MODOS ROLEPLAYING GAME

Version 1.40 Update

by Michael Terlisner

A Modos RPG Rules Module

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 Modos Roleplaying Game 2014 Michael Terlisner

Modos Roleplaying Game version 1.40 Update 2015 Michael Terlisner

The author grants permission for duplication, reproduction, printing, transmission, and sharing of this written
work on the sole condition that every instance of such, and any portion thereof, bears the phrase "Modos
Roleplaying Game 2014 Michael Terlisner." No license, permission, or claim of ownership is hereby granted
for the graphics and/or artwork contained in this document.

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 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 4 Set to Stun 10
Skill Point 10
Chapter 2: Guides of Modos 5 Specialize 10
General rules Stubborn 10
Dice 5 Tough 10
Environments Weapon Training 10
Light Levels 5
Mid-Game (Chapter 6: Equipment - no new rules)
Counters 5
Adjudication Chapter 7: Magic 11
Player Agency 6 Spellcasting Basics 11
Hero Point Awards 6 Magic Spell Entries
Post-Game Difficulty 11
Player-Character Advancement 6 Range 11
Cover 12
Chapter 3: Player-Characters 7 Selected Common Spells 12
Character Creation Steps
2) Assign Level 7 Chapter 8: Conflict 14
3) Determine Attribure Scores 7 General Conflict
6) Prepare Damage Pools 7 Contests 14
Damage 8 Quality Contests 15
Max Damage 8 Difficulty Table 15
Disabled 8 Minimum Contest Result 15
Recovery 8 Take Half 15
Extended Conflict
Chapter 4: Skills 9 Initiative
Common Skills Combat Card 16
Knowledge (lore) 9 Sample Card 16
Knowledge (scholarship) 9 Progress Die 16
Magic 9 Physical Conflict
Weapons and Armor
Chapter 5: Perks 10 Natural Physical Armor 16
Gaining Perks
Perk Tree 10 Chapter 9: Bestiary 17
Common Perks Monster Generator 17
Armor Training 10 Sample Monsters 18
Attribute Point 10
Backstabber 10 Appendix A: 1.3 Rules Catalog 20
Cat's Eye 10
Dual Wielder 10 Appendix B: 1.4 Rules Module 27
Karma 10
Lucky Day 10 Appendix C: Extended Combat Example 29
Mana 10
Martial Artist 10 Blank Player-Character Sheet 32
Owl's Eye 10

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Inner-city assault rifle shootouts, 12-step whirling axe
attacks, and characters defined by a single skill, truly
earning the title "master," can be found in this rules
module. This is Modos RPG version 1.4, an update to
the full game, and it contains streamlining,
improvements, and brand-new rules that span the
table of contents of the main game. In addition to a
suite of rules that allow GMs and PCs to do what they
want rules that say "yes please" instead of "no" this
module also contains the full 1.3 rules catalog,
followed by the rules catalog for version 1.4.
Due to the breadth of rules, this module
follows the chapter layout of Modos RPG version 1.3.
However, each chapter contains updates and
modifications, meant to enhance each chapter of the
full game, not to be read as full chapters on their own.
To help you match each subject to its corresponding
source, this module includes headers that refer to the
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rule(s) in question, and loosely follow the topics of the
full game.
Each chapter begins with a new gameplay
sample. Also included as a reading aid is game-term
capitalization; those terms that have otherwise
normal meanings (like protection) are capitalized
where their meanings might be ambiguous to show
that they refer to the game-rule meaning (like
Protection).
Following the discussion of the rules module,
you'll find the appendices: the rules catalogs, an
extended gameplay sample, and a revised, blank,
character sheet.
This module is just that: a module. If you like
the new rules, cut and paste them into the 1.3 rules. If
you don't, then by all means, write-in your own rules
to make the game your own. That's why it's here.
Chapter 2: Guides of Modos
GM: The brakes are gone, Trick. You hear
the thumping of the SUV's tires as it flies
up a set of stairs, and the beeping of the
huge bomb in the back with Montrose.
What do you do?
Trick: I'm outta here! I rip my seatbelt off and bail
out.
Ace, Montrose, and Snake: Agh! I'm out too! Bail out!
GM: You all jump out and combat-roll before your
vehicle sails through the air over a wide, stone planter
and into a corporate coffee shop at the base of the
8500 tower. Glass flies everywhere, you hear
screaming in all directions, and you see a tremendous
amount of smoke issuing from your vehicle. Half of it
is probably steam from the espresso machine you
totaled.
Trick: I dust myself off and scan for hostiles. (Mimics
lifting his carbine.)
Ace: Yep. I cover Trick's six.
Snake: I check for survivors. Rolling Detect...25.
GM: Thanks Snake, but I don't need a contest for that.
You go investigate. Montrose? The situation is
critical. What do you do?
Montrose: Did I get the bomb defused before bailing?
GM: Um, what element does Montrose have that
would help him defuse bombs?
Montrose: (Looks over his character sheet) Mental 14?
Wait, my hero points are for "tricky situations."
Except...my flaw is that I love explosions. So even if I
could defuse it, I probably wouldn't want to.
GM: Okay, it's up to you. You can take a hero point if
you didn't defuse the bomb, or roll Mental and use a
hero point to see if you pulled the right wires.
General Rules, Dice
To assist with some of the decision making in the
game, you and the players will use the standard types
of polyhedral dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. Each
die type usually represents a level of competence, for
everything from causing damage with a spoon to
insurance underwriting. These competence levels are
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like the level titles in chapter 3. For example, a d4
represents amateur efforts, while a d12 represents the
efforts of a master.
Sometimes you'll see a bonus after the die
notation, like d4+1 or d12+3. In these cases, you'll add
the bonus to the result of the die roll or after taking
half. Furthermore, these bonuses do not increase the
minimum progress, which is always 1.
One feature of the game is the opportunity to
increase your die rolling results by using a higher die
type. This usually represents a greater level of a
character's competence. For example, a player might
use a d8 when rolling progress for Sneak contests. If
that PC takes the Specialize (sneak) perk, his progress
die improves by one type. The player then rolls d10 for
Sneak contests, instead of d8. If a player already uses
a d12 for progress, he may increase his die type further
by adding 1 point per die type. So a d12 with two die
type increases would become d12+2.
General Rules, Environments, Light Levels
The type and amount of lighting in any given scene is
determined by the GM and PCs. However, because
lighting is usually very important to characters and
their activities, the rules provide four levels of lighting
that can affect the contests of characters who have
difficulty seeing. These are:
Bright. Daylight or any other lighting bright enough
to create shadows and illuminate up to medium or
long range.
Dim. Full indoor lighting, twilight, or ambient bright
light coming from the outdoors. Dim light casts
shadows and a dim light source generally illuminates
up to short range.
Dark. Moonlight, indirect lighting, or weak light
sources like candles. In darkness, there is just enough
light to be able to guess what is nearby, at close range.
Those who can't see in the dark suffer challenging
difficulty (-4) on vision-based contests.
Black. Pitch blackness is the complete lack of visible
light, like the conditions found in caves or on some
moonless nights. A lucky character can barely see
something in blackness right before he bumps into it.
Most vision-based contests take a difficult (-8) penalty
or worse in blackness.
Mid-Game, Counters
The Counters section is removed in favor of the new
initiative section in chapter 8.
Mid-Game, Adjudication, Player Agency
(formerly Player Delegation)
Players feel more involved and invested in the game
and have more fun when they have agency: the ability
to make an impact in the game. Player agency is what
occurs when you take a break from the rules and let
the players do some adjudicating. There are several
ways to enhance player agency.
One way is the expression of character
through character elements. Character sheet
elements (and the character itself) are written in a
flexible way to allow interpretation by the player. For
example, a low physical score isn't something you
should use to declare that a PC is weak. Instead, it's
up to the player to decide what that low score means.
Another example: if an NPC waits for a PC to reveal a
specific detail about heraldry, you can ask the player,
"would your character know the answer to this? What
character element do you have to support it?"
Another way to enhance player agency is to
remind players that they are in control. Whenever
you're not revealing a critical storyline scene or
running PCs through something completely out of
their control, players control the game through their
characters. If a PC isn't telling you what he's up to at
the time, you should be asking the player(s), "what do
you do?"
Just as important as the previous question is
this question: "what happens?" Allowing PCs to
describe what happens gives them ownership of the
game world, strengthening their bond to it. When a
player makes an attack in combat, it's not just a simple
baseball bat swing. Ask the player what happens
why is that attack interesting and describe the NPC's
reaction accordingly. Or if your players are in the
ancient dwarf home of one of the PCs and they set off
an ancient trap, ask that PC to describe what the trap
would do.
Mid-Game, Hero Point Awards
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The game features an element that ties roleplaying
and roll-playing together, in a way designed to
strengthen the bond between player and character:
the hero point (see chapter 3). For you, hero points
are a way to reward players and guide their behavior in
the direction you want it to go. For example, to run a
serious scene, you could award a hero point to the
player who stays in-character when other players are
joking around. You can also award hero points to
reinforce your campaign theme. For example, your
campaign theme describes the game as a movie about
musical cartoon heroes. To reinforce this, you could
award a hero point to players when they
spontaneously break into song.
These uses of hero points should augment
those listed in chapter 3. Remember, you have an
unlimited supply to give, but PCs have a limited
number that they can keep, so give them freely. If you
find that you've given few or no hero points in a
previous session, it wouldn't hurt to start your next
session by awarding a hero point to everyone.
Post-Game, Player-Character
Advancement
To reward PCs for accomplishing tasks, reaching
landmarks, or just showing up to play, you can give
them level-ups: the chance to increase character level
by one. When you do so, the character gains another
attribute point, skill point, and perk. Also, as the
character level increases by one, so does that
character's maximum number of hero points and skill
points per skill.
The rate of leveling up depends on your
campaign theme. Some campaigns feature characters
who only change their relationships over the course of
the game. This type of campaign wouldn't offer level-
ups. Other campaigns have characters who improve
their superpowers enough to destroy a galactic villain.
These campaigns might award level-ups after each
session. Still others reward characters on an
incremental level as they learn things or do well.
These could award portions of levels in the form of
skill points or perks. Advance characters at a rate
appropriate for your campaign, yet reasonable and fun
for the players.
Chapter 3: Player-Characters
GM: The terra-troopers let loose another
volley of fire, and it looks like...Vasquez is
the only one outside the lander. Beams fly
toward her...
Vasquez: I'm dodging! Parry for 13 plus
the difficulty bonus for rough terrain? So,
17, and I take half on protection.
GM: Yep, the terrain makes it Challenging. But,
weren't you low on physical health? Are you sure you
don't want to roll protection?
Vasquez: I don't want a low roll! And yes, I'm almost
at max damage.
GM: You feel the sizzle of beams going past. That's
Missile 22, and ouch 9 damage.
Vasquez: Half damage for defensive posture... I'm still
over max damage. I turn and sprint for the lander,
just in time to take a blast to the shoulder, which
severs my arm off! So, I keep crawling toward the
lander with my good arm.
GM: You really want that robotic arm, don't you? Take
a hero point, and cross your fingers that Bishop can fly
well enough to pick you up.
Character Creation Steps
2) Assign Level
General character power is measured in character
levels. A level is simply a set of character elements
granted to a character an attribute point, a skill
point, and a perk. Your level is also the number of
hero points you can store, and the highest number of
points you can assign to a single skill. Because levels
measure improvement, you can refer to specific levels
with common terms for power, experience, or
achievement, like those in table 3-1. Before character
creation begins, the GM will tell you what level your
character is. Then, you'll use that number to assign
points to attributes, skills, and perks. For example, to
create a 4th level character, you'll add 4 points to one or
more attribute scores, 4 points to skills, and 4 perks to
your character.
3) Determine Attribute Scores
An attribute is an abstract measurement of a
character. They are like a character's inherent power.
Each character has three attributes: physical, mental,
and metaphysical.
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Physical (abbreviated P) is the measurement of a
character's body. It can represent well-being, strength,
stamina, speed, and any other corporeal
characteristics.
Mental (abbreviated M) is the measurement of a
character's mind. This relates to anything like
reasoning, sensing, memory, and focus.
Metaphysical (abbreviated MP) is the measurement of
a character's spirit. This covers a character's charisma,
soul, aura, supernatural sensitivity, and fate.
Each attribute is measured by a score. Players
describe how their attributes define their characters
in-game, but the attribute scores define characters in
terms of rules. As a score gets higher, a character gains
higher attribute bonuses for contests, more ability to
take damage, and bonus actions.
Your GM will tell you how to determine
attribute scores. Here are two common methods:
Average. Take 8, 10, and 12 and apply them to
whichever attribute you like. This method gives you a
weak score and a strong score, while guaranteeing that
no scores are critically low. This is the recommended
method for NPC and monster creation.
Roll 3d6. To determine each score, use the result of
3d6. This method places most of your scores from 8-
13. It gives you a good chance to start with scores
higher than the Average method, but also gives a
chance of very low scores.
Each attribute score determines a bonus that
applies to all contests made with that attribute.
Negative bonuses are called penalties. To find the
attribute bonus for an even score, subtract 10 from the
score and divide that by 2. To find the bonus for an
odd score, subtract 11 and divide that by 2. For
example, a mental score of 15 has a bonus of +2, or a
physical score of 8 has a penalty of -1.
What the attributes mean is up to you. A
character with a Physical score of 15 can be slow or
fast, strong or weak, short or tall. A character with 5
Metaphysical could speak with ghosts, but as you'll see
in the magic rules, become Catatonic every time he
uses magic. Collaborate with your GM, using the
campaign theme, to personalize your character's
attributes.
6) Prepare Damage Pools
When characters risk their well-being, they take
damage. Damage accumulates in a damage pool, and
when that pool fills past its limit, the character
becomes Disabled. Here's how it works:
Damage. A means of counting how close a character
is to being Disabled. Damage can be physical, mental,
or metaphysical, but what it means to your character
is usually up to you. For example, you could play your
character as increasingly crazy as he takes
metaphysical damage, or your physical damage could
be debilitating wounds, or simply sweat accumulation.
Damage can be labeled in other ways, like Lightning
or Fire damage, but it always has an attribute type.
Damage Pools. To record damage, your character
sheet should have a section for tallying Physical,
Mental, and Metaphysical damage. You should list
your defense bonus (chapter 4) and protection
(chapter 8) near their respective damage pools as a
reminder.
Max Damage. Each damage pool can hold a
maximum amount of damage equal to the character's
attribute score. When a character takes more than
max damage, the character becomes Disabled. A
character doesn't track more damage than a damage
pool can hold.
Disabled. A disabled character cannot significantly
contribute to the story. The type of disability depends
on the damage type taken.
Exceeding max Physical damage makes a
character Mostly Dead. Such characters are severely
limited physically, whether having grievous wounds,
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severe dehydration, or other physical problems.
Too much Mental damage makes a character
Unconscious, represented by a mental disability like
sheer confusion, being too stunned to do anything, or
actual unconsciousness.
After Metaphysical max damage, a character
becomes Catatonic: his body and mind still work, but
his spirit is completely broken. Catatonic characters
could be crippled with sadness, void of all motivation,
or simply just staring off into space.
Recovery. Recovering from Disabled can happen any
number of ways, and is usually a product of GM and
player agreement and the situation. The simplest way
is to assume that a character is no longer disabled
when he loses some of the damage that pushed him
over max damage in the corresponding damage pool.
For example, Number 2259 fell Unconscious when a
lunar Cereclops mind-lashed him, causing him 5
mental damage, which pushed him over his max
damage. If Number 2259's exo-suit activates its
neuro-nano-bots, healing 2 points of Mental damage,
he'll have 2 less than max damage, and no longer be
Unconscious. By default, characters lose (or "heal")
damage naturally at the following rates: Physical and
Mental damage at 1 per day, and Metaphysical damage
at 1 per hour. Note that the term "health" can be used
to measure how much damage a character hasn't
taken; if a character with 15 max Physical damage has
10 Physical damage in the pool, you can say that he has
5 Physical health. Thus, if a character with 0 health
takes any damage, he becomes Disabled.
Chapter 4: Skills
Perrexus: "Perrexus knows about this."
GM: Well, you might want to roll a contest
first. It's pretty obscure.
Perrexus: No, I was saying that in-
character. And I'm pretty sure that my
Lore will cover it.
GM: Oh, right. But Sauriel doesn't live here; she lives
in Monolith. And her suitor isn't from here, either. So
there will be some Difficulty.
Perrexus: Remember, I just took Specialize in Lore? I
have seven skill points. Not to mention my mental
bonus. (Starts rolling...)
GM: Right! Perrexus thinks back on what he's heard
about Sauriel and her infrequent, distant, love
interests. (Rolls a d20 into his hand on the table,
waiting for Perrexus's result.)
Common Skills
Knowledge (type) - M
Knowledge (lore) is a new knowledge type, while
Knowledge (scholarship) has been revised.
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Knowledge (lore)
You have paid attention to tales, rumors, and
legends. Knowing lore means knowing
helpful information that people don't write
down, like people's relationships, what part of
the countryside is dangerous, and what's the
best festival for lifting some purses.
Knowledge (scholarship)
You have spent time studying books, being
tutored, or listening to lectures. Use this skill
to produce information that is most likely
found in an old book, or to write a book. This
includes, but is not limited to, any topics not
covered by the four profession skills (artist,
craftsman, healer, scientist) like history,
heraldry, and law.
Magic (spell name) - SK MP
Many special abilities (spellcasting, hi-tech, psionics,
superpowers, etc.) use this skill. A different magic
skill must be learned for each spell that a character
wants to know. Using this skill while wearing no
armor and no shield grants a +2 bonus to your contest.
When you use the Magic skill you lose Metaphysical
health, taking d8 + (spell level) Metaphysical damage
when the spell occurs. See the Magic chapter for more
information on spellcasting. Opposing this skill
depends on the effect of the spell, but is usually a
Defend skill or another Magic contest.
Chapter 5: Perks
Fire Ninja Gangsta: The samurai is busy?
Time to destroy! Fight (melee) for 25 and
17! This stone samurai is a goner. (Rolls
four damage dice) that's 16 on the die, plus
four Backstabber bonuses is +8, plus four
Karma hits, is another 4 MP damage!
GM: Er, Ninja? You can make one attack per action,
not four. And that damage...
Fire Ninja Gansta: Oh yeah? I have Backstabber,
Karma, Dual Wielder, and Martial Artist! Martial
Artist makes each hand a weapon, and Dual Wielder
doubles my attacks.
GM: You might want to re-read those perks.
Gaining Perks
attribute, you may immediately spend a hero point to
undo that condition. Taking subsequent damage will
Disable you as normal.
Mana
You gain +4 to your Metaphysical max damage. You
may take this perk again to continue increasing
Metaphysical max damage.
Martial Artist
When unarmed and unarmored, your unarmed
attacks deal d6 damage and your Physical protection is
d4.
Owl's Eye
In Black light level, you see instead at Dark light level,
at Close range. Taking this perk again extends Dark
vision to the next range increment.

Set to Stun
Perk Tree (removed)
When you roll physical damage, you inflict one point
If a perk can be taken multiple times or has
of mental damage as well.
prerequisites, its entry will say so.
Skill Point (skill)
Armor Training (armor type)
This perk adds one skill point to a skill of your choice.
Choose a type of armor (e.g. mail). When wearing this
It may be taken again and applied to any skill.
armor, its protection die type increases by one (e.g. d6
becomes d8). Taking this perk again improves the
Specialize (skill)
protection of a different armor type.
With one skill, your max number of skill points are
not limited by your character level, you may treat the
Attribute Point (attribute)
skill as though you have Specific Knowledge of it, and
This perk increases one attribute score by one point.
your progress die is one type greater than normal. For
It may be taken again for any attribute.
example, if Merloon gains Specialize (Magic [Ice]), he
can cast the spell without having a skill point in it, his
Backstabber
damage (progress) die would be a d10, and he could
Your damage rolls gain +2 when you use tiny or small
add future skill points to the spell even if they would
weapons and your opponent does not or cannot react
exceed his level. Taking this perk again applies it to a
to your attack, usually with a Defend, Movement, or
different skill.
Fight action.
Stubborn
Cat's Eye
You gain +4 to your Mental max damage. You may
You see just as well in Dark light as in Dim light. You
take this perk again to continue increasing Mental
do not suffer vision Difficulty from Dark light level.
max damage.
Dual Wielder
Tough
If you wield a second weapon, you can use it as a
You gain +4 to your Physical max damage. You may
shield that grants +1 to your defend (parry) contests.
take this perk again to continue increasing Physical
max damage.
Karma (formerly Ki Strike)
When you roll to cause physical or mental damage,
Weapon Training (formerly Weapon Focus)
you may choose to deal one point of metaphysical
Choose a type of weapon (e.g. blaster rifle). When
damage instead.
wielding this weapon, your damage improves by one
die type, e.g. d10 to d12. Taking this perk again
Lucky Day
increases the damage die of a different weapon.
If you take damage and become Disabled in any

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Chapter 7: Magic
GM: Harwyck, it's your turn, then the next
round begins.
Harwyck: We're way outnumbered. I
summon a darkness spirit to blind those
archers. (Rolls a Magic (dark) contest.)
GM: Casting Dark? It won't reach the archers; they're
in defensive posture.
Harwyck: Didn't you say they're on the wall, only 20
feet away? That's gotta be Close range.
Hanna: That's distance, Harwyck. Posture is different.
Harwyck: (Simmers) thanks, Hanna. Okay, I can still
combine my last two actions to cast Dark on the
footmen, and maybe we can sneak past them while
they can't see. Am I still under their mage's Mute
spell?
GM: Judging by how sluggish your lips feel, yes. So, -8
on your Magic contests.
Harwyck: Gotta make this count! (Rolls first Magic
contest.) 1!? Nooo!
GM: Add your skill and bonus for being unarmored...
Harwyck: It's still less than 1; I didn't make the
minimum. But I still have one action left. Let's see if I
can untangle my tongue long enough to Fog us out of
here!
Two major changes to the magic module make using
magic less cumbersome, and more imaginative for the
player and GM. The major changes are the removal of
cover as a separate magic spell consideration and the
reduced minimum Magic contest (formerly Cast Spell)
from 10 to 1. These, along with some minor changes,
warrant a close examination of each spell's parameters
to ensure that the assigned spell levels are balanced
for your style of play.
For example, the spell Fire2 had a Partial
cover attribute, meaning that it could damage
characters who were both within the spell's Short
range and behind no cover or partial cover. This made
the spell more difficult to cast (usually in increments
of 4), so the new Fire2 spell would be likely to have 0
casting difficulty instead of -4, since the cover
requirement as a separate element is removed. As a
spell of Short range, Fire2 can reach targets in
defensive posture which includes those taking some
cover from attacks. If your campaign theme suggests
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that flashy magic is a difficult and rare thing, then
three casting actions might work well for Fire2. If
your campaign is more magic-friendly, then Fire2
should probably be a second-level spell.
Spellcasting Basics
A magic spell is what happens when you, the
spellcaster, use the Magic skill. Like any other skill, the
outcome of using the Magic skill is determined by the
contest rolled by the player or GM. Some spells are
harder to cast than others, so the spellcasting contest
will sometimes have a difficulty bonus from the spell
itself. If in conflict, you use a number of actions equal
to the spell's level. Then, the player and GM
determine what the spell will do given the situation,
spell targets, spell range, and effect. Finally, you
expend metaphysical health, called casting damage, to
make the spell occur.
If you are the target of a spell and want to
avoid it, you will use a defense contest (Defend skill)
to counter the spell's effects. Against some spells, one
favorable defense is enough for safety. Against higher
level spells, one defense exposes you to only the spell's
half-effect, and you'll need a total number of Defend
Pros equal to the spell's level to escape the half-effect.
Finally, spells have different durations. Some
last an instant, effectively beginning and ending on
the spellcaster's final casting action. All other spells
have a variable duration, lasting either until the
beginning of the spellcaster's next turn, or longer if
the spellcaster uses a maintenance action each round.
Magic Spell Entries
Difficulty
Some spells are more difficult to cast than others.
When a spellcaster rolls his Magic contest, he applies
the casting difficulty to it. If casting diffculty reduces
a contest below 1, the player or GM may decide that no
spell occurs, or something goes wrong with the
attempt.
Range
This describes how far a spell's effects reach, in terms
of combat posture. The actual distance involved is up
to the GM and player, but is bounded by these range
categories (discussed further in the chapter 8):
Close. The spell affects any nearby target. In game
terms, close range is those targets in the same posture
as you are, or one change of posture away. For
example, if you are in defensive posture, allies in
defensive posture are in Close range, and allies in
offensive posture are also in Close range, but no
enemies are within range. Close range spells suffer
damage penalties in the same way that Close range
weapons do.
Short. A spell with this range can target anyone or
anything with an offensive, defensive, or mounted
posture. It suffers a damage penalty only when being
cast from defensive posture on an opponent in
defensive posture, like a missile weapon would.
Medium. Spells affecting medium range targets
generally aren't affected by obstacles. If they have
physical effects, they don't need to follow straight
lines. If they are intangible, they can affect even well-
protected targets, although the spellcaster should
have an idea of where his target is.
Long. The spell can affect targets unlikely to enter
conflict, unknown targets, and some targets beyond
eyeshot.
Cover (removed)
The attribute of cover has been subsumed by the
range attribute. This is because defensive posture
often emulates different forms of cover.
Selected Common Spells
Spell entry format:
(Name), (Casting Actions), (Casting Difficulty),
(Targets) (Range)
Effect: (Effect)
Half: (Half-effect)
Effect: The target glows like a lamp, raising the light
level at Close range by one category.
Half: No effect.
Lightning, 0P 1MP, +4, Single Close
Effect: The target takes d8 P (lightning) damage.
Half: No effect.
Sleep, 0M 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: The target lies down to sleep. This spell cannot
be maintained, and it ends when any character uses an
action that makes a loud noise or touches the target.
Half: No effect.
Level 2
Blind, 1M 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: The target has difficulty seeing, causing a -4
penalty on contests requiring vision.
Half: Penalty becomes -2.
Cure2, 1P 1MP, +4, Single Close
Effect: Target heals d12 P damage.
Half: No effect.
Dark, 1P 1MP, +0, Multi Close
Effect: You reduce the light level in friendly defensive,
friendly offensive, or enemy offensive posture by two
levels.
Half: No defense, but a movement contest can
circumvent the darkness.
Fire2, 1P 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: The target takes d12 P (fire) damage.
Half: No effect.

Level 1 Ice, 1P 1MP, +0, Single Short

Effect: The target takes d8 P (ice) damage and a -4
movement penalty.
Fire, 0P 1MP, +0, Single Short
Half: Defense during casting negates the damage,
Effect: The target takes d8 P (fire) damage.
defense after casting negates the movement penalty.
Half: No effect.
Invisibility, 1P 1MP, +8, Self Close
Fog, 0P 1MP, +0, Multi Close
Effect: Spellcaster becomes difficult to see, gaining a
Effect: You create a small foggy area that causes
+4 bonus on vision-based contests.
characters in friendly defensive, friendly offensive, or
Half: No effect.
enemy offensive posture to take a -2 Difficulty penalty
on vision-based contests.
Lightning2, 1P 1MP, -4, Single Medium
Half: No defense, but a movement contest can
Effect: Target takes d12 P (lightning) damage.
circumvent the fog.
Half: No effect.
Harm, 1MP, +4, Single Close
Mute, 1M 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: The target undead creature takes d6 MP
Effect: The target has trouble speaking, and takes a -8
damage.
penalty to Magic contests.
Half: No effect.
Half: Penalty reduces to -4.
Lamp, 0P 1MP, +4, Single Close

12
Poison, 1P 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: The target takes d6 P damage and physical
protection does not apply.
Half: No effect.
Size, 1P 1MP, +4, Single Close
Effect: The target gains the Small Size perk or Large
Size perk while this spell is in effect. If the target has
both perks, they negate each other.
Half: The target gains one extra action only for
defending against this spell.
Stun, 1M 1MP, +4, Single Close
Effect: The target takes d8 M damage.
Half: No effect.
Level 3
Burn, 2P 1MP, +4, Single Close
Effect: On each casting action you deal d8 (fire) P
damage to up to one target per casting action.
Half: No effect, per action.
Dispel, 3MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: Target spell ends if its Magic contest is less
than this spell's contest. If the target spell is
persistent, this spell suppresses its effects as long as
the caster maintains this spell.
Half: No defense.
Fog2, 2P 1MP, -4, Multi Short
Effect: You create a small foggy area that causes
characters in any one posture (e.g. opponent
defensive, friendly offensive) to take a -4 Difficulty
penalty on vision-based contests.
Half: No defense. Escaping the fog requires a Pro
against the spell's contest. Vision-based escape
contests from within the fog suffer the penalty.
Harm2, 3MP, -4, Multi Short
Effect: Multiple undead targets take d6 MP damage.
Half: No effect.
Hold, 3MP, +0, Single Short
13
Effect: Target's movement is limited and cannot use
free actions for Physical action. Mental and
metaphysical action are unaffected.
Half: Target gains +8 difficulty bonus on subsequent
defenses.
Level 4
Berserk, 3M 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: Target is compelled to fight, and may use only
Fight skills or Defend (concentration). If the target
begins his turn with a defense Pro, he may apply it
toward a spell that he wants to maintain. Otherwise,
this spell ends the target's maintained spells.
Half: Target may use all Defend skills.
Blink, 2P 2MP, +4, Single Close
Effect: Target flickers in and out of existence, which
applies Challenging difficulty (-4) to many physical
contests, but permits free passage through doors,
windows, and thin walls.
Half: No effect.
Flare, 3P 1MP, -4, Multi Short
Effect: Targets take d8 P (fire) damage.
Half: No effect.
Piggy, 3P 1MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: Target transforms into a harmless barnyard
animal of similar size, takes -8 difficulty to Physical
contests. This does not apply to defenses against the
spell.
Half: Penalty becomes -4.
Psych, 4MP, +0, Single Short
Effect: Target takes d6 MP damage, while the
spellcaster heals d6 MP damage.
Half: Target takes d4 MP damage, while the spellcaster
heals d4 MP damage.
Warp, 3P 1MP, +0, Multi Close
Effect: Caster teleports adjacent targets anywhere
within Short range.
Half: No effect.
Chapter 8: Conflict

GM: You're sure it's the Pacification frag!"

Corporation. They are wearing their
characteristic blue shoulder-patches and General Conflict, Contests
black uniforms. Civilians flee the streets,
so it's just you in the rubble, and the
Whenever a PC attempts something that might be
PacCorp behind their trucks in the
difficult for him, or the outcome of character actions
intersection. It's Trick's turn.
or circumstances should be decided in an objective
way, the GM will ask for a contest. This is a roll of two
Trick: "Snake, pop smoke! Ace, on me! Where the
d20s: one for the PC and one for his opposition (GM
heck is Montrose!?"
or other PC). Each side gets to add bonuses to the die
roll, and there are only three possible outcomes:
Montrose: Can I still crawl at Mostly Dead?
Pro. Your contest is higher than the opposition. A Pro
GM: Yeah. You're moving, but super-slow. So Snake
indicates a favorable outcome for your character.
saw Montrose go down with the blast but...
Tie. Your contest is the same as the opposition. A Tie
Snake: ...but Snake doesn't talk. I just throw a smoke
can indicate a neutral result of the contest, or simply
grenade, if Trick takes his action...
require a reroll. The GM can award a Pro if other
factors are in your favor, you've roleplayed well, or if
Trick: I pass, since I don't want to maneuver until that
your bonuses to the contest are greater than your
smoke goes out.
opposition's bonuses (regardless of die roll).
GM: PacCorp's turn. They open fire, and you see,
Con. Your contest is lower than the opposition. A
between bullets, one of them fanning out to each side.
Con indicates an unfavorable outcome for your
They're attacking Trick and Ace for 4 damage each.
character.
Remember, you're each in defensive posture.
For the typical contest, the GM has decided
Ace: "Flank!" I return fire. (Rolls fight (missile) and
that what you're trying to do isn't something your
damage. Records 2 physical damage.)
character could do automatically. He'll ask you to roll
a contest, usually referring to a related skill, like a
Snake: I pop smoke.
Detect contest or a Profession contest. To find your
contest result (or just "contest"), you roll a d20, add
Trick: "Dammit Ace! Cover that flank!" He probably
the bonus of your attribute that best applies to the
can't hear me over his weapon, so I sprint to protect
situation, and add your skill points. If the GM thinks
our flank. (Rolls a Movement contest.) 6?
you have a situational advantage or disadvantage, he'll
tell you to add Difficulty to your contest. If you've
GM: Con. You bound, but each time you're about to
roleplayed the situation well, he can also ask you to
stop the enemy's progress, you have to dodge bullets
add a roleplaying bonus to it. Finally, if the attempt
instead. You're currently behind a shot-out car on
relates to a heroic feature of your character, you can
your team's 10 o'clock. It's Snake's turn.
add a hero point. The sum of these is your contest
result. The GM compares it to your opposition, which
Trick: I'm still shouting. "Ace! Watch 9 o'clock!"
determines if the outcome is favorable or unfavorable
for you, and then narrates the outcome with you.
Snake: I draw my katana, and watch for the right-side
For example, Montana Smith is being cursed
flank. Can I sneak up to him?
by an evil witch doctor. The GM tells Betty that she
can make a Defend (concentration) contest to resist
GM: Roll your Sneak contest first. Ace, roll Detect to
the curse. Betty wants Montana to resist, so she rolls a
see if you can hear Trick over the gunfire. And Trick,
d20 and gets 6, adds her Mental bonus of +2 since
your opponent is still moving while Snake acts. The
Concentration relates to her Mental attribute, but
enemy fire has stopped for now.
cant add any Concentration skill points since
Montana doesnt have any. Bettys contest is 8. The
Trick: I hate when that happens. If I can't
GM rolls an opposing contest of 19, and then begins to
outmaneuver him, I'll blow him up instead. "Tossing a
narrate Montana's Con: "Black words take to the air

14
from the witch doctor's mouth, and surround
Montana's head. Montana begins seeing demonic
shadows in any shadowy area." Betty adds, "I shake
my head violently, trying to clear it, but then stare
with wide eyes at the evil spirits I see."
Remember that contests are a chance to
roleplay! Whether you get a favorable outcome or not,
you can let the other players know what your contest
result means by roleplaying it. If you win a Handler
(dogs) contest, you can speak softly to the ferocious
guard dog, using slow hand motions. If you lose a
Magic (stun) contest, you could recoil briefly in pain
from the psychic feedback. Do it well, and the GM
might award you a hero point.
Note that each die result has the same chance
of occurring, so some are not inherently better or
worse than others. A 1 is not worse than a 16 if both
result in a Con. The player is, of course, welcome to
inflict awful results on himself if it adds to the story,
and again, can potentially earn a hero point for it.
Conversely, a PC attempting a Challenging task
doesn't instead perform something Impossible if he
rolls a 20 and adds a hero point of 6. The result is a
Pro, to be sure, but anything above that is up to
player/GM collaboration.
General Conflict, Quality Contests
The basic rules for contests are mostly binary; results
are either good or bad. Usually, the player establishes
the quality of his action when he announces it, and
the GM assigns a corresponding Difficulty. For
example, a PC bard wants to sing an opera-worthy
song, not just a song, and the GM assigns +8
Difficulty. However, sometimes it's helpful to gain a
little more information about a contest result beyond
"favorable" and "unfavorable."
To measure the quality of a contest, the player
rolls a second contest against the first contest he used
against his opponent. If the first contest was a Pro,
and the quality, or follow-up, contest is a Con, then
the result is average or typical The same goes for the
reverse, Con and Pro. If both contests are a Pro, i.e.
the player's second contest was higher than his first,
then the player has earned an outstanding result! In
the example, the GM might say that the bard not only
nailed his performance, but a local noble wants to
sponsor him as well.
In most cases, one contest is enough to help
the player and GM dictate what happens, and the
quality is usually decided up front with the difficulty.
If there is doubt or need for detail, follow the first
contest with a quality roll.
General Conflict, Difficulty Table
15
Difficulty Bonus Description
Easy 0 Usually doesn't require
contest
Challenging 4 Some focus is required
Difficult 8 Requires serious effort
Arduous 12 Overwhelming effort
Impossible 16 "Can't" be done
Divine 20 Requires special intervention
General Conflict, Minimum Contest
Result
Most contests are opposed by another character's
contest or a difficulty contest. For every contest,
though, there is an unseen opponent: the minimum
contest. If you roll a contest and your result is less
than 1, it is an automatic Con.
Minimum contest is often important in
blackness, when characters take a -8 penalty on visual
activities. Also, spellcasting sometimes requires
Magic contests that aren't immediately opposed, and
difficult spells receive spellcasting penalties. If a
Magic contest is less than 1, the spellcasting effort is
automatically unfavorable.
General Conflict, Take Half
With contests, damage, protection, hero points, and
simultaneous actions, there can be a lot of die rolling
going on. To save time and table space, players and
the GM can take half on any die roll to get a result of
half the die's highest roll. For example, taking half on
a contest (d20) gives you a roll of 10, or taking half on a
hero point (d6) gives you a roll of 3. GMs and players
use this rule in different ways.
Since the GM's job is to create interest and
fun, the GM takes half whenever it improves
gameplay. Usually, this means taking half on most
rolls to speed up extended conflict. But at critical
points, like when a character (PC or NPC) is near max
Damage, or when a player expects to win (or lose) a
contest because the GM usually takes half, actually
rolling the die can add to the fun. A GM can take half
before or after a die roll if it would make the game
more fun for the players (which usually means that
the PC will get a Pro).
On the other hand, players must announce
that they are taking half in place of making a die roll.
One reason for this is to raise the stakes for the player;
making a commitment to a contest is making a
commitment to the character. Rolling is often a better
choice for PCs because it will give them better odds on
a high result for rolls like Damage, Protection, and Round 1 2 3
hero points, but it can be easier and faster to take half
on all but one or two rolls. For example, one Magic Trick xxx xx
action can require up to six rolls (magic contest, spell
damage, casting damage, hero point, metaphysical
NPC1 xxx xx
protection, and physical protection if being attacked
while casting). A player may do the math for taking Defense
half in advance, and know that half casting damage
NPC2 xxx x
less half MP Protection is 4, half the contest plus half
a hero point plus his bonuses is 18, and half of his Defense
Physical Protection is 2 and so announce he's taking NPC3 xxx xx
half on everything but spell damage, which he'll roll.
Defense
General Conflict, Extended Conflict, Initiative, Snake xxx xx
Combat Card Initiating

Tracking initiative can be done any number of ways, Ace xxx x

but two elements deserve careful attention: the order
of turns and actions used.

Order of turns. It is important to track whose turn it

is, and whose turn is next. This is because the
initiating character's action takes priority over others,
even if another character had a higher initiative
contest. Also some activities, like combined actions
and spells, can be performed only during one's turn.
Actions used. Since characters can act at almost any
time but have a limited number of actions, it is
important to count character actions as they are used.
This helps to avoid uncertainty at the end of the
round.
Here's a sample combat card. It has a column for each
round, and each character in conflict gets two rows
per round: one for tallying actions and one for short
notes about posture, maintained spells, or other
activities. As you can see, the GM can save lots of
space on the combat card if the players keep track of
their own actions.
General Conflict, Extended Conflict, Progress
Die
When earning progress, a PC rolls a die type that
represents his skill or fortune in the conflict. While
this can vary by the situation, a good default rule is to
use one larger die per skill point, with no skill points
indicating that a character earns 1 progress point per
Pro. Under this rule, an Amateur with 1 skill point
would earn d4 progress per Pro, a Professional with 2
skill points would earn d6 progress per Pro, and so on.
Physical Conflict, Weapons and Armor, Natural
Physical Armor
Some characters have especially tough hide, scales, an
exo-skeleton, or some other form of natural Physical
protection. Their natural armor improves with Gear,
instead of a perk. This is called natural armor, and its
benefit is that it protects you at all times and rarely is a
cause of discomfort. Its flaw is that it cannot be
removed, and applies a Physical attribute penalty just
like normal armor. This penalty is -1 for d4 physical
protection and increases by 1 for each higher die type.
For example, d12 natural armor would impart a
physical penalty of -5.

16
Chapter 9: Bestiary
Dr. Livingstein: Alright, this time, I'm
making a steel-headed lizard-man. With a
long tail and scaly, huge arms.
GM: Lizard or man head?
Dr. Livingstein: Lizard. All the parts are ready, I just
need to do the procedure.
GM: Did you decide on the level?
Dr. Livingstein: 9. Here's the character sheet.
GM: (Looks over the character sheet for errors that
might increase Difficulty.) Alright, begin the
procedure. (Rolls a difficulty contest and progress,
hiding the contest but not the progress.)
Dr. Livingstein: (Rolls profession (scientist) and d10
progess.) 12 contest, 2 progress.
GM: Con. Right off the bat, one of your hoses comes
loose, shooting gas into the air. (Rolls.)
Dr. Livingstein: Ack! I fix the hose and...(rolls again).
18 and 4.
GM: Pro. All the fluids run smoothly from jar to jar.
(Rolls.)
Dr. Livingstein: (Records 4 progress.) I move to
station 2, and switch on the Balnabicator. (Rolls) 10
and 10!
GM: Con. You see the voltage alarm on the console
across the operating table go off the scale.
Dr. Livingstein: Noooo! Can I tell how I'm doing so
far?
GM: Max progress is 20. You're at 4, but fate is
winning at 8 progress.
Dr. Livingstein: Whew. I can do this. "Monster of
mine, I presume you'll live!"
Monster Generator
You can create monsters just like you create
characters, using the character creation rules.
However, creating a monster can become an involved
process if that monster has several character levels,
and you apply each level, one after another. This
monster generator allows you to create NPCs with a
17
more thematic approach instead of level by level. Here
is the seven-step process, followed by an explanation
of each step, and a sample monster generation:
1) Create monster concept. Just like PCs, every NPC
needs a concept. Briefly describe your creature,
taking care to include what makes it different from the
average person. You don't need every detail here, but
enough of an idea to quickly get a feel for the monster
and hint at its capabilities.
Example: werebull. A big, furry humanoid
with bull horns and a bad attitude. It has the ability to
shapechange into a bull or human.
2) Determine attribute type. Monsters fall into three
attribute types:
Balanced. This monster has strengths and weaknesses,
and it compensates for its weaknesses. Its starting
attribute scores are 12, 10, and 8. Balanced is a good
type for evolved and carefully designed creatures, like
people, animals, cyborgs and some aliens.
Minmax. This monster has one outstanding ability or
power and one attribute score will be much higher
than the rest to support that element. Its starting
attribute scores are 16, 7, and 7. Minmax is good for
unnatural monsters, like undead, magical creations,
robots, and traps.
Average. This monster has no strengths or weaknesses,
has simple features, or approaches perfection. Its
starting attribute scores are 10, 10, 10. Average is a good
default attribute type, and can be used for
supernatural creatures, programs, or divine beings.
Example: werebull attribute type: minmax.
Attribute scores: P 16, M 7, MP 7. The werebull has a
dangerous physical presence, but is otherwise
underwhelming.
3) Design based on primary features. Turning the
monster into a character begins with one character
element: attributes, skills, or perks. Look at the
monster concept and decide if the monsters features
are best represented by attributes (the inherent
characteristics of the monster), skills (things the
monster does well naturally or has learned), or perks
(metagame features or things not represented by
attributes or skills). Improve this primary area to best
represent your monster.
Example: the werebull is primarily defined by
its physical presence, so its Physical attribute is its
primary feature. A physical score of 18 is a good start
for the werebull, making it an intimidating creature,
but not otherwise superhuman.
4) Assign attribute and skill points. Each point used
in step 3 represents a character level, and will also be
applied to the other character elements. In this step
you'll take that same number and balance both
attribute scores and skill points, so each represents the
same number of character levels.
Example: with a primary feature of physical
18, we've increased the werebull's starting physical
attribute of 16 to 18, the two points representing two
levels. This means there are also two skill points to
spend, and the werebull is probably very good at
goring people. So we'll assign the two skill points to
Fight (unarmed).
5) Balance with perks. Perks are character creation
wildcards because they can be used for skill points or
attribute scores as well as normal perks. If the monster
you're creating is defined by its attributes or skills, you
can use perks to finish off the monster without
making its level excessively high. For example, youve
assigned 6 points to skills, but only came up with two
perks to use. Taking the Attribute Point perk twice
would give the character a total of four perks and four
attribute points (if the remaining two came from the
perks), making it easy to finish the character with four
skill points.
Damage and Protection require special
attention in this process. Monsters can use weapons,
making their physical damage range from d4 to d12, or
they can use the Quick Strike, Specialize, Special
Move, or Weapon Training perks to improve their
damage output. Weapons are a fair choice as long as
the weapon can be disarmed, damaged, or otherwise
disabled. Otherwise, you should improve that
creature's unarmed attack. For protection, a creature
can use artificial or natural armor, though these each
reduce its Physical score with the armor Physical
penalty. To avoid penalties, the creature can take
Armor Training, Dodge, Small Size, or Specialize to
improve its defenses.
Example: so far, the werebull has two levels
worth of attribute points and skill points. Since its
normal attack mode is probably a big, painful gore, it
will have Weapon Training (unarmed), and Specialize
(fight [unarmed]).
6) Determine level. Count the levels/points in
attributes, skills, and perks. If they match, you know
what level to assign to your monster. If they don't,
decide what the average is, and use that as a guideline
for step 7. Your monster's level gives you an indication
of how well he measures up to the capabilities of the
PCs.
Example: the werebull has two attribute
18
points, two skill points, and two perks, making it
character level 2.
7) Review and finish. Look at the monster you've
created and ask, "does this fit the monster concept?"
Another important question is, "does this monster
compare, in terms of its challenge to PCs, to other
monsters of the same level?" If the answer to both
questions is "yes," then monster generation is
successful. If either answer is "no," then go back to
step 3 and add features necessary to help the monster
measure up.
Example: the werebull doesn't yet have
shapechanging ability, which will require some skill
points in Magic, and it could benefit from more
fighting perks. So we'll cycle through the steps again,
adding these features, and then compare the werebull
to other monsters of the same level before finishing
the process.
Sample Monsters
Here are some examples of version 1.3 monsters
revised as version 1.4 monsters. Each has been
assembled using the character creation rules or the
monster generator.
Level 1
Dog, Retriever
Attributes: P 11, M 12, MP 8
Skills: detect +2 (+1)
Perks: specialize (detect)
Gear: bite d4
Concept: Retrievers are excellent at following orders,
but you must teach them to do so. They do most of
their detecting with their noses.
Slime, Green
Attributes: P 10 (11), M 10, MP 10
Skills: fight (unarmed) +1
Perks: weapon training (acid touch)
Gear: acid touch d6, gooey body d4
Concept: These small, unnatural creatures scoot along
in the wild much like inchworms. Their primary
defense is having a gooey body that rebounds from
danger.
Level 2
Artist, Illustrator
Attributes: P 8, M 11, MP 13
Skills: profession (artist) +3 (+2), deceive +2 (+1)
Perks: specialize (artist), skill point (deceive)
Gear: tablet (d8 progress), memory stick
Concept: The illustrator is on the frontline of the
propaganda war. This artist carries a PDA tablet
which provides him with easy access to whatever text
or graphics he needs to quickly distract a protester or
assuage an angry investor.
Human, Peasant
Attributes: P 12, M 8, MP 12
Skills: profession (craftsman) +1 (+2), knowledge
(nature) +0 (+1)
Perks: stubborn, skill point (nature)
Gear: pitchfork d8, torch
Concept: Peasants attack in hordes when riled up.
The pitchfork can deal some damage, but also gets
damaged quickly when used as a weapon.
Level 3
Aquan, Sehag
Attributes: P 10, M 10, MP 13
Skills: fight (melee) +2, magic (lightning) +6 (+1)
Perks: gills, skill point (lightning), mystic ward
Gear: mystic ward d4, trident d8+1, sea shell armor d4
Concept: The sehag is a water-breathing fish-man,
with special gills that allow it to make short trips onto
land. It naturally charges itself with electricity,
releasing it to intimidate and subdue threats.
Ghost, Spectre
Attributes: P 7, M 7, MP 19
Skills: persuade +6 (+2), magic (invisibility) +15 (+1)
Perks: incorporeal, karma, owl's eye
Gear: none
Concept: The spectre is a manifestation of fear and
injustice. As an incorporeal monster, it can neither
give nor take Physical damage. It normally maintains
an invisibility spell, which it ends when it wants to
haunt someone. If it scores a Pro with fight
(unarmed), it uses the karma perk to deal MP damage.
Level 4
Horse, War
Attributes: P 16 (17), M 8, MP 10
Skills: movement, fight (unarmed)
Perks: weapon training (hooves), fearless, attribute
point (physical)
Gear: barding d6, iron horseshoes d8
Concept: Warhorses are trained to go into battle
instead of away from it. Their Fearless perk prevents
them from fleeing battle too soon.
Starfighter, Light
Attributes: P 15, M 8, MP 11
Skills: fight (missile) +4 (+2), defend (parry) +4 (+2)
Perks: armor training (natural), dodge, skill point
19
(movement), owl's eye
Gear: light assault blasters d6, integrated hull armor
d4
Concept: Light fighters move well and strike lightly.
They have limited photon enhancement (owl's eye),
and are best used to harass non-combat vessels and
engage other light fighters. Pilots add their profession
(pilot) bonuses to this fighter's contests.
Level 5
Elf, Mage
Attributes: P 8, M 12, MP 15
Skills: detect +3 (+2), knowledge (scholarship) +3 (+2),
magic (fog2) +1
Perks: mystic ward (2), spell maintenance, spell
implement, familiar
Gear: crystal ball, blue mage robe, short sword d6+1,
wild cat
Concept: Elf mages have a bond with magic matched
by no other. If the mage doesn't detect you first, his
cat-familiar will. Then, he'll decide whether to use
spells from his crystal ball (armor, fear, lock, dark, ice,
mute, or stun) or to flee under cover of a fog2 spell.
Werebull
Attributes: P 18, M 7, MP 10
Skills: magic (alter) +11 (+1), defend (concentration) +2
(+4)
Perks: longstrider, large size, specialize (fight
(unarmed)), weapon training (unarmed), armor
training (natural)
Gear: horns d8, hide d4
Concept: This big, hairy beast gores with its horns and
charges back and forth while staying away from
dangerous weapons. Its bonus movement action
allows it to change posture relatively freely, and it has
a gift of focus (concentration) that can sometimes save
it from mental assaults.
Level 10
Agent, Double-Secret
Attributes: P 14, M 13, MP 13
Skills: fight (missile) +4 (+2), fight (unarmed) +4 (+2),
defend (parry) +4 (+2), persuade +3 (+2), sneak +4
(+2), larceny +4 (+2)
Perks: skill point (2, larceny), tough (max Physical 26),
fearless, lucky day, observant, off the mark, nick of
time
Gear: Walther PPK d6, rappel-belt, business suit
Concept: Few secret agents survive long enough to
become double-secrets. This one balanced his skills
well, despite having a relative weakness to logic
(mental attacks).
Appendix A: 1.3 Rules Catalog

Code Title Text Dependencies

R000 Rule Zero The Guide of Modos (GM) is the final, but not only, arbiter
of what happens in the game.
R001 Campaign Theme Each game or campaign has a theme that provides guidance
on how to play the game, what will happen in the game,
and how the rules will be interpreted.
R002 Light Levels Table Light in any area falls into one of four levels: bright (only
those sensitive to light have vision Difficulty), dim (no
vision Difficulty in area), shadow (some vision Difficulty,
-4), and darkness (no light present, vision Difficulty -8).
R003 Range Table Ranges in the game fall into one of four categories: close
(adjacent or nearly adjacent), short (close enough for
effective interaction), medium (too far for consistent
interaction), and long (beyond interaction range).
R004 Player Influence Players facilitate and improve the game by adding elements
to the story related to their characters.
R005 Easy Tasks Easy activities or obvious outcomes in the story do not
require die rolling, just storytelling.
R006 Contests A non-easy activity or questionable outcome can be
resolved by two d20 rolls, one for the player-character (PC)
and one for the GM. The side with the higher roll gains the
more favorable outcome. The result of either side's roll is
called its "contest result."
R007 Attacks An attack is a contest that permits an opposing party to R006
counter or avoid the attacker's intent.
R008 Defenses A defense is a contest that counters or avoids an attack, if R006, R007
the contest result is higher than the attack.
R009 Bonuses Die rolls can be improved by static amounts called bonuses.
A negative bonus is called a penalty.
R010 Difficulty When conditions make a contest more or less likely to R006
succeed, it gains a bonus called Difficulty. An opposing
contest that does not involve an opposing character is called
a Difficulty contest.
R011 Difficulty Table Some Difficulty amounts are named to act as landmarks. R006, R010
These are easy (0), challenging (4), difficult (8), arduous
(12), impossible (16), and divine (20).
R012 Mandatory Contest When an attack has a chance of failure, even if the R006, R007, R010
opponent doesn't defend, the attacker must still make the
attack against a Difficulty contest.
R013 Minimum Contest A minimum contest is the result that a contest must exceed R006
to be successful.
R014 Secret Contest The GM may roll a contest for a player if that player's R006
Outcome character wouldn't know about the result of the contest.
R015 Take Half A player or GM may eschew a die roll, prior to rolling, and
take the result equal to half the highest number on the die.

20
Code Title Text Dependencies
R101 Character Concept Every character has a character concept, which is a
statement or description that gives a character form within
the story of the game.
R102 Goals and Flaws Character goals and flaws should be included in character
concepts to facilitate the awarding of hero points when
players roleplay their flaws in spite of their goals.
R103 Character Level Each character has a level that acts as a relative measure of
character experience. Each level includes one attribute
score increase, one skill point, and one perk.
R104 Average Person A brand new or level 1 character has the same capabilities, R103, R010
or average of total capabilities, as an average person.
Furthermore, Difficulty bonuses should be gauged in terms
of difficulty to an average person.
R105 Attributes Attributes are the fundamental way by which a character
exists in terms of rules. The significance of an attribute is
measured by its score.
R106 Attribute Bonuses An attribute bonus is a bonus that applies to all contests R105
involving a given attribute. The bonus for even attributes is
equal to the ((score) - 10)/2. The bonus for odd attributes is
equal to the ((score) - 11)/2.
R107 Physical The Physical attribute represents the physical, or bodily, R105
power of a character.
R108 Mental The Mental attribute represents the mental power of a R105
character.
R109 Metaphysical The Metaphysical attribute represents the metaphysical, R105
spiritual, or magical power of a character.
R110 Skill A skill is a character's ability that improves with training or
experience. Each skill is related to one attribute.
R111 Skill Points Skill progress is measured in points which are a bonus to all R110
Contests involving that skill.
R112 Maximum Skill A character cannot have more skill points in one skill than R103, R111
Points he has character levels.
R113 Specific Knowledge A character cannot use a skill that requires specific R110, R111
knowledge unless he has at least one skill point in that skill.
R114 Perk A perk is a discrete benefit that a character gains that
cannot be classified as an attribute, skill, or hero point. All
perks should generally be equally significant.
R115 Perk Contest Perks do not grant bonuses to contests.
Limitation
R116 Perk Substitution When a character gains a perk, he may instead take a one- R105, R110, R111,
point attribute score increase or one skill point. R114
R117 Perk Tree Perks may increase in significance if they gradually build on R114
previously acquired perks.
R118 Bonus Action A character gains a bonus action each round for every 5 R105, R110, R114,
points that his attribute score exceeds 10. This bonus action R203, R204, R206
must be related to the attribute, and must be unlocked by a
perk that allows the use of a specific skill with this action.

21
Code Title Text Dependencies
R119 Level Points Characters improve by gaining level points awarded by the
GM. A level point is a one-point attribute score increase, a
skill point, or a perk. Once a character has gained one of
each type, his character level increases.
R120 Hero Points Player-characters may use hero points to improve contests
as dictated by their character concepts. The amount of the
bonus is determined by a d6 roll. A character may store as
many hero points as he has character levels.
R121 Hero Point Sources Hero points renew every day. The GM may later renew a
PC's hero point as a reward.
R122 NPC Dispositions PCs with free will determine their own dispositions to
others. Characters without free will have five levels of
disposition to others: helpful, friendly, indifferent,
unfriendly, and hostile.
R201 Awareness A character cannot make a defense contest against an attack R006, R007,
without first being aware of that character or its attack. R008
R202 Round A round is a cycle of conflict activity during which all
characters in conflict may act.
R203 Action Activities of significance are counted in segments called
actions. Each action permits making one contest if
necessary.
R204 Free Actions Each round a character gets three actions, called free R203
actions, which may be used for any purpose.
R205 Combined Action A character may, during his turn, forego making a new R006, R203
contest if his next action utilizes the same skill as his
previous action during his turn. The new contest result is
equal to the previous contest result.
R206 Extra Action Actions gained above and beyond the free actions are called R203
extra actions.
R207 Non-actions An activity that does not, by itself, constitute an action is R203
called a non-action. Non-actions may be used freely if they
do not interfere with actions.
R208 Progress A character measures his distance to his conflict goal by
earning Progress, as measured by Progress points. His
ability to make Progress is represented by a die type.
R209 Progress Pool When a character makes Progress, it accumulates in a R208
progress pool.
R210 Maximum Progress A progress pool has a maximum capacity, called maximum R208, R209
(or max) progress. Exceeding this amount indicates goal
completion.
R211 Regress Regress is a character's ability to limit his opponent's R208
progress. Whenever one character makes progress, his
opponent may reduce that progress by subtracting regress,
as long as they are of corresponding types.
R212 Regress Limit Regress may not reduce progress to zero. Progress from a R208
successful contest has a minimum of 1.

22
Code Title Text Dependencies
R213 Posture Posture is an abstract position in conflict which can
simulate the use of favorable conditions or positions,
typically represented by limitations on earning progress.
R214 Offensive Posture All characters take, by default, a position in close range to R003
each other called offensive posture.
R215 Defensive Posture The GM may allow a character to take a position within R003, R208
short range, called defensive posture, if the situation
permits. Close range attacks make half progress into and
from defensive posture, and short range attacks make half
progress when a defensive-posture attacker engages a
defensive-posture defender.
R216 Changing Posture The GM determines how many actions are required to R213
change posture. The default number is one.
R217 Turn Each round is divided into a series of turns, one for each R202
character in conflict. A character may choose not to act
during his turn.
R218 Initiative Contest Characters determine the order of turns in a round and the R006, R202, R217
sequence of priority during simultaneous actions by
making an initiative contest at the start of extended
conflict. Players choose which attribute bonus best
represents this initiative.
R219 Initiating Character During his turn, a character's actions take priority over R202, R217
others. Because this character initiates these actions, he is
called the "initiating character."
R220 Simultaneous A character may take an action during an action of another R006, R202,
Actions character's turn. All such actions occur simultaneously. R217, R218, R219
However, if sequence is important, the initiating character
takes priority, followed by each character from highest to
lowest initiative result.
R221 Surprise When one character surprises another at the start of R006, R010, R202
conflict, the GM decides if he gains a free action before the
first round, or gains a +4 difficulty bonus to his initiative
contest.
R222 Delay At the start of his turn, a player may postpone the R202, R217
beginning of his turn to the end of any other turn, called a
"delay." If the round ends, the player may begin his new
turn at the start of the next round.
R301 Free Movement Simple footwork, or otherwise easy maneuvering, is R203
assumed in combat and does not require an action.
R302 Sword Swing An action in combat generally takes either the time or effort R203
required to make a solid, effective sword attack just a few
seconds.
R303 Fleeing Characters may escape combat by fleeing. Fleeing requires R003, R203,
one successful movement contest from defensive posture, R208, R214, R215
or two successful movement contests from offensive
posture.
R304 Flanking Posture A character in flanking posture treats offensive opponents R003, R208,
as defensive, and defensive opponents as offensive. Taking R214, R215
flanking posture requires two movement contests.

23
Code Title Text Dependencies
R305 Mounted Posture A character in mounted posture is assumed to be utilizing R003, R208,
his mount defensively. Taking and maintaining mounted R214, R215
posture requires one action per round at the start of a
character's turn, but grants a character defensive posture
treatment. The mounted character may attack as normal,
but may choose for each attack whether he would like to
remain defensive or be treated as offensive, relative only to
the target of his attack and during that action only.
R306 Flying Posture A character in flying posture is effectively out of combat R003, R208,
until he takes an action affecting the battleground or a R214, R215
combatant. When he does so, he chooses whether he will
use offensive or defensive posture, and is treated as being in
that posture only during that action.
R307 Physical Physical progress in combat is called physical damage, and R105, R208, R211
Damage/Protection physical regress is called physical protection.
R308 Mental Mental progress in combat is called mental damage, and R105, R208, R211
Damage/Protection mental regress is called mental protection. In general, a
source of mental damage uses a damage die two types lower
than its physical counterpart.
R309 Metaphysical Metaphysical progress in combat is called metaphysical R105, R208, R211
Damage/Protection damage, and metaphysical regress is called metaphysical
protection. This damage and protection is generally limited
to small amounts from metaphysical sources.
R310 Damage Pool Damage taken in combat accumulates in a damage pool R105, R209
that corresponds to the damage type. Each character has a
damage pool for each of his attributes.
R311 Max Damage Each damage pool can hold an amount of damage equal to R105, R210, R310
that pool's attribute score, called maxiumum (or max)
damage.
R312 Mostly Dead A character who takes more physical damage than his max R105, R203, R310,
physical damage is mostly dead. Mostly dead characters R311
have no physical power and cannot take physical actions.
R313 Unconscious A character who takes more mental damage than his max R105, R203, R310,
mental damage is unconscious. Unconscious characters R311
have no mental power, and cannot take mental actions.
R314 Catatonic A character who takes more metaphysical damage than his R105, R203, R310,
max metaphysical damage is catatonic. Catatonic R311
characters have no metaphysical power and cannot take
metaphysical actions.
R315 Natural Healing Physical and mental damage heal naturally at a rate of one R105, R208, R211
point per day, and metaphysical damage heals at a rate of
one point per hour.
R316 Armor Armor is the primary source of physical Protection in R105, R208, R211,
combat. As armor gets heavier, it reduces a character's R307
physical attribute score while he is wearing the armor. This
causes a corresponding reduction of max physical damage
and physical bonus, called the physical penalty.

24
Code Title Text Dependencies
R317 Shields Shields provide bonuses to physical defense contests, and R006, R008
do not penalize the physical attribute score unless severely
bulky.
R318 Weapon A weapon is anything that deals Physical Damage. R003, R105,
Weapons have size categories that increase as the weapons R208, R211, R307
are heavier. Each weapon also has a range that identifies
the maximum distance at which a weapon can deal damage.
R319 Weaponless Damage All characters, even unarmed, can deal d4 physical damage. R105, R208, R211,
R307
R320 Melee Weapon A melee weapon is a weapon designed to be held while
being used to cause damage.
R321 Missile Weapon A missile weapon is a weapon that deals damage by being or
firing a projectile. Some missile weapons require reload
actions between attacks.
R322 Reloading Table Reloading requires the following number of actions for R203
these types of missile weapons, sling: non-action,
throwing/bow: 1 action, crossbow: 2 actions.
R323 Double Weapons Some weapons can be used as two weapons instead of one.
These weapons generally use a higher type of damage die
when used as one weapon.
R401 Spell Level A spell's general power is measured by its level. Spell level
determines a spell's number of casting actions and its
casting damage.
R402 Casting Actions Casting actions are the actions required to make a spell R203, R205
occur. If there are more than one action, these actions must
be combined during the spellcaster's turn, and regardless of
the attributes used, the actions use the metaphysical bonus.
R403 Action Substitution Any physical or mental casting actions required by a spell R105, R203
may be made with metaphysical actions, and the
metaphysical bonus, instead.
R404 Minimum Casting A spellcaster who fails to roll a contest higher than 10, R006, R013
Contest before he has finished combining spellcasting actions, fails
to cast the spell. He does not take casting damage.
R405 Spell Effect What a spell does is called its effect. Spell effects become
more potent at higher spell levels.
R406 Half-Effect When a target succeeds on one defense against a spell, he R006, R007,
begins suffering a reduced effect of the spell, called its half- R008
effect.
R407 Damage-over-time If a spell deals more than one die of damage, the caster R203, R205, R402
incurs casting damage after the first successful action, and
deals the spell's damage during each favorable casting
action.

25
Code Title Text Dependencies
R408 Spell Defense Ending an opponent's spell effect on one's self requires one R203, R205,
or more defense actions of the type first listed in (casting) R402, R406
actions. The first defense reduces a spell's effect to its half-
effect on a target. If that spell had only one casting action,
it ceases to affect the target. If that spell had multiple
casting actions, the spell's half effect ends once the target
has succeeded on a defense action for each casting action.
Because the caster has already performed the casting
actions, the defense contests do not require further actions
on the spellcaster's part.
R409 Casting Damage A spell takes place by weakening the caster metaphysically. R105, R208, R309
This is represented by metaphysical casting damage, equal
to d8+(spell level). Casting damage occurs when the spell
takes effect.
R410 Spell Attributes Each spell has several attributes that facilitate its use: spell
level, casting actions, spell difficulty, targets, range, cover,
effect, and half-effect.
R411 Spell Difficulty Spell difficulty is a difficulty bonus added to each contest R006, R010
used to cast a spell. Penalties reduce the contest.
R412 Spell Targets Each spell affects a target category. These are: self (affects
caster only), single (affects one target only), and multi
(affects one target per casting action).
R413 Spell Cover A spell is rated by the amount of cover that it can overcome.
The types are none, partial, full, and indirect.
R414 Spell Duration A spell exists during its casting actions (for damage-over- R202, R203,
time) or from the final casting action to the beginning of R205, R217, R402
the spellcaster's next turn. Delaying does not extend this
duration.
R415 Maintain Action For a spell to last beyond the beginning of a caster's next R202, R203,
turn, the caster must begin his turn with a maintain R205, R217, R402,
(mental) action to continue the spell. Damaging spells R414
cannot be maintained.

26
Appendix B: 1.4 Rules Catalog
Code Title Text Dependencies
M002 Light Levels Table Light in any area falls into one of four levels: bright (only
those sensitive to light have vision difficulty), dim (no
vision difficulty in area), dark (some vision difficulty, -4),
and black (no light present, vision difficulty -8).
M006 Contests The basic conflict resolution is two d20 rolls, one for the
player-character and one for the GM. All contests for
characters assign an appropriate attribute bonus; non-
characters may add difficulty. The numerical result of
either side's roll is called its "contest (result)." The higher
contest is called a "Pro," or favorable outcome. The lower
contest is called a "Con," or unfavorable outcome. Equal
results are called a "Tie."
M013 Minimum Contest A minimum contest is the least result that an unopposed R006
contest must exceed to be a Pro. The default minimum
contest is zero.
M015 Take Half A player or GM may eschew a die roll and take the result
equal to half the highest number on the die. Players must
do this before making the roll.
M107 Physical Physical (abbreviated P) is the measurement of a R105
character's body. It can represent well-being, strength,
stamina, speed, and any other corporeal characteristics.

M108 Mental Mental (abbreviated M) is the measurement of a character's R105

mind. This relates to anything like reasoning, sensing,
memory, and focus.

M109 Metaphysical Metaphysical (abbreviated MP) is the measurement of a R105

character's spirit. This covers a character's charisma, soul,
aura, supernatural sensitivity, and fate.
M116 Perk Substitution Removed.
M117 Perk Tree Removed.
M119 Level Points Removed.
M208 Progress A character measures his distance to his conflict goal by
earning progress, measured by progress points. His ability
to make progress is represented by a die type that increases
with skill points.
M210 Maximum Progress A progress pool has a maximum capacity, called maximum R208, R209
(or max) progress. Exceeding this amount indicates goal
completion. Progress pools do not store more progress
than the maximum.
M311 Max Damage Each damage pool can hold an amount of damage equal to R105, R310
that pool's attribute score, called maxiumum (or max)
damage. Damage in excess of this amount is not stored, but
results in a character becoming Disabled.
M312 Mostly Dead A physically Disabled character is Mostly Dead. Mostly R105, R203, R310,
Dead characters have no physical power and cannot take R311
physical actions.

27
Code Title Text Dependencies
M313 Unconscious A mentally Disabled character is Unconscious. R105, R203, R310,
Unconscious characters have no mental power, and cannot R311
take mental actions.
M314 Catatonic A metaphysically disabled character is Catatonic. Catatonic R105, R203, R310,
characters have no metaphysical power and cannot take R311
metaphysical actions.
M324 Natural Armor Characters with natural armor suffer a Physical penalty like
those wearing normal armor. The penalty is +0 for d4
protection, +1 per die type.
M403 Action Substitution Any physical or mental casting actions required by a spell R105, R203
may be made with metaphysical actions and the
metaphysical bonus instead. Physical or mental actions
cannot be used for metaphysical casting actions.
M404 Minimum Casting A spellcaster who fails to roll a contest higher than 0 before R006, R013
Contest he has finished combining spellcasting actions, fails to cast
the spell. A failed spell does not cause casting damage.
M408 Spell Defense A target may end a spell effect on itself with one favorable R203, R205,
defense action, of the attribute type listed first in casting R402, R406
actions, for each casting action of the spell. The defense
contests are opposed by the caster's final casting contest.
M409 Casting Damage Casting a spell causes metaphysical damage, equal to d8+ R105, R208, R309
(spell level). Casting damage occurs when the spell takes
effect.
M410 Spell Attributes Each spell has several attributes that facilitate its use: spell
level, casting actions, spell difficulty, targets, range, effect,
and half-effect.
M411 Spell Difficulty Spell difficulty is a difficulty bonus added to each contest R006, R010
used to cast a spell. Penalties reduce the contest. Difficulty
increases with target type and range.
M412 Spell Targets Each spell affects a target category. These are: self (affects
caster only), single (affects one target only), and multi
(affects one target per casting action).
M413 Spell Cover Removed.
M415 Maintain Action For a spell to last beyond the beginning of a caster's next R202, R203,
turn, the caster must begin his turn with a maintain R205, R217, R402,
(mental defense) action to continue the spell. Damaging R414
spells cannot be maintained unless noted in their spell
effect.
M416 Spell Range A spell effect is limited by its range, and casting becomes R003
more difficult with range. Spells of close range usually
represent direct-line effects. Short range represents farther
reaching effects or indirect effects. Medium range applies
to spells that ignore barriers. Long range represents all
longer-reaching spells.

28
Appendix C: Extended Combat Example
Guide of Modos: You're marching up the mountain
trail when up ahead, where the hill crests, you see a
familiar shape silhouetted at the top.
Thoros: I hope it's Berren...
GM: It is shortly joined by two more silhouettes. You
recognize their pointy shoulders and long, flowing
hair...
Pruni: (Whispering) those are Empire Elves. (Louder)
and I think they see us!
GM: They do. Draw steel! (Rolls an initiative contest
for the opponents) contests?
Thoros, Pruni, and Randal: 4... 8... 22.
GM: Randal's first. (Starts a combat card row for three
opponents and three PCs.)
Randal: Draw my daggers...do I need to move up?
GM: (Ticks off one action for Randal.) Yes, they're
about fifty feet uphill.
Randal: I'll wait until we're all ready to move up.
Pruni: They're in javelin range, so I don't need to move
up yet. I'll draw one, by the way, and stab my spear
into the ground.
Thoros: My poleaxe is ready, since I walk with it. I'll
move up with Randal on his next action.
Randal: Okay, then I move up the hill, carefully. And
I'm done.
Pruni: And I throw my javelin through an elf's face!
(Rolls fight (missile) contest and damage.) 12, and 3
damage.
GM: (Decides to charge Randal and Thoros an action
for slow movement since it is uphill and toward the
sun. She ticks off two actions for Pruni: one during
Randal's first and one during his second action.) As
you move up, the elf-silhouettes draw curved swords,
but the taller, cloaked one casts his cloak back,
revealing blue-magic-charged hands. (Ticks off an
action for the each sword-elf.) Pruni's javelin flies
straight toward the cloaked elf, who dodges wildly at
the very last second, and takes Damage. "You are
interfering with Empire affairs!" It's the elves' turns.
The sword-elves charge down to you in their matching
29
Empire armor. This puts the two elves, Randal, and
Thoros in offensive posture. That's one each, Randal
and Thoros. Are you defending? (Ticks off an action
for each elf, takes half on the elves' fight contests, and
rolls two damage dice.)
Thoros: And miss a chance to hack? No way! I flip
the butt of my weapon up, hoping to catch my
attacker off guard. (Rolls fight (melee) and rolls
damage.) And...take half on protection.
Randal: Speak for yourself Thoros! I'm a soft target!
(Rolls defend (parry) and physical protection) 14? Yes!
5 for protection.
GM: Randal, that's a Tie. Thoros, the other elf crashes
toward you and into your weapon, trying to push his
sword straight through. You take (checks die) 5
physical damage, and what's your damage?
Thoros: I rolled 4. I take the crash, and my weapon
gets pressed up between us so I use it to push him
away.
Randal: I get my daggers up just fast enough to stop
the blade as it leaves a little mark on my neck. Do I
take the damage on a Tie?
GM: Just one point, as a memento. Meanwhile, the
leader uphill, on his turn, puts his two hands together
and a tiny ice storm forms around them, for one
action...
Thoros and Pruni: I attack! (Each rolls a fight contest
and damage.)
GM: (Smiles) don't trust spellcasters? Thoros attacks.
But you do half damage since the elf is in defensive
posture. (Rolls magic (ice) and takes half on
protection for the leader.) Also, you subtract 4
difficulty for attacking uphill, into the sun. Pruni,
don't you need to ready a weapon?
Pruni: That would make it easer to throw, I guess.
GM: The sword-elves see the opening, and attack as
well. (Takes half on fight and damage for the sword-
elves.) Okay: the leader, who is initiating, balls up a
spell of ice. Randal faces a counter-swing from the elf
next to him...for 3 damage. Thoros breaks for the
leader, so the elf near him slashes at Thoros' back for 6
damage. Pruni readies her other javelin, and Thoros?
Thoros: (Rolls) minus 4...is 8. I whirl my poleaxe in
two big circles, coming down toward his head...(rolls
damage) 4 damage. And the whirls serve to keep my
last opponent at bay.
GM: Good detail. Take a hero point. He's trying to
keep you away from the leader, but your axe-head
keeps forcing him back. The leader shouts something
while backtracking, aiming his ice-orb at you. The
blast blows his hair and cloak back...(decides to keep
the first Magic contest on the combined action since
the result was 15, and Thoros is too busy to parry
anyway.) 7 ice damage, Thoros, and you're so cold
that it's Challenging to move. The elf-leader draws a
shortsword for his last action.
Thoros: The ice blast hits me dead-on, but all it does is
make me angrier. And colder.
GM: Next round. Randal?
Randal: I pass. Can't backstab very well when the elf
is ready to defend.
GM: Sure. It's his turn next. The sword-elf tries to
push past your daggers with his shield, slipping his
blade in underneath. (Takes half on fight and
damage, and ticks an action for the elf.)
Randal: Does his armor look heavier than mine? I
might have to take some Damage in order to deal it.
GM: His armor is metal, but light. It has the familiar
brassy glow of elven armor. But his sword is stabbing
you in the gut...
Randal: Defend! (Rolls defend and protection.) 20.
Ha, elf! "Pruni, I need a hand!"
GM: Pro defense. The other elf is trying to run
interference for the leader. Thoros, I hope you don't
like backstabs...(rolls fight and damage).
Thoros: I'll never get to the leader with this guy
harassing me. "Is that your best?" (Rolls protection.)
7 protection?
GM: 4 damage.
Thoros: (Records 1 minimum.) Got it. I'm trying to
block with the shaft, and doing some careful footwork
to get into position.
GM: Uh oh. The leader is next. His cold spell
continues (ticks an action), making Thoros' footwork
harder. He charges up another ice-ball in his free
hand. (Looks at Pruni.)
30
Pruni: And...throwing. 7 fight, 3 damage.
GM: (Looks for other actors, but Thoros and Randal
are quiet.) Alright, Pruni chucks a javelin just over
everyone's heads. The leader doesn't much notice,
casually stepping aside to finish his spell. (Rolls the
second magic contest, hoping to get higher than the
first. 8 result.) He tosses the spell at Randal this
time.
Randal: Grr. Parry. (Rolls defend (parry)) 9.
Thoros: I'm saving up for my special move. So, I parry
attacks, waiting for an opening.
GM: Randal, your parry is a Pro, but was so boring that
the sword-elf attacks you at the same time (takes
half). The elf fighting Thoros makes a probing stab
here and there, to see how his opponent feels.
Randal: Aye! My initiative is higher than the sword-
elf. Can I parry him instead?
GM: Sure. (Rolls the elf's attack, to give Randal's 9 a
chance at a Pro.) 17. He attacked right when your
attention was turned toward the spell. Only 2
damage...and a ball of ice flying at you.
Randal: It hits me square in the face, and I stagger
back, daggers flailing, as ice chunks fly all over.
GM: Cool, take a hero point. You might need it.
Pruni's turn.
Randal: (Winks at Pruni and Thoros.)
Pruni: "I'm coming, fellas!" Ready my spear and move
into the fray.
Thoros: (Counting Pruni's last action) my turn! I'm
about to decimate this elf. 12-step-whirling-
destruction! (Rolls fight (melee), a hero point, and
damage). 19 result, minus two for Special Move perks,
plus two damage is 8 damage. (Mimics the first four
steps.)
Pruni: And I'm going to double-team the elf on
Randal...even though I'm out of actions...
Randal: I know this dance! I backstab the elf that
Thoros is attacking, as long as he's defending against
Thoros. (Rolls.) 3 plus 2 backstab is 5 damage.
GM: Oh, he is. Your elf-friend whirls and slashes at
your gut while you move. (Rolls for the elf.) 4 damage.
(Rolls defend for Thoros's target.) Thoros's blade
comes dangerously close to Randal's face as he moves
up, but catches the elf's helm and rips it off, leaving a
trail of blood in the air. Randal, your dagger punches
through his armor, and he falls to the ground shaking,
holding up a hand for mercy.
Thoros: 5-6-7-8! I continue the move toward the
other sword elf, and use another hero point.
(Combines the new action, keeping his last fight
contest.) 6 on the hero point! That's 22 fight, and 9
damage. (Mimics four more swings.)
GM: (Rolls parry for the other sword-elf.) Your fourth
swing sinks through his greaves with a loud
"CHUNK!" And he begins limping badly.
31
Thoros: Last dance, at the same enemy. But I'm out of
hero points. (Combines again.) 16 fight, and 4
damage. I guess I got tired at the end.
GM: Or your cold legs slowed you down. The elf
panics, getting thumped by three hits and dodging
your last blow by tumbling backward. He drops his
sword and begins crawling away.
Thoros: I level my axe at the leader, realizing that I
have no chance to catch him until I can shake his ice
spell. Brr.
GM: Next round. Randal?
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