A roleplaying game (or RPG) is a game where you make a fictional character to play in a game world created by a game master. In most roleplaying games, there are multiple player characters each controlled by a separate player and a single game master that reveals the consequences of player actions, controls all non-player characters (or NPCs), and comes up with general plots and storylines for the players to adventure. Unlike other games, there is no objective “win” condition in an RPG. There is only the fun you have in roleplaying and utilizing your character to interact in the game world. Generally, RPGs last many sessions as the story continues on over time. This document, called a Core Rulebook, is used by game masters and players alike to understand the rules of the game and how to play it fairly. Of course, if there’s something your gaming group doesn’t like, feel free to change it to the ruleset you wish.
To play ClockWork you’re going to need a handful of supplies. You’re going to need at least 10 (maximum 12) twelve sided dice (or d12s). You can find twelve sided dice at your friendly local game store, but to buy 12s in bulk you’ll probably be better off ordering from an internet retailer. They typically come in tubes of 10 dice, though you can order dice from some retailers at any quantity you wish. You’ll probably want to get your own unique color or design of d12s to set yours apart from other players at the table. D12s are not a highly used die size in most games, so finding a set in a local game store can be tricky. Because d12s tend to roll a lot, I’d also suggest getting a dice tray to roll your dice in. You can find dice trays at any friendly local game store or from internet retailers.
Next, you’re going to need 6 action counters. An action counter is anything that can be easily moved around indicating it has been spent. We use poker chips, but you can just as easily use different sized dice that aren’t d12s, glass baubles, coins, reversi or go pieces, or any other such object. Action counters are used to keep track of time in combat and are very important in playing ClockWork. Here, again, is a good reason to have a dice tray. Any counters you have inside the tray are still available and any you have moved out of the tray have been spent, for example.
Your game master will want a game mat. Though it is possible to play ClockWork entirely in theater of the mind (no game mat), it is highly recommended to use a visual tool so players can understand what’s happening in the combat. Game mats have 1” squares drawn on them and may or may not have terrain on the back side. There are also dry erase game mats that you can purchase which have no background terrain but you can draw on with wet erase markers. This makes it easy to come up with your own maps and battlefield effects. Still other game mats come in booklet form with tons of game map options to flip through.
If your game master is using a game mat, you’re going to want to get something unique to represent your character on the battlefield. This can be a meeple (a wooden figure), a pawn or other chess piece, or a small figurine. There are even websites where you can configure your own figurine to exactly your visual specifications and have them custom printed.
You’re going to need a copy of the character sheet for ClockWork, which you can find by clicking this link. Your character sheet has the statistics which determine whether your actions you take in game are successful as well as recording damage and other effects. Make sure to have a few pencils nearby. The character sheet changes during gameplay so do not use a pen or permanent marker on the sheet.
Finally, you’re going to need a game master (one of your game group will take on this role) who will come up with the general plot of the game, control all non-playable characters (NPCs), and determine the results of actions in the game based on the game rules. You’re going to want at least 3 players to play a roleplaying game (one game master and two players) up to 7 players (6 players and one game master). Groups of more than 7 become incredibly hard to manage and are not recommended.
ClockWork was designed to be as mathless and table-less of a system as possible. The only calculations in the game are during initial character creation. If you can count, you can play ClockWork. It is designed to be a universal game engine to handle practically any setting and do so without custom caveats or rulesets. In general, the game is designed so that once you are used to the rules, it runs itself without even looking at the rulebook.
ClockWork provides considerable player freedom being a levelless classless system with full character customization, but does so in a way that it remains a game and not a complex simulation. It is designed also with the ease of the game master in mind. Though there are a handful more things to remember when running the game, they are not overwhelming and are congruent with all other rules in the game. There are no special systems or asynchronous game modes. Everything in ClockWork works together like the gears of a clock.
ClockWork is the product of over 8 years of continuous development and is the brainchild of over a combined century of game experience. As a game master of 20+ years myself, I have seen what works in some systems and what fails in others. ClockWork is designed to give you a novel and unique gameplay experience that you can custom tailor to whatever you need with setting splatbooks rather than reinventing the rules.
ClockWork is a point of pride to my team and I, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have had fun creating it!
Come up with a concept for your character. Is your character a front line warrior, a sneaky assassin, a cunning wizard, a charismatic diplomat, a manipulating freeloader? The choice is yours. You and your game master should pick skills that align with your character’s general concept.
For example, if your character is a banker, they would be able to negotiate well with charisma and wouldn’t likely have a high accuracy score with ranged weapons. However, you can justify it by saying “my character enjoys hunting and has a higher accuracy than normal for his concept”. There you go. You’ve just added to your character’s background. Now your banker is also a survivalist. You could come up with reasons for your character’s love of the outdoors. Maybe they are a doomsday prepper and paranoid. Maybe they simply enjoy peace and serenity. Maybe they were once a part of a more rural community and left that life for the big city. Either way, by building your character with a concept and sticking with that concept, you further develop your character’s origin story.
A skill is a specific action your character can take. The lower the skill number, the better your chances of success. Skills are ranked from 12 down to 4, but you can only lower a skill to 7 at character creation.
Each skill has a parent attribute. An attribute is a broad category of ability. There are four attributes in Clockwork.
Each attribute sets the number of twelve sided dice (d12s) you roll to resolve the success of actions. The higher the attribute number, the better.
Attribute scores are derived from your two lowest skill ranks. If you want a better attribute score, be sure to spend points to lower your skills in that attribute. We’ll get to that step in a minute. First let’s familiarize ourselves with each skill.
Spend 36 points to lower skills (1 point lowers a skill by 1) however you choose, or pick from a premade option below. No skill can be lowered below 7 at this point of character creation.
| Balanced | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option # | 7s | 8s | 9s | 10s | 12s |
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| Focused | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option # | 7s | 8s | 9s | 10s | 12s |
| 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
Each character has a species - a genetic lineage and ethnic heritage of which you have descendancy. Your character’s species affects many aspects about your character. Your game setting book may list additional playable species for your game setting.
We’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you by providing some playable species templates. If you disagree with how the species are handled, or want them to be slightly different in your campaign, change them! We’ve given you the tools to make your own playable species at the end of this section, so feel free to customize things however you wish.
Changelings are shapeshifters which can alter their appearance. They are descended from the mating of humans and doppelgangers. Some changelings seek to become a member of a culture they admire and choose a specific form to appear as. Others seek to experience every culture as a member of different species playing with form constantly. Still others seek their own unique culture of changeling kind preferring to stay in their original androgynous form. Due to their shapeshifting abilities, changelings are typically distrusted and feared by members of other species.
Djinn are the offspring of mortals and elemental spirits, or are mortals modified by the elements themselves at a young age. They are of typically lithe build and are typically as energetic personality wise as their elemental parents. Fire Djinn tend to be passionate and flamboyant. Water djinn tend to be compassionate and contemplative. Air Djinn tend to be brash and markedly intelligent. Earth Djinn tend to be calm and enduring. Djinn typically have wild natural hair or eye colors. For example, Earth Djinn could have green hair and dark green eyes matching the grasslands of the earth. Djinn have disagreements amongst themselves often as their personalities vary with the elements that conjured them, but they are in general on good terms with most other species.
Created from the offspring of humans and dragons shapeshifted into human kind, Dragonkin are often the guardians of areas sacred to dragons be it a treasure horde, a temple, or burial ground. Dragonkin have hard scaly bodies. Some have vestigial wings while others are wingless. They have curious serpentlike eyes, sharp teeth, and a temperament similar to the dragons that sired them running the gamut from being noble and helpful to the other mortal races to being greedy and covetous. Depending on a Dragonkin’s nature, they find a place alongside a variety of other species, some of whom view them as especially noble and honorable or powerful and vengeful.
Dryads are sentient plants born from mother trees. Their bodies run the gamut from small treant-like creatures to walking bodies of vines and other vegetative matter. Dryads have an innate connection with nature in which they attempt to live in harmony with all living things around them. However, some Dryads exemplify the power of decay, erosion, and withering giving the Dryads an altogether mysterious reputation. Dryads tend to be on good terms with Wood Elves and Humans who venerate the natural world as a sacred place.
Dwarves are a species of squat stout humanoids. They are tough, stable, and strong and have a penchant for both engineering and design. Known by many to be enduring yet stubborn, some are put off by the stoic nature of the dwarves while others admire them for the same qualities. Dwarves value cunning just as much as physical strength and often seek ways to both overpower and outsmart their enemies which, in most cases, are orcs, goblins, trolls, and giants. Dwarves value someone’s word, friendship, and loyalty above all else and tend to make bonds that last a lifetime. They are friendly with both Humans and Gnomes, but are wary of the haughty nature of High Elves and the mysterious ways of Wood Elves who they occasionally come into disagreement with over the use of resources.
Froads are frog and toad humanoids who are known for propriety and chivalry. According to legend, Froads are descended from knights and nobles unfairly turned into frogs by witches and, though there is no evidence for this claim, Froads view it as a mark of their good character that they are of legendary noble stock. Froads have porous amphibious skin and bulbous bodies. A Froad values hospitality and good manners when inviting guests into their homes, which typically border rivers and streams. They are on particularly good terms with Humans, particularly humans who carry themselves as gentlemen and gentlewomen and enjoy spending time with Halflings and other creatures who have a good sense of hospitality.
Gnolls are hyena-like humanoids who walk on two reverse jointed legs. They have thick tough hides, aggressive attitudes, and are fiercely defensive of their possessions and territory. Gnolls are a primitive species relying more on physical ability and strength than tools or technology. They tend to distrust city folk, especially Dwarves and Gnomes, for their closeness to machinery. They are on bad terms with most Humans who view them as a nuisance at best and rivals for territory at worst. Gnolls are more likely to get their way as ruffians and criminals in urban settings living on the fringes of society due to biases against their kind.
Gnomes are diminutive humanoids with small frames and inquisitive curious minds. They are natural tinkerers much like their dwarven cousins, but have a greater affinity for magic. Gnomes have both a positive reputation as being wonder makers and a negative reputation for ripping things apart to see how they work. Some gnomes are also expert illusionists leading some people to distrust them. But, typically such casters use their powers for parlor trickery and practical jokes rather than any real harm. The average gnome is a hospitable sort and typically get along well with Dwarves, Humans, and Halflings.
Goblins are small squat creatures with scaly skin that ranges in color from a deep green to a dark brown. Goblins, civilized or uncivilized, tend to be opportunists seeking to get the upper hand in any transaction or deal. They are known for being quite shrewd negotiations which makes them excellent at business and some (the most civilized of goblins) can even find employment in diplomatic circles due to their cunning. Most goblins, however, live on the fringes of society as scrappers and some as thieves. A goblin is often too proud to ask for handouts. After all, it is the cunning that should survive. This gives them a bad reputation, but they are experts at surviving tough times.
Halflings are humanoids about half the height of the average human. They are known for their agrarian lifestyle, humbleness, and wonderful hospitality. Though some would disregard halflings as simple folk, they have a charm all their own that many find endearing. Halflings typically live in close tightly knit communities so they tend to be wary of outsiders and newcomers. But, they still greet such folks with the benefit of the doubt by and large. Some are quite talkative and curious about the outside world while others care little for big picture problems and are more interested in local gossip.
High Elves are incredibly long lived slender and tall humanoids who are known to be haughty, overly proper, suspicious of practically any species they outlive, and typically wield powerful magic. High Elves are wise but slow to act. They have simply lived through too many lifetimes of other species coming and going to bother with day to day problems. Their minds are always on the big picture that unravels over decades or centuries often making them appear aloof and uncaring towards others. High Elves largely keep to themselves. They are not necessarily on the best of terms with Wood Elves who they view as backwards hillbillies and are highly suspicious of Humans viewing them as easily manipulated and shortsighted.
Humans are a highly adaptive and versatile species found practically everywhere they can learn to survive. They tend to have core values such as liberty and justice but just as many humans tend towards tyranny and success at any cost. Nothing can really be said about humans in general as they run the gamut of outlooks and perspectives. Still, humans tend to be more adventurous than other species risking life and limb for new horizons. They have a reputation to do what they feel is right, which leads many other species to believe they are overly brash and opinionated.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel. Ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor. Quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod quis. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus. Nunc sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque. Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. At auctor urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim. Amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Nibh sit amet commodo nulla facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Integer quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas. Vitae proin sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus.
Mycorreans are sentient humanoid fungi. They are capable of communicating normally with other humanoids, but communicate with each other via spores and chemical transmission. They have a vast mycelial network of information at their disposal giving them a great deal of a priori knowledge before they are even born. The Mycorreans have a quasi-hive mind they can access whenever near one of their own kind or a fungus that is part of their network allowing them to communicate over vast distances as well as recall knowledge from other Mycorreans.
Ogres are large brutish humanoids with muscular chiseled features and a lack of social graces. An Ogre typically believes in one avenue to achieve what it wants: force. They respect power above all other pursuits and seek to either be the leader of weaker party members or serve who they view is the strongest of all. Ogres are not subtle creatures, much to the detriment of their social graces. They have little filter for how they feel about a situation or what they would do if they could change their current position or outlook. As a result, Ogres have a reputation for being mindless brutes and being incredibly brash.
Orcs are muscular tusked humanoids about a head taller than the average human. They are on the larger side of Medium sized creatures. Orcs have a tribal society rich in cultural traditions and mysticism other species find macabre or bizarre such as ritual animal sacrifice, tattoos symbolizing their various accomplishments, or scarification. They often engage in rites of passage proving their physical prowess and will to survive. Not all emerge from these trials alive and failure while remaining alive can ostracize them from their community. Orcs are fiercely territorial and distrust outsiders, especially Humans, Elves, and Dwarves. They respect those that respect the land and their traditions and have nothing but ire for those that do not.
Rooks are birdlike humanoids ranging in coloration from gray pigeon-like feathers to black raven feathers. They are larger than humans and have large mostly vestigial wings on their back. Their society values the pursuit of wisdom and honor above all other pursuits. A Rook is only as valued as their word and they are honorbound to hold true to it no matter the cost to self or reputation. Rooks are also known to be crafty and cunning applying what they have learned both on and off the battlefield to befuddle and confound foes. Rooks have a reputation for being steadfast in their goals and it is said to wrong one is to invite great misfortune.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel. Ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor. Quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod quis. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus. Nunc sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque. Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. At auctor urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim. Amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Nibh sit amet commodo nulla facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Integer quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas. Vitae proin sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel. Ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor. Quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod quis. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus. Nunc sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque. Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. At auctor urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim. Amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Nibh sit amet commodo nulla facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Integer quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas. Vitae proin sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel. Ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor. Quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod quis. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus. Nunc sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque. Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. At auctor urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim. Amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Nibh sit amet commodo nulla facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Integer quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas. Vitae proin sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus.
Your character’s species sets a list of rules modifications as is detailed in the tables below. We’ll walk you through the process of how to apply these rules in this section.
| Species | Size | Resistance Bonus | Bonus Skills (Choose 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changeling | Medium | +1* | Charisma, Intuition, Manipulation |
| Djinn | Medium | +1 Energy | Agility, Charisma, Elemental |
| Dragonkin | Large | +1 Piercing | Celestial, Strength, Will |
| Dryads | Medium | +1 Piercing | Soul, Intuition, Stamina |
| Dwarves | Medium | +1 Blunt | Creativity, Strength, Ingenuity |
| Froads | Medium | +1 Blunt | Agility, Charisma, Elemental |
| Gnolls | Medium | +1 Slashing | Accuracy, Perception, Stamina |
| Gnomes | Small | +1 Energy | Creativity, Ingenuity, Spellcraft |
| Goblins | Small | +1 Slashing | Agility, Intuition, Manipulation |
| Halflings | Small | +1 Blunt | Charisma, Intuition, Will |
| High Elves | Medium | +1 Energy | Celestial, Knowledge, Spellcraft |
| Humans | Medium | +1** | Any Two Skills*** |
| Lizardfolk | Medium | +1 Piercing | Agility, Perception, Stamina |
| Mycorreans | Any**** | +1 Piercing | Charisma, Mortal, Knowledge |
| Ogres | Large | +1 Piercing | Manipulation, Stamina, Strength |
| Orcs | Medium | +1 Slashing | Stamina, Strength, Will |
| Rooks | Large | +1 Piercing | Accuracy, Ingenuity, Perception |
| Satyrs | Medium | +1 Blunt | Charisma, Creativity, Manipulation |
| Trolls | Medium | +1 Slashing | Soul, Strength, Stamina |
| Wood Elves | Medium | +1 Energy | Accuracy, Agility, Elemental |
|
* Changelings can add +1 to any resistance score and can change this resistance bonus to another type out of combat. ** Humans can add +1 to any resistance score. *** Humans can pick any two skills as species skills. **** Myconids can be any size creature between small to large. |
|||
Each species has a specific creature size. Creature size affects your overall hit points. It also affects your attack rolls. Larger creatures have a harder time hitting smaller creatures. Smaller creatures have an easier time hitting larger creatures. Creature size also affects movement speed. Larger creatures cover more ground easily while smaller creatures require more effort to move quickly.
For example, Humans are medium sized creatures. Gnomes are small creatures. Ogres are large creatures.
Each species has a list of 3 bonus skills of which you can pick 2. A bonus skill grants an additional die to a specific skill when using it.
For example, if my species had bonus skills to Agility, Knowledge, and Charisma, I could pick any 2 of those skills as bonus skills. Let’s say I picked Agility and Charisma. Every time I use Agility or Charisma, I would add an additional die to my roll.
Each species has a +1 bonus to a specific resistance score. Record the bonus on your character sheet. We’ll cover how to figure out the rest of your resistance scores in a minute. For now just record the bonus. Apply the resistance bonus to the resistance section using the following nomenclature.
| Resistance Type | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ballistic | B | Bullets, rifle rounds, musket balls, and shotgun shells. |
| Blunt | L | Blunt trauma such as maces, hammers, and punches. |
| Energy | N | Energy such as fire, ice, and lighting. |
| Piercing | P | Piercing trauma such as spears, arrows, and daggers. |
| Slashing | S | Slashing trauma such as axes and swords. |
| Explosive | X | Explosive trauma such as grenades and mines. |
For example, if my species had a +1 bonus to Blunt damage, I would record a 1 in my species resistance section under “L” for Blunt.
Each species has a unique special ability. The following table displays the special abilities of all species.
| Species | Special Ability |
|---|---|
| Changelings | Changelings can shapeshift out of combat into any humanoid form that is of medium size. The transformation process takes approximately 15 minutes. Changelings can change their form to match any person they have observed within a reasonable proximity according to the game master. Changelings also have a mutable +1 resistance bonus. They may change their resistance bonus to any resistance type aside from explosive and ballistic when shapeshifting. Both the new form they pick and the resistance bonus applies until the Changeling changes form again. A Changeling’s form and resistance bonus are not magical abilities and cannot be dispelled. |
| Djinn | Djinn receive one of the following spells for free at character creation: icicle, firebolt, shock, or shard. They also gain the Pyromancer, Hydromancer, Aeromancer, or Geomancer focus (your choice) on character creation. |
| Dragonkin | Dragonkin gain a breath weapon of their choice at character creation. Using this ability costs 4 action counters. This breath weapon affects a cone within 3 spaces of the caster. The Dragonkin’s attack roll for this breath weapon is their Body / Stamina roll and the ability uses no mana. Cold breath adds the chilled condition to damaged targets. Fire breath adds the burning condition to damaged targets. Lightning breath always hits but is resisted by the target’s Body / Stamina roll. Success on the Body/ Stamina roll halves damage. All three types deal 8N damage and half that damage rounded down if the target successfully dodges or blocks. A Dragonkin cannot use Breath Weapon again in the same combat until succeeding on a Flat 10 roll at the end of their next turn. |
| Dryads | Dryads do not need food so long as they have spent a few hours in sunlight and have a normal humanoid supply of water. They also regenerate 2 hit points per hour instead of 1 when resting. Dryads also gain the Healer, Fortune Teller, Necromancer, or Psion focus (your choice) at character creation. |
| Dwarves | Dwarves excel at fighting in armor, viewing it as a necessity for close personal combat. Dwarves are more agile in armor than most due to their strong frames and rigorous training. Dwarves reduce the dodge penalty for wearing medium and heavy armor by 1 (to 0 and +1 respectively) and treat their armor as one size category lower when determining movement speed (light becomes unarmored, medium becomes light, heavy becomes medium). |
| Froads | Froads can breathe underwater (both fresh and saltwater) and swim at their run speed instead of their walk speed. Since Froads have a layer of mucus protecting them, they are a tad more fire resistant. Whenever a Froad would roll to end the burning condition, they roll twice and take the better result. |
| Gnolls | Gnolls have a very keen sense of smell, giving them the Bloodhound focus at character creation. They are also quicker on their feet due to reverse joints, giving them +1 run speed (which in turn may increase their walk speed). |
| Gnomes | Gnomes have an innate knowledge of magic giving them resistance against harmful spells. Whenever a Gnome would be affected by a harmful spell, they may make a Flat 10 roll. On a success, the spell is resisted and has no effect on the Gnome. |
| Goblins | Goblins are masters of misdirection despite a reputation for not being of the best intellect. Goblins gain the Barter and Natural Liar foci at character creation. |
| Halflings | Halflings can use multiple instances of luck on the same check and always take the highest result of a luck roll rather than replacing their previous roll with whatever they get. |
| High Elves | High Elves’ incredibly long lives give them a variety of skills before becoming playable characters. High Elves gain an additional 4 customization points at character creation. |
| Humans | Humans can pick any two skills as their bonus skills. They also gain an additional focus of their choice at character creation (for a total of 4). |
| Lizardfolk | Lizardfolk have sharp claws making their unarmed attacks deal slashing instead of bludgeoning damage. Lizardfolk can climb at their run movement speed. Lizardfolk also are highly resistant to poisons. Whenever a Lizardfolk makes a check to end a poison effect, they roll twice and take the better result. |
| Mycorreans | Mycorreans have hallucinogenic spores that can be emitted as an area of effect attack with a radius of up to 2 spaces away from their current position. Using this ability costs 4 action counters. Mycorreans roll Body / Stamina versus all targets in the affected spaces Body / Stamina reaction. On a success, the target is completely pacified and cannot attack or take actions until they are damaged or they succeed on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn to end the effect. Mycorreans cannot use this ability again in the same combat until they succeed on a Flat 10 roll at the end of their turn. |
| Ogres | Ogres have a tight grip and are excellent grapplers. When an Ogre has an opponent in a grapple, they must exceed the Ogre’s Body / Strength check +1 gain in order to break free. Ogres also get the Mauler focus at character creation. |
| Orcs | All Orcs are trained in combat from an early age. Orcs gain a free Strength, Agility, or Accuracy focus related to a weapon group at character creation. Orcs can take a hard hit well and ignore the first 12 rolled on a Stunning proc dealt to them. |
| Rooks | Rooks cannot truly fly, but they can glide eliminating all falling damage as long as they are conscious and can open their wings. Rooks have a beak which can deal 6P damage as an unarmed attack. The beak attack can use Body / Strength or Body / Agility to hit. Rooks have sharp talons changing their unarmed strike damage to slashing rather than blunt damage. In addition, Rooks can flap their wings to push back foes. This ability works the same as the Gust magic spell, but costs no mana. Once a Rook uses the Gust ability, they cannot use it again until succeeding on a Flat 10 check at the end of their next turn. The Gust effect uses a Body / Stamina roll instead of a magic roll. |
| Satyrs | Satyrs can gore an adjacent target with their horns as a Body / Strength attack. Horns deal 6P damage. They are also faster than other species due to their reverse joints. They add +1 to their run speed (which in turn may raise their walk speed). |
| Trolls | Trolls regenerate 2 vital hit points per hour of rest out of combat rather than 1. Trolls are more resistant to the bleeding condition. Whenever a Troll would roll to end the bleeding condition, they roll twice and take the better result. |
| Wood Elves | Wood Elves can run over difficult terrain and can move at their run speed while stealthed. They are also keenly in touch with nature, giving them the Survival focus at character creation. |
We’ve provided a list of premade species, but you can create other species if you wish with the approval of your game master. Doing so is rather simple.
Let’s do an example. Let’s say we wanted to make satyrs (humanoids from Greek myth with goat horns, reverse joints, and hooves) a playable race in our game. First, we’d apply a +1 resistance bonus that makes sense. Satyrs are very tightly muscular, so we could apply a +1 bonus to blunt damage, for example.
Next, we’d apply a bonus skill. Satyrs are often depicted playing musical instruments to entertain, so we could pick Creativity as a bonus skill. They are especially charismatic, so we could pick Charisma as another bonus skill. Finally, satyrs are crafty creatures and can be deceptive so we might give them Manipulation as a final bonus skill.
Finally, we’d add a minor special ability that makes sense. Satyrs have horned heads, so we could give them a headbut unarmed attack that deals 6 piercing damage. They also have reversed joints which makes them faster on their feet. The headbut isn’t much on its own, so we’ll give them +1 to their run speed as well.
You and your game master would then write some minor lore for the species explaining what they are, what they are about, their outlooks, etc. Voila, satyr is now a playable species.
Not everyone is a paragon of their species. Different members of a species are different and the bonus skill represents that difference. Select a Bonus skill of your choice. Bonus skills gain an additional die when rolling that skill. You can pick any skill which does not already have a bonus. Choose wisely because you cannot gain additional bonus skills.
For example, let’s say I have Agility and Charisma as bonus skills from my species. I cannot pick Agility and Charisma again, but I could pick Stamina, for instance.
Pick 3 Foci. A focus adds an additional die for a very specific action with a skill.
For example, the History focus in Knowledge would add 1 die when making Knowledge checks involving history.
You can select multiple foci for the same skill, but take care when purchasing foci. There is no way to earn a new focus in the game.
For example, if I wanted to be really knowledgeable, I could pick the History, Religion, and Science foci in Knowledge.
The following is a list of foci in the game.
Stamina has no foci.
Will has no foci.
Spend customization points to further customize your character. You gain 12 customization points to spend however you wish. At this point, you can buy spells, features, and reduce skill ranks lower than 7. Bonus points are spent according to the following table.
For a list of spells, see the Magic section.
For a list of features, see the Features section.
| Upgrade | Customization Point Cost |
|---|---|
| Skill | 1 (if the next rank 7 or higher) or 2 (if the next rank is lower than 7) |
| Spells | Spell Level (A level 1 spell would cost 1 customization point for example) |
| Feature | Feature Level (A level 3 spell would cost 3 customization points for example) |
Calculate your attribute scores. Attribute scores are based on how effective you are at specific skills. Find the two lowest scores in an attribute then compare the sum of those two scores to the following table to get your attribute score.
| Sum of Two Lowest Skills In Attribute | Attribute Ranks |
|---|---|
| 24 | 5 |
| 20 -> 23 | 6 |
| 16 -> 19 | 7 |
| 12 -> 15 | 8 |
| 9 -> 11 | 9 |
| 8 | 10 |
Your character has species resistance to all the damage types in the game: ballistic (B), blunt (L), energy (N), piercing (P), slashing (S), and explosive (X).
The higher your resistance number, the better your character is at resisting damage.
You select your character’s base resistance scores to customize how well your character resists certain types of damage. Some people, for example, are just better at taking a punch than others. Others have greater resistance to extreme temperatures and can resist energy damage better. Still others seem to not be as damaged by slashing or piercing trauma. If everyone was given the same damage resistances, it would be fairly easy to determine what damage type should be used against what targets. Customizing your damage types keeps things random and unpredictable.
All creatures start with 2 base resistance in all damage types.
Your character receives additional species resistance points based on their Body attribute according to the following table.
For example, if my Body attribute was 7, I would have 3 bonus resistance points.
| Body Attribute Score | Bonus Body Resistance |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 2 |
| 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 |
| 9 | 5 |
| 10 | 6 |
You also gain resistance points according to your creature size in the following table.
For example, if I was a Medium sized creature, I would have 3 additional resistance points.
| Creature Size | Bonus Size Resistance |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 1 |
| Small | 2 |
| Medium | 3 |
| Large | 4 |
| Huge | 5 |
Sum together your base resistance, body resistance, and creature size resistance points, then distribute them amongst damage types as you choose. You cannot raise an individual damage resistance score above 5 when spending resistance points.
For example, if I was creating an Orc (a medium sized creature) with a Body attribute rank of 4, I would set all my resistance scores to 2.
| Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Next, I would raise my scores by 4 points (as I have 8 in the Body attribute) and by an additional 3 points (as I am a Medium sized creature) for a total of 7 resistance points. So, one of the combinations I could choose could be as follows.
| Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
This is just one combination of many. I can customize my damage resistance however I choose.
Your character’s species adds a +1 bonus to one of your resistance scores. This species bonus can raise your resistance score to 6.
Using our previous example, if I was an Orc, my species bonus would be +1 to slashing damage resistance. This would make my final species score as follows.
| Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
Your character can further increase resistance by equipping armor. Armor reduces your movement speed, but increases your damage resistance. Unlike other games, there is no restriction on what “classes” can use what armor (this is a classless game). There is nothing stopping a magic user from wearing heavy armor, for example. It is a good strategy to at least use light armor in the game at a bare minimum. Going unarmored is very very dangerous and provides no additional benefits.
As your character takes damage, they will rely on Grit to make damage less lethal and Vitals to survive lethal damage. Grit is a barrier of health that reduces otherwise lethal damage to more survivable results. The higher your character's Grit, the more they can survive damage. Vitals are your raw vitals you need to live. Each loss of a vital hit point brings you closer to death. We’ll explain grit and vitals in detail in the Combat Rules section. For now, just record the info on your character sheet.
Grit is first based on your character’s creature size. Record base grit according to the following table.
| Creature Size | Base Grit |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 3 |
| Small | 4 |
| Medium | 5 |
| Large | 6 |
| Huge | 7 |
Your character’s grit is increased by their Stamina ranks. The higher your Stamina, the more grit points you have.
| Stamina Score | Bonus Grit |
|---|---|
| 11 -> 12 | +1 |
| 9 -> 10 | +2 |
| 7 -> 8 | +3 |
| 5 -> 6 | +4 |
| 4 | +5 |
All player characters have 6 vitals maximum. Weaker non-playable characters may have less. Important non-playable characters may have more. Once a character runs out of vitals, they begin dying.
To get your personal pool of Mana points, which are used to cast spells, use the following table.
| Magic Attribute | Mana Points |
|---|---|
| 5 | 6 |
| 6 | 12 |
| 7 | 18 |
| 8 | 24 |
| 9 | 30 |
| 10 | 36 |
The maximum armor you can equip is based on your Strength score. If you equip armor which you cannot support with your strength score, you are encumbered and cannot run. If you are two levels above what your Strength score can support, you can only step. Compare your Strength score with the following table to determine the maximum armor you can equip without encumbrance.
| Strength Score | Maximum Armor |
|---|---|
| 12 | Light |
| 11 -> 9 | Medium |
| 6 or lower | Heavy |
For example, if I have 7 strength I can equip Medium or Light armor. I can still equip Heavy armor, but I am encumbered and cannot run.
In addition to armor encumbrance, your character has limits on what they can conceivably carry on their person before becoming encumbered. Each character has a belt and a bandolier which can each store any 3 of the following: alchemy items, grenades, or scrolls. You may store additional items in your backpack, but you can only use what is in your belt and bandolier in combat. The backpack weight limit is at the discretion of the game master, but in general you cannot carry more than 35 kilograms in weight without being encumbered.
You can equip a two handed weapon or a shield on your back, and up to one main hand or two off hand weapons at your sides.
If necessary, you can carry an ally over your shoulder to get them to safety. Doing so makes you automatically encumbered. If you were already encumbered, you can only step.
Record 2000 currency on your character sheet. You may spend this currency towards Equipment such as Armor, Shields, Weapons, and Items. Any leftover currency remains on your person. See the Items & Equipment section for a list of what can be purchased.
Armor resistance stacks with species resistance increasing your character’s overall damage resistance. Consider the following human character’s species resistance scores.
| Creature | Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
Armor stacks with your base resistance to provide additional protection. For example, scalemail has the following resistance scores.
| Armor | Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scalemail | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
To figure out your total resistance scores, add your armor scores and your species resistance scores together. Thus, our human wearing platemail would have the following total resistance. If you have done it right no score should ever be above 12.
| Total | Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human In Scalemail | 2 + 3 = 5 | 5 + 4 = 9 | 3 + 4 = 7 | 4 + 4 = 8 | 4 + 6 = 10 | 2 + 3 = 5 |
The higher the total resistance number, the more resistant the creature is to damage. We’ll cover exactly how resistance works in the Combat Rules section.
Calculate your movement speed by using the tables below.
The game is played on a square grid and each square on the grid is referred to as a space.
Armor slows down your character, but provides additional damage resistance. It is highly recommended to at least use light armor in the game. Notice the heavier the armor, the less the offset to your movement score.
| Armor Weight | Movement Score |
|---|---|
| Unarmored or Light Armor | 12 + (12 - Agility score) |
| Medium Armor | 8 + (12 - Agility score) |
| Heavy Armor | 4 + (12 - Agility score) |
For example, let’s say I have an Agility score of 6 and I’m wearing Medium armor. My initial movement score would be 8 + (12 - 6) for a result of 14.
Next, your creature size affects your movement score. Smaller creatures move slower than larger creatures.
| Creature Size | Movement Score Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Tiny | -2 |
| Small | -1 |
| Medium | +0 |
| Large | +1 |
| Huge | +2 |
For example, let’s say I’m using my previous example and I’m a large creature, I would add +1 to my movement score of 14 to get a 15.
Finally, apply your total movement score to the following chart to calculate your run movement speed.
| Movement Score | Walk Speed (in spaces) | Run Speed (in spaces) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 -> 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 -> 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 -> 11 | 3 | 6 |
| 12 -> 15 | 3 | 7 |
| 16 -> 19 | 4 | 8 |
| 20 -> 23 | 4 | 9 |
| 24 -> 27 | 5 | 10 |
For example, using our previous example, I would look at the chart for the range which contains a movement speed of 15, then use the Run Speed listed at that row. In this case, it is 12 -> 15 which is 7 Run Movement speed.
Record your Run Speed and Walk Speed on your character sheet.
Your character has a base defense score which determines their difficulty to be hit. The higher your defense, the better. Base defense is based on creature size. The larger the creature, the less its base defense. Defense can be increased by dodging or blocking. We’ll get to that in a moment. First, record your character’s base defense score on the character sheet according to the creature size table below.
| Creature Size | Base Defense |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 5 |
| Small | 4 |
| Medium | 3 |
| Large | 2 |
| Huge | 1 |
Your character can increase their base defense by dodging and blocking. We’ll talk about how you dodge and block in the Combat Rules section. For now, just record the dodge and block scores according to the following table on your character sheet.
The lower your agility score, the better for dodging attacks. When you dodge, you add your dodge bonus to your base defense.
| Agility Score | Dodge Bonus |
|---|---|
| 12 -> 11 | +1 |
| 10 -> 9 | +2 |
| 8 -> 7 | +3 |
| 6 -> 5 | +4 |
| 4 | +5 |
If your character is equipped with a shield, they can block. Your block bonus is based on what level of armor you are using when equipping a shield. The higher your armor level, the better for blocking attacks.
| Shield Weight (Same As Armor) | Block Bonus |
|---|---|
| Light | +1 |
| Medium | +3 |
| Heavy | +5 |
As your character progresses, they will gain experience points from the game master for defeating monsters, doing something surprising, excellent roleplay of your character, and resolving important plot points and quests. Unlike other games, the amount of experience gained in Clockwork is only a few points (not thousands of points). There are also no “levels” in Clockwork. All upgrades are purchased with experience.
The game master should hand out experience points regularly (often several times a game session) according to the following table.
| Experience Points | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 |
The player was challenged to an easy degree or achieved something of a minor note. The player made an interesting observation or discovered an important clue. The player roleplayed their character during the session. |
| 2 |
The player was challenged at a reasonable level. The player contributed to success at a standard level. The player made an important decision with consequences and resolved that decision well or made an impressive strategy. The player roleplayed their character well during the session. |
| 3 |
The player was challenged at a high level. The player was essential to the success of the endeavor. The player did an exceptional job roleplaying their character during the session. |
| 4 |
The player was extremely challenged. The player has completed a major quest or story arc. The player did an incredible job roleplaying their character during the session. |
Experience points can be used immediately after earning them or can be stored to spend at a later time. Experience points are traded in for upgrades to your character.
We have included a table below that explains the experience point costs for skills. You must purchase each skill rank at a time. For example, going from a 12 to a 9 in a skill would require 4 + 8 + 12 experience points in a normal campaign (24 points total).
Notice the experience point charts are divided into fast, normal, and slow campaign session columns. The point cost of experience upgrades is based on how fast of a campaign the game master is running. If you’re only planning on a short story arc, then use the fast campaign. If you’re planning a year long adventure, a slow campaign is more your speed. The normal campaign is in between.
Don’t forget that when you lower your skill scores, your attribute ranks may increase. See Character Creation for more information.
| Skill Score | Experience Point Cost | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Campaign (8+ Sessions) | Normal Campaign (16+ Sessions) | Slow Campaign (24+ Sessions) | |
| 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 8 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 7 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| 5 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| 4 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
Buying features and magic spells with experience points also costs a variable amount depending on how fast of a campaign you are playing. Each spell and feature is ranked from level 1 to level 4. The description is listed after the spell. Use the following table to price out powers based on their level.
| Feature / Spell Level | Experience Point Cost | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Campaign (8+ Sessions) | Normal Campaign (16+ Sessions) | Slow Campaign (24+ Sessions) | |
| Level 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Level 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Level 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Level 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
To perform an action, first declare your action.
For example, if I am making a ranged attack with a rifle, I would say “I am attacking with my rifle” and designate the target I am attacking.
Next, determine the appropriate skill to use for the check.
In the case of my previous example - to shoot a rifle - it would be Accuracy, which is a Body skill.
Roll the appropriate attribute in dice.
For example: If I am attempting to jump across a gap, the roll would be a Body / Strength roll. Let’s assume I have a Body of 8 and have a rank of 7 in Strength. I would roll 8d12 for my 8 Body score and each result which would be a 7 -> 12 would be a gain from my Strength score. Any 12s rolled would add an additional gain. Any 1s rolled would subtract a gain.
Let’s say I roll a 1, 5, 12, 6, 5, 8, and a 7. The 1 subtracts 1 gain. The 5s and 6 do not grant a gain as it is less than 7 -> 12. The 7 is between 7 -> 12 granting 1 gain. The 8 adds 1 gain as it is between 7 -> 12. The 12 grants 2 gains. The result is -1 + 0 + 2 + 0 + 0 + 1 + 1 for a total result of 3 gains.
If you have a bonus die to a specific skill, don’t forget to add an additional die to the die roll. Likewise, if a particular focus your character has would apply, make sure to add another additional die.
Let’s say our character has a bonus die in Accuracy and a focus on Long Guns. When firing a rifle, the character would receive 2 additional dice to roll on top of their Body attribute dice: 1 for the bonus die and 1 for the applicable focus.
Report the total number of successes to the game master.
Certain abilities and conditions call for flat rolls. A flat roll rolls 1d12 and attempts to get at or above the number rolled.
Flat rolls are written as Flat followed by the number you must meet or exceed. For example: a “Flat 7” would be a roll requiring a 7 or higher to succeed.
If the roll is unopposed by another player, the game master secretly applies a difficulty: a number of gains required to successfully complete the task according to the following table. If the player meets or exceeds the difficulty with their rolled gains, the attempt succeeds.
| Difficulty | # of Gains (At Or Above To Succeed) |
|---|---|
| Simple | 1 |
| Easy | 2 |
| Normal | 3 |
| Hard | 4 |
| Difficult | 5 |
| Extreme | 6+ |
If the player rolls 3 more gains than what is required on an out of combat roll, the game master may cause the player to dramatically succeed. A dramatic success not only succeeds but has consequences determined by the game master that make things easier for the player in subsequent rounds.
For example, let’s say the player hacks a computer and achieves a dramatic success. The game master has the option to give the player a lasting benefit due to the degree of success. The game master allows the player to install a backdoor into the system, allowing them to compromise it at a future time if so desired.
If a player rolls 3 fewer gains than what is required on an out of combat roll, the game master may cause the player to dramatically fail. A dramatic failure not only fails but has consequences determined by the game master that make things harder for the player in subsequent rounds.
For example, let’s say the player is trying to stealth past opponents and achieves a dramatic failure. The game master could apply a penalty to the player that a spotlight on the enemy base has the character locked in their sights and attempting to stealth again is impossible for some time.
When rolling against another player, the character with the highest number of gains wins.
For example, if my character rolled 4 gains to hit a target and the target rolled 2 gains to dodge, I would hit the target as 4 > 2.
In case of a tie, the character making the offensive action (typically the player whose turn it is, the player who is attacking, or the player performing the offensive action) wins.
Three times per game session, a player can use luck. Luck allows you to reroll any roll in the game, but you must take the result of the reroll even if it is worse. Once a point of luck is spent, it is spent for the entire game session (unless the game master determines it refreshes due to a significant amount of passing time in game). Luck may be spent only once per roll.
Each combat turn you are given 6 action counters which last until your next turn when they are refreshed. Action counters can be any moveable countable thing. We use poker chips, but feel free to use glass baubles, coins, reversi pieces, go stones, or anything else you wish. Your action counters represent the amount of time you have to perform actions on your turn.
Once an action counter is used, it is spent for the entire round. Your action counters should be easily understood as spent when used, such as putting them on the opposite side of your person or placing them into or out of a dice tray.
At a certain point during your turn you will want to pass your turn and reserve counters for defensive actions such as dodge and block. After you pass, the next player in initiative order begins their turn.
All 6 action counters refresh at the beginning of your next turn. Any unspent action counters are forfeit.
Each combatant rolls an initiative roll at the beginning of combat to determine turn order. Initiative rolls 12 dice and uses your Agility or Intuition score to determine success (the player’s choice). The player with the highest initiative goes first. In the case of a tie on initiative, have the tying combatants roll 1d12. The combatant with the highest roll goes first. If this is a tie, repeat the process until the tie is broken.
Turn order starts with the highest initiative score and continues on down with each player in order of initiative until reaching the last player. Once the last player has passed their turn, initiative starts over again from the top.
Combatants who have yet to take their first turn are defenseless. Defenseless combatants have not received action counters and are thereby caught completely off guard. Defenseless players cannot take actions of any kind until they receive action counters on their first turn.
Actions which take no time in combat are called reactions. You have an unlimited number of reaction rolls you can make per turn, but may only make one reaction per reaction trigger.
For example, whenever an enemy rolls stealth, you gain a reaction roll to detect that target. If another enemy attempts to stealth, you would gain another reaction roll to detect the other enemy. However, you cannot roll two detection reactions versus a single combatant’s stealth roll.
You can prepare an action by declaring a trigger and setting aside action counters. When the trigger occurs, you interrupt the turn order and go first with your prepared action. Once that action resolves, combat continues.
For example, if I wanted to shoot the first enemy that emerged from around a corner with a ranged attack, I would prepare a ranged attack (a 3 action counter action) by setting aside 3 action counters. When the target emerges from cover, I can make my prepared attack interrupting their turn. Once the attack is complete, the target continues their turn normally.
Whenever you interrupt a target successfully, say by rolling a damaging attack when they attempt to flee from you or shooting a target emerging from cover, the target loses whatever action they were about to make and, therefore, the action counters spent on the action are forfeit.
For example, if I was to prepare a melee attack if a particular foe left my spear’s threatened range, I would set aside 2 counters (as melee is a 2 counter action) and declare I will attack when the target attempts to move. The target, on their turn, spends 2 action counters to run, triggering my prepared attack. If I hit and deal damage, the target is stopped in their tracks and loses the 2 action counters they attempted to use.
Discard a minimum of 2 action counters to perform a skill roll in combat. The game master may increase the number of action counters required if the action would use the remainder of your turn (such as holding a door closed) or would logically take more time than 2 action counters.
Discard two action counters to run at your run speed or walk at ½ your run speed. You may also step with 1 action counter to move 1 space. You can only stealth while walking or stepping and you can only walk or step over difficult terrain such as ice, tall grassland, or thick foliage.
You can crawl at your step speed. While crawling, you gain the benefits and penalties of being prone. See Special Rules -> Prone Position for more details.
You can ascend or descend vertical terrain of 1 space in height by discarding an additional action counter. Heights greater than 1 space require a climb check (a Body / Strength reaction versus a target difficulty set by the game master) to be successful. You move at your walk speed when climbing.
You can swim at your walk speed. Depending on the situation, you may need to roll a Body / Strength reaction to avoid drowning or being inadvertently pulled by a current.
If using a game grid, diagonal movement counts as 2 spaces when moving diagonally.
You can move through an ally’s occupied space as if it were unoccupied, but cannot move through enemy occupied spaces.
Combatants which start combat in stealth continue their combat turns in stealth until they take an offensive action. Once you take a run action, an offensive action, or any action that would break stealth (like springing a trap or making a loud shout), all benefits of stealth are lost. Stealthed attackers cannot be targeted by any attack (area of effect or otherwise), cannot be dodged, and cannot be blocked. Area of effect attacks that are fired blindly at a target give the stealthed character full concealment and automatically deal half damage rounded down.
To engage in stealth, you must roll a Body / Agility reaction versus all nearby targets’ Mind / Perception reaction. On a success, you are stealthed against that target. In order to use stealth, you cannot have used the run action on your turn. You can only stealth while walking. You cannot stealth over difficult terrain.
You must be in a hiding spot where people cannot see you or the target must not have line of sight of you in order to stealth.
For example, if I break line of sight and run behind a building and the enemy is out of my line of sight, I can roll a Body / Agility reaction to engage in stealth once again. This reaction would only apply to enemies which are not in my line of sight.
Each weapon has its own attack speed in action counters.
For example, the semi-automatic pistol has an action cost of 2, which means it takes 2 action counters to fire.
Melee attacks (swords, axes, spears, staves, etc.) roll Body / Strength to hit. Some special weapons, called finesse weapons, can substitute Body / Agility for Body / Strength to hit. See Equipment -> Melee Weapons for more details.
Unarmed attacks (claws, punches, kicks, etc.) roll either Body / Strength or Body / Agility (attacker’s choice) to hit.
Ranged attacks (guns, bows, crossbows, launchers, etc.) and thrown attacks (thrown daggers, javelins, grenades, etc.) roll Body / Accuracy to hit.
An attack is successful if it rolls at or over an opponent’s cover, dodge, or block (if any).
Some attacks, such as grenades and large spells, deal damage to an area of effect rather than a single target. An area of effect is listed with a radius number in spaces if a circle, a cone length, or a length of spaces if a line. For example, a radius 3 area of effect would affect a single target space and a radius of 3 spaces out from that space in a circle. A cone of 3 would affect a space in front of the caster, 3 spaces on the next space away from the caster, and 5 spaces on the third space away from the caster. Finally, a line of 5 would affect a straight or diagonal line of 5 spaces away from the caster.
Targets in the affected area cannot dodge or block area of effect attacks. An area of effect attack is rolled against the target’s base defense only. If the attack misses, it still deals ½ damage rounded down.
Called shots target a smaller area than the entire target, increasing the passive defense of the target area.
For example, if I was to call a shot on a Medium sized target’s head, the head is considered a Tiny target (2 sizes smaller than Medium) and the target’s base defense would go up by 2 for that attack.
Called shots have a variety of effects according to the following table. Called shots can be performed with melee or ranged weapons.
| Target Area | Target Defense | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Head / Weak Point | +2 | Critical damage on rolling 11s and 12s |
| Arm | +2 | Target cannot use the arm until succeeding on a Flat 7 roll at the end of each turn. |
| Leg | +2 | Target cannot run until succeeding on a Flat 7 roll at the end of each turn. |
Each ranged and thrown weapon has a range increment in spaces. See the Equipment for more details on specific weapon ranges. Count the number of spaces between you and the target. Each range increment beyond the first subtracts 1 die from the attack roll. If this would reduce your dice to 0 or less, the attack automatically misses.
No matter the weapon, all weapons have an effective range of 3 times their range increment. Weapons automatically miss beyond their effective range. Though many weapons can exceed this effective range in real life, this rule is created for the purposes of game balance.
The distance a character can hit with an unarmed or melee attack is called reach. Medium sized creatures and smaller have a reach of 1 space. For each size category larger than medium, a character gains 1 additional space of reach. For example, a large creature would have a reach of 2 spaces. A huge creature would have a reach of 3 spaces.
Specific weapons, such as a longspear, can increase your melee reach. See the Equipment -> Melee Weapons section for more information.
Each 12 you roll on a successful attack roll adds 1 point of critical damage. Critical damage is automatically applied to a target regardless of its damage resistance. Critical damage counts as damage towards breaking a target’s Grit pool.
For example, if I rolled a 12, 5, 6, 7, and 12 on a successful attack, I would apply 2 critical damage to the target.
Stationary targets can still be missed. In order to hit a stationary target or a target that has not noticed you in combat, you must roll at or above its base defense in order to score a successful hit.
For example, if a creature had a base defense of 5, attackers would need at least 5 gains to hit the target if it is unaware or stationary.
Cover is something in the way of the attack which partially or fully covers a character’s profile reducing the chance to hit. Hiding behind barricades, walls, or other objects is a method of gaining cover.
Cover provides a defense bonus based on how much the combatant is covered according to the following table. Whenever a target is behind cover, the target area required to hit the target is reduced, thereby adding to their defense. You always have at least some chance to hit a target behind less than 100% cover. Cover does not apply to melee attacks, arc shots that ignore line of sight, and area of effect attacks.
| Cover % | Defense Bonus |
|---|---|
| 25% | +1 |
| 50% | +3 |
| 75% | +5 |
For example, if my base defense was 3 and I hid behind a 75% cover wall, my defense against attacks would become an 8 (3 + 5 = 8).
Combatants do not normally provide cover for each other. This rule is for game simplicity and balance. For example, a medium sized creature behind another medium sized creature does not provide cover. In scenarios where this would make absolutely no sense, the game master is allowed to have combatants provide cover. The game master may alter this rule if the attacker is trying to hit a specific target in a crowd of people, for example.
Targets obscured by smoke, fog, mist, or other similar effects have a 75% cover. This cover does not apply to melee or area of effect attacks.
Combatants can dodge as a 1 counter action either with counters reserved for defense after passing their turn or with action counters on their turn if interrupted. Dodging costs a single action counter per dodge attempt. However, dual wield attacks, area of effect attacks, and autofire count as a single attack for purposes of dodge.
For example, if I have 2 action counters reserved for defense, I can dodge twice. If I am dodging a dual wield attack, I treat the two attacks as one single attack. When dodging a dual wield attack, I only use 1 action counter to dodge (instead of 2).
Dodging increases your base defense by your dodge bonus. The attacker must meet or exceed your total defense in order to successfully hit.
For example, if my base defense is 3 and I have a +2 dodge bonus, my base defense becomes 5 for that attack. The attacker would require 5 gains or more to hit my character.
A combatant must declare they are dodging the attack at the point the attacker declares the attack. You cannot dodge and block the same attack. You must choose one or the other.
If a combatant has a shield equipped and drawn, they may attempt to block as a 1 counter action. Blocking is typically performed with action counters reserved for defense, but it can be done with action counters on your turn if you are interrupted. A block applies to one attack. If you are attacked again, you must use another block. However, dual wield, area of effect attacks, and autofire are treated as one attack for purposes of block.
For example, if I have 2 action counters reserved for defense, I can block twice. If I am blocking a dual wield attack, I treat the two attacks as one single attack. When blocking a dual wield attack, I only use 1 action counter to block (instead of 2).
Blocking increases your base defense by your block bonus. The attacker must meet or exceed your total defense in order to successfully hit.
For example, if my base defense is 3 and I have a +2 block bonus, my base defense becomes 5 for that attack. The attacker would require 5 gains or more to hit my character.
Every weapon has a damage roll in d12s. A battleaxe, for example, deals “12 S” and therefore has 12 twelve sided dice of damage. Don’t worry about the letter yet, we’ll get to that in a second. Specific damage rolls for weapons are listed in the Equipment -> Weapons section. As always, 12s count as 2 points of damage and 1s cancel a point of damage.
Procedural results, or procs, trigger a special effect of your equipped weapon, if it has one. A proc occurs whenever a player rolls a 12 on a successful damage roll. See the equipment section for specific proc examples.
There are six damage types in Clockwork:
If your weapon has multiple damage types, such as a longsword which can do slashing or piercing, you must declare the damage type you are using before rolling the attack. Which damage type you use can greatly affect how much damage you deal.
Your character’s total resistance score sets the number damage rolls must meet or exceed to deal a point of damage to a target.
For example, if I had a total resistance of 10 in slashing, enemies would have to roll a 10 or higher on a damage roll in order to deal damage to my character. If an enemy hit my character and rolled 12, 10, 9, and 7 on the damage roll, I would take 3 damage (2 from the 12 and 1 from the 10).
If you are rolling an area of effect attack that strikes multiple creatures, roll the damage roll once and count how many damage points of damage you earned at or above each target’s resistance individually.
For example, if I throw a grenade and it hits 2 targets, one with explosive resistance 3 and the other with explosive resistance 6, I would roll one damage roll. Next, I would count up the dice that are 3 or higher in the damage roll and apply that to the explosive resistance 3 enemy. Finally, I would count up the dice that are 6 or higher in the same damage roll and apply that to the resistance 6 enemy.
Now that you’ve applied resistance to the incoming damage, it’s time to record remaining damage on your character sheet. Notice on the character sheet there is a space for Vitals, Hits, and Grit as well as a penalty next to the bottom three vitals. Hits are where you write down the damage you’ve taken. Each hits box can hold up to your grit in damage.
For example, if I had 6 Grit, each hits box would be able to store 6 points of damage.
Once you have filled up a hits box, you lose the Vital next to that box and continue downward applying any remaining damage to the next hits box down the line.
For example, if I had 6 Grit, had taken no damage beforehand, and just took 11 damage from an attack, I would write down 6 in the first hits box, cross out the vital next to that hit box, and write the remaining 5 damage in the second hits box.
If you reach a vitals box with a penalty, you lose a number of dice on all physical rolls according to the following table.
| Vitals | Physical Die Penalty |
|---|---|
| 6 | -0 |
| 5 | -0 |
| 4 | -0 |
| 3 | -1 |
| 2 | -2 |
| 1 | -3 |
For example, if I had 3 remaining vitals, I would take a -1 die penalty to all physical action rolls.
If you take at or equal to your Grit score in damage from a single attack, you gain a wound. Wounds treat your Grit score as if they were lowered by the number of wounds when applying hits.
For example, if I had a grit of 8 and took a wound, after applying the damage from this attack, my hits boxes would be at 7 hits each (as 8 grit - 1 wound = 7). If I took an additional wound, my hits boxes would be at 6 hits each (as 8 grit - 2 wounds = 6).
Taking a wound does not lower your Grit score itself. You only are wounded when you take at or equal to your Grit score in damage.
For example, if I am at Grit 7 and have 3 wounds, I would only be wounded when I take 7 or more damage - NOT when I take 4 or more damage.
If you take multiples of your grit score in damage from a single attack, you gain multiple wounds.
If I had a grit score of 4 and took 9 damage, I would take 2 wounds from the attack and 1 hit.
Your grit cannot be reduced below 0. At 0 grit, every hit you take loses a Vital.
Wounds can be healed out of combat with a Mind / Knowledge medicine roll and necessary medical equipment. Each gain on the Mind / Knowledge roll eliminates 1 wound.
Once you have taken 6 vital damage, you begin dying.
When a combatant is dying, they lose consciousness and lose the remainder of their turn (if it is their turn) and all subsequent turns until they are no longer dying. Dying characters roll a death roll immediately upon gaining the dying condition and during the initiative that would be their turn until they are no longer dying. A death roll has a dice pool of 6d12. Each die which is below 7 is counted as a fatal wound and adds to your character’s wounds. If your character’s wounds exceed their Grit, your character immediately dies. There is no "self-stabilizing" in ClockWork. Dying characters are in utter distress.
For example, if I have 2 wounds and 8 grit, I can take 7 fatal wounds before I die.
Each time you roll a 12 on the death roll, you ignore a fatal wound that was rolled.
For example, if I rolled 2 fatal wounds on my death roll but rolled a 12, I would only take 1 fatal wound.
Each 1 rolled counts as 2 fatal wounds.
If you take damage while dying, you must immediately reroll your death roll pool, reducing the pool as necessary.
A combatant can stabilize a dying combatant by rolling a Mind / Knowledge check (this adds the Medicine focus) with medical equipment on their person. Unlike in other games, you cannot be “healed” out of dying. If you are dying, the time for healing hits and restoring vitals is long gone. You are in a fight for your life which you will lose given enough time.
The stabilize roll is successful if the stabilizing character can roll at or more gains than the target’s current wounds. Therefore, it is imperative to get to the dying target as quickly as possible to prevent revival from becoming an impossibility.
Stabilizing merely cancels the dying condition. It does not restore hit points or cure wounds. Targets which are stabilized are still incredibly injured. They are incapacitated for the duration of combat (if in combat).
If your character has the Animal Companion feature you can have an animal companion that follows your character on their adventures and fights in combat. You can have as many animal companions as you wish, but only 1 animal companion can join you in combat at a time. You cannot switch animal companions in the middle of a combat.
An animal companion takes its turn immediately after its master’s turn. Animal companions have 6 action counters and their own health and mana pools. Animal companions gain experience and can buy experience point upgrades but they use their master's experience point pool to upgrade. Animal Companions cannot purchase spells unless their master has the Magical Animal Companion feature.
You can also make an animal companion a familiar granting them additional bonuses. See Features -> Familiar for more details.
Autofire is a special attack you can perform with an autofire capable weapon. Autofire costs an additional action counter above the weapon’s attack speed. It turns your single shot attack into a 2 x 2 square area of effect attack. Targets that are missed by autofire still take ½ damage rounded down. Targets that are hit by autofire take full damage. Autofire is more chaotic than a normal attack and takes a 2 die penalty to hit.
You may also strafe when using autofire. A strafe is when you apply an autofire attack to a 4 x 1 line area of effect.
You can also spray when using autofire. A spray hits a cone 3 hexes deep from your current position.
Brawling rules come into play whenever grappling or wrestling. When attempting to engage in a grapple, you must be in a space adjacent to the space your target is in and have no weapons equipped in either hand. The target must be your size or smaller. Roll Body / Strength to engage the grapple against the target’s defensive action, if any. On a successful hit, the target is grappled. The grappled target and the grappler cannot dodge or block attacks and cannot move for the duration of the grapple.
Grapples can be broken only when the defender performs a grapple attack (Body / Strength) to do so. This action can be prepared to break a grapple immediately when it happens.
Grapples provide several special maneuvers.
With a target grappled, the grappler can attempt to crush the target. Spend 4 action counters as an unarmed strike attack (Body / Strength) against a grappled target. This attack cannot be dodged or blocked. The attack automatically hits and applies critical damage. Crush damage is treated as blunt damage for armor resistance and is 6 L damage in total.
A grappled target can be used as a human shield (though they need not be human) to block enemy attacks. Grappled targets provide cover against the side they occupy. A creature of the same size as the grappler provides 100% cover. Smaller creatures provide less cover at the discretion of the game master.
A grappled target can be piledriven into a prone position by rolling a grapple attack (Body / Strength) against the grappled target. This attack cannot be dodged or blocked. A piledriven target falls prone in the space they are piledriven, takes 6L unarmed damage, and is broken free of the grapple.
A grappled target can be shoved up to a number of spaces away equal to 1 + the size difference of the target and the grappler by spending an action counter. Shoving the target does not deal direct damage but does count as movement for attacks of opportunity and could cause collision damage at the discretion of the game master if the target falls off a cliff or rams into another combatant or obstacle.
If a character collides with an object at high speed or falls from a height, they will take conditional damage based on the game master’s discretion. For every space a character falls, they take 4 hits of unavoidable damage. If a character loses all their vitals this way, they crush and instantly die without a death roll.
Conditions are status effects which affect your character and expire on making a Flat roll, typically at the end of each of the target’s turns.
A bleeding target takes 2 unavoidable hits per round until they succeed on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn. Alternatively, Bleeding can be stopped out of combat with a 4 action Mind / Knowledge check that utilizes the Medicine focus. The target difficulty of this roll is 3. A single target cannot gain multiple bleeding conditions. Targets without blood cannot take bleeding damage.
The burning status condition is when a target is engulfed in flames. Burning targets take 2 unavoidable hits per round at the beginning of their turn. Burning expires on a Flat 7 roll at the end of the afflicted target’s turn or the character spends a 4 action counter action to stop, drop, and roll. A single target cannot gain multiple burning conditions.
A chilled combatant can only move at walking speed until succeeding on a Flat 7 check at the end of their turn. Chilled targets are in danger of being frozen.
The deafened condition prevents a target from hearing. Deafened lasts until it is healed by medicine (if possible) or magic unless an item or effect specifies otherwise.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel. Ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor. Quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod quis. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus. Nunc sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque. Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. At auctor urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim. Amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Nibh sit amet commodo nulla facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Integer quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas. Vitae proin sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus.
The frozen condition prevents a target from taking any action or moving as they are completely frozen solid. Frozen lasts until the afflicted combatant makes a Flat 7 check at the end of their turn after which they return to the chilled condition.
Persistent damage deals 2 points of unavoidable hits each round. Persistent damage is listed along with its type (which cannot be resisted and is typically unique). For example, a weapon might deal Persistent Radiation or Persistent Acid. Persistent damage deals its damage at the beginning of a target’s turn. Persistent damage ends when the combatant succeeds on a Flat 7 check at the end of their turn. A character can only have one persistent damage effect of that damage type active on them at a time.
A petrified target is turned to stone. Petrified targets have 12 damage resistance from blunt, slashing, piercing, and ballistic attacks, but cannot take any action and do not regain action counters. A petrified target remains petrified until the effect is dispelled with the Dispel or Soften spells.
The poisoned status condition is when a target has ingested a toxic substance or contracted an injury with a poisoned weapon. Poisoned targets take 2 unavoidable hits per round. Poison expires when the afflicted combatant succeeds on a Body / Stamina roll over the poison’s target difficulty. This roll is rolled at the end of each minute out of combat or each turn in combat. The more virulent the poison, the harder it is to eliminate the condition.
Another character can attempt a Mind / Knowledge check to apply medical aid to a poisoned target. This is considered a Medicine roll in terms of foci. A successful roll over the poison’s target difficulty purges the effect from the afflicted person. A single target cannot gain multiple poisoned conditions.
A stunned target adds an additional action counter cost to any action they take. For example, firing a ranged weapon would now take 4 action counters and dodging would take 2 action counters. Stunned lasts until the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of its turn.
Disarming a target is a special action that requires 3 action counters and a melee attack roll versus a target’s melee attack reaction. The target rolls a melee reaction even if equipped with an accuracy based weapon. If the disarming attacker’s attack roll is equal to or greater than the defender’s, the defender is disarmed and the weapon falls to the ground.
Drawing a weapon, item, or shield from your person is a 1 action counter action. If you have the Dual Wield feature, you can draw both weapons as a 1 counter action.
Placing an item or shield back to where it came from or sheathing a weapon costs 1 action counter (therefore it takes 2 action counters to switch equipped weapons). You can drop the item as a free action.
If an item is in your backpack, you must wait until after combat to retrieve it. Placing an item in your backpack requires being out of combat.
A feint is a dirty combat trick designed to set an opponent off balance or off guard to make your next attack more deadly. In combat, a feint is a 2 counter action that rolls a Spirit / Manipulation check versus a target’s Mind / Intuition reaction. Success on this roll makes the target automatically fail on any dodge attempt and ignores any shield bonuses to cover against the next melee attack you make this round. The target should not be informed they have been feinted so they still use counters for this automatic loss.
If your character is on a mount when they are fighting, their mount gains 6 action counters to move or attack immediately after the character’s turn. Attacking while mounted is difficult and imposes an automatic -2 die penalty to all attacks. This penalty stacks with autofire.
Objects on the ground can be picked up with a single action counter, though extremely heavy objects will require a Body / Strength roll and extremely slippery objects will require a Body / Agility roll versus a target difficulty set by the game master. You may only pick up objects after you pass your turn if you have specifically prepared an action to do so.
A combatant can get up from a prone position or enter a prone position by spending 1 action counter. Nearby attackers can use defensive action counters to attack a target rising from prone, provided they have enough counters.
Being in a prone position makes using ranged weapons more accurate. When attacking with a ranged weapon in a prone position, add +1 die to the attack roll. In addition, when lying prone you gain 75% cover from line of sight attacks.
You cannot perform melee attacks effectively while prone.
While prone you can only crawl at your step speed, but ignore penalties from difficult terrain.
A combatant can attempt to trip or knockdown an opponent by spending 4 action counters and rolling a special Body / Strength attack roll. This roll benefits from the Mauler focus. If the attack hits, the target may roll a Body / Strength reaction to resist being tripped or knocked down. The reaction roll benefits from the Juggernaut focus. If the attacker’s Body / Strength roll meets or exceeds the defender’s Body / Strength reaction, the target is tripped or knocked down.
If you are equipped with two weapons, you may strike with both weapons by discarding an additional action counter on your attack roll. A single dodge or cover miss chance applies to both attacks.
The magic attribute increases your aptitude with casting spells. Spells are special actions you can perform in the game. Each spell has a parent attribute / skill combination which is used to cast it, either: Magic / Celestial, Magic / Elemental, Magic / Mortal, or Magic / Spellcraft. Spells are purchased with customization points or experience points. Once you have purchased a spell, you learn it completely and forever.
To cast spells, you require a free hand. For example, casting a lightning bolt would emit from your offhand if equipped with a weapon in your main hand. You can be wielding a two handed ranged weapon and still cast as if you had an “off hand” by taking your hand on and off the weapon (a free action). An equipped shield does not count as a “free hand” for spellcasting. However, if you have a spell scroll, you can place that inside your shield to be read.
Spells are empowered by mana. When using spells, you must have enough mana for the spell in your personal mana pool and you must use the mana in your personal mana pool. You cannot use global mana directly to cast spells. The personal mana pool can be restored to full by channeling in or out of combat.
In addition to the personal mana pool, there is a global mana pool. The global mana pool is shared by all combatants and affects the entire general area, such as a dungeon or city. The global mana pool refills slowly at the rate of one mana point per hour.
The global mana pool has a variable amount of mana points based on the game master’s discretion. The global mana pool represents the source of magic in the game world itself. If this is the collective subconscious of all humans, it would be more prominent in civilized areas. Likewise, if the source of magic is nature itself, it would be more prominent in uncivilized areas. If the source of magic is the gods, their temples would be high in mana whereas areas controlled by the enemies of the gods would have low mana. In Clockwork’s pilot game, Scrape the Sky, the source of mana is a nanomachine terraforming engine called the Hum. The Hum is more prevalent where it is terraforming and less prevalent where terraforming is more complete. No matter the source, the game master should base the amount of mana in the global mana pool by the following table.
| Global Mana Source Area | Number of Global Mana Pool Points |
|---|---|
| Area of strong connection | 60 |
| Area of middling connection | 48 |
| Area of low connection | 36 |
Combatants can draw mana from the global mana pool by channeling. Channeling is a special action which represents the character downloading, praying, meditating, or whatever the appropriate means your setting has to pull mana from the global mana pool. Each action counter spent channeling pulls 2 points from the global mana pool into your personal mana pool. Out of combat, players can channel up to their entire personal mana pool as a free action. Players cannot channel if they are already at full personal mana.
This section lists the short description of all spells in the game by their parent skill. To read the entire spell rules, see the Spell Details section.
Boon allows the caster and nearby allies to reroll all saves against spells and conditions taking the higher result for a short duration.
Divination allows the game master to give hints to the caster guiding them on their journey.
Hex causes a target to treat 2s and 3s as if they were 1s for a short duration and damages the target when it fails on a roll.
Causes a target to take damage whenever it damages other targets for a short duration.
True Strike allows you to reroll your attack rolls taking the higher result for a short duration.
Force Blast makes a burst of gravity knocking down and possibly pushing back all adjacent opponents.
Force Field deflects energy beams, ranged projectiles, and area of effect attacks by increasing your base defense.
Force Push violently pushes and pulls targets towards or away from the caster.
Force Missiles fire an autofire barrage of gravity bolts against one or more targets.
Levitate allows the caster or a target to float above the ground. Burden grounds levitating creatures or encumbers creatures on the ground.
Singularity pulls all objects and targets in an area into a central colliding point.
Telekinesis allows the caster to finely manipulate objects with their mind.
Astral Projection allows the caster to communicate secretly over vast distances through projectors designed for that purpose.
ESP allows you to project your senses outward through walls and obstructions.
Gate allows the caster to move themselves and party members vast distances through portals designed for that purpose.
Phase allows the caster to move through solid matter such as walls, floors, and ceilings.
Scry allows the caster to monitor an area, object, or person from a long distance away.
Teleport moves the caster to another position in their visible range.
Void Bolt fires a projectile which can travel through walls and other solid matter obstructions en route to the target.
Borrow Time allows the caster to steal action counters from their next turn. Sliding Time lets you push action counters from this turn to the next turn.
Haste increases a single target’s movement speed for multiple rounds. Slow reduces the movement speed of a single target for multiple rounds.
Mass Haste increases the movement speed of multiple targets for 1 round. Mass Slow reduces the movement speed of multiple targets for 1 round.
Rewind moves a target back to a position they occupied earlier in the turn.
Planar Push knocks a target out of phase with the normal time stream causing them to reappear in the same position several rounds from now.
Bubble makes a breathable air sphere for the caster and allies which pushes back water and toxins.
Cyclone manifests a small dust devil which the caster can move at will on their turn.
Fly allows the caster to fly.
Lightning arcs between multiple foes dealing energy damage.
Gust knocks back with a blast of air.
Shock deals high voltage electrical damage at point blank range.
Alter Terrain raises barricades and makes trenches.
Ground resists trip attacks and electric damage at the cost of movement.
Spider Climb allows the caster to walk up walls and along ceilings.
Shatter destroys earthen and crystalline objects possibly dealing damage to surrounding targets.
Shard fires a solid projectile of earth at a target dealing slashing, piercing, or blunt damage.
Quake violently shakes the ground, knocking down foes.
Breath of Fire blasts a cone of flame from the caster’s mouth dealing energy damage.
Disintegrate damages and reignites burning targets.
Flaming Sphere conjures a sphere of flame which the caster can move on their turn.
Fire Bolt shoots a mote of flame at a target, dealing energy damage.
Fireball launches an incendiary attack against an area of effect, dealing energy damage.
Fire Wall ignites a wall of flame cutting off foes or making offensive barricades of heat.
Blizzard makes hail fall in an area of effect dealing energy damage.
Cone of Cold erupts a cone of freezing ice emanating from the caster.
Freeze / Melt freezes liquid water into ice or melts ice into liquid water.
Ice Beam creates a freezing energy ray which deals more damage the longer it focuses on a target.
Icicle fires a shard of ice at a target, dealing energy damage.
Mist conjures an obscuring mist which hides targets inside.
Corpse Explosion detonates a corpse dealing physical damage to nearby targets.
Drain damages adjacent targets and replenishes ½ the hits rounded down dealt as health to the caster.
Hemorrhage damages and causes the bleeding condition on wounded targets.
Medium allows the caster to speak with the dead.
Reanimate makes zombies and skeletons which serve the caster.
Transfer transfers hit points from the caster to a nearby target.
Alter Memories changes a target’s recent memories to whatever the caster wishes.
Berserk causes a target to fly into a rage and take all offensive actions.
Charm forces creatures to feel affection for the caster.
Fear causes creatures to flee from the caster.
Mind Blast deals damage to targets based on the weakness of their will.
Suggestion plants a hypnotic suggestion into a target’s mind.
Barrier grants a vital hit point barrier for a long period of time.
Cure Wounds removes wounds from a target.
Heal removes a large amount of hits from a target.
Regenerate causes a target to remove hits over time for a short duration.
Stabilize attempts to eliminate the dying condition on a target.
Turn Undead destroys undead minions.
Call of the Wild summons nearby animals for aid and allows the caster to converse with animals.
Entangling Roots causes plants to sprout from the ground and entangle foes.
Grow / Wither causes plants to rapidly grow or rapidly die.
Shapeshift allows the caster to transform into a werecreature.
Summon Swarm conjures an infestation of insects onto a target causing distraction.
Wall of Thorns conjures a wall of razor sharp thorns to damage foes which move through the area.
Alchemical Item allows the caster to make a variety of alchemical items for personal use or trade.
Brew Potion allows the caster to make a variety of potions for personal use or trade.
Enlarge / Shrink allows the caster to change their size for a short period of time.
Petrify turns living flesh to stone. Soften returns stone to living flesh.
Polymorph turns foes into small critters for a brief period of time.
Transmutation alters the physical properties of matter.
Counterspell cancels an enemy spell as it is being cast
Dispel cancels ongoing magical effects.
Detect Magic identifies and detects magical auras.
Obscure hides a magical effect from Detect Magic.
Seal places magical locks and barriers on objects.
Ward protects targets from nefarious magic.
Awaken Item bestows sentience on a magical item giving it a personality of its own.
Golemancy allows the caster to create golems, mechanical guardians, and clockwork creatures.
Magic Armor allows the caster to imbue armor with magic properties.
Magic Artifact allows the caster to imbue rings and amulets with magic properties.
Magic Weapon allows the caster to imbue weapons with magic properties.
Allows the caster to inscribe their magic on scrolls to be used at later times or sold for profit.
Blur adds cover bonuses to defense even if you are not behind cover.
Clone makes illusory copies of the caster.
Darkness / Light makes areas of pitch black darkness to blinding light.
Illusion crafts auditory and visual illusions to confound your enemies.
Invisibility renders the caster invisible to visual senses.
Visage alters your physical appearance to match someone else.
The following is every spell in the game listed in detail. For a summary of all spells see Spells Summary.
Air Bubble [Elemental] [Air] [Level 1]
Bubble creates a breathable fresh air bubble underwater, in toxic gasses, or similar conditions. Bubble can be centered on a target which follows that target as it moves, or it can be cast on an area. Either way, Bubble has a radius of 3 spaces from the target space or person. Discard 2 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll extends Bubble for 1 hour.
Alchemical Item [Spellcraft] [Alchemy] [Level 3]
Alchemical Item allows you to craft alchemical items out of combat. Doing so requires a modest amount of raw material at the discretion of the game master and 15 minutes of time to craft. Discard 4 mana and roll Magic / Spellcraft. You can create any item(s) from the Alchemy list equal to or summing your total gains on this roll by the item’s level. For example, if I rolled 6 gains I could craft 3 Minor Healing Potions (a level 2 item). Alchemical Items can be used in combat if drawn from your belt (a 1 counter action). Using an alchemical item is always a 2 counter action. Alchemical Items cannot be dispelled.
Alter Memories [Soul] [Emotion] [Level 2]
Alter Memories allows the caster to change the memory of a touched person. Alter Memories affects memories about an event that happened in the past week and can only be used out of combat. Spend 6 mana and Roll Magic / Soul versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, the caster may alter the memory of the event to be whatever they wish: the person could recall an entirely different event that never happened or they could have a total mental block of forgetfulness (caster’s choice).
Alter Terrain [Elemental] [Earth] [Level 3]
Alter Terrain raises or lowers terrain 1 space in elevation creating barricades and trenches. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll increases the duration of Alter Terrain by 1 round. After Alter Terrain expires, the terrain restores to normal elevation harmlessly.
Astral Projection [Celestial] [Space] [Level 1]
Astral Projection allows you to communicate with others up to a planet wide (or, in some settings, system wide) range through magical devices specifically made for that purpose called astral projectors. These devices, typically little more than a glowing magical crystal, allow you to send your voice and image to others with another crystal. Spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus a target difficulty the game master sets based on the range to the crystal, any magical interference, or other factors the game master might consider. Success on this roll opens a line of communication for 15 minutes. Messages sent through astral projectors are entangled - meaning they cannot be observed, hacked, or monitored unless someone has a Scry spell at the location or is present at the location of the sender and receiver.
Awaken Item [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 1]
Awaken Item imbues an item or golem with quasi-intelligence. Spend 15 minutes out of combat with the item or golem in question. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll allows the game master to roll once from the Item Personality table and select one of the results listed. The game master keeps this number to themselves. Each time the game master rolls, the player may tell them to stop or continue. Whatever the game master stops rolling on is the item’s personality.
Awakened items have the Detect Magic and ESP spells and Mind / Perception and Mind Intuition rolls. The item rolls 9 dice and is successful on 5s and higher for all of these rolls. The item cannot actually see or hear with Perception. It can only roll Perception rolls about supernatural phenomena and detecting illusions. The game master is in charge of when and how often the item rolls any of these checks based on the item’s personality. A heartless item, for example, might detect things and not care to tell them to its wielder, while an anxious item will investigate often. The item can communicate telepathically over any distance with the item’s wielder and vice versa. In the case of golems, golems can communicate telepathically over any distance with the creator of their personality.
The bearer of the item can only have one intelligent magic item equipped at a time and can only have one intelligent golem under their control at a time. More than one mind is too difficult to juggle (you may have an awakened item and an awakened golem). The personality of awakened items cannot be dispelled nor can the item’s personality be replaced. The item or golem is awakened until it is destroyed. Awakened items can have other magical effects placed on them (such as Magical Armor or Magical Artifact). You may voluntarily sever your psychic link with the awakened item, but doing so cancels your connection until communing with it (a 15 minute out of combat action). The item remains intelligent but has no connection to you after being severed. A player that stumbles across an intelligent item with no master can commune with it as well.
Awakened golems can use the Spirit attribute and gain ranks in Spirit skills. They can also use and learn Intuition and Knowledge skill ranks. They lose their immunity to Spirit / Will reaction effects. Awakened golems can communicate with others via speech.
Awakened golems are still controlled by the caster in combat, but the golem’s personality and goals are determined by the game master. Awakened golems can and have rebelled against their creators.
| d12 Roll | Item Personality |
|---|---|
| 1 | Evil: the item is completely on the side of evil and destruction seeking blood and depravity. |
| 2 | Heartless: the item is a cold analytical machine caring little for the plight of anyone or anything - even its creator and bearer. |
| 3 | Bravado: the item is incredibly self centered and wishes to prove itself powerful at every opportunity - even at the cost of the life of its bearer. |
| 4 | Depressed: the item is incredibly depressed, is very pessimistic, and has an overall disappointed outlook. |
| 5 | Anxious: the item is overly worried about impending doom and is full of anxiety about new persons, places, or circumstances. |
| 6 | Demure: the item is quite formal and proper, demanding to be called “sir”, “madam”, or “honored one” and speaks the same to the wielder. Requests must be made with “please” and “thank you”. It is quite shy. |
| 7 | Balanced: the item functions more or less as the average neurotypical person would. It has a personality of its own, but much more subtle. It treats the wielder as an equal. |
| 8 | Jester: the item cracks jokes to lighten the mood once in a while and makes humorous observations. It is informal towards almost everyone. |
| 9 | Valor: the item is veritably fearless, cordial and honorable in the presence of others, and is proud to be in service to the wielder. |
| 10 | Happy: the item has a very positive outlook, is very optimistic, and is incredibly supportive in times of need. |
| 11 | Wise: the item is very wise and grants calm sage advice in dire situations. |
| 12 | Good: The item is fully on the side of good and justice and supports the wielder in all benevolent actions. |
Barrier [Soul] [Life] [Level 2]
Barrier creates an additional barrier of hit points on an allied target. Spend 2 action counters and 4 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. The target gains a barrier of bonus hit points equal to the number of gains on this roll. Barrier lasts until it is destroyed or is dispelled. A target may only have 1 barrier active at a time. When another barrier is cast on the target, it replaces the previous barrier.
Berserk [Soul] [Emotion] [Level 3]
Berserk causes a target to fly into a fit of rage. Spend 4 action counters and 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul versus a target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, the target cannot reserve action counters for defense and cannot use actions which require concentration, such as spellcasting. Berserk lasts until the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn.
Blizzard [Elemental] [Cold] [Level 4]
Blizzard chills and damages targets with cold in a 2 space radius area of effect. Choose a central space within 12 spaces for the Blizzard to affect, then spend 4 action counters and 12 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as an area of effect attack against the affected area. Targets hit by Blizzard take 12N damage or half damage rounded down on a miss. Damaged targets gain the chilled condition. Blizzard ignores line of sight cover.
Blur [Spellcraft] [Illusion] [Level 2]
Blur obscures a target creature making it more difficult to hit with attacks. Discard 2 action counters and 4 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll extends the duration of Blur by 1 round. Each round Blur is in effect, the target gains 75% concealment.
Boon [Celestial] [Fate] [Level 1]
Boon allows any number of allied targets within 12 spaces the ability to reroll saves and condition flat rolls taking the higher result. Spend 4 mana and an additional 2 mana for each target Boon affects beyond the first. Discard 4 action counters. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll extends the duration of Boon by 1 round.
Borrow Time / Sliding Time [Celestial] [Time] [Level 2]
Borrow Time lets you move action counters from your next turn into this turn. Discard 0 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll lets you move 1 action counter from your next turn to this turn. You cannot cast Borrow Time from a turn from which you borrowed time.
Sliding Time lets you move action counters from this turn to your next turn. Discard 0 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll lets you move 1 action counter from this turn to your next turn. You cannot cast Sliding Time from a turn from which you received Sliding Time counters.
Breath of Fire [Elemental] [Fire] [Level 3]
Breath of fire erupts a cone of flame from the caster’s mouth. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental versus a cone emanating 3 spaces from the caster. On a successful hit, targets take 8N damage. On a miss, they take ½ the damage rounded down. If a target takes full damage from Breath of Fire, it gains the burning condition.
Call of the Wild [Soul] [Nature] [Level 2]
Call of the Wild calls out to nearby animals to assist you out of combat. If the power works, the animal will arrive on its own in a few minutes. Call of the Wild also allows the caster to communicate with that (or other) animals, plants, and fungi. If the animal is receptive enough with a successful Spirit / Charisma roll and the player does not already have an active animal companion, the animal may accompany the caster for a moderate period of time (typically until the end of the next combat or a day passes). Roll Magic / Soul versus the following table. Each gain on the roll increases the power of the animal that is called. You may intentionally access a lower level of animal upon rolling higher if you so choose.
Keep in mind that an animal’s needs often come before its desire to help the caster. It will want to seek food, water, or shelter as its top priority. Most animals wish to avoid human contact to begin with, so they may be skittish and scared at first. Animals that are already friendly with the caster from a successful Spirit / Charisma roll will be more receptive. Likewise, an animal companion of the caster will be more curious as to what is on its master’s mind more than a random creature.
Plants and fungi are much more difficult to understand as they would have a very alien consciousness to humans. Rather than communicate in words, plants and fungi might send emotions or psychic indications of what they want or need before assisting the caster.
| # of Gains | Animal Examples |
|---|---|
| 0 | Any of the above chosen by the game master, but the creature is openly hostile towards you. |
| 1 -> 2 | Your calls for assistance go unanswered. |
| 3 | A small critter such as a turtle, a rabbit, a gecko, a snake, a small bird, or a squirrel. |
| 4 | A medium sized critter such as a house cat, a dog, a falcon, a small dinosaur, or a tortoise. |
| 5 | A large critter such as a wolf, a badger, an eagle, a tiger, a horse, an orangutan, or an alligator. |
| 6 | A giant critter such as a giraffe, elephant, rhino, a whale, a terror bird, a large dinosaur, or a small dragon. |
| 7 | A huge critter such as a gigantic dinosaur or adult dragon or similar magical beast. |
| 8+ | Any of the below, but the creature is of higher than normal intelligence for its kind, is benevolent towards you at first, and feels partial towards helping the caster in some way. |
Charm [Soul] [Emotion] [Level 3]
Charm forces an adjacent target to obey most of your whims and commands. Charmed characters become obsessed with the caster of Charm in a way that is noticeable to almost any observer or passer by when the caster is present. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, the charmed target will do tasks the caster asks short of anything that would risk self harm or bring terrible regret (such as sex, suicide, murder, or attacking allies). However, the target of Charm will do anything in their power otherwise to benefit and protect the caster. At the end of each combat turn or minute out of combat, the target may make a Flat 7 roll to end Charm. If you take a damaging offensive combat action against your charmed target, the effect immediately ends.
Clone [Spellcraft] [Illusion] [Level 3]
Clone makes a shadowy clone of the caster within 12 visible spaces of the caster’s current position. If the clone moves beyond this area, it is lost. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll increases the hits the clone can take before being destroyed by 1 (you need a minimum of 1 gain to create the Clone). A Clone gains its own action counters and turns immediately after the caster’s turn. Clones can only take movements and make physical attacks with a copy of the weapon the caster possesses. Clone attacks deal energy damage instead of physical damage. Clones cannot use spells, cannot wear armor or change equipment, and have a grit score equal to their hit point pool. The caster is in complete control of what the Clone does on its turn. A caster can only have 1 Clone active at a time. If the caster makes a Clone while another clone is active, the magic of the previous Clone fades.
Cone of Cold [Elemental] [Water] [Level 3]
Cone of Cold of fire erupts a cone of freezing ice from the caster’s hands. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental versus a cone emanating 3 spaces from the caster. On a successful hit, targets take 8N damage. On a miss, they take ½ the damage rounded down. If a target takes full damage from Breath of Fire, it gains the chilled condition.
Corpse Explosion [Soul] [Death] [Level 4]
Corpse Explosion detonates a non-reanimated corpse within 12 spaces of the caster dealing area of effect damage. Discard 3 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Mortal as an area of effect attack with a radius of 2 hexes from the target corpse. Struck targets take 12X damage. Exploded corpses cannot be reanimated or exploded again.
Counterspell [Spellcraft] [Arcane] [Level 2]
Counterspell disrupts a spell as it is being cast. It is usable against a caster within 12 spaces. Counterspell can be cast with defensive action counters after passing your turn or with action counters on your turn in response to an interrupt. Discard 2 action counters and 4 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus a spellcasting roll. Exceeding the spellcasting roll cancels the spell. Spells which are counterspelled still use the action counters and mana spent to cast them.
Cure Wounds [Soul] [Life] [Level 2]
Cure Wounds eliminates wounds on a touched target. Discard 3 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll eliminates 1 wound from the target.
Cyclone [Elemental] [Air] [Level 3]
Cyclone manifests a small dust devil that you can move around the battlefield. Cyclone is centered on a space up to a maximum range of 12 spaces from the caster. If the cyclone leaves this range, it dissipates. Cyclone affects a radius of 1 space from its central space. Unattended objects inside the cyclone are picked up and swirled around, possibly causing harm to those inside the cyclone if these objects would deal damage on impact at the discretion of the game master. For example, picking up a bunch of sharp farm implements might do slashing damage to those caught inside. Combatants inside the cyclone take a -2 die penalty on all projectile attacks (ranged or magical) due to high winds. Discard 4 action counters and spend 8 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll sets the total number of rounds the Cyclone exists. The caster can move the cyclone on their turn as a 2 counter action. Cyclones move up to 6 spaces when moved this way. A caster may have 1 Cyclone active at a time. When you cast a new Cyclone, the magic of the previous Cyclone fades.
Darkness / Light [Spellcraft] [Illusion] [Level 1]
Darkness makes an area of pitch black shadow within 12 spaces of the caster. Darkness has a radius of 3 spaces. Discard 2 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll extends the length of the darkness effect by 1 round. Darkness can be centered on an area or a particular object or item so it will move along with the possessor of the item.
Light functions the same as darkness but emanates light instead.
Detect Magic [Spellcraft] [Arcane] [Level 1]
Detect Magic determines whether or not an object is magical and, depending on the degree of success, identifies the spell on the item. Discard 2 action counters. Detect Magic costs no mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus a target difficulty set by the game master. If the object is under the effect of the Obscure spell, the game master should add the Obscure spell’s results to the difficulty of the Detect Magic roll. On a success, the item is identified as magical. On a dramatic success or enough gains to satisfy the game master, the specific spell and possibly even the intent of casting the spell is revealed to the caster.
Disintegrate [Elemental] [Fire] [Level 4]
Disintegrate deals damage to burning targets and renews the burning effect. Select a burning target within 12 spaces, spend 4 action counters, and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll does 1 point of energy damage to the burning target bypassing armor. If the target takes at least 1 point of damage, the target cannot cancel the burning condition this round. Targets brought to 0 vitals by disintegrate are completely destroyed and cannot be revived, raised as undead, or stabilized.
Dispel [Spellcraft] [Arcane] [Level 2]
Dispel cancels a magical effect that is present on a person or object within 12 spaces. Discard 2 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus the target spell's spellcaster's Magic roll as a reaction. This reaction is present even if the spellcaster is deceased (magic persists even after death). Rolling at or above the spellcaster's reaction cancels the spell effect. Not all spells can be dispelled. Spells which cannot be dispelled will have such stated in their description.
Divination [Celestial] [Fate] [Level 2]
Divination gives the caster general information about the immediate future regarding a specific person, object, or place. Divination takes 15 minutes to cast out of combat and costs no mana. Roll Magic / Mortal and ask a specific question about the target person, object, or place for the next 24 hours. The number of gains on this roll reduces the vagueness of the answer given by the game master. For example, if asking about the future of a specific town, rolling low gains on the roll might have the game master say “beware at midday” whereas a high gain on the roll might have the game master say “the ground will quake in the market square at high noon”. Once you have divined the future, you cannot divine again until 24 have passed.
Drain Life [Soul] [Death] [Level 3]
Drain absorbs hit points from an adjacent target and restores your own hit points. Discard 3 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll a Magic / Soul attack versus an adjacent target. On a successful hit, the target takes 8N damage and you restore 1/2 the damage dealt rounded down.
Enlarge / Shrink [Spellcraft] [Alchemy] [Level 3]
Enlarge increases the size of a target by 1 size level (it has no effect on huge creatures) for a short duration. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. If the target is willing, each gain on this roll extends the effect of Enlarge by 1 round. If the target is unwilling, oppose the Magic / Spellcraft roll by a Body / Stamina reaction and the effect cancels when the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of its turn. For the duration of the spell, the target increases its Grit by 1, hit points per vital by 1, and reach by 1. It lowers its base defense and all dodge and block checks by 1. If the target returns to normal size, they do not take additional hits or lose additional vitals based on their lowered Grit.
Shrink reduces the size of a target by 1 size level (it has no effect on tiny creatures) for a short duration. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. If the target is willing, each gain on this roll extends the effect of Shrink by 1 round. If the target is unwilling, oppose the Magic / Spellcraft roll by a Body / Stamina reaction and the effect cancels when the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of its turn. For the duration of the spell, the target lowers its Grit by 1, hit points per vital by 1, and reach by 1 (minimum 1). It increases its base defense and all dodge and block checks by 1. If the target returns to normal size, they do not remove hits or gain vitals based on their increased Grit.
Entangling Roots [Soul] [Nature] [Level 2]
Entangling Roots sprouts vines and roots from the ground to entangle a nearby enemy within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 3 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll sets the target difficulty for the target to break free with a Body / Strength or Body / Agility check (the target can force or squeeze their way out). A caster may only have one enemy entangled at a time. If the caster casts a new entangle, the previous entangle’s magic fades. Entangle lasts until it is broken or dispelled.
ESP [Celestial] [Space] [Level 1]
ESP (extra-sensory perception) extends your senses through walls, into containers, and through other obstructions. ESP costs no mana. Spend 2 action counters. Roll Magic / Celestial. Treat the results of this roll as a perception check from a new frame of reference within 12 spaces of the caster. ESP lasts until canceled by the caster.
Fear [Soul] [Emotion] [Level 3]
Fear causes a foe within 12 spaces of the caster to flee in terror. The target may flee beyond 12 spaces away as part of this effect. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, the target cannot attack or approach the caster out of sheer terror. Fear ends if the target is damaged by the caster or until the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn.
Fire Bolt [Elemental] [Fire] [Level 2]
Fire Bolt fires a mote of flame that strikes rapidly and can fire in a high arc ignoring line of sight cover. Discard 2 action counters to cast and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as a ranged attack against a target within 12 spaces of the caster. On a successful hit, the target takes 6N damage and damaged targets gain the burning condition.
Fire Wall [Elemental] [Fire] [Level 3]
Fire Wall makes a flaming wall of fire 6 spaces in length originating from a space within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll extends the duration of Fire Wall for 1 round. Anything inside of or traveling through the Fire Wall takes 8N damage and gains the burning condition.
Fireball [Elemental] [Fire] [Level 4]
Fireball fires a large exploding ball of flame that can be hurled in a high arc ignoring line of sight cover. Discard 4 action counters and spend 12 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as an area of effect attack against a target space within 12 spaces of the caster. Fireball has a radius of 2 spaces. Targets in the area take 12N damage on a hit and half that damage rounded down on a miss. Damaged targets gain the burning condition.
Flaming Sphere [Elemental] [Fire] [Level 3]
Flaming Sphere creates a large flammable sphere which rolls around under your control. Discard 4 action counters and spend 8 mana. Choose a target unoccupied space within 12 spaces for the flaming sphere to emerge. If the sphere rolls more than 12 spaces away from the caster, the magic dissipates. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll increases the duration of Flaming Sphere by 1 round. You can move the flaming sphere 6 spaces by spending 2 action counters. Flaming Sphere does 6N damage and adds the burning condition to anyone standing in its space.
Fly [Elemental] [Air] [Level 3]
Fly allows the caster to take aloft to the skies. Discard 2 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Gains on this roll set the number of rounds Fly remains active. While flying, the caster may move up to their walking speed through the air in any direction. If the caster is still aloft while Fly ends, they fall from their current height and take falling damage at the discretion of the game master.
Force Blast [Celestial] [Force] [Level 3]
Force Blast pushes back all targets or objects surrounding the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus all targets' Body / Strength reactions. Unattended objects are automatically moved. Success on this roll pushes the target 4 spaces away from you. Reduce the number of spaces for each size category a creature is larger than you. Increase the number of spaces for each size category a creature is smaller than you. Targets which collide with obstructions or fall off cliffs take collision or falling damage at the discretion of the game master. Objects picked up with Force Blast can potentially deal collision damage at the discretion of the game master.
Force Field [Celestial] [Force] [Level 3]
Force Field allows a caster to block any attack including area of effect attacks. Discard 1 action counter reserved for defense and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll increases your base defense by 1. If an area of effect attack would miss your character with Force Field active, you take no damage instead of half damage.
Force Missiles [Celestial] [Force] [Level 4]
Force Missiles launch a barrage of gravity bolts at a target area within 12 spaces. Discard 3 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus a target area of 2 by 2 spaces, a cone 3 spaces deep from the caster, or a line of 4 by 1 spaces. Force Missiles is an area of effect attack. Targets hit by Force Missiles take 6N damage and half that damage rounded down on a miss.
Force Push [Celestial] [Force] [Level 3]
Force Push pushes or pulls (caster's choice) a target object or person within 12 spaces towards or away from the caster. Discard 3 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus a target's Body / Strength reaction.Unattended objects automatically fail this resist roll. Success on this roll pushes or pulls the target 4 spaces towards or away from you. Reduce the number of spaces for each size category a creature is larger than you. Increase the number of spaces for each size category a creature is smaller than you. Targets which collide with obstructions or fall off cliffs take collision or falling damage at the discretion of the game master.
Freeze / Melt [Elemental] [Water] [Level 1]
Freeze grants the frozen condition to chilled targets within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana to cast. Roll Magic / Elemental versus the target's Body / Stamina roll. If successful, the target gains the frozen condition. Alternatively, you can freeze water filled spaces within 12 spaces of your position by rolling Magic / Elemental. In this case, 1 space of liquid water is frozen per each gain earned this way. Each frozen space must be adjacent to a prior frozen space.
Melt frees targets from the frozen and chilled conditions. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana to cast. Roll Magic / Elemental versus the Magic / Elemental roll of the caster which cast the chilled or frozen spell effect. On a success, the target is returned to normal. Alternatively, you can melt ice filled spaces within 12 spaces of your position by rolling Magic / Elemental. In this case, 1 space of ice is thawed per each gain earned this way. Each thawed space must be adjacent to a prior thawed space.
Gate [Celestial] [Space] [Level 3]
Gate allows you to open a warp gate and make a connection to another warp gate up to an exceptionally long range. You need not have traveled to the location you wish to access, though it is harder to do so according to the game master if you have not. Gates are special obelisks, gateways, or magic circles created specifically for that purpose. The gate on the other side is typically sealed by the Seal spell and cannot be activated without the magic word of the Seal. Not knowing the magic word merely fails to open the gate. Spend 6 mana and roll Magic / Celestial versus a target difficulty set by the game master based on the distance of the gate you are connecting to, any magical interference, or other factors the game master might consider. Success on this roll transports every willing party member and non-playable character from your current gate to the other gate you are targeting.
Golemancy [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 4]
Golemancy allows you to create and animate a golem: a defender made of non-living matter that obeys your commands. Constructing a golem requires you have the raw material on hand and several hours out of combat to shape it with magic. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll allows you to purchase upgrades for your golem from the following tables.
First, you must craft your golem. Use the standard character creation rules that you would use to create a new playable character with the following caveats:
Second, you must determine what type of material of which the golem is made. Note that all golems except for the clay golem can only be repaired out of combat with a Magic / Spellcraft check. Each gain on the spellcraft roll clears 2 hits from the golem. All golems are immune to healing potion and healing spell effects.
Golems can be enchanted as they are armor for the purposes of Magic Armor. They cannot equip armor as they are already made from armor. Golems can equip weapons and magic items.
| Golem Material | Gains | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Clay | 1 | Clay golems are effectively treated as made without armor (they only have species damage resistance). They are essentially amorphous blobs. Clay golems can slip through cracks, under doors, and other crevices as a walk movement action. They also can clear all hits by amalgamating themselves out of combat making them effectively indestructible. |
| Clockwork | 2 | Clockwork golems are treated as made of light armor. |
| Stone | 3 | Stone golems are treated as being made of medium armor. |
| Iron | 4 | Iron golems are treated as having heavy armor. |
Next, you must select the size of your golem. The standard size for a golem is medium. Making a golem larger or smaller is more difficult.
| Golem Size | # of Gains |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 3 |
| Small | 2 |
| Medium | 1 |
| Large | 2 |
| Huge | 3 |
Next, you can apply spell resistance to your golem if you have remaining gains.
| Spell Resistance | # of Gains | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Runes | 2 | The golem gains a Flat 7 resistance to all offensive spells cast against it. On a successful Flat 7 roll, the spell is automatically negated for the golem. |
| Runes, Major | 3 | The golem gains a Flat 4 resistance to all offensive spells cast against it. On a successful Flat 4 roll, the spell is automatically negated for the golem. |
| Runes, Minor | 1 | The golem gains a Flat 10 resistance to all offensive spells cast against it. On a successful Flat 10 roll, the spell is automatically negated for the golem. |
Golems can be further upgraded by experience points, but the caster must use their own experience points to perform Golem upgrades.
Golems take their turn after the caster’s turn in combat. They gain action counters the same as any other playable character and take actions under the control of the caster. Golems can also follow simple commands like “stand here and guard”, or “patrol this area”, or “deliver this item” but cannot follow very complicated instructions. Golems have no means of communication other than nodding “yes” or “no”. Golems can be made to think independently with the Awaken Item spell, but doing so can give them defiance to their master over time.
A caster may only have one Golem at a time. If they activate a new golem, the magic on the previous Golem fades. If the caster of a golem dies, the golem continues to exist and follows its last orders to the best of its ability.
Ground [Elemental] [Earth] [Level 1]
Ground helps a target resist electric damage and trip and knockback effects at the cost of mobility. Discard 2 action counters and spend 4 mana. Choose a target within 12 spaces. This target can be willing or unwilling. Roll Magic / Elemental. Gains on this roll set the number of rounds Ground remains in effect. If the target is unwilling, the target rolls a Body / Strength reaction. On meeting or exceeding the Ground roll, the target evades the effect. Grounded targets can only move at their walking speed, but halve all energy damage from lightning and automatically disrupt all trip attempts and all knockback mechanics.
Grow / Wither [Soul] [Nature] [Level 1]
Grow rapidly grows plants causing them to thrive. Spend 15 minutes out of combat focusing on a plant or a space full of plants. Spend 2 mana and roll Magic / Soul. Each success on this roll ages a plant one month with ample water and nutrients, typically resulting in blooms or fruit on the vine.
Wither decays plants and causes them to die. Spend 15 minutes out of combat focusing on a plant or a space full of plants. Spend 2 mana and roll Magic / Soul. Each success on this roll ages a plant one month without water or nutrients, typically resulting in death.
Gust [Elemental] [Air] [Level 2]
Gust knocks back all targets in a 3 space deep cone emanating from the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental versus all Body / Strength reactions in the affected area. Unattended objects automatically fail this roll. If you succeed on this roll, knock back the target 4 spaces away from your position. Reduce the number of spaces for each size category the target is larger than you. Increase the number of spaces for each size category the target is smaller than you. Targets may take collision or falling damage depending on the scenario of where they land at the discretion of the game master. Gust also picks up and flings unattended objects at targets, potentially dealing damage at the discretion of the game master.
Haste / Slow [Celestial] [Time] [Level 2]
Haste increases the run movement speed of a target within 12 spaces of the caster by 2 for a short duration. The target’s walk movement speed becomes half of the increased run movement speed rounded down. Spend 0 action counters and 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll increases the duration of Haste by 1 round. Haste cancels the Slow condition and returns people to normal speed.
Slow reduces the run movement speed of a target within 12 spaces of the caster by 2 for a short duration. The target’s walk movement speed becomes half of this run movement speed rounded down. If a speed is reduced to 0 or less, the target can only step. Spend 0 action counters and 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll increases the duration of Slow by 1 round. Slow cancels the Haste condition and returns people to normal speed.
Heal [Soul] [Life] [Level 2]
Heal removes hits from targets within 12 spaces of the caster. The targets affected by heal are set by the number of action counters used to cast the spell. A touched target can be healed for 2 action counters. A target beyond adjacent range can be healed for 3 action counters. Finally, all targets within 2 spaces of a central space in range can be healed for 4 action counters. The mana cost for healing is equal to 4 for touched targets, 8 for ranged targets, and 12 for an area of effect. Roll Magic / Mortal. For each gain on this roll, remove 2 hits from the affected target(s). If a heal would remove enough hits to remove all hits from a vital slot, the target restores a vital and the spell continues upwards to the next vital hit box.
Hemorrhage [Soul] [Death] [Level 3]
Hemorrhage damages and causes the bleeding condition on a wounded target within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana to cast. Roll Magic / Soul versus the target’s Body / Stamina reaction. On a success, the target takes its current wound count as unavoidable damage and gains the bleeding condition (if they are not bleeding already).
Hex [Celestial] [Fate] [Level 4]
Hex curses a target with incredible misfortune. Discard 4 action counters to cast and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, the target treats all rolled 2s and 3s as 1s and takes 2 hits whenever they fail on a roll. Hex ends when the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn (they do not take damage for failing this roll). You may have one Hex active at a time. Once you Hex a new target, the magic of the previous Hex fades.
Ice Beam [Elemental] [Water] [Level 4]
Ice Beam damages a chilled or frozen target and prevents the target from canceling the chilled or frozen effect. Select a target within 12 spaces, discard 4 action counters, and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. Each gain on this roll deals 1 point of energy damage bypassing armor. If the target takes at least 1 point of damage, the target cannot cancel the chilled or frozen effect for 1 round. Targets brought to 0 vitals by Ice Beam are shattered by ice and cannot be raised as undead, stabilized, or revived by any means.
Icicle [Elemental] [Water] [Level 2]
Icicle fires a frozen shard of ice at a target within 12 spaces dealing damage and causing the chilled condition. Discard 2 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as a ranged attack. On a successful hit, the target takes 6N damage and gains the chilled condition.
Illusion [Spellcraft] [Illusion] [Level 2]
Illusion makes visible illusions within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. For each gain on the roll the caster can increase the potency and complexity of their illusion based on the following tables. The Magic / Spellcraft roll also sets the target difficulty of Mind / Perception rolls to determine whether the illusion is real. Illusions revealed to be manifestations upon touching them. You may have one illusion active at a time. Once you create a new illusion, the previous illusion fades.
| Illusion Size | # of Gains |
|---|---|
| Auditory Only | 0 |
| Tiny | 1 |
| Small | 2 |
| Medium | 3 |
| Large | 4 |
| Huge | 5 |
| Illusion Movement | # of Gains |
|---|---|
| Static image | 1 |
| Makes sounds | 1 |
| Moves in a pattern or cycle | 2 |
| Moves of its own volition | 3 |
| Illusion Complexity | # of Gains |
|---|---|
| Monochrome | 0 |
| Color | 1 |
| Reacts to other creatures / phenomena | 2 |
Invisibility [Spellcraft] [Illusion] [Level 3]
Invisibility makes a target within 12 spaces invisible. Discard 3 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft against all Mind / Perception rolls of creatures with line of sight to the target. On a successful roll, the target is in stealth against that enemy and is utterly invisible. Targets may move while invisible, but taking an offensive action immediately cancels the effect. Invisibility lasts until canceled (a free action) or the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn.
Karma [Celestial] [Fate] [Level 2]
Karma causes a target to take damage whenever it deals damage to others. Select a target within 12 spaces, discard 4 action counters, and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, whenever the target would damage an enemy, they take the same damage as unavoidable hits to themselves. Karma ends when the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn.
Levitate / Burden [Celestial] [Force] [Level 2]
Levitate floats a target within 12 spaces of the caster (the caster can target themselves as well). While Levitate is active, the target floats 1 space above the ground and falls at a rate of 1 space per round (they do not take falling damage). Levitated targets can only move at their walk movement speed. Discard 0 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll increases the duration of Levitate for 1 minute.
Burden encumbers a target within 12 spaces of the caster. While Burden is active, the target can only walk and, if they are already encumbered, they can only step. Flying creatures fall to the ground if affected by Burden taking falling damage at the discretion of the game master. Discard 0 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial against the target’s Body / Stamina reaction. A successful roll causes the burden effect. The target loses the Burden effect after succeeding on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn.
Lightning [Elemental] [Air] [Level 4]
Lightning strikes up to three separate targets within 12 spaces of the caster with electric energy damage. Choose 3 separate targets (the same target cannot be struck twice in the same cast), discard 4 action counters, and spend 12 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as an area of effect attack against all 3 targets. Targets hit by the attack take 12N damage. Missed targets take half damage rounded down. Targets damaged by Lightning gain the stunned condition.
Magic Armor [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 3]
Magic Armor allows you to imbue armor with special properties out of combat. Doing so requires a modicum of raw material at the behest of the game master and 15 minutes of time out of combat. Typically, magic armor is inscribed with glowing runes indicating it is magical in nature. Discard 4 mana and roll Magic / Spellcraft. Compare the resulting gains to the number of gains required for the intended effect + 2. For example, an armor requiring 4 gains would require 6 or more gains to be imbued. Each gain on this roll can be used towards one or more magic armor enchantments. Regardless of the item chosen (a shield or armor) that item can only have a maximum of 4 gains of enchantments. For example, if I picked a level 2 enchantment for armor, I could pick another level 2 but not a level 3. Magic Armor cannot be dispelled. See Equipment -> Magic Items -> Magic Armor for more details.
Magic Artifact [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 3]
Magic Artifact allows the caster to create magical artifacts that can be worn to empower a variety of effects. Doing so requires a modicum of raw material at the behest of the game master and 15 minutes of time out of combat. Magic artifacts glow with residual magic indicating their supernatural power. Discard 4 mana and roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll can be used towards an artifact’s required gains. For example, an artifact which requires 5 gains can be crafted on earning 5 or more gains. You can only gain the power of one type of artifact in a particular position at a time. For example, you can wear two magic rings, but not three. You can have one set of spectacles. You can have one robe. You can have one staff, etc. See Equipment -> Magic Items -> Magic Artifact for more details.
Magic Weapon [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 3]
Magic Weapon allows the caster to imbue weapons with magical properties. Magic weapons glow with runic power indicating they are supernatural. You can imbue a weapon out of combat with raw material at the behest of the game master and 15 minutes of time. You may also imbue a weapon without raw material in combat, but the imbued effect only lasts until the end of combat and is more difficult to achieve. Discard 4 action counters, spend 4 mana, and roll Magic / Spellcraft. You must receive at least 4 gains to imbue a weapon with a magical property out of combat and 6 to imbue a weapon in combat. A weapon can have 1 magical property at a time. Once you imbue a new magic property into a weapon, the previous magic is replaced. See Equipment -> Magic Items -> Magic Weapon for more details.
Mass Haste / Mass Slow [Celestial] [Time] [Level 3]
Mass Haste increases the run movement speed of multiple targets within 12 spaces by 2. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll allows you to affect an additional target with Mass Haste. Discard 0 to cast and spend 2 mana for each target beyond the first. Mass Haste lasts 1 round.
Mass Slow functions the same as Mass Haste except it reduces the speed of multiple targets within 12 spaces by 2. Targets reduced to 0 speed or less can only step.
Medium [Soul] [Death] [Level 1]
Medium allows the caster to communicate with nearby ghosts. To preserve the caster’s sanity, this ability is not passive and must be rolled to activate. Spend 15 minutes out of combat and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. The greater the number of gains on the roll, the more likely the caster is to encounter a ghost according to the game master. In addition, the greater the gains the more likely the ghost will be benevolent towards the caster and / or willing to assist the caster. Low amounts of success are likely to attract angry ghosts which can, in their own right, turn hostile towards the caster or demand some type of tribute. High numbers of success are likely to attract friendly ghosts which are willing to negotiate with the caster on even terms. Middling success will likely contact a humanoid ghost who typically wishes to communicate through the caster to loved ones or resolve connections still left over from life.
The caster may selectively target a specific ghost. The caster has to be near an area or object of importance to the specific ghost to contact that specific ghost. Medium lasts 15 minutes per cast.
Mind Blast [Soul] [Emotion] [Level 3]
Mind Blast damages foes with your force of will alone. Designate a target within 12 spaces of the caster. Spend 3 actions and 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. On a successful roll, the target takes 6N damage and, on their next Spirit / Will reaction, they must roll twice and take the lower result.
Minor Conjuration [Spellcraft] [Alchemy] [Level 2]
Minor Conjuration allows you to craft any mundane object from raw magic power. Choose a small non-magical piece of equipment, for instance: a length of rope, a skeleton key, or a crowbar. This item cannot be a combat item or an item with moving parts or complicated chemistry such as dynamite or bombs. Using a conjured item as a weapon destroys it instantly. Discard 4 action counters to cast and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll extends the duration the item exists by 1 minute.
Mist [Elemental] [Water] [Level 1]
Mist creates obscuring fog in an area granting cover. Discard 4 action counters and spend 4 mana to cast. Choose a central space for the mist to emanate from and roll Magic / Elemental. Mist has a radius of 3 spaces. For each gain on this roll, increase the duration in rounds of the Mist by 1.
Obscure [Spellcraft] [Arcane] [Level 2]
Obscure makes a magical effect adjacent to the caster less noticeable and identifiable. After casting a successful magical effect on an object or person, the caster may cast Obscure. Discard 2 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on this roll increases the target difficulty of Detect Magic rolls to determine that there is a spell present and what the spell is. Obscure lasts until dispelled.
Petrify / Soften [Spellcraft] [Alchemy] [Level 4]
Petrify turns touched living flesh to stone. Discard 4 action counters and spend 8 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus a target’s Body / Stamina reaction + 2 gains. On a successful roll, the target is turned to stone. Petrify lasts until the target is revived with Soften or the effect is dispelled. If the stone is destroyed, the target cannot be revived and dies immediately.
Soften reverses the effects of Petrify. Spend 4 action counters and 8 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus the enemy spellcaster’s Petrify roll (this roll persists even if the caster is dead). On a successful roll, the target is returned to life.
Phase [Celestial] [Space] [Level 3]
Phase allows the caster to move through solid matter. Discard 0 action counters and 4 mana to cast. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll allows you to move through 1 space of solid matter. These gains can be applied all to one object (such as a thick wall) or multiple obstructions (such as multiple thin walls). While Phased, if the casting roll earned at least 1 gain, the target is intangible and cannot take or deal damage until passing their turn.
Planar Push [Celestial] [Time] [Level 4]
Planar Push knocks a target out of the current time stream. Discard 4 action counters and spend 8 mana to cast. Roll Magic / Celestial versus a target’s Spirit / Will reaction. Even if the target is allied, they must roll a reaction as time always resists meddling. On a successful roll, the target leaves the timestream and vanishes until after the end of their next turn where they reappear in the same position with their current action counters.
Polymorph [Spellcraft] [Alchemy] [Level 4]
Polymorph changes a target into a small critter of the caster’s choice for a short period of time. Select a target within 12 spaces, discard 4 action counters, and spend 8 mana. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus the target’s Body / Stamina reaction. On a successful roll, the target is transformed. Polymorph lasts until the target is attacked (the target immediately returns to normal before damage is applied) or the target succeeds on a Flat 7 roll at the end of its turn.
Quake [Elemental] [Earth] [Level 4]
Quake shakes the ground from a central space within 12 spaces of the caster causing targets to fall to the ground and objects to fall. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Choose a central space within 12 spaces. Quake affects a 3 space radius from that target space. Roll Magic / Elemental versus all affected targets' Body / Strength reaction. Unattended objects automatically fail this roll. If the Body / Strength reaction exceeds the spellcasting roll, the target does not fall. If it does not, the target falls prone.
Reanimate [Soul] [Death] [Level 3]
Reanimate reanimates corpses to fight on your behalf. The caster may choose between skeletons or zombies from the monster manual when reanimating a corpse. The corpse is of the same size as the creature had in life, though reanimating corpses becomes harder the more you reanimate. Select a corpse within 12 spaces, spend 4 action counters, and spend 8 mana. Roll Magic / Soul versus a target difficulty equal to 2 + the number of undead you currently control. If the roll is successful, you raise the undead. If not, the undead is destroyed and cannot be raised again. Undead minions take their turns immediately after you take your turn. Undead last until destroyed and cannot be dispelled. They may be healed the same as any other creature, but nothing can restore them to life. Undead are not very intelligent. They understand simple orders like “attack”, “defend”, “guard”, but not complicated instructions. If the caster dies with reanimates still active, they follow the last order issued to the best of their ability.
Regenerate [Soul] [Life] [Level 2]
Regenerate causes a target to restore hit points over time. Select a target within 12 spaces, spend 3 action counters, and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll increases the duration of regenerate by 1 round. While regenerating, the target loses 2 hits at the beginning of each turn. A target may only have 1 regenerate effect on them at a time.
Rewind [Celestial] [Time] [Level 3]
Rewind forces a target to return to a position it previously held at the beginning of its turn. Select a target within 12 spaces, spend 2 action counters, and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Rewind versus the target’s Spirit / Will reaction. Even if the target is willing, time resists meddling and the target must still make a Spirit / Will reaction roll. On success, the caster may move the target anywhere it passed through on its turn as long as that space is unoccupied.
Scribe Scroll [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 1]
Scribe Scroll allows you to create a scroll (in futuristic settings this could be a 2d barcode or a computer file) that activates when read. A scroll uses the scroll user’s mana but uses the casting roll of the caster which created it. You must know the spell in order to create the scroll. First, roll Magic / Spellcraft. Each gain on the roll allows you to reroll the spellcasting check inscribed in the scroll. Take the highest spell casting check rolled and apply it to the scroll. This ensures the scroll you produce will be one of the best results possible. You can make as many scrolls as you wish. Making scrolls is a typical way for magic users to make money.
Scry [Celestial] [Space] [Level 1]
Scry allows you to remote view an area from a long distance away through an object you have imbued with magic. This object can be something as innocuous as a coin or something grandiose like a large statue of an eye. Either way, the object ripples with magic unless it is obscured with the Occlude spell. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll increases the range at which Scry will function on the object by 1 kilometer. You can see, hear, and smell through the object with 360 perception as if you were standing in that spot. If the object cannot "see" or "hear" (it is placed inside a container or a pocket, for example) you cannot see or hear as clearly. The game master is the ultimate decider of how acute your senses are depending on the object's location.
Seal [Spellcraft] [Arcane] [Level 2]
Seal makes a magic seal on an object preventing it from being tampered with or opened. Spend 15 minutes out of combat and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll increases the target difficulty of any Dispel attempt or physical roll to open or tamper with the item by 1 and automatically prevents any spell which could remotely view inside or past the object, such as ESP. Seals are fairly obvious to spot as they glow with the insignia of the mage that cast them. Sealed doors are fairly common to seal in dangerous entities or guard vast hoards of treasure. Seal lasts until dispelled. Most seals have a magic word that allows the user to bypass the seal without needing to dispel the effect.
Shapeshift [Soul] [Nature] [Level 3]
Shapeshift causes the caster to take on the aspect and physique of a were-creature, granting bonuses. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Mortal. Each gain on this roll extends the duration of Shapeshift by 15 minutes.
While shapeshifted, your armor sinks into your new aspect still providing its protection but is not visible to others. Your weapons and items either shapeshift into your aspect and cannot be used until you leave the aspect, or remain outside your shapeshifted form (your choice). Leaving an aspect is a free action on your turn.
Shapeshift cannot be dispelled or counterspelled. Shapeshift lasts until its duration expires, the caster leaves the aspect, or changes to a different aspect. If the caster gains the dying condition, they revert to their natural form. Casters may cast spells in their shapeshifted form.
| Aspect | Bonuses |
|---|---|
| Bat | The caster sprouts wings and can fly at their walk movement speed and can see in total darkness with echolocation. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
| Badger | The caster can dig through earthen surfaces and burrow at their walk movement speed. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
| Bear | The caster cannot be knocked back or knocked down. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
| Eagle | The caster sprouts wings and can fly at their walk movement speed and extends their vision checks to one kilometer away. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
| Tiger | The caster can stealth at their run movement speed. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
| Shark | The caster can swim at their run movement speed and can breathe both saltwater and freshwater. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
| Wolf | The caster can track scents up to 1 kilometer away and can see normally in low light visibility. The caster’s unarmed strikes deal slashing damage. |
Shard [Elemental] [Earth] [Level 2]
Shard makes a spike, boulder, or sharp rock rise from the ground underneath a target within 12 spaces. Discard 3 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as a ranged attack. On a successful hit, the target takes 6S, 6P, or 6L damage (caster's choice). The shard returns back into the ground at its original elevation after striking the target. Shard cannot hit flying or levitating enemies.
Shatter [Elemental] [Earth] [Level 4]
Shatter detonates an earthen or crystalline surface dealing explosive damage. Discard 4 action counters and spend 12 mana. Choose a target earthen or crystalline surface within 12 spaces to detonate. Roll Magic / Elemental as an area of effect attack. Shard has a radius of effect of 3 spaces away from the detonated surface. All in the affected area take 12X damage on a successful hit and half that damage rounded down on a miss.
Shock [Elemental] [Air] [Level 3]
Shock deals high voltage electrical damage at close range. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental as an area of effect attack in a cone emanating 3 spaces from the caster. Targets successfully hit by Shock take 6N damage or half that damage rounded down on a miss. Targets damaged by Shock gain the Stun 1 condition (they lose 1 reserved action counter or 1 counter from their next turn if they have no remaining action counters).
Singularity [Celestial] [Force] [Level 4]
Singularity pulls and collides all objects and persons into a central space within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 8 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial versus a target space within 12 spaces of the caster. Each creature within 2 spaces of the center space gets a Body / Strength reaction to avoid being pulled into the central space. Unattended objects automatically are pulled. Objects pulled into the center space take collision damage at the discretion of the game master.
Spider Climb [Elemental] [Earth] [Level 1]
Spider Climb allows a target to walk along vertical, angled, or upside down earthen surfaces. Discard 0 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Elemental. The number of gains on this roll sets the duration of Spider Climb in rounds. If the target is on a vertical, angled, or upside down surface when Spider Climb ends, they begin falling and may take falling damage at the discretion of the game master.
Stabilize [Soul] [Life] [Level 2]
Stabilize stabilizes a dying target within 12 spaces without need of medical supplies. Discard 3 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Mortal. For each gain on this roll, increase the target’s death roll pool by 1 die. If the death roll pool would exceed 6 dice, the target is stabilized at 1 hit point.
Suggestion [Soul] [Emotion] [Level 3]
Suggestion plants a hypnotic suggestion in a target’s mind within 12 spaces of the caster. Suggestion can only be cast outside of combat. Roll Magic / Mortal versus a target’s Spirit / Will reaction and spend 2 mana. On a successful roll the caster hypnotizes the target telepathically and may implant a suggestion with the telepathic connection. The caster may declare a specific action the target will take or may declare a trigger that generates a reaction on the part of the suggested target. This action cannot directly bring harm to the suggested target, but may inadvertently harm the target or others. For example, the target may be asked to flick a switch and - if the target is unaware of the consequences - the switch may arm a trap that harms another. After the suggestion is done, any memory of the suggestion is lost. There is no physical sign the target is suggested before this point, though it can be detected with Detect Magic.
Summon Swarm [Soul] [Nature] [Level 2]
Summon Swarm summons a cloud of stinging, biting, and buzzing insects around a target causing distraction. Discard 4 counters to cast and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll extends the duration of Summon Swarm by 1 round. While Summon Swarm is in effect, the target must make a 3 gain Body / Stamina reaction at the beginning of their turn or they can only take move actions on their turn due to being distracted by the cloud of insects assaulting them. The swarm follows all movement.
Telekinesis [Celestial] [Force] [Level 1]
Telekinesis slowly moves or manipulates small objects within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 2 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. For each gain on this roll you can move the object 1 space in any direction with levitation. You may manipulate the object as long as you have enough gains to perform the manipulated action. For example, you could pick a lock (a 2 counter action) at range by earning 2 gains on the telekinesis roll.
Teleport [Celestial] [Space] [Level 4]
Teleport allows you to teleport to an end point in your line of sight. Discard 0 action counters and spend 2 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll extends the maximum range of teleport by 4 spaces. Teleport ignores changes in elevation, but you must have a line of sight to the end point and the end point must be unoccupied in order for teleport to function.
Transfer Life [Soul] [Death] [Level 3]
Transfer Life deals damage to the caster and heals an adjacent target. Discard 3 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll allows you to take 1 hit to your own health pool to restore 1 hit from the target’s health pool. You can choose to send less hit points than the maximum amount rolled.
Transmutation [Spellcraft] [Enchantment] [Level 4]
Transmutation changes a property of touched non-living matter with a powerful ritual. Transmuting requires 15 minutes of combat to perform. Roll Magic / Spellcraft versus a target difficulty set by the game master and spend 2 mana. The more outlandish the Transmutation attempt, the higher the number of gains required to succeed should be. For example: turning one element into another (like lead into gold) would take considerable gains. Likewise, turning glass into something as strong as steel would take a high amount of gains. Transmutation spells are permanent but can be dispelled.
True Strike [Celestial] [Fate] [Level 3]
True Strike allows the target to roll twice and take the higher result for a short duration of time. Select a target within 12 spaces, discard 2 action counters, and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll extends the duration of True Strike by 1 round. When True Strike causes a successful attack, the spell’s effect ends automatically.
Turn Undead [Soul] [Life] [Level 2]
Turn Undead directly damages undead at range. Select an undead within 12 spaces of the caster, discard 3 action counters, and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll deals 1 point of unavoidable damage to undead. Undead destroyed by Turn Undead are completely destroyed and cannot be raised again.
Visage [Spellcraft] [Illusion] [Level 3]
Visage alters the caster’s appearance to look like someone else. Discard 2 action counters and spend 4 mana. Roll Magic / Arcane. The caster may extend the Visage effect for 15 minutes per gain earned on this roll. Keep in mind that physically touching the Visage reveals it is a facade
Void Bolt [Celestial] [Space] [Level 3]
Void Bolt fires a phased projectile that can shoot through walls and obstructions en route to the target. Void Bolt ignores all defense bonuses due to cover and any effect which would otherwise interfere with its flight path, such as Force Field. It can be dodged but not blocked. You must still see the target in order to fire against them if they are behind 100% cover such as behind a wall. ESP is typically used to maximize the effect of Void Bolt in these situations. Discard 3 action counters to cast and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial as a ranged attack roll. Targets which cannot see the caster cannot block or dodge this attack. Targets hit by Void Bolt take 6N damage.
Wall of Thorns [Soul] [Nature] [Level 3]
Wall of Thorns raises a wall of thorny vines up to 6 spaces in length originating in a space within 12 spaces of the caster. Discard 4 action counters and spend 6 mana. Roll Magic / Soul. Each gain on this roll increases the hit points in each hex of Wall of Thorns by 4. Every enemy that moves through the Wall of Thorns takes 8S damage. Damaging the wall to get through it with melee or unarmed attacks deals 8S damage to the attacker. Wall of Thorns lasts until destroyed or dispelled. A caster can only have one Wall of Thorns active at a time. Once the caster makes another Wall of Thorns, the magic of the previous Wall of Thorns fades and the wall withers away.
Ward [Spellcraft] [Arcane] [Level 4]
Ward defends a specific touched object or willing person from magic spells. Discard 4 action counters and 6 mana. Roll Magic / Celestial. Each gain on this roll (to a maximum of 12) increases a Flat roll for all magic spells to fail against the object or person (including spells which would benefit that person). For example, if I earned 4 gains on my Ward roll, the object or person would have a Flat 4 chance to negate any spell cast against them. Once a spell is successfully cast against a warded target, the Ward ends. Otherwise, Ward lasts indefinitely. Ward can be dispelled, but the Dispel must overcome the Ward in order to be effective.
A feature is a specific special ability your character can perform or a special passive quality they possess. You can have as many features as you like which you purchase with customization or experience points.
Animal Companion [Level 2]
Animal Companion allows you to have a trained animal companion which follows you and assists you in combat. This animal companion can be any common animal, such as a wolf, a bear, a tiger, or a horse. You can have multiple animal companions, but may only have one active at a time. You cannot switch animal companions during combat.
Attack of Opportunity [Level 2]
Attack of Opportunity allows you to attack a foe leaving your threatened melee reach if they attempt to walk or run out of that space as a free action once per turn. Targets which step through your melee reach are unaffected.
Challenge [Level 1]
Challenge causes enemies the character successfully intimidates to lose 2 dice on attacks if they attack any other target than the intimidating character.
Command [Level 2]
Command allows a character to discard 2 action counters to add 1 unused action counter to an ally.
Deadeye [Level 2]
Deadeye reduces defense bonuses for called shots by 1.
Diehard [Level 1]
1s no longer add 2 fatal wounds (they only add 1). 12s cancel 2 rolled fatal wounds.
Dire Animal Companion [Level 3]
Dire Animal Companion allows you to tame a more powerful animal companion such as dire wolves and dire bears. You must have Animal Companion to purchase this feature.
Evasion [Level 4]
An evade lets you apply your dodge to an area of effect attack. After successfully dodging an area of effect attack with 1 action counter. An evade must move your character 1 run action (2 counters) in any direction of your choice. If you end your movement outside the area of effect, all damage from the area of effect is negated. You cannot evade through difficult terrain.
Far Shot [Level 1]
Far Shot increases the range of all ranged and thrown weapons by 1.
Improved Critical [Level 4]
Improved Critical increases the range at which you gain critical damage by 1 for a specific weapon type. This effect stacks with other mechanics that increase your critical threshold. For example, if you are shooting a rifle with Improved Critical, you would gain critical damage on an 11 or 12. If you performed a successful headshot with a rifle with Improved Critical, you would gain critical damage on a 10, 11, and 12. This feature can be purchased multiple times. Each time it applies to a different weapon type.
Improved Unarmed Strike [Level 2]
Improved Unarmed Strike increases the damage of your unarmed strikes by 1 die.
Legendary Animal Companion [Level 4]
Legendary Animal Companion allows you to have an animal companion of extraordinary power like a young dragon or a unicorn. You must have Dire Animal Companion to purchase this feature. You cannot start the game with Legendary Animal Companion.
Magical Animal Companion [Level 3]
Magical Animal Companion allows your animal companion to learn spells with experience points. You must have the Animal Companion feature to purchase this feature.
Null Magic [Level 4]
Null Magic grants a character a Flat 7 against any power cast against them. If the Flat roll succeeds, the spell is countered. Keep in mind this feature also works against spells which would help your character. The effects of Null Magic cannot be turned “on” and “off”. They are permanent. Likewise, if your character casts spells, they must roll a Flat 4 roll against their own spell upon use. If the Flat roll succeeds, the spell is countered. Your character can still use magic items, but has a Flat 4 check to negate the magic of the item when using or equipping. Success on this roll dispels the magic item.
Phalanx [Level 2]
Phalanx allows you to block for adjacent allies.
Point Blank [Level 2]
Point Blank adds +1 critical damage to all damage rolls within a ranged weapon’s first range increment.
Power Attack [Level 2]
Power Attack allows you to discard additional action counters before making an attack with a physical melee weapon. Each counter you sacrifice this way adds 1 critical damage.
Quick Draw [Level 1]
Quick Draw reduces the cost of drawing weapons to a free action.
Quick Reflexes [Level 3]
Quick Reflexes prevents area of effect attacks from exposing your character from stealth.
Shadow Step [Level 4]
Shadow Step allows you to run while remaining in stealth. In addition, you can walk in stealth over difficult terrain.
Sniper [Level 4]
Sniper reduces all cover bonuses granted to your target (including shields) by 25%. Sniper cannot reduce 100% cover.
Stunning Strike [Level 2]
Stunning Strike adds the Stunning condition on unarmed attacks that wound the target.
Suppressive Fire [Level 3]
Suppressive Fire causes all targets attacked by autofire to be treated as if they are in difficult terrain for their first movement on their next turn.
Survivalist [Level 1]
Survivalist doubles the amount of time a character can go without water (for normally humans 3 days, so 6 days) and food (for humans normally 3 weeks, so 6 weeks).
Threaten [Level 3]
Threaten treats your melee attack reach as difficult terrain. This does not affect stealthed characters.
Titan Grip [Level 3]
Titan Grip allows a character to wield a main handed weapon as an off hand weapon and a two handed weapon as a main hand weapon. This applies to both ranged and melee weapons.
Wall Run [Level 4]
Wall Run allows you to move along vertical surfaces as if they were horizontal. You must start your turn from a horizontal surface to use Wall Run. If you do not end your move on another horizontal surface, you begin falling. You can use Wall Run to scale up walls and run laterally along walls.
Wealthy [Level 1]
Wealthy increases a character’s starting currency by 250. This feature can be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.
Armor can be customized to have whatever package of resistance points you wish using the table below.
Armor Weight is the weight of the armor in question for purposes of calculating movement speed.
Resistance Points are the total resistance points that can be allocated to the 6 damage types in the game.
Maximum Resistance Per Type is the limit of resistance points you can place into a single damage type. You can have a minimum of 0 resistance in any damage type.
Cost is the armor’s cost in currency by weight.
| Armor Weight | Resistance Points | Maximum Resistance Per Type | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 12 | 4 | 250 |
| Medium | 18 | 5 | 500 |
| Heavy | 24 | 6 | 750 |
Specific armors to be used as examples or fast character creation packages or dropped loot are listed in the following tables. An armor uses the cost listed in the previous chart based on its weight for purchase and sale.
| Light Armor | Damage Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Type | Weight | Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
| Bullet Resistant Vest | Light | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Padded Armor | Light | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Fire Resistant Clothing | Light | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Leather Armor | Light | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Hide Armor | Light | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Flak Jacket | Light | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Graphene Armor | Light | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Medium Armor | Damage Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Type | Weight | Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
| Bullet Resistant Armor | Medium | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Riot Vest | Medium | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Fireproof Suit | Medium | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Breastplate | Medium | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Ringmail | Medium | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Bombsquad Vest | Medium | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Lamellar | Medium | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Heavy Armor | Damage Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Type | Weight | Ballistic (B) | Blunt (L) | Energy (N) | Piercing (P) | Slashing (S) | Explosive (X) |
| Infantry Armor | Heavy | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Chainmail | Heavy | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Envirosuit | Heavy | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Platemail | Heavy | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Scalemail | Heavy | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Bombsquad Armor | Heavy | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Riot Gear | Heavy | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
There are three options when it comes to shields in the game. The heavier the shield you equip, the more it weighs down on your movement score due to armor weight. The heavier the shield you equip, the better your block score.
A buckler is a small round shield that is unique in that it can be equipped on the shoulder and does not interfere with having a weapon or item in your off hand.
Kite shields and round shields are unique in that they can be used to bash opponents. A kite shield is the stereotypical knight shield that is roughly triangular shaped. A round shield is a stereotypical viking shield that is rounded wood with a metal boss.
Tower shields and riot shields are very large rectangular shields. Riot shields often come equipped with flashlights.
| Shield Type | Armor Weight | Block | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | Light | Base Defense +1 | 100 |
| Kite / Round | Medium | Base Defense +2 | 150 |
| Riot / Tower | Heavy | Base Defense +5 | 200 |
The following are lists of weapons in the game broken down by weapon type. Depending on your setting, you may have only a few or all of the weapon categories. A really futuristic setting, for example, would have powerarms and energy weapons. A primitive setting would only have bows and melee weapons. A setting where primitives are rebelling against alien invaders would have both futuristic and primitive weapons.
Weapons in the following lists have special properties according to the following table. Some weapons have multiple properties that proc. In this case, the attacker can choose which property they wish to use on the attack when it procs. If the attacker rolls multiple 12s, they can apply additional special proc effects on the same hit.
| Special | Description |
|---|---|
| Arc Shot | The weapon can fire in a high arc ignoring line of sight cover. |
| Armor Piercing | Armor Piercing weapons reduce the target’s Armor contribution to damage resistance by 1 for each 12 rolled on the damage roll (minimum 0). |
| Autofire | The weapon is capable of autofire in addition to single shots. Changing between modes is a free action. |
| Double Shot | The weapon fires two projectiles at once rolling two separate attack rolls (typically one for each barrel) and two separate damage rolls. |
| Dual Wield |
The weapon can be equipped in the off hand if the wielder has the Dual Wield feature. When dual wielding, an attacker rolls two attacks at 3 action counters. These attacks do not need to be against the same target. If on a ranged or thrown weapon, dual wield can be used to shoot or to throw weapons from both hands at 4 action counters. These attacks can be at the same or different targets. A single dodge or block applies to both attacks when applied to the same target. |
| Entangle | An entangling weapon can perform a called shot to bind a target. Either way, the target area is treated as two size categories smaller than the target itself. A successful bind prevents the target from moving away from your character. Binding a target’s arm prevents it from using its equipped weapon in that arm until the bind is broken. Binding a leg trips the target. The target can escape the bind by succeeding on a Body / Strength reaction versus the attacker’s Body / Strength reaction at the beginning of the target’s turn. |
| Finesse | Finesse melee weapons can roll attacks with Body / Agility instead of Body / Strength. |
| Flourish | A weapon with flourish can attack with 1 action counter if the previous action was a missed attack. This process can be repeated. |
| Parry | Parry grants a +1 bonus to defense against melee attacks when the weapon is equipped. Dual wielding parry weapons doubles this bonus. |
| Reach | A weapon with reach increases the amount of spaces away it can hit by 1. |
| Shot or Slug | Shot travels 1 range increment less but deals 1 additional point of damage. Slugs travel 1 range increment more but deal 1 less point of damage. |
| Stunning | A weapon with stunning adds the Stunned condition onto a target when dealing a wound. |
| Thrown | A weapon with Thrown can be thrown at a range increment of 3 spaces. |
| Wounding | A weapon with wounding adds the Bleeding condition on dealing a wound to a target. |
| Weapon | Type | Hands | Action Cost | Damage | Special | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axe | Axe | M | 2 | 8 S | Wounding | |
| Battleaxe | Axe | T | 3 | 12 S | Wounding | |
| Handaxe | Axe | O | 2 | 6 S | Throw | |
| Boomerang | Club | M | 2 | 6 L | Throw | |
| Club | Club | O | 2 | 6 L | Dual Wield, Stunning | |
| Flail | Club | M | 2 | 8 L | Flourish | |
| Greatclub | Club | T | 3 | 12 L | Stunning | |
| Mace | Club | M | 2 | 8 L | Stunning | |
| Morningstar | Club | M | 2 | 8 P | Wounding | |
| Monoblade | Energy Blade | M | 2 | 8 N | Finesse | |
| Gungnir | Energy Blade | M | 2 | 8 N | Thrown | |
| Laser Sword | Energy Blade | T | 3 | 12 N | Parry | |
| Plasma Cutter | Energy Blade | O | 2 | 8 N | Parry | |
| Maul | Hammer | T | 3 | 11 L / P | Stunning (L), Armor Piercing (P) | |
| Warhammer | Hammer | M | 2 | 7 L / P | Stunning (L), Armor Piercing (P) | |
| Dagger | Knife | O | 2 | 6 S / P | Finesse, Throw | |
| Falchion | Knife | T | 3 | 11 S / P | Finesse | |
| Scimitar | Knife | M | 2 | 7 S / P | Finesse | |
| Mjolnir | Mass Driver | T | 3 | 12 X | ||
| Power Fist | Mass Driver | O | 2 | 8 X | ||
| Pick | Pick | M | 2 | 8 P | Armor Piercing | |
| Sai | Pick | O | 2 | 6 P | Dual Wield, Armor Piercing | |
| Warpick | Pick | T | 3 | 12 P | Armor Piercing | |
| Glaive | Polearm | T | 3 | 10 S | Flourish, Reach | |
| Halberd | Polearm | T | 3 | 9 S / P | Reach, Wounding (S), Armor Piercing (P) | |
| Javelin | Polearm | M | 2 | 6 P | Throw, Armor Piercing | |
| Lucerne Hammer | Polearm | T | 3 | 9 L / P | Reach, Stunning (L), Armor Piercing (P) | |
| Poleaxe | Polearm | T | 3 | 10 S | Reach, Wounding | |
| Spear | Polearm | T | 3 | 10 P | Reach, Armor Piercing | |
| Staff | Polearm | T | 3 | 10 L | Reach, Stunning | |
| Scythe | Sickle | T | 3 | 10 S / P | Wounding (S), Armor Piercing (P) | |
| Sickle | Sickle | O | 2 | 6 S / P | Dual Wield, Wounding (S), Armor Piercing (P) | |
| Longsword | Sword | T | 3 | 11 S / P | Parry | |
| Rapier | Sword | M | 2 | 7 S / P | Finesse | |
| Shortsword | Sword | O | 2 | 7 S / P | Parry | |
| Throwing Chain | Whip | M | 2 | 6 L | Entangle, Throw | |
| Whip | Whip | M | 2 | 6 L | Entangle, Reach |
| Weapon | Type | Hands | Action Cost | Damage | Range | Special | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Gun | Automatic | T | 3 | 10 B | 8 | Autofire Only | |
| Submachine Gun | Automatic | M | 2 | 6 B | 6 | Autofire | |
| Laser Pistol | Beam | O | 2 | 6 N | 8 | ||
| Laser Rifle | Beam | T | 2 | 8 N | 10 | ||
| Plasma Pistol | Beam | M | 3 | 9 N | 7 | ||
| Plasma Rifle | Beam | T | 3 | 12 N | 9 | ||
| Pulse Rifle | Beam | T | 2 | 8 N | 9 | Autofire Only | |
| Longbow | Bow | T | 3 | 9 P | 10 | Arc Shot | |
| Shortbow | Bow | T | 2 | 6 P | 8 | Arc Shot | |
| Crossbow | Crossbow | M | 3 | 9 P | 9 | Armor Piercing | |
| Light Crossbow | Crossbow | M | 2 | 6 P | 7 | Armor Piercing | |
| Pistol | Handgun | O | 2 | 6 B | 6 | ||
| Revolver | Handgun | M | 3 | 9 B | 4 | ||
| Blunderbuss | Muzzleloader | T | 4 | 9 B / L / S | 7 | ||
| Dragoon | Muzzleloader | M | 4 | 7 B / L / S | 5 | ||
| Flintlock Pistol | Muzzleloader | O | 4 | 9 B | 4 | ||
| Musket | Muzzleloader | T | 4 | 11 B | 7 | ||
| Gauss Rifle | Powerarm | T | 2 | 8 P | 10 | ||
| Railgun | Powerarm | T | 3 | 12 P | 12 | ||
| Assault Rifle | Rifle | T | 2 | 8 B | 9 | Autofire | |
| Rifle | Rifle | T | 2 | 8 B | 9 | ||
| Sniper Rifle | Rifle | T | 3 | 12 B | 10 | ||
| Double Barrel Shotgun | Shotgun | T | 3 | 11 B | 7 | ||
| Shotgun | Shotgun | T | 2 | 7 B | 7 | ||
| Flamethrower | Thrower | T | 4 | 12 N | 6 | Burning on Hit | |
| Flare Gun | Thrower | M | 3 | 8 N | 4 | Burning on Hit |
All grenades and mines have an area of effect radius of 2 spaces with the solitary exception of the claymore mine (see mines). Grenades detonate the same round as they are thrown or launched for game simplicity. All grenades (thrown or launched) require 4 action counters to use.
All grenades can be fired in a high arc and have the Arc Shot special.
All hand grenades have a thrown range increment of 3 and can be thrown 9 spaces maximum.
Mines deal the same damage as hand grenades for purposes of game simplicity. Mines are set on the ground and detonate when a foe walks over them (or past them if it is a proximity mine) or when detonated by a remote detonator. Detonating a mine remotely is a 1 counter action that can be used with prepared or reserved action counters. Mines cost the same as grenades of the same type. Their internal detonator is of no cost.
A specific type of mine, the claymore, is a special mine that explodes in a cone of 3 spaces in a forward direction rather than a 2 radius circle.
All mines must be emplaced (a 1 counter action) on the ground, wall, or similar surface.
There are a variety of launchers that can fire grenades with varying ranges. All launchers fire grenade rounds which deal the same damage as regular hand grenades for the purposes of game simplicity. You cannot use a grenade round as a thrown grenade and vice versa. Grenade rounds cost the same as hand grenades of the same type. Launchers merely extend thrown grenade effective range. All launchers can perform Arc Shot and can bounce around corners.
| Grenade Launcher | Range | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Blooper | 6 | |
| Grenade Launcher | 5 | |
| Underslung | 4 |
| Grenade | Special | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Concussion | Deals 10 X damage. Stunning on wound. | |
| Flashbang | Causes the blind and deafened conditions until the targets succeed on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn. | |
| Fragmentation | Deals 10 X damage. Bleeding on wound. | |
| Incendiary | Deals 10 X damage. Causes the burning condition. | |
| Smoke | Fills the area with smoke granting 75% cover. | |
| Stun | Causes the stunned condition until the targets succeed on a Flat 7 roll at the end of their turn. |
Missiles have a guidance system, propulsion, and a payload. They are fully configurable but the more advanced and deadly the missile, the more it costs to purchase. Guided missiles have the Arc Shot feature automatically and ignore line of sight cover as long as they are locked on. ALl missiles cost 4 actions to fire. All missiles have a radius 3 area of effect.
A missile’s guidance system affects the missile’s accuracy. Missiles that are not autonomous (rockets) use the attacker’s Body / Accuracy roll and fire automatically (which can result in a miss). Guided missiles lock on to a target with a successful attack roll and cannot miss once locked on.
| Guidance | Attack Roll | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rocket (Unguided) | Body / Accuracy | |
| Dumb | 6 dice at 8 or higher | |
| Guided | 8 dice at 6 or higher | |
| Smart | 10 dice at 4 or higher |
Propulsion sets the missile’s speed. All missiles can move up to 3x their speed before they harmlessly self-destruct. The faster the missile, the more expensive it is.
| Propulsion | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hellfire | 8 | |
| Standard | 10 | |
| Cruise | 12 |
Finally, a missile has a payload which determines what happens when it impacts.
| Payload | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Explosive | Deals 12 X damage | |
| Fragmentation | Deals 12 X damage. Causes Bleeding on a wound. | |
| Incendiary | Deals 12 X damage. Causes Burning in the affected area. | |
| Concussion | Deals 12 X damage. Causes Stunned on a wound. |
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel. Ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at auctor. Quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod quis. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus. Nunc sed id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque. Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. At auctor urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam dignissim. Amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Nibh sit amet commodo nulla facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a. Habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Integer quis auctor elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas. Vitae proin sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus.
| Name | Gains | Effect Summary | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agate Alarm | 1 | Makes noise if people pass by the stone | |
| Anti-toxin | 3 | Counters the poisoned condition | |
| Beast Speech Potion | 1 | Allows the imbiber to communicate with animals | |
| Bottled Lightning | 3 | Throw to add stunned to an area | |
| Dowsing Rod | 3 | Counters the burning condition | |
| Fire Flask | 3 | Throw to add burning to an area | |
| Health Potion | 3 | Clears 2d12 hits | |
| Health Potion, Major | 4 | Clears 3d12 hits | |
| Health Potion, Minor | 2 | Clears 1d12 hits | |
| Hydroskin | 1 | Stores large supplies of water in a small container | |
| Ice Flask | 3 | Throw to add chilled to an area | |
| Instant Igloo | 1 | Deploys and collapses a large tent | |
| Ironskin Potion | 3 | Adds armor resistance to unarmored characters | |
| Jar of Flies | 4 | Casts Summon Swarm in an area | |
| Liquid Darkness | 1 | Makes an area of darkness | |
| Mana Potion | 3 | Restores 2d12 mana | |
| Mana Potion, Major | 4 | Restores 3d12 mana | |
| Mana Potion, Minor | 2 | Restores 1d12 mana | |
| Midnight Oil | 1 | Prevents exhaustion from lacking sleep | |
| Oil of Accuracy | 2 | Casts True Strike on the dipped weapon | |
| Perpetual Provisions | 1 | Stores large quantities of food in a small container | |
| Slippery Sieve | 3 | Counters the entangled condition | |
| Slumber Potion | 1 | Puts the imbiber into a deep sleep | |
| Smoke Bomb | 3 | Adds blind to an area | |
| Solar Flare | 1 | Makes an area of bright light | |
| Soothing Gel | 3 | Counters emotion magic effects | |
| Sudden Seance | 1 | Allows the imbiber to communicate with the dead | |
| Thermal Patch | 3 | Counters the chilled condition | |
| Time Hopper | 4 | Casts Planar Push on the imbiber |
| Name | Gains | Effect Summary | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballistic Protection | 2 | +1 resistance versus Ballistic damage (maximum 6) | |
| Blunt Protection | 2 | +1 resistance versus Blunt damage (maximum 6) | |
| Bulwark | 4 | Gives the wearer an additional Vital | |
| Buoyancy | 2 | Makes the armor act as a flotation device | |
| Cold Resistance | 2 | Lets the target reroll chilled condition checks | |
| Energy Protection | 2 | +1 resistance versus Energy damage (max 6) | |
| Explosive Protection | 2 | +1 resistance versus Explosive damage (max 6) | |
| Feather Fall | 2 | Armor prevents falling damage | |
| Fire Resistance | 2 | Lets the target reroll burning condition checks | |
| Glamoured | 2 | Makes armor appear as normal clothing | |
| Gravity Reduction | 4 | Treats armor as if it was 1 weight category lower | |
| Piercing Protection | 2 | +1 resistance versus Piercing damage (max 6) | |
| Reactive Shield | 4 | Redirects explosive damage to an adjacent target | |
| Reflective Shield | 4 | Redirects energy damage to an adjacent target | |
| Reinforced | 2 | Reduces armor piercing effects by 1 | |
| Shock Resistance | 2 | Lets the target reroll stunned condition checks | |
| Slashing Protection | 2 | +1 resistance versus Slashing damage (max 6) | |
| Spiked Shield | 4 | Damages melee attackers |
| Name | Gains | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amulet of Forcefield | 7 | Wearer can cast Forcefield | |
| Amulet of Vitality | 7 | Wearer has 1 additional vital | |
| Amulet of Warding | 8 | Wearer can cast Ward | |
| Amulet of Wizardry | 7 | Wearer has 6 additional mana points | |
| Boots of Alacrity | 5 | Wearer can reroll initiative checks | |
| Boots of Haste | 6 | Wearer can cast Haste on themselves | |
| Boots of Levitation | 7 | Wearer can cast Levitate on themselves | |
| Crown of Heroes | 7 | Wearer can reroll charisma checks | |
| Diviner’s Deck | 5 | The divination spell becomes more accurate | |
| Encyclopedia Magica | 7 | Wearer can reroll knowledge checks | |
| Gloves of Telekinesis | 5 | Wearer can cast Telekinesis | |
| Hypnotist’s Locket | 7 | Suggestion and Alter Memory can’t be dispelled | |
| Mask of Intentions | 7 | Wearer can reroll manipulation checks | |
| Psychic Spectacles | 6 | Wearer can cast ESP | |
| Ring of Air Affinity | 6 | Wearer deals +1 critical damage with air spells | |
| Ring of Cold Affinity | 6 | Wearer deals +1 critical damage with cold spells | |
| Ring of Cold Resist | 6 | Wearer gains an additional roll to cancel chilled | |
| Ring of Earth Affinity | 6 | Wearer deals +1 critical damage with earth spells | |
| Ring of Fire Affinity | 6 | Wearer deals +1 critical damage with fire spells | |
| Ring of Fire Resist | 6 | Wearer gains an additional roll to cancel burning | |
| Ring of Force Affinity | 6 | Wearer deals +1 critical damage with force spells | |
| Ring of Shock Resist | 6 | Wearer gains an additional roll to cancel stunned | |
| Robe of Eyes | 7 | Wearer can reroll perception checks | |
| Robe of Illusion | 7 | Wearer can cast Visage | |
| Spectacles of Insight | 7 | Wearer can reroll non-initiative intuition checks | |
| Staff of Arcana | 8 | Grants focus in spellcraft if they do not have it | |
| Staff of Gaia | 8 | Grants focus in elemental if they do not have it | |
| Staff of Renewal | 8 | Grants focus in soul if they do not have it | |
| Staff of Sidereal Time | 8 | Grants focus in celestial if they do not have it | |
| Winged Robe | 6 | Robe prevents falling damage |
| Name | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Accurate | Additional die to attack rolls (max 12) | |
| Acid | Targets gain the persistent acid condition on a wound. | |
| Blinding | Targets gain the blind condition on a wound. | |
| Deadly | Additional die to damage rolls (max 12) | |
| Deafening | Targets gain the deafened condition on a wound | |
| Dispelling | Casts Dispel on dealing a wound | |
| Energetic | Melee weapon deals energy damage | |
| Firebrand | Targets gain the burning condition on a wound | |
| Fireburst | Casts Breath of Fire on dealing a wound | |
| Frostbrand | Targets gain the chilled condition on a wound | |
| Iceburst | Casts Cone of Cold on dealing a wound | |
| Returning | Recalls the weapon to hand as a 1 counter action | |
| Shockbrand | Targets gain the stunned condition on a wound | |
| Shockburst | Casts Shock on dealing a wound | |
| Void | Allows a weapon to attack through shadows | |
| Vorpal | Targets gain the bleeding condition on a wound |