, they may borrow a Faction Action from the next year to take the Deal With a
Problem action.
At the end of the year, Factions earn Wealth from their Holdings, equal to the total sum of their Holdings’
value.
 Faction Actions
◆ Contracted Work (*) - The Faction takes a contract to work for another Faction or a Domain. The faction
performs an action using their own members and resources to benefit their employers, and are paid in
Wealth by their employer. The pay must be negotiated between both parties, but should be at minimum one
quarter of the yearly cost of the faction’s members, and usually half the yearly cost in most balanced deals.
Using this Faction Action, a Faction may take any Domain Actions that they could justify being able to
accomplish with their members, in addition to the normal Faction Actions.

◆ Volunteer (*) - A Faction may take the Contracted Work action without accepting payment if they so
choose. Instead, they gain 1 Influence on completion of the objective.

◆ Quest (*) - The faction leadership engages in a specific quest or goal. The details of this quest are determined
by the GM, and usually involve some adventure to meet the goals of the Faction, or to raise its prestige. Upon
successful completion of the quest, the Faction earns 2 Influence, in addition to the narrative benefits of the
quest. However, if the Quest is a failure, the Faction loses 2 Influence.

◆ Become Domain (*) - A Faction with Holdings in a province, or multiple provinces, where there is no
current Domain may take an action to become a Domain. The Faction must have 10 Influence to take this
action, which is all spent in the process. As a domain, their starting Wealth is the same as when they were a
faction, and their Productivity is determined by the Provinces they now own. Their Stability is set to 5.
Other Factions and Domains can take an Instant Domain or Faction Action to try to resist this process. If
player characters are involved, this resistance should be handled through play, with social encounters,
combat encounters, or even mass combat as necessary. Otherwise, an opposed skill check between the two
groups is sufficient.

◆ Depose Leadership (*) - Factions existing within a Domain may attempt to seize control of the Domain,
installing their own leadership. First, the Domain must have stability equal to or lower than 5, and the
Faction must have Influence equal to 10. If players are involved on either side, the Faction must attempt to
remove the leadership of the Domain from power through play. Otherwise, the Faction may make an
opposed skill check against the Domain. If the Faction is successful, they subvert the leadership of the
domain, spending all of their Influence, and gaining Stability of 5. They retain the Productivity of the
previous domain, as well as all of its resources. They retain their Faction Wealth through the transition, and
gain half of the Wealth possessed by the old domain.

◆ Military Actions (*) - A Faction may take the following military Domain Actions, with a few key
differences: Wage a Campaign, Raid Lands, and Defend the Lands. First, factions cannot raise levies, and
must only act with their professional soldier members. Second, Factions gain or lose Influence rather than
Stability. Third, factions must deal with holdings, rather than provinces. For example, a faction that is
successful in the Wage a Campaign action against a domain would gain a Holding in the target province,
which may or may not be equal to the size of the whole province. Factions may lose holdings to other
factions, or have their holdings raided, and must take the Defend the Lands action to defend their holdings,
as opposed to a province.

◆ Develop Holdings - Factions may spend Influence to acquire new holdings, or spend Wealth to develop the
holdings they already own. To acquire new Holdings, a faction may spend 1 Influence, and receive Holdings
in a single province equal to 10% of the productivity of the province. To develop their holdings, a Faction
may purchase Development Points in a province in a similar manner to domains. Importantly, this raises the
Productivity of the entire province, which affects the domain and all factions with Holdings in the province.

◆ Sway Holdings - The faction may utilize their Influence to attempt to steal holdings away from another
faction. The holdings targeted must all be within a single province. This is generally the “legal” way to take
 holdings from another faction, and is unlikely to incur the wrath of the parent domain. When swaying
holdings, both factions can choose to wager Influence, adding the wagered amount of Influence to an
opposed skill check. The defender may also add a bonus to their skill check based on the amount of their
holdings being targeted. For every 10% of the total Productivity of the province that the targeted holdings
earn (rounded down), the defender adds +1 to their skill check.The winner of the skill check keeps their
wagered influence, and gains or keeps the holdings, while the loser loses all wagered influence.

◆ Inflict Problem (*) - The faction may attempt to inflict a problem, choosing from any of the problem tables,
onto a domain, or onto a faction by choosing from the Faction Problems. This usually requires at least one
session worth of adventuring for Player Factions. Non-player Factions may attempt this with a contested
skill check against the target.

◆ Deal With a Problem (*) - Factions with problems inflicted upon them may take this action to resolve the
problem. Player Factions can attempt to resolve their problems through play, but may alternatively make a
single skill check at difficulty 8 to remove the problem. Non-player Factions always use a skill check.

◆ Recruit Members - A Faction may always increase their membership by up to 5% per year at no cost. If
they want to add more members, they must take this action and spend 1 Influence to perform a large
recruiting drive. By doing so, they may add new members up to double their current amount (measured by
their cost).

◆ Diplomatic Mission (*) - Factions may engage in diplomatic missions towards other factions, domains, or
individuals in order to influence their opinions or plans. Typically, the mission requires either strong
reasoning for the faction’s position or the faction to have an equal or greater Influence than the target’s
Influence/Stability. These missions require either roleplay or an opposed skill check with the target of the
mission in order to determine the effectiveness of the undertaking.

◆ Destroy Faction (*) - A Faction with 8 or more Influence may attempt to completely destroy another
faction with 0 Influence. If player characters are in either faction, they must play through the act of
dismantling the Faction leadership, holdings, and support structure. If no player characters are involved, the
action may be resolved with an opposed skill check. If the target faction is destroyed, their structure
collapses completely, and the members mostly flee or are killed, but may be given the option to join the
attacking faction. Half of the destroyed faction’s Wealth may be stolen by the attacker. If the target faction is
not destroyed, the attacking faction loses 1 Influence due to their failure.
 Faction Problems
While Factions do not need to roll for problems, they can still have problems inflicted upon them by Domains
or other Factions. When inflicting a problem on a Faction, the party inflicting the problem may choose from the
following list.

◆ Ruined Reputation: The Faction’s Influence is targeted by a campaign of whispers and well-placed
critiques. If not resolved by the end of the year, the Faction loses 2 Influence.

◆ Damaged Holdings: The holdings of the Faction within a province have been targeted and rendered
ineffective. If not resolved by the end of the year, the faction gains no Wealth from those Holdings for that
year.

◆ Demoralized Members: The members of this faction are losing faith in their purpose. For the rest of the
year, their total Determination Points are halved.

◆ Heist: A skilled group of thieves have been coerced into stealing from the faction’s supplies. Unless they are
disrupted, the Faction loses one fifth of its Wealth at the end of the year.

◆ Assassination: Assassins have been hired to eliminate a prominent member of the faction. If not dealt with
by the end of the year, this member will be killed, and the faction will lose 1 influence.

◆ Godly Disfavor: This faction has fallen out of favor with the gods. All skill checks made at the faction level
have a -2 penalty until the end of the year, and the faction loses 1 Influence if this problem is not resolved by
the end of the year.
 Structures
From simple homes, to waystations, workshops, and wizard towers, all the way up to fortresses or even whole
cities, characters use structures to impact the world around them. The following guidelines can be used for any sort
of structure built at the direction of, and funded by, any characters in your game. These rules may be used in
combination with the Domain and Faction systems, but are not required to enjoy either of those systems.

Structure Cost
Like Domains and Factions, structures in The Years of Adventure are all about people. The cost of a structure
is determined by two primary characteristics: the type of structure and the number of people it will serve.
Additional cost may also be added to increase the quality of a structure.
The type of structure will determine the base cost of the structure per person. The following list of
structure types cover most of the basics, and can be used as a guide for those structures that don’t fit within them.
People are a multiplier for building cost. The relevant people are different depending on the type of building:
the residents of a home, artisans in a workshop, patrons of a gathering place, or people served by a storage facility.
Some structures contain other structures inside of them, and use the sum of all the people for each building inside
of them. This may be simplified to twice the population of the contained area if all of the structures aren’t known,
such as with a wall around a large city.

Name Cost/Person Description

Home 50sp A place where people live, from a simple hovel to an elaborate palace.

Farmland 10sp Cleared and arable land ready for planting.

A mundane workshop, such as a forge, bakery, brewery, mill, pottery,
Workshop 500sp knappery, textile or artisan workshop, or other place where things
are made.
A workshop with the equipment necessary for creating magical items
Magical Workshop 3000sp
or potions.
A restaurant, tea shop, tavern, theater, bathouse, or any other place
Gathering Place 70sp
that serves people.
A stable, goods warehouse, granary, dock, or any other place meant
Storage 20sp
for storing goods and the vehicles that transport them.
A simple wooden wall and gates encompassing other structures. Too
Palisade* 10sp
thin to traverse.
A solid wooden or stone wall that may be walked upon, with towers,
Thick Walls* 100sp crenellations, complex gatehouses, and other advanced means of
defense.
Wells, roads, sewers, and other basic amenities necessary for large
Civic Infrastructure* 20sp
population centers.

Structures marked with an asterisk (*) determine people based on the sum of the structures encompassed
within them.
 Structure costs also have modifiers which can increase or decrease their cost depending on characteristics of
the building itself, or the environment surrounding it. These modifiers are multipliers for the final cost of the
building.
Name Multiplier Description
This structure is built with quality material and some small flairs that
Luxury x3
mark it as being used by the wealthy.
The wealth flaunted by this structure is significant, and likely to impress
Extravagant x10
most who see it.
This type of opulent structure can only be built by those with the
Palatial x100 backing of significant resources, and there are likely only a handful of
these buildings in a region, if there are any at all.
The materials needed to create this building are locally abundant, either
Local Materials x0.5
naturally or due to the presence of industry.
There is a previous structure, either an abandoned ruin or smaller
Renovated Structure x0.5
structure that can be utilized in construction.
This structure is built in a hard to reach place, such as a mountaintop or
Difficult Location x3 desert. It requires additional resources to reinforce and skilled laborers
must be brought in.
The costs listed so far only include the cost to build the structure, including labor and materials, not the cost
of the land itself. In most pre-modern societies, land would not have a monetary cost like in the modern day.
Instead, land would be granted by the government, in strictly regulated or bureaucratic societies, or given to those
who need it in more community-oriented societies. Land rights have a complex history, and ultimately depend on
the setting of your game. For most cases, player characters looking to acquire land should look to their local
government, rather than their coins, and land is best granted as a reward for adventuring.

Building Structures
Once the cost of a structure has been determined, it may be built. The time to build the structure and the
expertise needed to lead such a project are factors of the cost of the structure. A building project must have an
overseer with a certain Crafting skill based on the cost of structure. If such an expert can’t be found, the structure
may be built in twice the amount of time, or not at all, as determined by the GM. For example, a simple hovel can
be built by anyone with enough time, while a massive palace or large housing complex may be impossible to build
without experience or education in such matters.

Structure Cost Time Required Min. Overseer Skill

<1,000sp 1 Year Action 0

1,000sp - 10,000 sp 2 Year Actions 1

10,001 sp - 100,000 sp 4 Year Actions 2

100,001sp - 1,000,000 sp 8 Year Actions 3

> 1,000,000 sp 8 Year Actions per million sp 4

 Structure Upkeep and Income
All structures have some base amount of upkeep. Generally, this cost may be estimated as 1/10th the total
cost of the structure, paid yearly. If upkeep on a structure is not paid for one year, the building falls into disrepair
the following year. It can still function, but is noticeably rundown, and any skill checks made within the structure
in relation to the function of the structure are made at a -1. This backlog of maintenance costs can stack every year,
until it reaches half the original cost of the structure. At this point, maintenance costs stop accruing, the structure
falls into ruin, and is completely dysfunctional until the maintenance cost is paid.
Some structures, such as a workshop or gathering place, serve a function that will earn them an income.
For these structures, the manager of the structure, either a player character or NPC, must make a yearly skill check,
using whatever skill deemed relevant, to determine how well they manage the structure. With a result less than 6,
the management goes poorly, and they must pay the normal upkeep cost for the structure. On a result of 6-9, the
structure is managed competently, and must pay no upkeep cost. On a result of 10 or greater, the structure is
managed so well that it has covered its upkeep, and earned an additional income equal to upkeep cost.
 Armies, Navies, and Mass Combat
The following rules may be used to govern large-scale combat between dozens, hundreds, or even thousands
of combatants. While not every campaign will need to handle such large engagements, those with a more military
focus, or those that heavily involve domains and factions, will likely find the options presented here useful. As
always, GMs may simplify any rules that are not interesting to their table down to roleplaying and skill checks, and
focus on the parts of the game that are most interesting to them.
These rules are meant to put a focus on PCs, while still allowing strategic depth in the battle. A military general
player character will get their chance to shine in large-scale battle, while a duelist might shine by challenging an
enemy champion. A sapper might be manning siege weaponry while a silver-tongued shapeshifter impersonates
an enemy captain and leads half of the enemy forces into an ambush.
A large-scale battle can be composed of multiple different combat scenes, including downtime in between
pitched combat for roleplaying and non-combat actions. Scenes of a battle may play more like a session of
dungeon delving than a single scene of small-scale combat.

Mass Combat Units

Large groups of combatants in a battle can be combined into a unit to make tracking simpler. Units should
represent the same type of combatant: a phalanx of spearmen, cavalry flank, or cadre of mages. The unit is treated
as having the same statistics (such as derived skill levels) as one of the individual creatures that compose them,
except for hit protection and determination points, which are tracked for the entire unit.
Units do not track their individual hit protection, instead dealing directly with Hit Dice. The hit dice of a unit
is equal to the sum of the hit dice of the characters that compose the unit. For example, a 20-person unit of 1 HD
swordsmen has 20 HD, and an 8-person unit of 4 HD knights would have 32 HD. Unit sizes (measured in
characters, not HD), should be roughly equal in any given battle. If for some reason one unit is significantly smaller
than another, it is best to treat that unit as an individual combatant for purposes of attacking and being attacked
by the other unit.
Similar to hit protection, determination points for units in mass combat are measured with Will Dice. The WD
for a unit is calculated the same way as it is with Hit Dice. When units reach zero remaining WD, they become
demoralized like characters in individual combat normally do, and retreat from the battlefield or surrender if
retreat seems impossible.
Leaders may attempt to restore the determination points of entire units in place of individuals in mass combat.
In this case, the result of the leadership skill check is read as WD instead of Determination Points. PCs and named
NPC leaders may rally units that they are embedded in, but the average NPC unit leader is more likely to be fleeing
with the rest of their unit.
 Battle
Beginning Battle: Battle is most easily tracked using a map, or at least a rough sketch of the battlefield.
Whichever army has first arrived upon the chosen battlefield may place their units first. Enemy armies may then
place their units beyond the maximum range of ranged weapons in either army, in the direction they have arrived
from. For mass combat, initiative should be rolled at the army level, using an opposed Leadership skill check of the
generals, or determined by the Scouting units within either army, if those rules are being used (see Military
Campaigns, {{PAGE}}).

Actions in Combat: Units in battle may make the same actions that individual characters make in normal
combat. The only action units generally cannot take is Combat Maneuver. Every character in a unit must take the
same action.

Unit vs. Unit Combat: When two or more units engage in battle, treat it as similar to individual combat.
When units do damage to other units, they do damage directly to HD rather than hit protection, after subtracting
the target unit’s armor.

Lone Character vs. Unit: An individual PC or notable NPC, such as a mage or champion, may be best
represented without a mass combat unit, even in a larger battle. Such individual units may operate alongside mass
combat units with only a few notable differences.
When attacking a lone creature, or multiple lone creatures, a unit will treat their attack as a Swarm Attack
action, with as many characters in the unit adding to the attack as can physically reach the lone creature (generally
8 in melee combat if the character can be surrounded, 16 if the unit has long weapons, or up to half of the unit with
a ranged attack). Damage inflicted is done to the lone character’s hit protection, after subtracting armor, as normal.
When a lone character attacks a unit, they roll damage and subtract armor normally. The remaining damage is
divided by four, rounded to the nearest whole number, and subtracted from the unit’s hit dice. For example, a
poleaxe-wielding warrior may roll 7 on their damage dice against levied peasants with a large shield (2 armor).
There is 5 remaining damage after subtracting armor, which divides to 1.25, and rounds to 1 damage dealt directly
to hit dice. Damage that has an area of effect, such as some magical attacks, siege weaponry, or attacks empowered
by certain techniques, is dealt straight to HD without being divided by 4.

Battle Consequences: The final result of an army’s casualties is determined by whether or not they won the
battle. Of the losers, half of the casualties died of their wounds, one quarter were rescued and may survive if they
are healed within a week, and a quarter were captured by the enemy, requiring treatment within a week to survive.
Among the winners, a quarter of those felled have died of their wounds, a quarter live but are too badly hurt to be
of any use in war any time soon, and the rest are able to rejoin the fighting after a week of rest, or a single day if the
army has sufficient magical healing for the wounded.
Losing armies will usually flee to a safer place, at least 10 miles away before they gather once more, with
whatever remnants of the force that still cling to them. The victorious army may choose to pursue them, although
any injured soldiers amongst them will die if left alone or forced to join in the pursuit. This pursuit may use the
Scouting, Ambushes, and Harrying rules laid out in the Campaigns section of this chapter.
 Naval Combat
In many ways, naval combat progresses very similarly to land-based mass combat. These naval rules use the
same basic rules of units and the mass combat turn described in the previous two sections, with the slight
difference of each ship and its crew counting as a unit separate from any marine units also stationed upon the ship.
The Years of Adventure as a whole assumes a setting prior to the invention of gunpowder. As such, the rules
here are modeled after the naval engagements described in ancient history, such as during the classical period of
the Mediterranean Sea. As opposed to ships of the line and mass cannon volleys, these rules presume that
ramming, boarding, mass archer fire, and the occasional siege weapon are the primary methods of naval warfare.
Given the fantasy setting, magic is also a very important component of naval warfare in settings where it exists,
with Elemancers most often used in offense, and many magical techniques employed for defense.

Ships
While ships in naval combat have many similarities with mass combat units, they have a few notable
differences. Most importantly, while a ship and its crew take actions together, the ship itself has its own hit
protection (HP) that is not tied to the HD of the crew and passengers aboard it. A ship that has been reduced to 0
HP is sinking. Sinking ships may move at half speed for 3 rounds after being reduced to 0 HP. After that, they
cannot move under their own power until repaired, but may be towed by another ship at half speed.
Ships a maximum speed (by oar or sail), a cargo and crew size, and cost. All ships have 0 armor unless
otherwise modified. The listed cost is the construction/purchase cost, maintenance costs will be 1/10th of the
construction cost per year.
Ships are listed with a minimum and maximum crew. The minimum crew is the amount required to operate
the ship normally. A rowing ship may operate with as low as half the minimum, but with their speed also cut in
half, and a Sailing ship may operate with as low as half their minimum crew, but all Sailing skill checks performed
to operate the ship are made with a -4.
Ships have either an oar speed, a sail speed, or both. If they have both, they may still only use one at any given
time. Listed speeds are miles/day. In combat the numerical speed stays the same, but the units become feet/round.
Cargo units are measured in tons, and common cargo supplies are listed in a later section.

Type Cost HP Crew Cargo Oar Speed Sail Speed Traits

Rowboat 50sp 5 1/10 5 30 mi/day - S
Small Sailing Ship 2,000sp 7 2/30 40 - 120 mi/day M
Small Galley 5,000sp 15 8/32 30 70 mi/day 100 mi/day S, SR, B
War Canoe 3,000sp 20 30/120 20 60 mi/day - M, B
Sailing Ship 10,000sp 12 10/60 60 - 150 mi/day T, B
Galley 20,000sp 25 40/120 50 60 mi/day 90 mi/day M, SR, B
Large Galley 80,000sp 40 60/320 120 - 80 mi/day T, MR, C
Large Sailing Ship 40,000sp 25 50/300 80 60 mi/day 150 mi/day VT, C
Heavy Galley 150,000sp 60 80/480 100 50 mi/day 60 mi/day T, LR, C
Flagship Galley 250,000sp 100 120/600 120 50 mi/day 60 mi/day VT, LR, 2C
Rowboats encompass any small, oar-powered vessel that can fit up to 10 people. This may range from a
single-person kayak all the way up to large dugout canoes, perhaps even including outriggers and other ocean-
worthy vessels. These boats are entirely human powered, and mostly used for individual or small group travel over
river, lakes, and coastal areas. They may be used for fishing as well, or trade when larger boats are unavailable or
improper for the job.
Small and large sailing ships may take many different forms, but are assumed to have square rigging by
default, and all serve a similar purpose: moving cargo and people. These ships may occasionally find themselves in
the thick of battle, particularly due to pirates, but they are vulnerable to the much more maneuverable galleys, and
are not the preferred choice for large naval engagements. Nothing is faster than a sailing ship with a good wind
(particularly if that wind is magic). Sailing ships will sometimes have a few oars for maneuvering in port, but not
enough to significantly propel them, relying entirely upon their sails for any serious travel.
War Canoes are most often employed on large rivers and lakes, although they may find use in the ocean
among seafaring people. These large boats are entirely oar-powered, but they can move quite quickly with a skilled
crew. They are often constructed of a single large tree, and are unfit for ramming, preferring instead to board or
use ranged volleys. These ships excel at landings due to their shallow hulls and excellent maneuverability.
Galleys range in many different sizes, from very small trading ships to massive war galleys holding hundreds
of rowers and marines. These ships are primarily oar-powered, especially in battle, although they may use sails
when the winds are favorable on long distance travel. Galleys favor ramming and boarding tactics in combat,
although they are not opposed to mounting siege weaponry, and they are the strongest choice for pre-gunpowder
naval warfare.

Ship Traits
Ballista (B): Ballista, Scorpions, and other small, direct-fire siege weaponry may be mounted to this ship.
Catapults (C): Some large, stable ships are able to mount large siege weaponry such as catapults and onagers on
their decks. Generally, this equipment is stored as unassembled cargo during travel, and constructed only when a
battle is to be expected, requiring at least one individual with Sapper technique and a scene’s worth of time. Ships
marked as 2C are large enough to accommodate up to 2 catapults. One catapult space may alternatively be used to
mount 2 ballista or a tower.
Height: The difference in height between ship decks is one of the most important factors to consider when
attempting to board, or repel the boarding, of another vessel. For simplicity, ship decks are measured in four tiers:
Short (S), Medium (M), Tall (T), and Very Tall (VT). When boarding a ship taller than their own, a character or
unit must make a Sailing or Athletics skill check, at a difficulty of 8. When boarding a ship of equal or shorter tier,
characters and units do not need to make a skill check.
Ramming: Ships with this trait have the ability to mount rams upon themselves for the purpose of breaching
other ships. Rams require a skilled team of rowers to be able to be utilized effectively in battle. Rams come in three
sizes, small (SR), medium (MR), and large (LR).

Ship Weapons
Ships may be mounted with their own weaponry, generally for the purpose of doing damage to other ships. In
a pre-gunpowder world, these weapons are somewhat limited, and most often the best way to defeat an enemy ship
is by boarding it and defeating anyone on board. However, there are still some options for those who would prefer
not to board, such as rams, siege weaponry, flaming arrows, and magic.

Weapon Cost Space Damage Range

Small Ram 1,000sp SR 2d6 Melee

Medium Ram 2,500sp MR 4d6 Melee

Large Ram 4,000sp LR 6d6 Melee

Ballista (Bolts) 2,000sp B d6 1,500ft

Ballista (Stones) 2,000sp B d12 1,000ft

Catapult 5,000sp C 2d10 400ft

Fire (Burning ship) - - d6 per round -

Elemancy Attack - - Damage as written Range as written

Ship Modifications
Attachment Cost Effect

These ships have sacrificed combat ability to carry twice the normal maximum
number of troops. HP is halved, to a maximum of 30, and cost is also halved,
Transport Ship -
while the maximum crew amount is doubled. Ships with this attachment
cannot mount weapons.
This ship is built with particularly strong material, giving them additional HP
Sturdy 1,000sp/HP
up to half of their normal.
1/20 ship This ship is coated in bronze, or some other hard material. Ship armor is
cost per subtracted from damage done to them as in normal combat. Each point of
Armored
point of armor takes up 4 cargo slots, and every 5 points of armor reduce ship speed by
armor 10 and apply a -1 penalty to Sailing skill checks to move the ship.
This ship packs additional oars, kept close on hand to the rowers. This
1/20 ship
Additional Oars attachment negates one instance of Sheared oars, however, the ship requires 3
cost
Action Points to reset the new oars.
This ship has lanterns and torches placed across its entire deck, granting crew
members ample light to move and work at night. In darkness, the ship is easily
Well Lit 250sp
spotted, but crew members do not suffer the effects of partial blindness due to
darkness.
A deconstructable tower is included in the cargo space of this ship, able to be
built with two scenes of effort. When constructed, the ship is treated as having
Tower 5,000sp
a deck one level higher than its current height, but the ship becomes more
unwieldy, adding a -1 to Sailing skill checks to move the ship.

A slightly more advanced rigging that is less affected by poor wind conditions.
Fore-and-aft 1/10 ship In combat, these ships reach maximum speed with the wind perpendicular to
rigging cost their direction of travel, ¾ maximum speed with the wind at their back, and ½
speed when tacking.

Ship Supplies
Item Weight Cost

1 Week of Water for 1 person ½0 ton 0 sp

1 Week of Food for 1 person 1/100 ton 5 sp

Ship Repair Supplies (5 HP worth) 1 ton 250 sp

Ship Maintenance Materials 1 ton per 5,000sp By ship

Naval Combat Actions
When taking actions in naval combat, ships do not have their own actions, but ship crews are taken as a single
mass combat unit. Additional units stationed on a ship, such as marines, may be treated as their own unit with
separate actions. Actions of allied units may be taken in any order, as in other types of combat.
When a ship’s crew is instructed to make a skill check, they use the average skill level of the crew. For example,
a ship rowed by mostly 1HD and 1WD rowers would add no skill bonus on a Ram action, while a ship rowed by
2HD or 2WD rowers would add a +1 skill bonus from their assumed sailing skill level of 1. Certain techniques
allow captains or other ship leaders to add bonuses to these skill checks.
At the beginning of Naval combat, the GM should roll a d8 to determine the wind direction (they may refer to
the “Direction Dice” table in the appendix). Next, both fleets roll an opposed Sailing skill check, using either the
average Sailing skill of the fleet, or that of their top-ranked commander. The winner may choose their positioning
on the battlefield with respect to the wind, while the loser gets to act first.
1 Action Point
◆ Attach: Once two ships are adjacent, any unit on either ship may take this action to lash the ships together.
Once attached, units on either ship may cross over to the other deck using the Move action, using normal
mass combat rules. When crossing to a taller ship, characters and units must make a Sailing or Athletics skill
check, on a failure they must spend 2 Action Points to board.
◆ Disengage: A boarded ship may attempt to break free of its unwanted assailants, although it is difficult.
First, they must have enough crew unaffected by combat to operate the ship. Then, they must make an
opposed Sailing check against the attackers (using the highest skill in the case of multiple boarding crews) to
throw off the boarding gear. If they succeed in the check, they may then move away.
◆ Turn: A ship may rotate up to 180 degrees with this action.
2 Action Points
◆ Deal with Danger: A ship’s crew may spend their full actions to put out fires, literal or metaphorical, on
their ship. This may include dousing flames, pumping water out of the hull, magically sealing a breach, or any
other action to save an immediately endangered ship. This will usually involve one, or multiple if PCs are
involved, skill checks on the part of the crew, as relevant and determined by the GM.
◆ Row: A ship equipped with oars may move in a straight line, or diagonal line up to 45 degrees, at its combat
movement speed.
◆ Sail: A ship with square sails may move at full speed when the wind is at their backs, half speed when the
wind is perpendicular to their direction, and quarter speed when tacking (almost into the wind).
3 Action Points
◆ Ram: Ships equipped with oars and a ram may attempt to make a ramming attack into the rear or sides of a
vessel at least 30 feet away, dealing the damage of their ram. As part of this action, after ramming, the ship
must move backwards at least 5 feet, or become stuck to their target. If a ship rams with raised sails it
becomes stuck to its target for the rest of the battle, sinking with the other ship if either goes down. Stuck
ships may attempt to free themselves using the Deal with Danger action.
◆ Shear Oars To shear the oars off of another ship, the attacker moves at full speed down one side of the
target ship, within 5 feet of the ship. If the attack is not Avoided, half of the oars of the target ship are
destroyed. The first time this happens to a ship, they can only move at half speed, and cannot take Ram,
Counter-Ram, or Shear Oars actions. The second time, they cannot move at all.
Reactions
◆ Avoid: Ships targeted by the Ram, Attach, or Shear Oar actions may attempt to avoid the action. The
avoiding crew must make an opposed Sailing skill check against the attacking ship’s crew, with ties going to
the avoider. If they succeed, they maintain just enough distance to avoid the attack, and cannot be targeted
by that specific attacking ship until the next round. If they fail, the attack continues as usual.
◆ Counter-Ram: Ships being targeted by a Ram attack from a ship in front of them may attempt to maneuver
to ram their attacker instead. When a Counter-Ram occurs, both sides make an opposed Sailing skill check.
The winning side may roll the damage of their ram and apply it to the hit protection of the enemy ship. If
there is a tie, no damage is done but the ships are adjacent to each other as a glancing blow is dealt.
 Theater of the Mind
In many simpler mass combats with only a few units, particularly in naval combat, it’s often not necessary to
use a battle map. To simplify tracking in these situations, it’s recommended to use zones. A zone should be used
to represent an area where everyone within it can reach one another within a mass combat turn. For simplicity, it
can be assumed that any ranged units (not counting thrown weapons such as javelins) within the zone are in range
of all other units. Units may use a move action to reach anywhere else in the zone, or travel to a neighboring zone.
There is a spectrum between the theater of the mind guidelines provided above and extensively laid out
battlemaps. GMs should feel free to have the flexibility to pick and choose the complexity of any individual combat
as is necessary. Large, important, campaign-defining battles may require an extensively planned battlemap, while
a less important battle with a significant number of units may work with only sketched out positions arranged in
zones. A single battle may start as a mapped engagement, and move to theater of the mind as it progresses.

Simplified Mass Combat

In some cases, there is no need for the default mass combat rules. Some players may not be interested in this
aspect of play, or there may be mass combat with an unclear outcome that involves few or no player characters.
These simplified rules may even be used for an entire military campaign encompassing multiple battles,
particularly when the military campaign involves no player characters.
Simplified Mass Combat revolves around two Leadership skill checks made by the general or leader of each
army. An army with one and a half as many HD as their enemy may add a +2 to this check, and an army double the
size or more may add a +4. The first skill check is opposed, and determines the winner of the battle. A tie means
that neither side can truly claim victory, but the aggressor must concede the field. The second skill check
determines casualties lost on both sides, and should be compared to the following chart.

Skill Check If Winner If Loser

<6 Half of the army fall as casualties The entire army is completely shattered
One quarter of the army fall as
6-9 Half of the army fall as casualties
casualties
10-12 One tenth of the army fall as casualties One quarter of the army fall as casualties
The army suffers no significant
13+ One tenth of the army fall as casualties
casualties

Player characters attached to an army might wish to make a significant contribution to the army to help their
side win. To do so, they may describe to the GM what they plan to do to help, and make a relevant skill check at
difficulty 8. If they succeed, they may add +1 to their general’s Leadership roll. However, if they fail, they instead
apply a -1 penalty to the Leadership roll.
 Military Campaigns
There are many aspects to warfare beyond individual battles. Armies must be supplied with food and
equipment, maintain discipline and morale while on campaign, scout terrain to find their enemies, and build
temporary fortifications or siegeworks in the lead up to an important battle. Ambushes are planned, armies are
harried by hit and run tactics in hostile territory, supply lines are sabotaged, and in many cases the battle may be
decided before the front lines even lock eyes across the killing field.
The following rules provide GMs with the tools to handle such activities. Some parties may not be interested
in these intricacies of warfare; like any other rule provided within this rulebook, the GM is free to leave out these
rules if the players are not interested in this aspect of play. In such a game, armies always arrive where they need
to be without much issue, perhaps with a single skill roll to determine positioning before the climactic battle.

Supplies and Army Morale

In any age, food and other supplies are key to a successful army, and lack of food could break an army before
they ever see combat. Beyond food, an army’s morale will also be affected by their wages, any forced marches or
other grueling tasks, the skill of their leaders, their experience and training, and the cause that they are fighting for.
If conditions are poor enough, even well-disciplined armies may be hamstrung by deserters or routed at the first
sign of resistance. Any major disruption such as half-rations and forced marches will halve the DP of the entire
army (generally this means halving the Will Dice of army units at the start of any engagement). Such effects stack,
with the second one reducing DP to 1/4, the next 1/8, and so forth. At 1/8 DP, soldiers will begin deserting the
army at a rate of 5% of the original army size each week, until the army’s size is reduced to 50%, at which point it
will completely dissolve.
Armies require food supplies whenever traveling in sparsely populated or unfriendly lands. In friendly,
populous lands, it is assumed that an army can maintain proper supply lines through either friendly citizens or an
unburdened logistic network. Beyond that, armies will need to carry food with them. Any unit, infantry, cavalry,
or otherwise, will be able to carry up to 1 week of rations with them. Beyond that, all supplies must come from the
army’s baggage train. This train of pack animals and porters will generally travel behind the army, and may carry
up to 4 weeks of rations, including food for the pack animals themselves. Baggage trains have a productivity/
wealth cost equal to one quarter of the army they supply, and cut overland travel speed by half. A baggage train
may supply an army of up to 30,000 soldiers. Beyond that, too much of the baggage train’s supplies must go to
feeding the baggage train itself, and the practice becomes unsustainable. For supplying larger armies, or armies for
longer times, a supply chain must be established at a cost equal to one tenth of the army, multiplied by the number
of weeks it takes to walk along (minimum 1). A supply line is composed of a steady stream of caravans carrying
food and equipment, stored on wagons or pack animals, and protected by armed guards, which are all included
within this cost.
Army Travel
Armies may travel overland at the same speeds listed for Overland Travel. Unless performing a Hard March
or similar, the army is also able to make a standard camp every night, assuming they have the discipline to do so.
Similarly, navies are able to travel at the listed speeds for ships. When on campaign, travel checks such as those
described below may be performed either weekly or daily, depending on the proximity to hostile forces.
Scouting is an essential component to an army’s campaign, ensuring they are not surprised by their enemies,
can find the safest route to travel upon, obtain forage to supplement their food stores, and choose the field of battle
when engaging an enemy. For every week on campaign, an army rolls a Survival skill check, using the average skill
of their scouting units. If a Player Character is involved in scouting, they may roll the skill check using their skill
level instead. Navies may use Sailing in place of Survival, when appropriate. This check is referred to as a scouting
check, and may be used multiple times throughout the week, for a variety of purposes. Scouts in their home
domain receive a +2 to this check, due to familiarity with the landscape.

The following is an in-exhaustive list of scenarios where the result of the scouting check is used:
◆ Locating another army
◆ Finding a suitable location for battle
◆ Preparing for or against an ambush
◆ In areas where wild game and forage is sparse, to determine whether scouts can acquire their usual amount
of food
◆ Finding drinkable water in unfamiliar terrain
◆ When trying to navigate unfamiliar terrain without clearly marked trails, to determine whether the army
gets lost

Siegecraft
When attacking any settlement with significant fortifications, significant investment of time and effort is
required. While a simple palisade can be brought down by a sufficiently determined force, any settlement with
Thick Walls (see Structures, page {{PAGE}}) requires an attacker to consider options more carefully.
{{TODO}}
 Character Origins
(1,1) Alchemist (4,1) Martial Artist
D66 Random Origin Table (1,2) Bard (4,2) Mounted Archer
(1,3) Berserker (4,3) Necromancer
To roll a random origin, roll two D6 dice and lookup
the result on the neighboring table. Alternatively, you (1,4) Beast Tamer (4,4) Noble
may choose an origin that appeals to you. All origins (1,5) Blacksmith (4,5) Officer
have been created with 16 skill points, and would
(1,6) Blink Warrior (4,6) Oracle
normally be expected to be a young character entering
adulthood and just beginning their career. If you’d like, (2,1) Cleric (5,1) Polymath

your character may be an older age, but you should give (2,2) Cook (5,2) Ranger
some thought as to why this older character has little (2,3) Diplomat (5,3) Rogue
experience, and what they have been up to.
(2,4) Dungeoneering Expert (5,4) Sailor

Some techniques on the following origins are (2,5) Facestealer (5,5) Sapper
marked in red. These techniques require a further choice (2,6) Flame Slinger (5,6) Shapeshifter
to be made, such as the language for Know Language. (3,1) Foot Soldier (6,1) Shadow Assassin
(3,2) Healer (6,2) Spellsword
(3,3) Hedge Mage (6,3) Telepath
(3,4) Historian (6,4) Warden of Death
(3,5) Investigator (6,5) Wizard
(3,6) Knife Thrower (6,6) Wyrd Caller
 Alchemist
HP 8 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/5
Crafting 1 Herbalist, Herbalist’s Healing, Stress 0/2 Stowed 9/10
Alchemist Armor 1 Effort -
Knowledge 1 Physician’s Apprentice Inventory
- Crossbow - Alchemist’s Pack
Athletics 0 - Crossbow Bolts - Crossbow Bolts
- Linothorax - Rations
- Adhesive
Marksmanship 0

Toughness 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is able to heal effectively out of Quick Change: This character could drop their
combat and begin to prepare potions and poisons. Marksmanship and Athletics skills and become a non-
combat character.

Bard
HP 4 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 10 Readied 1-2/4
Performance 1 Musician, Bard Stress 0/1 Stowed 8/8
Armor 0 Effort -
Communication 1 A Friend in Every Port Inventory
- Instrument of Choice - Performer’s Pack
- Writing Materials
Knowledge 0 Know Language
- Rations

Leadership 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is ready to travel the land

performing, meeting new people, and experiencing new
cultures. They may choose to improve their craft, or
Quick Change: Exchange Musician for Thespian, to act
perhaps they will forge strong connections with the
rather than sing. Alternatively, change Leadership to
people they meet.
Fighting or Marksmanship to be better prepared for the
dangers of the road.
 Berserker
HP 20 Injuries 0/4
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/5
Toughness 2 Hardy, Thick Skin Stress 0/6 Stowed 9/10
Armor 4 Effort -
Fighting 0 Brawler Inventory
- Mail Shirt - Warrior’s Pack
- Light Helmet - Rations
Athletics 0
- Gauntlet & Bracer - Torches
- Poleaxe
Survival 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character has a lot of Hit Protection and Quick Change: Reduce the character’s Toughness and
stress and they can negate incoming damage while in the add Fighting skill and techniques.
heat of combat.

Beast Tamer
HP 10 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/5
Animals 1 Animal Companion, Exotic Stress 0/2 Stowed 10/10
Animal Handler Armor 3 Effort -

Survival 1 Wilderness First Aid, Beast Inventory

Hunter - Spear - Wilderness Pack
- Small Shield - Lantern & Oil
Athletics 0 - Linothorax - Rations
- Gauntlet & Bracer - Net
Fighting 0

Toughness 0

Perseverance 0

Quick Change: Choose from myriad options of animal

Notes: This character has an animal companion, and can
companions and exchange Fighting for Marksmanship.
easily survive in the wild alongside their animal friend.
 Blacksmith
HP 10 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/5
Crafting 2 Weaponsmith, Armorsmith, Stress 0/3 Stowed 10/10
Artisan Armor 2 Effort -
Fighting 0 Inventory
- Hammer - Artisan’s Pack
Knowledge 0 - Linothorax - Rations
- Gauntlet & Bracer - Adhesive
- Lantern & Oil - Oil
Athletics 0

Toughness 0 Hardy

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character can create mundane items and is Quick Change: Remove the Fighting training for a non-
well positioned to begin a life of adventuring, or continue combat Crafter.
a life as a smith! Additionally, focus their training by only taking one of the
starting crafting techniques.

Blink Warrior
HP 16 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/5
Locomancy 1 Proficient Teleportation, Stress 0/5 Stowed 6/10
Locomantic Blocking AC 3 Effort 2
Fighting 1 Inventory
- Short Sword - Warrior Pack
- Small Shield - Rations
Toughness 1 Hardy
- Linothorax
- Gauntlet & Bracer
Perseverance 0

Athletics 0

Metamancy 0

Notes: This character can teleport up to 300 feet to close Quick Change: Replace Hardy with Well-Practiced
with their enemies, and teleport away when they get into Mage for more Effort. Fighting may be replaced with
trouble. Marksmanship for a hard-to-catch archer.
 Cleric
HP 15 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 12 Readied 4/5
Biomancy 1 Surge Healing Stress 0/3 Stowed 9/10
Armor 4 Effort 4
Perseverance 1 Inventory
- Mace - Warrior Pack
Fighting 1 - Large Shield - Wilderness Pack
- Linothorax - Rations
Metamancy 0 Well-Practiced Mage - Light Helmet

Necromancy 0 Repel Undead

Toughness 0

Athletics 0

Notes: This character is a capable combat-healer, who Quick Change: Remove Biomancy to invest more in
can hold their own in battle, repel undead, and heal Necromancy, or vice-versa. Alternatively, trade both for
themselves and others. Elemancy to make a battle-mage.

Cook
HP 14 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/4
Crafting 1 Chef, Expert Palette Stress 0/5 Stowed 8/8
Armor 1 Effort -
Toughness 1 Hardy Inventory
- Dagger x2 - Artisan’s Pack
- Small Shield - Rations
Sailing 0 Sea Savvy
- Liquor

Fighting 0 Brawler

Survival 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This chef’s tough exterior belays their expert Quick Change: The cook can easily be changed to have
cooking abilities, making them welcome among a ship’s more Fighting capabilities and might have an easy time
crew or in an adventuring party. breaking into Alchemy.
 Diplomat
HP 4 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 14 Readied 0/4
Communication 2 Body Language Expert, Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/8
Charismatic Armor 0 Effort -
Perseverance 1 Inventory
- Noble’s Pack
Knowledge 1 Know Language - Rations

Leadership 0

Observation 0

Notes: This character is skilled in using words to get Quick Change: Lower Communication to level 1 to
what they want. balance out among other skills, or add some basic combat
utility with Fighting or Marksmanship.

Dungeoneering Expert
HP 12 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 4 Readied 4/4
Knowledge 1 Mapmaker, Subject Expert - Stress 0/5 Stowed 8/8
History Armor 1 Effort -

Stealth 1 Lockpick Inventory

- Linothorax - Dungeoneering Kit
- Gauntlet & Bracer - Rations
Toughness 1
- Crossbow
- Crossbow Bolts
Crafting 0

Marksmanship 0

Notes: This character will come in handy when their Quick Change: Marksmanship could be exchanged with
expertise is called on and can avoid danger or hold their Fighting. Stealth could be dropped for more of an
own from a distance. investment in Crafting, or vice versa.
 Facestealer
HP 9 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 1/4
Biomancy 2 Change Face, Face Steal Stress 0/1 Stowed 7/8
Armor 0 Effort 3
Communication 0 Inventory
- Dagger - Entertainer’s Pack
- Lantern & Oil
Knowledge 0

Metamancy 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is able to blend in anywhere, Quick Change: Drop Face Steal and reduce Biomancy to
changing their face and impersonating others. 1, and spread the skill points to a combat skill, or
Communication, Stealth, or Performance for a more
mundane imposter.

Flame Slinger
HP 8 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 2/4
Elemancy 2 Basic Element Training - Fire, Stress 0/2 Stowed 7/8
Elemental Control, Localized Armor 2 Effort 3
Sunlight, Effortless Violence Inventory
Metamancy 0 - Linothorax - Herbalist’s Pack
- Small Shield - Rations

Knowledge 0

Toughness 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character can sling fire without expending Quick Change: The Flame Slinger can be re-worked to
effort through Effortless violence. fit any element, taking a different Basic Element training
and replacing Localized Sunlight.
 Foot Soldier
HP 16 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 6/6
Fighting 1 Unit Drilled, Shield Bearer Stress 0/3 Stowed 9/12
Armor 5 Effort -
Athletics 1 Traveler Inventory
- Linothorax - Soldier Pack
Toughness 1 Fast Healer - Light Helmet - Rations 2
- Greaves
Perseverance 0 - Large Shield
- Spear
- Small Shield

Notes: This character can wear heavy armor, and has Quick Change: Swap around techniques for a slightly
high starting HP. Even with those abilities, they are still different soldier.
only a simple soldier, and are equipped accordingly.

Healer
HP 13 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/4
Biomancy 2 Quick Diagnosis, Efficient Healer Stress 0/2 Stowed 7/8
Armor 2 Effort 4
Knowledge 0 Physician’s Apprentice Inventory
- Dagger - Herbalist’s Pack
- Lantern & Oil - Rations
Metamancy 0 Well-Practiced Mage
- Linothorax
- Light Helmet
Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character invests heavily in Biomancy to Quick Change: Reduce Biomancy to 1 to add more
learn Efficient Healer, making them more combat- magic or some combat ability.
oriented. Biomancy could be reduced to make room for
other skills.
 Hedge Mage
HP 4 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/4
Elemancy 1 Basic Element Training, Stress 0/1 Stowed 8/8
Elemental Control Armor 0 Effort 3
Biomancy 0 Quick Diagnosis Inventory
- Dagger - Herbalist’s Pack
Crafting 0 Herbalist, Herbalist’s Healing - Lantern & Oil - Rations

Chronomancy 0 Quick Peek

Metamancy 0 Minor Magic, Well-Practiced

Mage
Perseverance 0

Survival 0 Friendly Biome Training

Quick Change: Swap around any of the magic skills for
Notes: A typical rural mage, this character has basic skill other, low level magic skills and techniques.
in a wide range of magics.

Historian
HP 4 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/4
Knowledge 2 Subject Expert, Know Dead Stress 0/1 Stowed 8/8
Language Armor 0 Effort -

Communication 1 Know-it-all Inventory

- Dagger - Artisan’s Pack
- Lantern & Oil - Rations
Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is an expert in the history of their Quick Change: Replace Know Dead Language with
local region or domain, and can relate that knowledge to other appropriate Knowledge techniques. Alternatively,
others when it matters. lower Knowledge to 1 to make this character more well-
rounded.
 Investigator
HP 12 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/5
Communication 1 A Friend in Every Port, Stress 0/2 Stowed 6/10
Investigator, Intimidating
Armor 2 Effort -
Fighting 1
Inventory
Athletics 0 - Short Sword - Warrior’s Pack
- Linothorax - Rations
- Gauntlet & Bracer
Knowledge 0
- Lantern & Oil

Perseverance 0

Stealth 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character has the skills needed to investigate Quick Change: Drop Fighting, Toughness, and Athletics
secrets, and the skills needed to hold their own if the for a non-combat investigator, consider picking up a
investigation goes south. magic skill such as Psychomancy or Chronomancy.

Knife Thrower
HP 10 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 5/6
Marskmanship 2 Thrown Weapons Expert, Stress 0/2 Stowed 12/12
Strapped, Quick Hands Armor 3 Effort -

Athletics 0 Inventory
- Dagger x2 - Throwing Blade x20
- Throwing Blades x10 - Soldier’s Kit
Fighting 0
- Linothorax - Rations
- Gauntlet & Bracer
Toughness 0 - Light Helmet

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character can deal a lot of damage with their Quick Change: Reduce Marksmanship and add
many throwing blades. Performance to become a variety show knife thrower.
 Martial Artist
HP 16 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 1/6
Athletics 1 Nimle, Strong Armed Stress 0/3 Stowed 7/12
Armor 3 Effort -
Fighting 1 Brawler, Martial Artist Inventory
- Staff - Wilderness Pack
- Rations
Toughness 1

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is effective in combat without Quick Change: Exchange Strong armed and Brawler for
armor or weapons. Weapon-focused techniques.

Mounted Archer
HP 12 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 5/5
Marksmanship 1 Quick Reload Stress 0/3 Stowed 9/10
Armor 2 Effort -
Animals 1 Cavalier Inventory
- Linothorax - Soldier Pack
- Light Helmet - Rations
Toughness 1
- Small Bow - Light War Horse
- Arrows x3
Athletics 0

Perseverance 0

Survival 0

Notes: A mounted archer with some experience in Quick Change: Replace Marksmanship with Fighting
nature, this character is at home with their horse under for a light lancer. Replace animals with Athletics or more
an open sky. Marksmanship for a foot archer.
 Necromancer
HP 8 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/4
Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/8
Necromancy 1 Repel Undead, Bind Undead,
Pacify Undead, Spiritfinder, Armor 0 Effort 3
Examine Corpse Inventory
Metamancy 0 Well-Practiced Mage - Dagger - Herbalist’s Pack
- Lantern & Oil - Embalming Tools
- Rations
Knowledge 0

Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character is ready to bind and repel undead Quick Change: Drop some Necromancy techniques for
they encounter and may grow their magic and knowledge an investment in Fighting or Marksmanship to hold your
of death as they progress. own in combat, or pick up another magic skill for a more
well-rounded mage.

Noble
HP 10 Injuries 0/1
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 5/5
Animals 1 Stress 0/1 Stowed 5/10
AC 6 Effort -
Knowledge 1 Know Language, Subject Expert Inventory
- Politics - Long Sword - Noble’s Pack
- Mail Shirt - Lantern & Oil
Leadership 1 Commanding Voice
- Full Helmet - Horse, Riding
- Greaves
Athletics 0 - Mail Sleeves

Fighting 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character has spent their early years engaging Quick Change: Change the Noble’s skills to reflect a
in horse riding, weapon training, and above all, a formal different training and upbringing. For example, swap
education within a royal court. Knowledge with Fighting.
 Officer
HP 12 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 12 Readied 4/5
Fighting 1 Unit Drilled Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/10
Armor 5 Effort -
Leadership 1 Commanding Voice, Lead From
Inventory
the Front
- Long Sword - Soldier’s Pack
Knowledge 0 Mapmaker - Small Shield - Noble’s Pack
- Mail Shirt
Animals 0 - Full Helmet

Athletics 0

Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character is a competent fighter and Quick Change: Reduce the number of additional skills
leadership, and possesses many of the basic skills an trained or change the chosen Leadership techniques.
officer would require. Alternatively, invest more heavily in animals to become
cavalry.

Oracle
HP 4 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 12 Readied 1/4
Chronomancy 2 Quick Peek, Dream Quest Stress 0/3 Stowed 7/8
Armor 0 Effort 4
Perseverance 1 Inventory
- Dagger - Herbalist’s Pack
Knowledge 1 - Rations

Metamancy 0

Notes: This character can see up to 3 weeks into the Quick Change: Lower Chronomancy, add Fighting or
future, and solves most of their problems this way. Marksmanship, and replace Knowledge with Toughness
for a future-seeing warrior.
 Polymath
HP 10 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 10 Readied 5/5
Every Mundane Stress 0/2 Stowed 10/10
Skill 0 Armor 2 Effort 1

Metamancy 0 Minor Magic Inventory

- Spear - Dungeoneering Pack
- Small Bow - Rations
- Arrows - Lantern & Oil
- Linothorax
- Light Helmet

Notes: This character can go anywhere and isn’t

significantly less powerful at the start than others,
although it will take them longer to pursue any specific
Quick Change: Remove Metamancy to boost mundane
skills.
skills and techniques.
Alternatively, take every magic school and reduce
The Polymath can do most things, but will not be very
mundane skill investment.
skilled in everything.

Ranger
HP 8 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 5/5
Marksmanship 1 Quick Reload, Sniper Stress 0/2 Stowed 7/10
Armor 2 Effort -
Survival 1 At Home Anywhere Inventory
- Large Bow - Wilderness Pack
- Linothorax - Rations
Athletics 0
- Gauntlet & Bracer
- Arrows x2
Stealth 0

Toughness 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is well positioned to aid a party Quick Change: Change the focus from Survival to
through stealth, wilderness expertise, and a strong bow Stealth for a ranged assassin, or swap Marksmanship to
arm. Fighting for a melee survivalist.
 Rogue
HP 12 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 2/5
Stealth 1 Lockpick, Assassin’s Apprentice Stress 0/1 Stowed 7/10
Armor 3 Effort -
Fighting 1 Martial Artist Inventory
- Dagger x2 - Criminal’s Pack
- Rations
Athletics 1 Nimble

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is well positioned to lead a party as Quick Change: Change Fighting to Marksmanship,
a scout, sneak behind enemy lines, or plan an reduce Athletics to 0, and remove Martial Artist for a
assassination. ranged-weapon rogue.

Sailor
HP 8 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/5
Sailing 1 Red Sky in Morning, Sea Savvy, Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/10
Navigator, Superior Sea Legs Armor 2 Effort -
Fighting 1 Martial Artist Inventory
- Short Sword - Soldier’s Pack
Athletics 0 - Dagger - Rations
- Net

Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character has all the starting tools to sail the Quick Change: Exchange Fighting for Marksmanship.
seas. They travel light, but are ready for adventure. Alternatively, take Performance instead of Fighting and
regale your crew with beautiful Sea Shanties!
 Sapper
HP 10 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/5
Crafting 1 Sapper Stress 0/3 Stowed 7/10
Armor 3 Effort -
Marksmanship 1 Quick Reload Inventory
- Crossbow - Lantern & Oil
Athletics 0
- Bolts x2 - Rations
- Linothorax - Sapper Pack
Fighting 0 - Gauntlet & Bracer
- Light Helmet
Perseverance 0

Stealth 0

Toughness 0 Hardy

Notes: No walls can hold this character back, and they Quick Change: Swap Marksmanship for Fighting, drop
can find good work in any army. If they are caught in some skills for more investment in Crafting.
combat, they can hold their own with their trusty
crossbow.

Shadow Assassin
HP 12 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 4 Readied 4/4
Elemancy 1 Basic Element Training - Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/8
Shadow, Shadow Walker Armor 2 Effort 1

Stealth 1 Assassin’s Apprentice Inventory

- Dagger x3 - Criminal Pack
- Throwing Blade x5 - Rations
Fighting 1
- Linothorax
- Gauntlet & Bracer
Metamancy 0

Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character lurks in the shadows to perform Quick Change: Replace Fighting with Marksmanship
execution attacks with their daggers, either throwing for a ranged assassin, or drop it to invest more in
them or in melee range. Elemancy.
 Shapeshifter
HP 17 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 4/5
Biomancy 2 Infravision, Change Form, Stress 0/3 Stowed 8/10
Natural Weapons Armor 0 Effort 2

Toughness 1 Inventory
- Wilderness Pack
- Rations
Athletics 0

Metamancy 0

Perseverance 0

Notes: This character is well poised to shift forms, Quick Change: Lower Biomancy skill level to acquire
eventually using either Full Transformation or Augment more techniques (like healing), or invest in other skills,
Form. such as Survival.

Spellsword
HP 15 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 0/5
Fighting 2 Martial Artist Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/10
Armor 3-4 Effort 2
Metamancy 1 Psion Inventory
- Long Sword - Wilderness Pack
- Rations
Psion Spells Precognition (Chronomancy)

Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character is strong in melee combat, has a Quick Change: Exchange Precognition for other Arts or
magical ranged attack, doesn’t need to wear armor, and is Spells across any magical skill.
poised to learn more combat magic as they grow.
 Telepath
HP 4 Injuries 0/3
Skill & Level Techniques DP 15 Readied 0/4
Psychomancy 1 Hardened Mind, Mind Links, Stress 0/2 Stowed 5/8
Intercede, Suggestion, Demoralize Armor 0 Effort 3
Inventory
Perseverance 1
- Traveler’s Pack
- Rations
Communication 0

Metamancy 0

Notes: This character is adept at reading the surface Quick Change: Swap any Psychomancy techniques for
thoughts of others, creating mental links, and defending other options, or take away Temporary tongue and lower
from mental attacks of others. Perseverance to 0, to bring Psychomancy to level 2.

Warden of Death
HP 11 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/4
Necromancy 1 Examine Corpse, Careless Stress 0/2 Stowed 7/8
Ceasing of the Cycle Armor 0 Effort 3

Biomancy 1 Flesh Flower, Stasis Inventory

- Spear - Herbalist’s Pack
- Lantern & Oil - Rations
Metamancy 0 Well-Practiced Mage

Perseverance 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character will be able to control the line Quick Change: Change the specific techniques taken in
between life and death, allowing them to heal and rot Biomancy and Necromancy to fit a different playstyle.
flesh alike. Reduce the investment in one and add it to the other to
lean more towards life or death.
 Wizard
HP 4 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 12 Readied 2/4
Metamancy 2 Minor Magic, Spellbook, Well- Stress 0/2 Stowed 8/8
Practiced Mage, Identify Magic Armor 0 Effort 4

Perseverance 1 Inventory
- Staff - Herbalist’s Pack
- Spellbook - Writing Materials
Knowledge 0 Know Language - Rations

Notes: This character is very powerful in general magic,

utilizing several Metamancy techniques such as
Spellbook and Identify Magic to learn and utilize magic. Quick Change: Eliminate Spellbook to return to non-
You may choose 3 magical techniques to place into your vancian casting. Note that you cannot remove Knowledge 0
spellbook representing your previous education. and still utilize your Spellbook.

Wyrd Caller
HP 8 Injuries 0/2
Skill & Level Techniques
DP 8 Readied 3/4
Elemancy 2 Basic Element Training, Call Stress 0/2 Stowed 7/8
Wyrd, Bind Wyrd Armor 0 Effort 4

Metamancy 0 Well-Practiced Mage Inventory

- Dagger - Herbalist’s Kit
- Lantern & Oil - Rations
Perseverance 0

Survival 0

Toughness 0

Notes: This character is versatile, filling a slightly

different role depending on what Basic Element Training
they choose and which Wyrd effect they gain. Quick Change: Swap Survival 0 for Fighting or
Marksmanship 0 to pair with Wyrd choice. Alternatively,
swap the Wyrd techniques with others of your choice.
 Appendix
Common Creatures and People

Name HD WD Armor Dmg. Move

Peasant 1 1 0 Wpn 30’
Knight 4 4 9 Wpn+2 30’
Small Predator (Lynx) 2 1 1 d4 30’
Medium Predator (Wolf) 3 2 2 d6 + 1 40’
Larger Predator (Tiger) 5 3 3 d8+2 40’
Huge Predator (Arctodus Simus) 8 4 4 d8+4 30’
Large Bird of Prey (Harpy Eagle) 2 1 4 d4 50’ Flight
Small Aquatic Predator (Humboldt Squid) 1 1 1 d4 30’ Swim
Medium Aquatic Predator (Reef Shark) 3 2 1 d6 40’ Swim
Large Aquatic Predator (Orca) 6 4 4 d8 40’ Swim
Tough Herd Animal (Stag) 2 2 1 d6 30’
Large Herd Animal (Bison) 4 5 2 1d8+2 50’

Example Concoctions List

Unless otherwise noted, concoctions have an encumbrance of 1, but may be bundled in groups of up to 5.
Applying a poison or salve, or drinking a potion, always requires 2 Action Points. When purchasing these
concoctions outright, they will usually cost 2-5 times their material cost, depending on the size of the local
alchemical market and availability of magic items. Many smaller towns and villages likely will have access to
none of these materials beyond Healing Salves. Most sanctioned alchemists will refuse to sell poisons, at least out
in the open.

Name Description Material Cost Difficulty

For 2 Action Points, this salve may be applied, providing 1d4
Healing Salve 5sp or gathered None
Healing.
For 1 Action Point, this poison may be applied to a weapon
or missile, adding 1d6 Damage to the first hit it makes. The
poison is volatile and will only last a scene once applied. Two
weapon fighting only applies and only consumes one poison
Poison 10sp or gathered None
per successful attack. Ingested poison requires a difficulty 8
Toughness saving throw to avoid mortally wounding the
target. On a successful save, the target suffers the maximum
damage of the poison.
Composed of more potent materials than minor healing
salves, but still gentler than Biomantic healing, this healing
Healing Potion 25sp 8
potion can heal 2d4 points of HP damage, without adding
stress.
Functioning the same as normal poison, this perfectly 25sp
balanced nonlethal alternative will cause any enemy brought The material cost
Paralytic to 1 HP or lower to be paralyzed for an entire day, unable to can be avoided with
8
Poison move or talk, but able to think and observe. Ingesting this the paralytic poison
poison immediately paralyzes the recipient on a failed gland of a creature
saving throw. This poison counts as a Powerful Ailment. or plant.
 Name Description Material Cost Difficulty
This concoction is most often found in the hands of feared
warriors, prize fighters, and desperate of adventurers. When
taken, it removes all traces of fear from the person who
consumes it. For the rest of the scene, they do not track
Grim determination points, similar to undead, automatons, or any
30sp 10
Determination other mindless being. They cannot gain the demoralized
status, and will pursue their objectives without thought of
failure. However, at the end of the scene, the person who
consumed the potion loses all determination points, as they
suffer withdrawal.
Greater This glowing draught of healing brew is as powerful as a
Healing fledgeling Biomancer and heals 2d6 HP. It does, however, 50sp 10
Potion add a point of stress to the user.
This red sludge burns the mouth and roils the stomach,
sending the drinker into a blind rage. Their Toughness,
Fighting, and Athletics skills are treated as one higher (to a
Berserker’s maximum of 6) for an entire scene. Additionally, they are
50sp 10
Brew unaffected by determination point damage. The drinker is
not able to take normal actions, and instead moves and
attacks the nearest creature every round for the duration,
until the scene ends or they are otherwise incapacitated.
This burning vial scorches the drinker’s throat, causing 2
Dragon’s
damage. It then provides immunity to all fire damage for a 100sp 12
Breath
scene, up to the heat of a volcano.
This strange, slimy lump resides in an oil-filled vial, allowing
for it to be easily swallowed by the drinker. For the rest of the
scene, the user gains the benefits of [Elastic Anatomy]
Elastic Gunk 100sp 12
(Biomancy 2).

This potion has an encumbrance of 1.

Functioning the same as normal poison, when a creature
takes damage from Psychotoxin, they must pass a difficulty 8
Psychotoxin Perseverance saving throw or be subjected to the effects of 50sp 12
[Unnatural Fear] (Psychomancy 2). This poison counts as a
Powerful Ailment.
This strange, acrid drink completely paralyzes its user for an 500sp
entire week, causing their insides to restructure and resow, This cost can be
healing any major damage they have recently taken. The replaced with a
Imposed
potion causes the user to receive two points of stress, quest, but 12
Repose
unblockable by other Techniques, but restores their HP to cannot be
full and heals one Injury, incurring a scar roll as if by magical removed by any
healing. techniques.
1000sp
This cost can be
Somehow this drink, made of some of the rarest and hardest
replaced with a
ingredients to find increases one’s luck. After drinking it, for
Bottled Luck quest, but 14
an entire scene, make all rolls twice and take the higher
cannot be
result.
removed by any
techniques.
 Example Modifications

Name Description Strength Cost (sp.) Time

Bonus to damage on a weapon. This +1 1,000 1 Week

Masterwork
modification may only be applied when +2 3,000 3 Weeks
Weapon
creating the weapon. +3 5,000 5 Weeks

Custom Reduce the encumbrance of a readied weapon

N/A 3,000 3 Weeks
Made by 1.

Reduces the Encumbrance value of armor to a -1 3,000 3 Weeks

Fitted
minimum of 1. -2 5,000 5 Weeks

Drastic design improvements change the type Medium -> Light 5,000 5 Weeks
Lightweight
of a piece of armor. Heavy -> Medium 10,000 10 Weeks

Removes the stealth penalties of Medium and Medium 1,000 1 Week

Well Oiled
Heavy Armor. Heavy 3,000 3 Weeks

Animal You are able to fit medium armor to animal

N/A 3,000 3 Weeks
Armor companions smaller than horses.

Your weapon or armor is expensive and it

shows. The sky’s the limit in terms of
gaudiness. Add the value used in the
Ostentatious N/A Xsp Xsp/1000
modification to the value of the item, with the
time required 1 week/1000sp spent, at a
minimum of 1.