Heaven / Hell

A Game Written by Joel Vreugdenhil

Heaven / Hell © 2022 by Joel Vreugdenhil is licensed under CC BY 4.0. To view

a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents 2
Intro 4
What You’ll Need 4
Getting Started 4
The Fiction 5
Not Really a TTRPG 5
Fight Mechanics 6
Core Attributes 6
Zones And Distance 6
Techniques 7
Technique Tags 9
Wounds And Rounds 11
Resources 11
Turn Rules 12
Character Creation 14
Assigning Attributes 14
Calculate Health 14
Choosing Archetypes 14
Setting Technique Die 14
Specializing 14
Tiers 15
Universal Techniques 16
Archetypes: 17
Difficulty: ⚝ 17
Difficulty: ⚝ ⚝ 18
Difficulty: ⚝ ⚝ ⚝ 18
Bastard (Hope Drain) 19
Bastard (Hope Drain) 21
Battle-Witch (Projectile Zoner) 22
Bastard (Hope Drain) 23
Blade Sage (Spacing) 24
Bastard (Hope Drain) 25
Dancer (Rushdown) 26
Bastard (Hope Drain) 27
Flagellant (Health Manipulation) 28
Bastard (Hope Drain) 29

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Ranger (Token Generation) 30
Bastard (Hope Drain) 31
Illusionist (Setup) 32
Bastard (Hope Drain) 33
Juggernaut (Baits Utility/Defense) 34
Martial Artist (Stance Swap) 36
Bastard (Hope Drain) 37
Ninja (Hit And Run) 38
Specialties 39
Talents 41
Examples 44
Example Builds 44
Alternate Rules 45
Tag 45
Kusoge 46
High-Flying Fighter 46
Crushing Cross-Counters 46
Shattering Barriers 46
Ring Out 46
Alternate Methods Of Play 47
Duel (Standard form) 47
Simple Long Form 47
Group Long Form 48
Asynchronous group form 49
Syntax 50
What is this? 50
Credits 51
Writing 51
Layout 51
Copy Editing 51
Artwork 51
License 51
Playtesters 51

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Intro

Heaven / Hell, otherwise known as 2H, is a competitive 1 VS 1 tabletop game set in the underworld.
It’s meant to recreate the systems and strategies created by traditional fighting video games,
allowing you to mix and mach a number of recognizable fighting game archetypes and optional
rules to play your dream fighter through the medium of pen and paper.

What You’ll Need

Before considering playing, you’ll need a few materials (physical or digital) in order to play 2H.
Those materials are as follows:

This book.

A character sheet, found wherever you found this book.

A set of colored tokens, coins, or sticky notes.

A set of RPG dice, including at least 1 of the following: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12.

Getting Started
Assuming you just want to fight someone, playing 2H is incredibly simple. You just need to do
three things.

Find someone else who wants to play and has read the book.

Decide amongst yourselves what Tier of characters you want to play.

Create a character, be sure you both can see each other’s character sheets, and Fight!

This game is meant to be played in single “best of 3” sessions in person or online. If you have any
interest in it, you shouldn’t be scared of dedicating a ton of time, as you can get the full experience
in around an hour.

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The Fiction

Hell, The Underworld, Hades, Yomi, no matter what you call it seems like everyone’s ended up
here. No one has any memory of their life before, if such a thing even exists. But one thing rings
true, none of you want to stick around.

Not Really a TTRPG

2H is a competitive board game first, and an RPG second. But that does not mean that it has no
story backing its writing and themes, just that those aspects are much more general, and a low
priority when compared to game balance.

The entirety of this game’s design and focus is to replicate the tense feeling of both 1v1 fighting
video games and cinematic battles from all forms of fiction. For that reason its setting exists to
make people fight.

Your characters are not human.

Your characters are not tragically fighting against their natures.

And violence is an inherent part of this game’s design.

However…
There could be times when a group of people find this game together, and if you have an invested
interest in TTRPGs and Fighting games than you may be interested in some lite narrative.

In the same way that a fighting video game illustrates its character through a set of systems
entirely condensed into 1 V 1 battles, there are ways that you can express plenty of narrative
weight in a Fight.

Go wild with unnecessary detailing and justification, even if you’re fighting people you don’t
know well, and you just end up telling that story in your head. Think of why your character is
fighting, do they give any of their moves special names, fun stuff like that.

5
Fight Mechanics

Core Attributes
Characters in 2H have 3 Core Attributes, each one represented by a size of dice assigned at
character creation (D4, D6, D8, D10, or D12). The Attributes are as follows.

Speed (SPE): Empowers agile Techniques. Breaks ties.

Fortitude (FOR): Determines your maximum Health. Empowers defensive Techniques.

Power (POW): Empowers the vast majority of Techniques but lacks any sort of utility.

Zones And Distance

All Fights take place on a single row of Zones, normally made up of 7 numbered Zones, with Zone 4
being the very middle of the field. By default, all Fights start at 3 Distance, with one player
starting in Zone 2, and one player starting in Zone 6.

Moving A Character Distance

There are four total ways to change where a
character is on the board.
You may Close or Create Distance, Moving
your character towards or away from your
opponent respectively. Or you may deal Pull
or Push, moving your opponent’s character
towards or away from you respectively.
All movement is stopped as soon as a
character moves adjacent to their opponent,
even if they should move further.Both
characters are always facing each other
when checking for “In front” or “Behind”.
Distance refers to the number of Zones
between both players. The Zones furthest to
the left or right are considered “The Corner”.
Voiding By Distance
If Distance is 1 or higher at the beginning of
the Void Phase or end of the Reveal Phase all
Attacks are Voided, unless they have a
Ranged Tag with a value equal to or
exceeding the Fight’s Distance.
Markers
Some Techniques will place a Marker on the
field. They represent effects related to a
specific Zone or Zones. Markers all have
effects that are unique to

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Techniques
The actions characters have access to during a Turn are referred to as “Techniques”. Each comes
with their own Types, Tags, and effects.
Technique Types
All Techniques come in 1 of 3 types, Attack,
Defense, or Utility.
Attacks
Attacks are just what they sound like, they
deal damage, progress a game towards its
end, and almost always forge you to
dedicate yourself to your action. They
universally lose to Defense Techniques, and
can lose to other Attacks if you have less
resources.
Defenses
Defenses are the premier techniques to use
when you’re at disadvantage. They almost
always focus you bringing your resources
up to your opponent’s. They universally lose
to Utility, and other Defenses.
Utility
Finally, we’ve got Utilities. These techniques
can do anything from moving a character
to placing some marker on the board, they
often have “Low Commitment”, a Tag that
allows its user to change the Technique
they're using half-way through a turn. This
can allow for incredibly safe plays when
the user is in an advantageous situation.
Utility Techniques lose to Attacks and
Attacks alone.
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Voiding
If a Technique is Voided it is treated as if it
was never chosen.
Voided Techniques cannot resolve effects
after they’ve been Voided for any reason.
Voided Techniques only remain Voided until
the end of a Turn.
Clashing
There are some situations where instead of
Resolving or Voiding, Techniques will Clash.
When a Technique Clashes, their user will
receive 1 Push, have their Technique Voided
(Without triggering Unsafe) and have their
Hope set to 5.
Be default there are two situations where a
Technique can Clash, both of which coming
from Attacks.
If two Attacks with the same name are
revealed against each other, they will Clash
during the Void phase.
If two Attacks are revealed against each
other and the users have the same Hope
Value both Clash during the Void Phase.
Flash Parries
Once per Round, each player can force a
Clash using a Flash Parry. When a character
would be hit by an Attack Technique, they
can state that they will initiate a Flash Parry
instead.
When a Flash Parry is Initiated, both
characters immediately Clash. A Flash Parry
can only be initiated when a character has
an Attack resolved against them, this must
be done before any dice from that On Resolve
effect are rolled.
Attributes In Techniques
Many techniques will use Attributes
surrounded by square brackets within their
effects (Ex: [Pow]).
This means that when using that Technique
you roll your stated Attribute dice, with the
resulting number taking the place of the
bracketed text.
If there is a “/” between two Attributes (For
example, [POW/SPE]) you must roll both
and choose one,
If there is a “+” in between (For example,
[POW+SPE]) you must roll both and add
them together.
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Technique Dice
Each character has a Technique Die, this
being a D10 equipped with 6 preset
Techniques, and 4 different techniques you’ve
unlocked. You may alternatively use playing
cards, index cards, or any other object to
represent your 10 Techniques, so long as they
are still numbered 1 to 10.
The 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th side of a Technique
Die can be assigned with a Technique of the
owner’s choice anytime outside a Fight
(Including immediately before a Fight),
chosen from the Techniques they’ve
unlocked.
Tokens
Some Techniques will cause a character to
gain a Token. These are held in the same
place as the Technique Die, counting as being
“Held” until it is revealed.
These are physical Tokens that a player can
choose to reveal alongside their Technique in
the reveal Phase, or whenever else they
Reveal a Technique (ie. Combo or Link). This
causes an effect specified when the user
gains the Token and then removes the Token
from the Fight. “On Reveal” effects granted
by Tokens trigger before the “On Reveal”
effects of the Technique itself.
Characters can Hold any number of Tokens
at a time, including copies of the same Token.
However, if more than one of the same Token
is revealed at once no additional effect is
applied.
Technique Tags
Tags are a set of common effects assigned to Techniques, with each Tag’s exact effects being
explained in this section.
Airborne: You are unaffected by Markers
until the end of the Turn.
Amplify X: After this Technique is Revealed,
its user can spend X Hope to “Amplify” it. This
Technique will also list a “When Amplified”
effect that will detail what happens when
this is triggered.
Armored: During the Void Phase, this cannot
be Voided by Attacks. If the opponent is using
an Overpower D attack, this is negated.
Combo X: After this Resolves, you may Reveal
and Resolve an additional Technique, that
Technique gains Weak (pg.9). If you Resolve a
Combo Technique as a result of this, it cannot
activate Combo unless its X value is less than
the last Technique that you’ve Resolved.
Cooldown: After this is Revealed or Resolved
it cannot be used again until the end of the
next Turn.
Cross Up: If, after this Resolves, the user is
adjacent to their opponent they are
immediately moved to the opposite side. If
there is no Zone to move to on the other side
you instead swap places. If this Tag has
“(Reverse)” added to the end, your opponent
is forced to move instead of you.
Cumbersome: This cannot be Resolved as a
result of Combo, Low Commitment, or Link.
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High Commitment: Your opponent’s current
Technique has Low Commitment 0.
Low Commitment X: Before the Void Phase, if
you have more Hope than your opponent,
and are not Vulnerable to them (pg.9) you
may spend X Hope to change the Technique
you are using. That Technique loses Combo.
Link X: After any of your Techniques Resolve
you can spend X Hope to Reveal and Resolve
this Technique, this Technique cannot trigger
Combo. A single Technique cannot be Linked
more than once in the same Turn.
Lingering X: If this Technique would be
Voided by Distance it instead creates a
“Lingering” Marker in the Zone in front of the
user. Before every Void Phase (other than he
Turn this is created) this marker moves X
Zones in the direction its user was facing. If
this Marker moves into the opponent’s Zone
or vice versa, it disappears. Then this
Technique attempts to Resolve against the
opponent’s current Technique as if it started
in the Void Phase, it cannot be Voided
through Range and has ∞ Priority.
Overpower X: During the Void Phase, this
cannot be Voided by X, and if your opponent
Revealed X it is Voided (Unless you are also
Vulnerable to X or your opponent’s Technique
Overpowers your Technique.)
Priority X: During this turn you count as
having X more Hope than your actual Hope.
This cannot affect your ability Break.
Ranged X: This Technique is not Voided by
Distance if Distance is equal to or less than X.
Replace X: When this is equipped it can
replace the Universal Technique on side X.
Weak: Whenever this Technique asks you to
roll two die and pick the highest, pick the
lowest instead. If you're asked to roll two and
add them together, pick the highest instead.
Slow X: During this turn you count as having
X less Hope than your actual Hope. This
cannot affect your ability to Break.
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Shatter: When this Technique would be
Voided against a Defense Technique it causes
a Clash. Clashes that result from this
Technique do not deal Push to the user and
leaves the opponent with 2 less Hope.
Ultimate: This can only be Revealed and/or
Resolved once in each Round, and only when
the user is at 15 Health or less.
Unsafe X: If this Technique is Voided you
immediately lose X Hope.
Vulnerable X: During the Void Phase, this is
Voided by X, unless your opponent’s
Technique is Vulnerable to your Technique.
Wounds And Rounds
Whenever a character runs out of Health they don’t immediately lose the Fight, they only receive
a Wound. When a character receives their first Wound the first “Round” ends, this means that
both fighters return to maximum Health, 5 Hope, clear all Tokens and Markers, and the
characters with a Wound receive an “Underdog” Token.

When someone receives their second Wound they lose the Fight.

Underdog Tokens
When you reveal an Underdog Token along with an Ultimate Technique you may use that
Technique as if it did not have Ultimate.

You may also reveal an Underdog Token when your opponent uses an Attack Technique to Flash
Parry them even if you have already used your Flash Parry for the Round.

Resources

Health Breaking: When a character ends the Action

Characters lose Health when they receive
damage, when they run out of Health they
receive a Wound.
Characters start Fights with Health equal to
22 plus their Fortitude die’s size.
Hope
This represents all forms of advantage, be it
speed, position, or energy. Hope determines
who can act first in many situations.
Characters cannot spend Hope if it would
bring their Hope below 0. When characters
start a Fight, they have 5 Hope. A character
has a maximum Hope of 10.
Phase with less than 1 Hope they Break.
When a character Breaks their opponent can
choose to immediately use a Technique of
their choice.
After this Technique (and any Techniques
that came from it) Resolve, the Broken
character is set to 5 Hope. If two characters
Break at the same time in the same Turn,
neither gains the benefit and both are set
back to 5 Hope.

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Turn Rules
Every Turn taken in Heaven or Hell must go through the following “Phases”, detailing the order
and result of all effects that happen within these turns.
Decision Phase
Fights are made up of synchronized Turns
between two players. When a Turn starts
both players secretly choose a side of on their
Technique Dice, this is considered the
Decision Phase.
This decision should be hidden under the
player’s hand until their opponent has also
confirmed that they have decided on their
action.
Reveal Phase
After both players have confirmed their
decision they must reveal their Technique
Dice.
On Reveal effects trigger in the reveal phase,
if both Techniques have an On Reveal effect
the player with the highest Hope can activate
theirs first.
Effects that occur after reveal such as Low
Commitment, Amplify, and Flash Parrying
should be taken at the end of this phase.
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Void Phase
At this point Techniques are voided. If in
Attack could be voided by Distance it is
Voided before checking anything else. If both
players chose a different type of Technique,
one of the players has their Technique
Voided. Attacks Void Utility, Defenses Void
Attacks, and Utility Voids Defense.
If both players choose an Attack, the player
with the lower Hope has their Attack Voided
(If the Attacks have the same name or the
Hope is tied both players Clash).
If both players choose a Defense both players
have their Defense Voided.
If both players choose a Utility, neither is
Voided and the player with the highest Hope
can choose to resolve their Utility first or
second. Post Resolve effects like Link and
Combo occur after both Techniques have
resolved.
Action Phase Ending The Turn
Then comes the Action Phase. In this Phase After the Action Phase (and Break Phase if
the player’s techniques are resolved. applicable) is finished the Turn ends and the
However, the player who gets to do so first is game returns to the Decision Phase.
decided by the kinds of Techniques they
chose. If at any point in this process a character
drops to 0 Health or less the Round ends and
At this point characters may be able to the player with the most Health wins.
resolve an additional Technique through the
effects of Tags like Combo or Link. If they do
so they should run through each phase
before this again with their new Technique.

If both players are able to activate Combo or

both can activate Link, both are ignored, if
one player could Combo and one could
activate Link only the player who could
Combo can do so.

Break Phase
Unlike all the above phases. The Break Phase
only occurs if 1 of the characters ends the
Action Phase with 0 Hope. It must be only 1, if
both characters are at 0 they are instead
reset to 5 Hope.

During the Break Phase, the character who is

not at 0 may use an unopposed Technique, as
if there was a second Action Phase.

After this Technique (and any Techniques

that came from it) resolve, both characters
are set to 5 Hope. and the Break Phase ends.

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Character Creation

Assigning Attributes
When you create a character you’ll be able to assign a die size to each of the 3 Attributes (Speed,
Fortitude, Power), with your options being based off of one of the following arrays:

Average: D6, D6, D8

Specialist: D4, D6, D10

Calculate Health
Your Attributes will determine your character’s starting Health. Which resets after each Round.
Health is equal to 22 + Fortitude Dice size

Choosing Archetypes
Upon character creation, each character can invest 3 Archetype Levels into any of the
Archetypes, each of which can be leveled up to 3 times. The Archetypes, the Techniques they give,
and the effects of their Stances are listed after this section.

Stances: Characters must also choose to take a Stance at the beginning of each Fight, with this
Stance giving them a set of passive benefits. Each Archetype that the character has at least 1
level in provides them with a Stance that they can take.

Setting Technique Die

The 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th side of a Technique Die can be assigned with a Technique of the owner’s
choice anytime outside a Fight (Including immediately before a Fight), chosen from the
Techniques they’ve unlocked by progressing in the game.

Specializing
You may Specialize once in character creation, giving a Technique of your choice a unique set of
buffs and/or drawbacks. Each Technique can only be Specialized once, when you do, pick from the
Specialties listed after the Archetypes and apply its effects to your Technique.

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Tiers
The character creation rules above all assume you are playing a Tier 1 character, however
characters can be made at higher Tiers, up to 9.

When a character increases their Tier they can do the following:

Gain a level in any Archetype.

If increasing to an even numbered Tier (2, 4, 6, 8) boost an Attribute die (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12).

If increasing to an odd numbered Tier (3, 5, 7, 9), Specialize a Technique.

If increasing to a multiple of three (3, 6, 9), Gain a Talent.

Tier 1 Base Attributes, Three Archetype Levels, First Specialization.

Tier 2 Boost Attribute, New Archetype Level.

Tier 3 New Archetype Level, First Talent, Second Specialization.

Tier 4 Boost Attribute, New Archetype Level.

Tier 5 New Archetype Level, Third Specialization.

Tier 6 Boost Attribute, New Archetype Level, Second Talent.

Tier 7 New Archetype Level, Fourth Specialization.

Tier 8 Boost Attribute, New Archetype Level.

Tier 9 New Archetype Level, Third Talent, Fifth Specialization.

Warning. Characters past Tier 3 are often unbalanced, this game is meant to be played mostly
with Tier 1 or Tier 3 characters. The others serve as a way to spice it up for fun!

Tier 1 characters serve as a good introduction as they are much more simple and can be made
entirely using 1 Archetype.

Where Tier 3 characters are what the game is balanced around. You have the opportunity to pick
up a Talent, and customize your Techniques to a fairly good degree.

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 Universal Techniques
The following 6 Techniques are set to the first 6 sides of any character’s Technique die. They are
fundamental and should be considered the baseline for any other Technique going forward.

1: Light Flurry Attack 4: Parry Defense

Tags: Priority 3, Combo 2 Tags: N/A

On Resolve: Deal [SPE/POW] damage. Gain 3 Hope. On Reveal: Gain [FOR/FOR] Hope.
Deal 1 Push. On Resolve: Your opponent loses 3 Hope. Close
or Create 1 Distance.

2: Fierce Strike Attack

5: Back Step Utility
Tags: Ranged 1, Combo 1
Tags: Combo 1, Airborne
On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage. Gain 4
Hope. Close 1 Distance. - While Revealed, Attacks have +3 Unsafe.
On Reveal: Create 1 Distance, if you can’t, this
gains Cross Up.
3: Grab & Throw Attack

Tags: Overpower D, Cross Up (Reverse), Priority 5, 6: Engage Utility

Unsafe 4, Cumbersome, Vulnerable (Airborne)
On Resolve: Deal [FOR/POW] damage. Your
opponent loses 4 Hope. If this Crosses Up, Deal 1
Push.
Tags: Combo 1
On Reveal: Close 2 Distance.
On Resolve: Gain [SPE/SPE] Hope.

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Archetypes:

The base book of Heaven / Hell has 10 different Archetypes, each with separate mechanics and
levels of relative difficulty. The list below summarizes each of these Archetypes and ranks their
difficulty from 1 to 3 stars.

Start here if you can’t decide on what you want to play.

Difficulty: ⚝

Bastard (Hope Drain)

Aggressive and oppressive. This Archetype is built around their ability to wear down an opponent
and drain their Hope over the course of multiple turns.

Battle-Witch (Projectile Zoner)

Long-ranged attackers. The archetypical sniper, Battle-Witches have some of the only Attacks
that can hit an opponent from anywhere in a Fight, making them the most effective Archetype
when at a Distance.

Dancer (Rushdown)
High mobility with equally high risk. The
Dancer has the highest variety of
Distance-closing Techniques, able to do so
risk-free, or even during their offense or
defense.

Juggernaut (Baits Utility/Defense)

High risk and high reward. Juggernauts
provide their users with some of the most
powerful single attacks that can be used,
both of which being Overpower D, close
ranged, and Unsafe.

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Difficulty: ⚝ ⚝

Blade Sage (Spacing)

Safe and reliable. Not as long-ranged as the dedicated ranged Archetypes, but much more
reliable, the Blade-Sage boasts tools that, in their optimal range, can only really be beaten by one
specific choice from the enemy.

Ninja (Hit And Run)

Fast and evasive. The Ninja excels at manipulating Distance and forcing their opponent to miss.
Using their Attacks that close Distance they can punish their opponents for using Utility or long
ranged slow Attacks at a distance.

Flagellant (Health Manipulation)

Unstable, offensive monster. Built around their penitent to draining their own Health and
explosive Techniques, the Flagellant is rewarded for keeping their Health at or below 10 for as
long as they possibly can.

Difficulty: ⚝ ⚝ ⚝

Ranger (Token Generation)

An Archetype built for players who enjoy resource management. Rangers rely heavily on their
ability to use and generate Tokens. Each Token provides useful buffs for their Techniques.

Illusionist (Setup)
Masters of space and time. This archetype is built around its use of “Mirror Markers”, special
Markers that allow it to move, combo, and snipe more effectively than most other Archetypes,
even those where that is their specialty.

Martial Artist (Stance Swap)

For players that prefer flexibility and utility over direct power. Adaptable gamblers with the
ability to shift between multiple Stances, each heavily altering their play style.

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Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
Aggressive and oppressive. This Archetype is built around their ability to wear down an
opponent and drain their Hope over the course of multiple turns.
Their ability to drain Hope even when their opponent Defends against their attacks allows
them to force opponents into lose/lose situations when they’re in their optimal range.

Oppressive Stance
Positive: The first attack you use in each Break Phase gains +1 Combo and deals 3
additional damage.
Negative: Your Attacks without Unsafe have Unsafe 2.
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 Level 1

Menacing Walk Utility Headbutt Attack

Tags: Combo 1, Replace 6 Tags: Shatter, Amplify 3, High Commitment

- While Revealed, Defenses have +4 Unsafe. On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage. When
On Reveal: Close 2 Distance. this causes a Clash it leaves the opponent at 1
Hope.
When Amplified: This loses High Commitment.

Level 2

Toe Stomp Attack Stunning Glare Utility

Tags: Overpower D, Priority 3, Unsafe 3, Tags: Amplify 2, Cooldown, High Commitment

Vulnerable (Airborne)
On Reveal: This gains +3 Combo if it’s the first
Technique you Revealed on the Turn.
On Resolve: Deal 1 damage.
Your opponent loses [POW/FOR] Hope.
On Resolve: Gain a “Bastard” token. When this
Token is revealed your Technique gains
Overpower D and Cumbersome and loses
Armored and Overpower A.
When Amplified: This loses High Commitment,
it's On Resolve effect becomes an On Reveal
effect.

Level 3

“Don't Flinch” Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Priority ∞

On Reveal: The Turn immediately ends, and you move to the Decision Phase. However, your next
Technique gains the following benefits depending on its type.

- Attack: Slow ∞, “On Resolve: Deal [POW] damage. Deal 2 Push. Close 2 Distance”

- Utility: Priority ∞, “On Reveal: If your opponent chose an Attack this gains Low Commitment 0”

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Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
Long-ranged attackers. The archetypical sniper, Battle-Witches have some of the only Attacks
that can hit an opponent from anywhere in a Fight, making them the most effective Archetype
when at a Distance. However, these attacks are both Slow and Unsafe, making defensive options
and Attacks that can close Distance more rewarding to your opponent than normal.

Watcher’s Stance
Positive: If a Turn ends where there is at least 2 Distance you gain 2 Hope.
Negative: When Distance is 0 all Attacks you use have +2 Slow.

21
 Battle-Witch (Projectile Zoner)
Level 1

Hexing Orb Attack Umbral Spines Utility

Tags: Lingering 3. Amplify 3 Tags: Combo 1, Airborne, Replace 5

On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage. On Reveal: Place a “Spine” Marker in your

Gain 3 Hope. Deal 1 Push. Zone, then Create 2 distance. If your opponent
When Amplified: This gains Shatter and loses 1 ends the Turn on one of these Markers they
Lingering. receive 5 damage.

Level 2

Vicious Spirit Attack Commandment UTILITY

Tags: Lingering 1, Weak Tags: Link 2

On Reveal: If there is already a Vicious Spirit
Marker on the board this gains Combo 2, Loses it's
On Resolve effect, and the Marker moves 1 Zone
closer to your Opponent.
On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage.
Your Opponent loses 4 Hope.
- This Link can only be used if there is a
Marker created by the user on the board.
On Resolve: Move all Markers you’ve created
up to 2 Zones in the same direction. All of your
Lingering Markers become Lingering 0 until
the end of the Turn.

Level 3

Brimstone Beam Attack

Tags: Ultimate, Ranged ∞, Amplify 4, Unsafe X, Cumbersome

On Reveal: Set X to the value shown on your Technique Die.

On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] + X damage. Deal X Push.
When Amplified: This loses Cumbersome, X is halved until this finishes Resolving.

22
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
Safe and reliable. Not as long-ranged as the dedicated ranged Archetypes, but much more
reliable, the Blade-Sage boasts tools that, in their optimal range, can only really be beaten by one
specific choice from the enemy. This forces the opponent to engage with you and enforce their
offense to have a chance, where you can choose to play in a more reserved manner.

Duelist’s Stance
Positive: The first time you resolve an Attack at a Distance equal to its Range in each Turn it deals
4 additional damage.
Negative: When you have an Attack Voided by an Attack you lose 3 Hope.

23
 Blade Sage (Spacing)
Level 1

Misty Step Utility Perfect Parry Defense

Tags: Combo 3, Airborne, Replace 5, Slow 3 Tags: Amplify 2, Unsafe 3, Combo 3

- While Revealed, Attacks have +4 Unsafe. On Resolve: Gain [SPE/SPE] Hope.

On Reveal: Create 2 Distance. When Amplified: This gains “On Resolve: Move
On Resolve: Close 1 Distance. to any Zone.”

Level 2

Sweeping Cut Attack On The Draw Attack

Tags: Ranged 1, Priority 2, Replace 2 Tags: Combo 2, Low Commitment 4, Cooldown

On Resolve: Deal [SPE/POW] damage. Gain 4 Hope.
Deal 1 Push. If this was Resolved at 1 Distance this
gains +1 Combo.
- This can only Low Commit into Engage.
On Reveal: If your Hope is higher than your
opponent’s you may Create or Close 1 Distance.
On Resolve: Deal [SPE/SPE] damage.
Deal 1 Push.

Level 3

Moving In Frozen Time Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Combo ∞

On Reveal: Create any amount of Distance

On Resolve: For the rest of the turn all Attacks you use count as having Range X, where X is the
Distance between yourself and your opponent.

24
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
High mobility with equally high risk. The Dancer has the highest variety of Distance-closing
Techniques, able to do so risk-free, or even during their offense or defense. All this mobility is
meant to allow them to make great use of close ranged powerful Attacks.

Speedster Stance
Positive: All your Techniques gain “On Resolve: You may close 1 Distance”.
Negative: Your Overpower D attacks deal 3 less damage.

25
 Dancer (Rushdown)
Level 1

Dynamic Entry Attack Flash Step Utility

Tags: Priority X, Amplify 2, Unsafe 3, Replace 2 Tags: Cooldown, Vulnerable U, Combo 2

On Reveal: Set X to the Distance between yourself
and your opponent. Close 3 Distance.
On Resolve: Deal [SPE/POW] damage.
Gain 3 Hope. Deal 1 Push.
When Amplified: This gains Shatter.
On Reveal: If your Hope is higher than your
opponent, this gains Overpower A.
On Resolve: Move to the Zone behind your
opponent (Or the zone in front of them if
they're in zone 1/7.)

Level 2

Elegant Evasion Defense Rapid Blows Attack

Tags: Overpower A, Cooldown, Unsafe 4 Tags: Combo 2, Priority 2, Amplify 4, Weak

On Resolve: Gain [SPE/SPE] Hope. Gain a “Step” On reveal: Close 1 Distance.

Token. When this Token is revealed you On Resolve: Deal [SPE/POW] damage.
immediately close 1 Distance. Your opponent loses 3 Hope.
When Amplified: This gains Shatter.

Level 3

Bale-Fire Treads Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Low Commitment 0, Priority ∞

On Resolve: Gain a “Bale-Fire” Token.

So long as you are Holding this Token you gain a “Momentum” Token whenever you Create or close
Distance for each Zone Created or Closed. Momentum Tokens have no effect when revealed.

When you reveal a Bale-Fire Token you must also spend all of your Momentum Tokens, gaining
Overpower A, Close X Distance, Priority X, and deals X additional damage (if it dealt damage), where
X is the number of Momentum Tokens you spent.

26
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
Unstable, offensive monster. Built around their penitent to draining their own Health and
explosive Techniques, the Flagellant is rewarded for keeping their Health at or below 10 for as
long as they possibly can, with their reward for achieving this being completely unstoppable in
some situations.

Berserk Stance
Positive: When your Health is 10 or less all your Techniques gain “On Reveal: Close 1 Distance”.
Your effects that cause you to lose Health can’t make you lose the Round.

27
 Flagellant (Health Manipulation)
Level 1

Vorpal Strike Attack Adrenaline Rush Utility

Tags: Unsafe X, Cumbersome, Weak Tags: Combo 3

On Reveal: Set X to half the value displayed on
your Technique Die. Close 2 Distance. If X is 5 or
greater this gains Armored.
On Resolve: Deal [POW/FOR] + X damage. Gain X
Hope. Deal X Push.
On Reveal: Lose 2 Health. Your next Technique
this Turn gains +1 Combo or loses all
Cumbersome and Combo.

Level 2

Hot-Blooded Reversal Attack Crimson Claw Attack

Tags: Overpower A, Amplify 3, Unsafe ∞ Tags: Overpower D, Priority 4, Amplify 3,

Cumbersome, Replace 3, Vulnerable (Airborne)
On Reveal: Lose 2 Health.
On Resolve: Deal [FOR/FOR] damage. On Reveal: Lose up to 2 Health, deal that
Gain 3 Hope. Deal 1 Push. amount of Pull.
When Amplified: This Technique’s damage On Resolve: Deal [POW/FOR] damage.
becomes [For+For]. Gain 2 Hope. Your opponent loses 2 Hope.
When Amplified: This gains “On Resolve:
Regain Health equal to what you lost On
Reveal.”

Level 3

The Living Dead Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Armored

On Resolve: Until the end of the Round all of your Techniques have Armored, but their Unsafe effects
make you lose Health instead of Hope.

28
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
An Archetype built for players who enjoy resource management. Rangers rely heavily on their
ability to generate Tokens. Each Token provides useful buffs for their Techniques. They also gain
one of the most powerful and easy to create Tokens in the game, the Bullet Token, from the
Silver-Tipped Technique. With this Token and their other Techniques that allow them to use it
better, they can create some of the most powerful setups possible.

Soldier Stance
Positive: When you start a Round you gain 3 Shot Tokens (As described in Silver-Tipped)
Negative: You Start Rounds with 1 less Hope.

29
 Ranger (Token Generation)
Level 1

Rapid Fire Attack Reload Roll Defense

Tags: Slow 1, Ranged 3, Replace 2 Tags: Overpower A, Cooldown, Combo 1, Cross

Up, Unsafe 5
On Reveal: If you did not reveal at least 1 Token
this Technique is Voided. On Resolve: Your opponent loses [POW/SPE]
On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage, plus 2 Hope. If this Crosses Up, Create 1 Distance. This
damage for each token you revealed along with can only Combo into Utility Techniques.
this (up to a maximum of +10). Gain 2 Hope. Create
or Close 1 Distance. Deal 1 Push.

Level 2

Silver-Tipped Utility Quick Loader Utility

Tags: Low Commitment 3, Amplify 2, Vulnerable A Tags: Low Commitment 2, Vulnerable A

On Reveal: Create a “Shot” Token. When this Token
is revealed your Technique gains + 1 Priority and
+1 Combo if it’s an Attack.
When Amplified: After Resolving this Technique
you may reveal and resolve this again.
On Resolve: Receive one additional copy of
each of your unique type of Tokens you are
Holding (Excluding Underdog Tokens.)

Level 3

Gunmetal Panic Attack

Tags: Ultimate, Overpower A, Ranged 3, Combo 3

On Reveal: If you did not reveal at least 1 Token this Technique is Voided.
On Resolve: Deal [POW] damage for each Token you revealed. Close 2 Distance. Deal 1 Push.

30
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
Masters of space and time. This archetype is built around its use of “Mirror Markers”, special
Markers that allow it to move, combo, and snipe more effectively than most other Archetypes,
even those where that is their specialty. However, all of these effects rely on you and your
opponent’s exact positioning, with each relying heavily on your placement of Mirrors.

Deceiver’s Stance
Positive: When you start each Round you gain a Grim Reflection Token (As described in Magic
Mirror), and you place a “Mirror” Marker in the Zone behind you.
Negative: Attacks that void your Attacks deal 3 additional damage to you.

31
 Illusionist (Setup)
Level 1
Magic Mirror Utility
Tags: Low Commitment 2, Amplify 2, Vulnerable A
On Reveal: Place a “Mirror” Marker in any Zone
and gain a “Grim Reflection” Token. When this
Token is revealed your Technique gains “On
Reveal: move to a Mirror of your choice, or as
close as possible, then remove that Mirror.”
When Amplified: After Resolving this Technique
you may reveal and resolve this again.
Level 2
Shattering Glass Attack
Tags: Priority 8, Ranged ∞, Combo 2, Replace 2
On Reveal: If your opponent is not in the same
Zone as a Mirror, Void this.
On Resolve: If your opponent is not in the same
Zone as a Mirror, Void this. Remove the Mirror
your opponent is occupying. Deal [POW/POW]
Damage. Gain 3 Hope.
Level 3
Master Of Reality
Tags: Ultimate, Combo 1
On Resolve: Place a “Mirror” Marker in every Zone.
32
Body Double Attack
Tags: Link 3
- This can only Link off of Attacks.
On Reveal: If there are no Mirror Markers on
the field, Void this. This becomes a copy of any
other Attack you have unlocked of your choice.
You must resolve this Attack as if you are
standing in the Zone of one of your Mirrors
your opponent is not occupying.
Ensnaring Light Defense
Tags: Cooldown
On Reveal: If your opponent is not in the same
Zone as a Mirror, Void this.
On Resolve: Your opponent is unable to change
their position until the end of the next Turn.
Your opponent loses [POW/POW] Hope.
Utility
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
High risk and high reward. Juggernauts provide their users with some of the most powerful
single attacks that can be used, both of which being Overpower D, close ranged, and Unsafe. For
this reason they are countered by Utility and Defense Techniques that create distance on Reveal
or Priority Attacks, and need ways to keep their opponent close to them in order to best use their
abilities.

Grappler Stance
Positive: Your Overpower D Attacks that deal [X/X] deal [X+X] damage instead.
Negative: When you create/close Distance you create/close 1 less, to a minimum of 1.

33
 Juggernaut (Baits Utility/Defense)
Level 1

Shoulder Charge Attack Heavy Step Utility

Tags: Armored, Slow 2, Unsafe 4 Tags: Slow 2, Armored, Replace 6

On Reveal: Close 2 Distance. This can’t be reduced. On Reveal: Close 1 Distance.

On Resolve: Deal [POW/FOR] damage. On Resolve: The Next Technique you reveal
Gain 3 Hope. Your opponent loses 2 Hope. gains Armored.

Level 2

Suplex Attack Clip Their Wings Attack

Tags: Overpower D, Priority 6, Unsafe 3, Cross Up Tags: Ranged 2, Combo 3, Amplify 3,

(Reverse), Replace 3, Cumbersome, Vulnerable
(Airborne)
On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage.
Your opponent loses 4 Hope. If this Crosses Up
Deal 1 Push and Close up to 1 Distance.
Vulnerable (Non-Airborne)
On Resolve: Deal [POW/FOR] damage.
Gain 2 Hope. Your opponent loses 3 Hope.
When Amplified: Lose Vulnerable.

Level 3

True Heaven Buster Attack

Tags: Ultimate, Overpower D, Priority 6, Airborne, Unsafe ∞, Cumbersome, Vulnerable (Airborne)

On Resolve: Deal [POW+POW+POW] damage.

34
 Game Plan
For players that prefer flexibility and utility over direct power. Adaptable gamblers with the
ability to shift between multiple Stances, each heavily altering their play style. The restricted yet
powerful nature of each of the Martial Artist stances makes it, so its user must be completely
confident in every action they're taking.

Gemini Stance
Positive: You have two different Technique Dice that you can assign with different Techniques.
The Techniques granted by this Archetype can only be used with this Stance. At the start of each
Round you must choose one of these dice to serve as your active Technique Die.

35
 Martial Artist (Stance Swap)

Unique Effect: Swapping Technique Dice

Some Techniques from this Archetype swap your Technique Die. This means that the Techniques
you have access to on each side of your dice change from your current set to the other set created
from Gemini Stance, or back to your original if you’ve already swapped. If this occurs on Reveal
you must Resolve the Technique shown with the new dice.

Level 1

Like Water Utility Fluid Flurry Attack

Tags: Cooldown, Vulnerable A Tags: Combo 1, Priority 2, Unsafe 1, Replace 1

On Reveal: Close 1 Distance. On Resolve: Deal [SPE/SPE] damage. Gain 2

Swap your Technique Die. Your new Technique Hope. Swap your Technique Die. This can only
gains Low Commitment 3. Combo into the 1 Technique from your new die.

Level 2

Swept Away Defense Sudden Palm Attack

Tags: Overpower A, Combo 1, Unsafe 5 Tags: Replace 2

On Resolve: Your opponent loses [SPE/SPE] Hope. On Reveal: Close 2 Distance.

Swap your Technique Die. On Resolve: If you started your turn with a
different Technique Die this gains +3 Combo.
Deal [SPE/SPE] damage.
Gain 3 Hope. Deal 1 Push.

Level 3

Divine Body Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Low Commitment 0, Vulnerable A

On Reveal: Until the end of the Round, during every Turn, you can choose to swap your Technique Die
after the Reveal Phase.

36
Bastard (Hope Drain)

Game Plan
Fast and evasive. The Ninja excels at manipulating Distance and forcing their opponent to miss.
Using their Attacks that close distance they can punish their opponents for using Utility or long
ranged slow Attacks at a distance. And with their unique Utility they can create Distance at no
risk so long as they are willing to spend a small cost.

Evasion Stance
Positive: Whenever Distance would cause an opponent to Void their Technique, gain [SPE] Hope.
Negative: Reduce your Health by 3.

37
 Ninja (Hit And Run)
Level 1

Smoke Bomb Defense Quick Slash Attack

Tags : Cooldown, Overpower A, Amplify 4,
Unsafe 3
On Resolve: Create 2 Distance.
When Amplified: This gains Combo 2.
Tags: Priority 5, Unsafe: 3, Cross Up, Replace 2
On Reveal: Close 3 Distance.
On Resolve: Deal [SPE] damage.
If this Crosses Up, Create 1 Distance.

Level 2

Assassination Attack Tossed Blades Attack

Tags: Overpower D, Priority 3, Airborne, Tags: Slow 1, Low Commitment 4, Ranged 2

Amplify 4, Cumbersome, Vulnerable A
On Reveal: Close 2 Distance.
On Resolve: Deal [POW/SPE] damage. Your
opponent loses 4 Hope.
When Amplified: This gains Combo 3, but does not
deal Hope damage.
On Reveal: If your opponent did not Reveal a
Defense or Overpower A Technique, and you
have higher Hope than them, you may deal
[SPE] damage.
On Resolve: Deal [SPE] damage.
Gain 2 Hope. Close 1 Distance.

Level 3

Theory Of Spontaneous Generation Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Low Commitment 0

On Resolve: Gain a “Clone” token. When this Token is revealed Your Technique gains “Supreme” Low
Commitment.

This has the same effect as Low Commitment 0 but with the following added on:

“If you choose to change your Technique and are able to resolve it, you can Reveal your original
Technique again and resolve it, as if you were doing a Combo.”

38
Specialties
Raging
Add “On Reveal: Close ∞ Distance” and Cooldown to this Technique.

Magical
Add +1 Ranged and +4 Slow to this Technique.

Fearsome
Add “On Reveal: If your opponent chose Defense they lose [FOR] Hope.” to this Technique.

Evasive
This can only be used on Attacks. This Technique gains: “On Reveal: Once per turn, if you’ve
Resolved your 5 Technique this turn this deals 4 additional damage if it does damage, and you
close 1 Distance.”

Launching
Add +1 Combo and +2 Unsafe to this Technique’s Tags. This specialty can't be applied to Utility
Techniques.

Unbreakable
This can only be used on Attacks. Add Armored and +2 Slow to this Technique’s Tags.

Grasping
Add +3 Slow, Overpower D, Cumbersome, Vulnerable (Airborne), and Replace 3 to this Technique’s
Tags.

Unparalleled
This can only be added onto a Technique without Ultimate. Remove Unsafe, Slow, High
Commitment, and Cooldown, and add +3 Priority, but add Ultimate to this Technique’s Tags.

Blinking
Add “On Resolve: Move to the Zone three Zones in front of or behind you, or as close as possible
without occupying your Opponent’s Zone.”.

39
Leaping
This Technique gains Airborne and “On Reveal: Close 1 Distance, if you cannot, and you have
higher Hope than your opponent, gain Overpower A, Cross Up, and unsafe 4 instead” this loses
Low-Commitment if it had it.

Freezing
This Technique gains Amplify 4 and “When Amplified: If you deal damage, your opponent cannot
reveal a Technique next Turn, but also cannot receive damage or lose Hope.” You cannot inflict
this effect two turns in a row.

Repeating
If this Technique is the first one you Reveal on your Turn it gains “On Resolve: Your first technique
next Turn gains Combo ∞, but it must Combo into this Technique.”

Sapping
If this Technique causes your opponent to lose Hope you gain the same amount.

Momentum
This can only be used on Attacks. This Technique gains: “On Resolve: If you’ve Resolved your 6
Technique this turn this deals 4 additional damage if it does damage, and you close 1 Distance.”

Thrown
This Technique gains “On Resolve: Place a “Dagger” Marker in a Zone adjacent to your opponent
that you do not already occupy. If you enter a Zone with a Dagger Marker, the Marker disappears,
you may Close or Create up to 1 Distance, and your current technique gains + 1 Combo.”

Magnetizing
This Technique gains “On Resolve: Create a “Magnet” Token. When this Token is revealed your
Technique gains “On Reveal: Deal 1 Pull”.”

Vorpal
This Technique gains “On Resolve: If this caused your opponent to Break you gain an Underdog
Token (As described in the Wounds and Rounds section.)”

Rushed
This can only be used on a Technique with Combo. This Technique reduces its Combo value by 1 (to
a minimum of 1) and gains +3 Priority.

40
Talents
Catch The Blade
If you reveal a Technique Die with the same value as your opponent’s, and your opponent is using
an Attack, your Technique is changed to this. Increase your Speed die size by 1.

Catch The Blade Utility

Tags: Overpower A, Combo ∞

On Resolve: Your opponent loses 2 Hope

elemental mage
When you choose this Talent choose one element from Thunder, Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind.
Whenever you gain Hope for the first time on your turn you also gain an Elemental Token
matching the element you chose. The effects of revealing each Element Token are as follows:

Thunder: +1 Priority and “On Reveal: Close 1 Distance.”

Water: +1 Combo, +1 Ranged, and Cumbersome.

Fire: +2 Damage (If this deals damage)

Earth: +3 Slow, Armored, and “On Reveal: If your opponent chose an Attack this gains +1
Combo.”

Wind: “On Resolve: Create or close up to 2 Distance and/or deal up to 2 push or pull.”

Great-Weapon User
You start all Fights with a “Heave” Token. When the Heave Token is revealed you gain a “Release
X” Token, where X is the current side on your Technique die, then your Technique Die is set to 4.
When the Release X Token is revealed Your Technique Die is set to X, all damage your Technique
would deal is doubled, and you gain a Heave Token.
Increase your Fortitude die size by 1.

41
Oni-Blooded
The first time you would take a Round ending Wound you are instead set to 1 Health and 10 Hope.
Until the start of your next Turn you are unable to gain Hope, all damage you take is redirected to
your Hope, and when you run out of Hope you lose the Round.
Increase your Fortitude die size by 1.

Warp mage
Once per Turn if you Create Distance past the Corner, you may choose to move to the opposite
Corner instead (so long as it’s not occupied by your Opponent). You can also trigger this effect on
your opponent when you Push them in the Corner.
Increase your Power die size by 1.

Lethal Blow
When you would resolve a Technique with Combo you may choose to trigger this Talent until the
end of the Turn, additionally needing to set a number of your choice to “X”. When Lethal Blow is
active track the total damage you deal during that Turn. If the total damage is X or more deal X
additional damage, if this damage does not cause your opponent to lose the round them you lose
all of your Hope.

Living Armory
Your Technique die changed to a D12, gaining two new slots for unlocked Techniques. Gain 1 level
in any Archetype.

Feint steps
All of your Utility techniques gain “On Resolve: You may Close an equal amount of distance as you
Created this Turn or vice versa.”. Your Attacks without Low Commitment gain Low Commitment 2,
but can only change to Utilities.
Increase your Speed die size by 1.

Powerhouse
All of your Attacks gain “On Resolve: Deal 1 Push. Close 1 Distance”. When one of your Attacks
would Push your opponent into the Corner or cannot push it gains +1 Combo.

42
Mimic Technique: Eligos’ lance
Your Technique die becomes a D12 and you unlock the Following Technique.

Eligos’ lance ATTACK

Tags: Ultimate, Overpower A, Link 0

On Reveal: Close 2 Distance.

On Resolve: Deal [POW/POW] damage. Gain 5 Hope. Deal 2 Push. Then if the opponent is in the
Corner this Technique gains +5 Combo.

Mimic Technique: AIM’s Fire

Your Technique die becomes a D12 and you unlock the Following Technique.

AIM’s Fire UTILITY

Tags: Ultimate

On Resolve: Place a “Scorched Earth” Marker on every Zone. If your opponent ends their Turn on
a Scorched Earth Marker they receive 3 damage.

Mimic Technique: sallos’ rule

Your Technique die becomes a D12 and you unlock the Following Technique.

sallos’ rule UTILITY

Tags: Ultimate, Low Commitment 0

On Resolve: Gain a “Kneel”, “Flee”, and “Walk” Token. When the Kneel Token is revealed your
opponent cannot move using their Technique until the end of the Turn. When the Flee Token is
revealed your opponent immediately creates 2 Distance. When the Walk Token is revealed your
opponent immediately closes 2 Distance.

Mimic Technique: valefar’s trickery

Your Technique die becomes a D12 and you unlock the Following Technique.

valefar’s trickery Utility

Tags: Ultimate, Low Commitment 0

On Resolve: Place a “Domain” Marker in the Zones 1 distance away in front and behind you. At
the end of every turn you may swap the positions of any or all characters or Markers between
your two Domain markers.

43
Examples

Example Builds
There are quite a few ways to build a character in 2H, and here there are 2 characters listed.

Stolas:
Jack Of All Trades
Stolas is what most would call an
“all-rounder”, taking the Techniques they
think are most important from three
different Archetypes, rather than taking the
most powerful traits of a single one.
Raum:
Super heavy Grappeler
Raum cares about 1 thing and 1 thing alone.
Damage. They’ve taken all three levels of
Juggernaut, making them amazing in their
optimal game state. But that’s the only time
they’re good.

Attributes Attributes

SPE: D6 FOR: D6 POW: D8 SPE: D4 FOR: D10 POW: D6

Archetype(s) Archetype(s)

Blade Sage (1) Battle Witch (1) Juggernaut (3)

Flagellant (1)

Stance: Duelist’s Stance Stance: Grappler Stance

Techniques Techniques

1: Flurry 2: Fearsome Fierce 1: Flurry 2: Fierce

3: Grab 4: Parry 3: Unbreakable Suplex 4: Parry

5: Back Step 6: Engage 5: Back Step 6: Engage

7: Perfect Parry 8: Hexing Orb 7: Shoulder Charge 8: Heavy Step

9: Adrenaline Rush 10: H.B Reversal 9: Clip Their Wings 10: Heaven Buster

44
Alternate Rules

This section contains a number of alternate rules you can add to any individual duel.

These may trend towards less balanced gameplay, as the rest of the book’s content is designed
around the rules above. But if you’re looking to spice up a game or two this could be just what
you’re looking for.

Tag
This rule allows one player to control two characters at once, emulating tag team fighters.

Each side can now choose two different characters, each with the same Tier. At the start of a Fight
each player must choose what character they want to start with by simultaneously revealing
some token or object that they’ve both agreed represent their characters, this character is
referred to as their “Point” character.

Players always treat their Point character as the one they are using, with the non-Point
character having no effect on the game until an effect specifically references them.

Each player also starts the game with a Tag Token, even if it is used they regain it at the start of
the Turn.

When the Tag Token is used, the user must pay 2 Hope, then, after the reveal phase, swap their
Point characters. This means that the Technique they're using also changes to the one on the new
character's die, triggering any reveal effects of their Point character, and the resolve effects of
the new character.

45
Kusoge
All Techniques have +1 Combo.
“Yeah that looks good, ship it”

High-Flying Fighter
All characters have their 6th Technique replaced with the following.

6: Super-Dash Attack

Tags: Unsafe 5, High Commitment, Combo 1

On Reveal: Close ∞ Distance.

On Resolve: Deal [SPE] damage. Gain 3 Hope.

Crushing Cross-Counters
Whenever a player resolves an Attack as a result of a revealing two Attacks against each other
that Attack gains Combo.

If the attack already had Combo it gains “Supreme” Combo X with the same value.

This has the same effect as Combo but with the following added on:

“No matter what Technique you choose as a result of this Combo it is treated as having Combo X-1,
where X is the value of this Technique’s “Supreme” Combo.”

Shattering Barriers
If a character Breaks in the Corner, an alternate type of Break Phase occurs.

In this alternate Break phase characters cannot receive more than 10 damage. If someone would,
they instead reduce the damage taken to 10 and “shatter the wall”, moving both them and their
opponent to the starting spaces, gain 5 Hope, and give their opponent 3 Hope.

Ring Out
If a character would be pushed in the Corner they instead lose the Round.

46
Alternate Methods Of Play

This section details the alternate structures a game of 2H can take. Mostly ways for the game to
go longer and retain consistent characters over the course of many battles.

Duel (Standard form)

The rules above all assume that you are playing this game as a “Duel”, just doing a single Fight
with another player. However, as implied by the title of this section, this is not the only way to
play, with most of these alternate methods of play being some longer form series of combats or
grand story.

Simple Long Form

The most basic form of long form play is to use a consistent character. This just means that you
track your character’s wins, losses, and achievements, gradually Tiering up your character to the
maximum Tier.

Each time your character wins a Duel they gain two Experience, and gain 1 if they Lose. When a
character reaches 5 Experience you can increase their Tier, gaining all the normal benefits of
doing so.

Using the Simple Long Form rules players can Fight other characters, even if they are using a
character created for Duels, without any unfairness, so long as both are the same Tier. This form
of play is not very mechanically complex and doesn’t add much depth to your game, but it
encourages developing personal stories for your character. Are they an undefeated champ? Some
up-and-coming fighter searching for some grand destiny? Do they have a rival? All of these things
can become important to you if you choose to invest yourself in this character.

47
Group Long Form
Like the previous form of play, in group play players will track their character over a series of
Fights. There are two main differences:

This is played with a group of players, led by a Narrator, each working their way through a
consistent narrative.

There will be interactions outside of fighting, within the narrative sections of play (All times
outside a fight) players will be able to use Skill Rolls to determine whether they succeed or fail.

Skill Rolls
For this reason characters in Group Play will use Skill Rolls to solve problems. When attempting to
do something of great difficulty or that would be more entertaining when there is some risk to it
characters will take a Skill Roll.

When a Skill Roll is taken the player states their intent with their action, and the Narrator states
the consequence of failure. Because both the Intent and Consequence can happen it’s important
that the consequence is not mutually exclusive with the intent.

When a character makes a Skill Roll they roll 2D6.

On a roll of 6 or lower, the Narrator’s consequence occurs.

On a roll of 7-10, both the consequence and the intent happen.

And on a roll of 11 or 12 only the player’s intent occurs.

Skills
When a character meant for Group Play is created they can have up to 3 different Skills. These
Skills are custom written by their player and should follow the following guidelines:

Short And Sweet: The Skill should be 5 words long at most.

Not Too General: It should be obvious where this Skill can’t be used.

When a character’s Skill would apply to a Skill Roll the player can roll an additional dice.

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Asynchronous group form
This form of play involves a large group (Often online) playing through many isolated Long Form
games in order to develop a larger world or story. This is mostly done through Duels using
consistent characters (Otherwise known as Simple Long Form) with game moderators (GMs)
introducing plot elements and modifiers to the group.

Event Categories
These additional factors are referred to as “Events”, and though Events have no mechanical
restrictions, this book will be describing a few Event Categories to use as examples or inspirations
for your own game.

NPC Fights: In Individual Play NPC Fights can be one of the most important parts of the game,
because it can be automated. By having an NPC decide their Technique by rolling their
Technique dice a player can have a full Fight on their own. This may be for a reward if the NPCs
are powerful, but it can also be used as a method of simulation for the players, so they can test
how their abilities fare in an actual fight.

In Group Play most Fights will be NPC Fights, since the players should be cooperative in most
games. And for the same reason most scenes that would have a Fight should allow each player
to join the Fight, whether that be because there are multiple enemies, or because the enemy is
powerful enough to face each of the players.

Single Out: This is almost only ever relevant in Individual Play. The GM can choose to single out
players for some events, be it some grand bounty inviting the player to Explore and risk being
challenged by other players for some reward, or some grand quest that that player has the
lead for. So long as the player consents beforehand, this sort of Event can cause some great
intrigue for the players.

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 Syntax

What is this?
There are a number of interactions and rules that are not explained fully where they are relevant
because of the space it would take up on a page. This section lists many of these more unintuitive
features.

Always round up.

Cumbersome Techniques cannot be used after Low Commitment.

Defense Techniques can be resolved in a Combo, as they are not Voided if there is no opposition.

There can be more than 1 Marker in the same zone.

Players should always be honest about the Tokens they can use on a turn if asked, consider this
part of the transparency rule.

Some Techniques have Vulnerable added specifically to stop them from using Low Commitment
against the specified type, even if they were already normally vulnerable to the Type.

The infinity symbol is treated as the number 666 in all situations. This is to reduce the number
of complex mathematical questions that need to be asked about it while keeping it as big as it
ever needs to be (plus it’s funny).

Effects that add a “On Reveal” always occur before the Technique’s base “On Reveal” effect (If
any). Where an added “On Resolve” effect always occur after the Technique’s base “On Resolve”
effect (If any).

The term “cannot” is absolute. It cannot be overridden unless explicitly instructed.

When a Tag uses X to represent a Technique type (ie. Overpower and Vulnerable), A stands for
Attack, D stands for Defense, and U stands for Utility.

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Credits

Writing
Joel Vreugdenhil

Layout
Joel Vreugdenhil

Copy Editing
Kendall Harper

Artwork
@sakasukiyaki
@FlipMurphy180

License
This document is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA 4.0) License.

Playtesters

Core “C”

Stephen Nat Hunter

Meat Man Ninjoe

Tok Takohno

Wiz Bucket

Haze Ffzdf

The Wanderer OneinThree

Rodent Tenzin

Saikey

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