So here it is, my RPG project

Though it’s preferable in many cases that players role-play and describe what their characters do in the game, a lot of times, success is not and should not be a guarantee. Though some troupes may be comfortable with simply role-playing a game and foregoing any dice rolling whatsoever, games are often much more fun when an element of chance is introduced, and that is where the system comes in. The system relies on a series of Traits, representing 10-sided dice, which are rolled to determine the success or failure of a particular task a character is trying to accomplish. This chapter is dedicated to both the rolling of the dice and the traits that are used to determine how many dice to roll, while the next chapter, “The Rules”, is dedicated to knowing what traits to use in what situations.

What You Need
This game is intended as a pen & paper role-playing game, requiring not only this rule book, but 10 – 30 10-sided dice, a notebook to keep notes in, and character sheets filled out for each Player Character (PC) starring in the game. A version of the character sheet that can be copied and printed out is provided at the end of the book in the Chapter 13: Characters.

The Dice
This system relies on 10-sided dice. When a roll is made, the die pool is going to be determined by the Traits being rolled. A normal roll will pair an Attribute with an Ability, such as Agility + Martial Arts, and if a character has an Agility of 3 and Martial Arts of 2, 5 dice would be rolled. A magic roll will often pair Active Willpower with motivating Qualities. Which means, if a character has an Active Willpower Rating of 5, with motivating Qualities of Pride at 3, and Deceit at 2, 9 dice would be rolled (4 Active Willpower after spending a point for the casting + 3 Pride + 2 Deceit).

Difficulty: Next, the difficulty of the roll must be determined. A base difficulty is set either by the action being taken, or by the Storyteller. Conditional modifiers may be applied to either increase or decrease the difficulty further. The difficulty can be raised or lowered by a total of 3 by conditional modifiers. Character modifiers resulting from Racial Merits or Flaws or a Specialty can also modify the difficulty. After all modifiers are applied, the lowest difficulty possible is 3, while the highest difficulty is 8 (Storytellers may decide to alter this, but as the difficulty is raised above 8, it becomes more likely for a roll to botch than simply fail, let alone succeed). If a difficulty is lowered below 3, instead of lowering the difficulty any further, an equal number of automatic successes are added to the roll. A difficulty of 2 would add 1 automatic success to a roll with a difficulty of 3. A difficulty of -2 would add 5 automatic successes to a roll with a difficulty of 3. When a difficulty is set or raised above 8, an equal number of extra successes must be achieved on a roll. A difficulty of 9 would need at least 2 successes on a roll with a difficulty of 8 to succeed. A difficulty of 12 would need at least 5 successes on a roll with a difficulty of 8 to succeed.

Specialties: When a character has an Attribute or Ability that reaches 4, they are allowed to choose a specialty. This is a specialized application of the Trait that the character excels in above any other. When a specialty applies to a roll, the character has the choice to give the roll a +1 die bonus or a -1 Difficulty modifier. If conditional modifiers are already at -3, the die bonus must be taken unless two specialties apply, in which case, both the bonus and modifier are granted.

The Roll: Once the die pool and difficulty are calculated, the dice are rolled.

• For each die that lands on a number equal to or greater than the difficulty, a success is counted towards the action being taken.
  
• For any die that landed on a 10 a new die is rolled, preferably of a different color to keep track of which dice were re-rolls. The new die is rolled at the same difficulty of the roll, and any dice landing on the Difficulty Number or higher for this roll are also counted as a success. If another 10 is rolled, it is not rolled again. If a character wants to spend a Willpower Point in order to add a Quality Rating to the roll, these dice are also rolled at this point.
  
• If less than the minimum number of successes needed was rolled, the roll failed, and if any 1’s were rolled it is a critical failure, meaning the character botched his intended action somehow. The more 1’s rolled, the more dire the mishap. Do not count any 1’s rolled on new dice rolled because of 10’s or for spending a Willpower Point to add a Quality Rating to the roll.
  
• If at least the minimum number of successes needed was rolled, subtract any 1’s rolled and if the number of successes remaining is less than the minimum number of successes need the roll failed, but it is not a critical failure no matter how many 1’s are rolled.
  
• If at least the minimum number of successes needed still remain, the roll succeeded, the more successes rolled over the minimum required, the greater the degree of success.
  
• If a character’s die pool is greater than the difficulty, the player can opt not to roll and instead take a number of automatic successes equal to the difference between the number of dice in his pool and the difficulty of the roll.

Example 1a: Samantha’s elven character Elissia Lightbreeze is trying to find food in the desert. The Storyteller decides this will take a Perception + Survival roll at a difficulty of 10 (8 with 3 successes needed) to find something to eat. Elissia has a Perception of 3, and a Survival of 4 with a Specialty of Deserts. She takes a -1 Difficulty Modifier to lower the difficulty to 9 (8 with 2 successes needed), then rolls 7 dice, rolling 8, 9, 6, 7, 7, 1, and 10. She then rolls a new die for rolling a 10 and gets a 1. She counts the 8, 9, and 10 for 3 successes. She then subtracts the 1 she rolled on her initial roll, ignoring the 1 she rolled on the re-roll for the 10, leaving her with 2 successes, just enough to succeed. She finds enough food to sate her hunger for now, but it’s hardly enough to be considered more than a light snack.

Example 1b: Samantha instead rolls a 1, 4, 1,7, 7, 1, and 10. She then rolls a new die for rolling a 10 and gets a 1. She counts the 10 for 1 success, not enough to succeed. She then counts the three 1’s as a critical failure. In her hunting, she disturbed a poisonous snake, biting her before she has time to react, she’ll now have to deal with the deadly venom coursing through her veins. If she had rolled two 1’s, the venom might have been less deadly, while only one 1 could have given her a Reflexes + Brawl/Dodge/Martial Arts roll to avoid being bitten.

Example 2: Chris’ dwarven character Rolan Darkstone has wandered deep into a system of caverns in search of gems to mine. Feeling along the walls, he comes to a place where the rough stone bulges out into a smooth surface. He’s found something and intends to dig it out with his pickaxe. The Storyteller declares the difficulty for the Strength + Mining roll to dig it out to be 5. Rolan’s Racial Merit lowers the difficulty to 3, and with a Strength of 4 with a specialty of Arm Muscles, and Mining of 4 with a specialty of Gems, he has a die pool of 9 for a roll of a difficulty of 2. He can either opt to take 7 automatic successes on the roll, or 1 automatic success and roll 9 dice at a difficulty of 3. He opts for the 7 automatic successes, and makes quick work of extracting as many gems as he’s able to carry back out of the cavern.

Example 3: Derrick's gnomish character Marvel Blacksoot is trying to negotiate a lower price for needed parts to his new invention with a local merchant. The Storyteller says he needs to roll Wisdom + Haggling, Difficulty 8 to convince the merchant to lower his price. People not being his strong point, Marvel has a Wisdom of 2 and Haggling of 3 for a total of 5 dice. Being a little strapped on cash, he decided to spend a Willpower Point to add his Empathy of 2 to the roll. He starts by rolling 5 dice for Wisdom + Haggling, rolling a 6, 10, 4, 8, and 1. He then rolls another die for the 10 he rolled plus 2 dice for Empathy for a total of 3, rolling a 5, 8 and 3. He counts the 10, 8 and 8 for a total of 3 successes. Subtracting the 1 he rolled, he's left with 2. The Storyteller must now decide just how much 2 successes are worth reducing the price by, settling on a 10% discount on the parts.

Attributes
Attributes are the character’s defining traits, measuring their strengths and weaknesses in three categories: Social, Mental, and Physical. All attributes start at 1, and can rise to a maximum of 5 unless further increased by a Racial Merit or by magic.

Social
Charisma: Feats involving friendly interaction, trying to calm down a potentially or already hostile situation, and how well others receive you.

Wisdom: Feats involving insights into others thoughts and emotions, wisdom is the ability to understand living beings, as opposed to being able to understand abstract concepts as implied by Intelligence. It can also be used to defend against attempts to deceive, confuse, or otherwise manipulate.

Manipulation: Feats involving the exploitation of others, deceit, seduction, or any social situation where the character is acting on an ulterior motive.

Mental
Intelligence: Feats involving careful thought and analysis, abstract thinking and retained knowledge/long term memory.

Instincts: For some races, Intelligence is replaced by Instincts, preventing them from using any Ability in any way that requires Intelligence. They cannot learn Intelligence specific skills unless their Instincts is at level 4 or 5, at which point they may learn them up to level 1 or 2 relatively, but they count as +3 their normal value on the Memory Loss chart. However, Instincts can always be added to any Reflexes + Ability roll, and a further -1 difficulty when used with Instinctive Abilities.

Memory Loss: Races with Instincts tend to forget Abilities, among other things, much more easily than races with Intelligence. The abilities placed under the Mental column are considered instinctive and are not forgotten by the character, but all others must be practiced routinely or else they begin to degrade. At level 1, an Ability must be practiced for at least an hour within a month to be retained. At level 2, it must be practiced for at least 2 hours for every 2 weeks. At level 3, it must be practiced for at least 3 hours for every week. At level 4, it must be practiced for at least 1 hour every day. At level 5, it must be practiced for at least 3 hours every day. Failure to keep up with this requirement causes the ability to decrease by 1 level. Any ability (up to 10 and unless it’s stated it cannot be Instinctive) can be placed under the Mental column and becomes Instinctive, preventing it from being forgotten despite how little it’s practiced.

Reflexes: A gauge of a character’s ability to react quickly, Reflexes can often help or hinder other Attributes when time is of the essence. In situations where a quick response to a question is needed, or a flash of movement needs to be noticed, or to see if a character can react to a sudden attack, Reflexes is added to the appropriate Attribute that would otherwise be used in the situation, and the average of the two (rounded down) is used on the roll.

Perception: Feats involving the senses and awareness.

Physical
Strength: Feats involving brute force and muscle, such as lifting, breaking, or inflicting damage.

Agility: Feats involving mobility and flexibility.

Stamina: Feats involving endurance or resisting pain, poison, disease, etc.

Abilities
Abilities are the specific talents, skills, and knowledge characters possess. A character can learn any Ability justified by her background and the events of the story, and the player can choose whether the Ability is a Primary Ability or Secondary Ability. When a player picks an Ability to be a Primary Ability, she must then decide whether it is a Social, Mental, or Physical Primary Ability, and list it under the appropriate column. Up to 7 Abilities can be listed under each column. When using the Primary Ability with one of the three Attributes under the column it is listed in, their character gets a -1 difficulty on the roll. The same Ability cannot be listed under more than one column. Secondary Abilities do not receive this bonus.

Special Notes
(SMP): Social, Mental, Physical, the column an Ability can be listed under as a Primary Ability.
Athletic-based: Abilities that apply to the Satyrs’ Racial Merit.
Creative-based: Abilities that apply to the Gnomes’ Racial Merit.
Industrial-based: Abilities that apply to the Dwarves’ Racial Merit.
Instinctive: Abilities that do not apply to Memory Loss even if not listed as a Primary Mental Ability, and do not receive the normal +2 Difficutly if the character does not have the Ability. Some Instinctive Abilities have special circumstances in which this applies, such as (Instincts only) indicating the character must possess Instincts for the +2 Difficulty not to apply.
Intelligence-based: Abilities that can only be learned by characters who possess Intelligence or Instincts 4 (up to level 1) or Instincts 5 (up to level 2). Intelligence-based Abilities cannot be used at all by characters who do not possess at least the first level of these Abilities.

Special Abilities
Special Abilities are ones that can only be learned under certain conditions and cannot be used at all unless a character possesses at least the first level of the Ability. A character cannot use their starting Ability points to raise Special Abilities, and must raise them with either Customization Points or Experience Points at a higher cost than other Abilities.

Socialize (S): An ability reflecting a strong knowledge of people and social etiquette, Socialize can only be learned by people of a cultured background, reflected by a Citizenship of 6, Status in a political or social society, or a Patron who can teach it. Socialization can replace any Basic Social Skill at a +1 difficulty; though up to five of these can be chosen as the character’s focus. At the first level, one Basic Social Skill may be used at no modifier. At the second level, the chosen skill receives a -1 difficulty modifier while a second skill may be chosen at no modifier. At the third level, another skill can be chosen at no modifier. At the fourth level, one of the two skills listed at no modifier can be used at -1 difficulty as well while a new skill can be chosen at no modifier. And at the fifth level, a last skill can be used at no modifier, allowing for 2 skills to be used at -1 difficulty and 3 at no difficulty modifier, while the rest still receive the +1 modifier. However, Socialize is raised at 4 Customization Points per level or 5 XP for the first level and Current Level x4 for each additional level.

Formal Education (M): Intelligence-based. This is the general Mental Ability indicating the character has went through a number of years of schooling within a classroom or with a private mentor, again requiring at least a Citizenship of 6, Status in an intellectual society or merchant guild, or a Patron who can teach it to the character and works the same way for Basic Mental Abilities as Socialize works for Basic Social Abilities, and is also raised at 4 Customization Points per level or 5 XP for the first level and Current Level x4 for each additional level.

Martial Arts (P): Representing formal combat training, whether private or military, Martial Arts offers a broader range of abilities to be trained together, allowing Martial Arts to do the same for Basic Physical Abilities as Socialize for Basic Social Abilities; however, certain Abilities are automatically used at no difficulty modifier instead of +1 based on what Style of Martial Arts the character learns. Any Brawl Maneuver can be learned as if Martial Arts was 2 levels higher (Martial Arts 1 can learn Brawl 3 Maneuvers), any Athletics or Dodge Maneuver can be learned as if Martial Arts was 1 level higher, and any Melee Technique or Maneuver can be learned as if Martial Arts was the same level as Melee. Again, Martial Arts requires a character to have a Citizenship of 6 or Status in an army or some kind of mercenary guild or other relevant group to learn and costs 5 Customization Points per level or 7 XP for the first level and Current Level x5 for each additional level to raise.

Melee (MP): An ability much like Martial Arts, but specific to armed combat, Melee allows characters to learn a variety of weapon skills without having to raise each skill individually. Each level of Melee allows a character to learn up to 3 Weapon Techniques and/or Maneuvers. Weapon Techniques a character knows with Melee can be used at no penalty, while Techniques the character hasn’t learned are only at -1 difficulty instead of -2. Melee requires Citizenship 6 or Status in a relevant group to learn and is raised at 4 Customization Points per level or 5 XP for the first level and Current Level x4 for each additional level.

Acrobatics (MP): Athletic-based. Flips, trips, tumbles, and rolls, acrobatics is the art of movement and more than entertaining, it can, for each success on a Reflexes or Agility + Acrobatics roll, difficulty 8, prevent 1 fall damage. It can also be added to any Athletics or Dodge roll, giving the roll a -1 difficulty. Any Athletics Maneuver can be learned as if Acrobatics was two levels higher (Acrobatics 1 can learn Athletics 3 Maneuvers), and any Dodge Maneuvers can be learned as if Acrobatics was one level higher. Acrobatics is a very rare skill and requires Status in a relevant group to learn and is raised at 3 Customization Points per level or 4 XP for the first level and Current Level x3 for each additional level.

Fencing (MP): Fencing is a sword fighting style more suited to light but quick fighters using their Agility and Reflexes to their advantage to compensate for their lack of Strength, relying on speed and accuracy to strike at deadlier areas. Characters with Fencing taking more than one action in a turn can add Reflexes and Agility together with Fencing before splitting their die pool even if only using one weapon and any targeted area is at -1 difficulty to the normal modifier at level 1 and 2 unless the modifier is +1 or +0, only suffers +1 difficulty at most at level 3 and 4, and has no modifier to any location at level 5. If the specialty Dual Blades is taken, the difficulty for the off-hand is only +1 if not Ambidextrous and -1 on the first attack if the character has the Merit in addition to the +1 die or -1 difficulty for the Specialty. Fencing teaches both the Swords and Knives Techniques at the first level, but can only be used with fencing weapons, which are light, slender swords no longer than 1 meter in length and daggers no shorter than 30cm, and special Maneuvers can be designed to be used with the Ability by following the guidelines under Fencing Maneuvers in the Chapter 6, one Maneuver can be learned at level 1, two at level 2 and 3, and three at level 4 and 5. As with other Special Abilities, a Privilege must justify the character being taught this skill and it costs 3 Customization Points per level or 4 XP for the first level and Current Level x3 for each additional level. Fencing cannot be raised higher than the average of your Reflexes and Agility (rounded up).

Firearms (MP): Intelligence-based. A very rare and closely guarded secret of the most skilled weapon inventors, firearms and the bullets and gunpowder needed for them can only be supplied and maintained by characters with the Gunsmithing Ability. If a character doesn’t possess Gunsmithing or an Ally who does, it cannot be learned as the weapons and ammunition cannot be obtained. Firearms costs 3 Customization Points per level or 4 XP for the first level and Current Level x3 for each additional level.

Gunsmithing (MP): Intelligence-based. Characters who have a Specialty of Weapons in the Invention along with some aptitude in Chemistry, Metallurgy and Weaponsmithing can begin to learn how to make gunpowder and weapons that utilize it. It’s a difficult process as likely to explode as succeed, but once the skill is learned, it gets easier. Gunsmithing costs 3 Customization Points per level or 4 XP for the first level and Current Level x3 for each additional level.

High Ritual (SMP): Intelligence-based. A specialized Ability for the creation and performance of highly detailed and complex pre-defined Rituals for the casting of magic, High Ritual can be self-taught by an Ascended with the Art of Prophecy or higher, or taught by someone who already possesses the Ability, even to the Unawakened. The use of this Ability is further explained in Chapter 12 - Magic. High Ritual costs 3 Customization Points per level or 4 XP for the first level and Current Level x3 for each additional level.

Basic Social Abilities
These Abilities are able to be replaced by Socialize. It is preferable that players role-play many of these abilities out, but often, a character’s proficiency in them will be greater than the player’s ability to role-play it. In important social situations where a Storyteller doesn’t feel a player’s role-playing alone is enough to succeed in the character’s objective, or if a player’s knowledge of a situation is something the character may not necessarily know, he can call for a roll of one of these abilities.

Carousing (S): The ability to successfully host and attend social gatherings and mingling with the movers and shakers attending. Carousing can be used to leave a favorable impression on people the character talked to at the gathering (Charisma), identify important attendees (Wisdom), as well as possibly get some useful gossip out of those attending (Manipulation).

Diplomacy (S): The art of dealing with foreign nations, cultures and races, smoothing out misunderstandings, and diffusing potentially hostile situations.

Etiquette (S): Proper manners can be very important in social settings, especially among nobility and doubly so for commoners among nobility. Sometimes the wrong gesture or inappropriate word can lead to trouble. Etiquette allows one to navigate the subtle rules of conduct from circle to circle and can be rolled with Charisma, Wisdom, or Manipulation. Wisdom can also be used if trying to mimic unfamiliar customs, but at a +1 difficulty.

Intrigue (S):

Leadership (S): The ability to lead and gain the trust of those who follow you, Leadership allows a character to build the trust and respect necessary to take charge and dictate commands and have people actually follow his orders.

Politics (S):

Public Speaking (S):

Seduction (S):

Sense Deception (S): Instinctive (Instincts only). The ability to tell when someone is lying or otherwise hiding their true intentions, Sense Deception is used with Wisdom as a counter against Subterfuge and Manipulation.

Subterfuge (S): The ability to lie and deceive, Subterfuge is used with Manipulation in order to influence others under false pretenses, come up with plausible lies to calm suspicion, and other forms of deceit to help a character get his way.

Wit (S): The ability to always have the right thing to say, Wit represents a character’s skill at coming up with a quick response or clever comeback. Good in social settings where witty discourse is sure to make an impression or quickly finding the answer someone wants to hear.

Basic Mental Abilities
Abilities able to be replaced by Formal Education.

Ancient Lore (M):

History (SM): Intelligence-based.

Instruction (SM): The ability to teach to others what a character already knows.

Investigation (SM):

Law (SM): Intelligence-based.

Linguistics (SM): Intelligence-based.

Literacy (M): Intelligence-based.

Local Lore (SM):

Magical Lore (M):

Meditation (M):

Occult (M):

Racial Lore (SM):

Research (M): Intelligence-based.

Scan (M): Instinctive.

Search (M): Instinctive.

Spirit Lore (SM):

Basic Physical Abilities
Abilities able to be replaced by Martial Arts. The Style listed under an Ability indicates it gets a -1 Difficulty Modifier (+0 if not made a focus, or -1 or -2 if listed as a focus) when used by a character utilizing that Martial Arts Style.

Alertness (SMP): Instinctive. Water & Earth Style.

Archery (MP): Weapon-based. Fire & Air Style.

Athletics (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive. Air Style.

Awareness (SMP): Instinctive. Water & Earth Style.

Axe Fighting (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Blind Fighting (MP): Water & Wood Style.

Brawl (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive. All Styles

Camouflage (MP): Air & Wood Style.

Climbing (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive. Wood Style.

Dodge (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive. Water & Earth Style.

Endurance (P): Instinctive. Earth Style.

Fast-Draw (M): Air Style.

First Aid (MP): Water & Earth Style.

Fist Loads (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Fletching (MP):

Flexible Weapons (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Flight (MP): Instinctive (Seraphim only). Air Style.

Interrogation (SMP): Water Style.

Intimidation (SMP): Instinctive. Water, Earth & Wood Style.

Intuition (SMP): Instinctive. Water, Earth & Wood Style.

Knife Fighting (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Mace Fighting (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Polearms (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Precision (P): Athletic-based, Instinctive. Water Style.

Ranged Weapons (MP): Weapon-based. Fire & Air Style.

Resistance (P): Instinctive. Earth Style.

Ride (SMP): Air Style.

Running (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive. Air & Wood Style.

Staff Fighting (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Stealth (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive. Air & Wood Style.

Survival (MP): Instinctive (Instincts only). Wood Style.

Swimming (MP): Athletic-based, Instinctive (Merfolk or Instincts only). Air & Wood Style.

Swordsmanship (MP): Weapon-based. Fire Style.

Tactics (SM): Water Style.

Torture (SMP): Water Style.

Tracking (SMP): Instinctive (Instincts only). Wood Style.

Traps (SMP): Wood Style.

Underworld Abilities
Bribery (SM): Intelligence-based.

Disguise (SMP): Intelligence-based.

Escapology (MP): The ability to escape bindings of some sort. Different from Lock Picking, this is more an ability to slip out of cuffs, ropes, chains, straight-jackets, etc.

Fast-Talk (M): Intelligence-based.

Forgery (SMP): Intelligence-based.

Gambling (SM): Intelligence-based.

Impersonation (SMP): Anyone can

Lip Reading (SM): Intelligence-based.

Lock Picking (MP): Intelligence-based.

Panhandling (SM): Intelligence-based.

Pick Pocketing (SMP):

Scrounging (MP):

Sleight of Hand (SMP):

Street Smarts (SM): Intelligence-based.

Toxicology (M):

Merchant/Trade Abilities
Accounting (SM): Intelligence-based. Essential for managing assets and wealth, without which one could find them quickly diminishing. An Intelligence + Accounting could determine total income and expenditures, the difficulty depending on the amount of wealth and reliability of data by which the calculations are made, 5 successes being perfectly accurate, while with more you discover ways to reduce costs. A Reflexes + Accounting roll can recall any figure, the difficulty depending on how long it has been since the character did the calculations. A roll of Manipulation + Accounting can allow an accountant to “skim off the top” from his clients earnings or otherwise mislead him of his financial affairs, the difficulty depending on how much access the character has to his personal wealth.

Armorsmithing (SMP): Industrial or Creative-based.

Baking (MP):

Blacksmithing (MP): Industrial-based.

Brewing (SMP):

Bureaucracy (SM): Intelligence-based.

Business (SM): Intelligence-based.

Carpentry (MP): Industrial-based.

Cooking (SMP):

Finance (M): Intelligence-based.

Farming (MP):

Fortune Telling (SM):

Glassworking (SMP): Creative-based.

Haggling (SM): Intelligence-based.

Heraldry (SM):

Jewelry (SMP): Creative-based.

Leatherworking (SMP): Industrial or Creative-based.

Logging (MP): Industrial-based.

Metallurgy (M): Industrial-based.

Mining (MP): Industrial-based.

Pottery (SMP): Industrial or Creative-based.

Stone Cutting (MP): Industrial-based.

Stonemasonry (MP): Industrial-based.

Taxidermy (MP):

Weaponsmithing (SMP): Industrial or Creative-based.

Woodworking (SMP): Industrial or Creative-based.

Noble Abilities
Seneschal (SMP):

Style (S):

Art History (SM):

Fine Arts (SM):

Literature (SM):

Ranger Abilities
Animal Breeding (M):

Animal Ken (S):

Animal Lore (SM):

Animal Taming (SM):

Area Knowledge (SM):

Falconry (SM):

Hunting (MP):

Bard Abilities
Acting (SMP): Creative-based. Putting on a convincing performance is important not just on stage as any good conman will gladly show, and can range from displaying false emotions (Manipulation), impersonation (Reflexes for a general role, such as a soldier or from a different region than you really are, Wisdom for a specific person), while long term spying missions may call for rolls with Charisma, Stamina, Agility and Intelligence to completely replace a known person in an organization and fooling even their closest friends, Intelligence + Acting would be used to both study and remember the mannerisms and other fine details about the person you are to replace, Agility to perform them as well as voice replication, and Charisma to get the personality right.

Storytelling (SM): Creative-based.

Dance (SMP): Creative-based.

Musical Instrument (SMP): Creative-based.

Poetic Expres​sion(SM): Creative-based.

Singing (S):

Ventriloquism (SM): Intelligence-based.

Sailor Abilities
Cartography (MP): Intelligence-based.

Fishing (MP):

Navigation (M): Intelligence-based.

Sail (MP):

Healer Abilities
Anatomy (M): Intelligence-based.

Biology (M): Intelligence-based.

Herbalism (M):

Medicine (MP): Intelligence-based.

Inventor Abilities
Alchemy (M): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Architecture (SMP): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Chemistry (M): Intelligence-based.

Engineering (MP): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Invention (MP): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Jury-rigging (MP): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Metallurgy (M): Intelligence-based.

Repair (MP): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Technology (SMP): Intelligence and Creative-based.

Mage Abilities
Astrology (SM): Intelligence-based.

Cryptography (M): Intelligence-based.

Gematria (M): Intelligence-based.

Hypnotism (SM):

Numerology (M): Intelligence-based.

Philosophy (SM): Intelligence-based.

Sacred Geometry (M): Intelligence-based.

Stone Lore (M): Intelligence-based.

Artist Abilities
Artistic Expres​sion(SMP): Creative-based.

Painting (SMP): Creative-based.

Sculpting (SMP): Creative-based.

Scientist Abilities
Science (M): Intelligence-based.

Anthropology (SM): Intelligence-based.

Archaeology (MP): Intelligence-based.

Astronomy (M): Intelligence-based.

Botany (M): Intelligence-based.

Debate (SM): Intelligence-based.

Geology (MP): Intelligence-based.

Journalism (SM): Intelligence-based.

Logic (M): Intelligence-based.

Mathematics (M): Intelligence-based.

Naturalist (M): Intelligence-based.

Physics (M): Intelligence-based.

Psychology (SM): Intelligence-based.

Speed Reading (M): Intelligence-based.

Theology (SM): Intelligence-based.

Privileges
Things acquired throughout life, whether titles, possessions, or relationships with other people, privileges range from level 0 to 7, and unlike most Traits that are raised through spending experience points, Privileges are instead by raised or lowered by plot developments that warrant it once a character's starting Privileges are determined in Character Creation.

Allies: Personal friends the character keeps in touch with, level 1 being one friend of equal standing, 2 a friend of a slightly higher standing or two of equal standing, on up.

Citizenship: Citizenship measures a character’s standing in society. Someone who has no Citizenship is considered a hunted man, whether an escaped prisoner or slave or someone with a bounty on his head for whatever reason. Level 1 is the status of a slave, bound into servitude to another. Level 2 is a second-class citizen, not awarded the same rights and privileges as other citizens. Level 3 is a character living in poverty, living in little more than a shack if allowed and little more than a handful of copper to her name. Level 4 is the citizenship level characters start with unless they take a flaw to lower it. These characters are accepted as middle-class citizens, own a house and have about 1 gold coin of savings from a job they’re employed in. Level 5 is equal to a small business owner, employing a few people under her with about 2 gold saved up or a low-ranking public servant. Level 6 denotes a high-ranking commoner, either as a wealthy businessman, a public servant, or otherwise given a position of standing or authority by the local nobility, while level 7 is that held by the nobles and is required in order to raise the Privilege of Title.

Contacts: People who provide the character with special services, information, or other favors in return for something from the character, the exact relationship varying from situation to situation, working like the Allies Privilege, only more business-like in relationship.

Estate: A measure of the amount of land a character holds. Normal citizens often own a house, but technically, that house is rented to them or is within a city and has no actual land to go with it. Those with Estate, however, own a plot of land on the outskirts of a city, or a tract of land of which they can do as they please. Level 1 represents a small plot of land on which a character lives, not only a house, but a yard, likely with some sort of garden. Level 2 is a small farm, 3 a large farm with a town house or a small mansion, 4 a small mansion and enough land to rent out to a few people or a large mansion, 5 enough land to found a city, 6 large tracts of both wilderness and developed land, 7 enough land to found a nation.

Fame: The amount of public recognition a character has. Unless the Notoriety Flaw is taken, this means people who recognize the character will for the most part act favorably towards them, often being overly helpful and offering special favors, while the Notoriety Flaw means most people who recognize the character will react negatively towards them, from avoidance to scorn to open hostility. Level 1 is known to a certain group, 2 a local hero, 3 your name is spread throughout the neighboring cities, 4 your name has spread throughout the nation but you’re still not well recognized outside of the area, 5 a national hero, 6 an international myth, not well known, often exaggerated and not believed to be real, 7 a living legend.

Informants: Indicates a or spy network, your eyes and ears that bring whatever news they learn to your attention, level 1 is locally, 2 throughout a city, 3 a region, 4 two regions, 5 a nation, 6 two nations, 7 internationally.

Livestock: Animals kept for food, level 1 being a goat for milk or three chickens for eggs, 2 a cow, two goats, a goat and some chickens, or enough chickens for eggs and meat, 3 a small chicken or dairy farm, 4 a large chicken or dairy farm or a small cattle farm, 5 a large cattle farm, 6 two large herds of cattle, 7 four herds.

Patron: A patron is a wealthy, influential, and/or knowledgeable person who has decided to sponsor, support, or train the character. The player must decide what his character’s patron can benefit him with, whether it be his money, influence, knowledge, or a combination thereof, and why he helps the character. The storyteller will then use the character’s description to create the Patron’s character, the higher the rating, the more wealthy/influential/knowledgeable the Patron. The character can then roll Patron with an Attribute appropriate to the situation in order to gain his aide. The Difficulty is 7 if the Patron only helps him in one way, 8 if in two ways, or 9 if in all three. In terms of knowledge, each success lowers the XP cost of something by 1, in terms of money or influence, the Storyteller decides how much help is offered based on the number of successes rolled and the situation.

Servants: People you employ for various services, such as messengers, cooks, cleaning staff, entertainers, guards, and any number of other tasks for which they are fairly compensated, the player will decide how each job is compensated and how she treats those in service to her, and the storyteller will decide how loyal and skilled each servant is based upon the player’s description, a completely loyal servant is worth 5 servants who's loyalty is determined at the Storyteller's discretion, level 1 is 5 servants or 1 of complete loyalty, level 2 is 10 servants or 2 of complete loyalty, 3 is 25 servants or 5 of complete loyalty, 4 is 50 servants or 10 of complete loyalty, 5 is 100 servants or 20 of complete loyalty, 6 is 250 servants or 50 of complete loyalty, 7 is 500 servants or 100 of complete loyalty.

Slaves: People who are indebted to you, whether they were bought through the slave trade or are indentured servants to you. Working much like Servants, the main difference being Slaves are not compensated for their services as they are already paid for. And their loyalty depends solely on how well they are treated by the character and the Storyteller’s discretion.

Status: Indicates a position in some sort of organization, each level a rank higher within, from an initiate to leader.

Texts: A collection of writings the character owns or has access to. Level 1 being a few common texts, 2 a few rare texts or a small collection of common texts, 3 is a small personal library, 4 a large personal library, 5 access to a few private libraries around the city, 6 around the nation, 7 around the world.

Title: Characters who have a level of 7 in Citizenship are considered untitled nobles, those born of a noble family, but hold no actual position of authority. Characters with that level of Citizenship can then take this Privilege to indicate a position of authority. Knights, personal guards to higher-ranking nobles, hold level 1. Nobles in charge of a small village and its surrounding farmlands hold level 2. Larger cities and their surroundings are usually split up into a number of districts overseen by nobles holding level 3 of Title, who in turn are lead by a noble of level 4 overseeing the entire city. Level 5 are nobles in charge of defending and often expanding a nation’s border regions, while nobles of level 6 oversee them and many other lesser nobles in large regions the nation is divided among, all of whom defer to the ruler of the nation, holding level 7 of Title. With a title also comes wealth and land, making Title the most expensive Privilege to buy unless the noble is living in exile. Title 1 also comes with the Wealth 1 and Estate 1, costing a total of 3 points, while Title 2 comes with Wealth 2 and Estate 3, costing 5 points (+3 for Title 1 for a total of 8 ). Title 3 comes with Wealth 3 and Estate 3, costing 5 points (+3 for Title 1 and +5 for Title 2 for a total of 13). Title 4 comes with Wealth 3 and Estate 5, costing 3 points (a total of 16). Title 5 comes with Wealth 4 and Estate 5, costing 5 points (21 total). Title 6 comes with Wealth 5 and Estate 6, costing 6 points (28 total), and Title 7 comes with Wealth 6 and Estate 7, costing 8 points (36 total).

Transportation: Level 1 is a single horse, 2 two horses, 3 a chariot and three horses, 4 a carriage and six horses, 5 twelve horses and two carriages, a carriage and two chariots, or four chariots, 6 fifty horses and a collection of carriages and chariots, or a personal airship, and 7 a cavalry and chariot division (or an international carriage service) and personal airship, or a fleet of five airships.

Traveling Gear: Measured in how many you can personally equip and for how long. Starting with a single man for a month without need of restocking, to two months or two people for a month, to four months, two people for two months or four people for a month, x2 for each level on up. If Wealth is taken, 1 gold piece can be exchanged for the first level of Traveling Gear. Traveling Gear consists of an assortment of food, water, cooking utensils, utility knives, flint, rope, a tent, clothing, etc.

Wealth: Represents a savings and steady income of money, starting with 5 gold coins a saved up with an income of 1 gold coin a year, then 1 gold bar saved with an income of 5 gold coins a year, 5 gold bars with an income of 1 gold bar a year, 10 carats worth of diamonds with an income of 2 diamonds a year, 50 carats worth of diamonds and an income of 10 diamonds a year, enough wealth to sustain the entire economy of a small nation, to having enough resources to build a and sustain rather large empire of your own. Each level of Wealth costs its level in points, meaning level 1 costs 1 point, level 2 costs 2, level 3 costs 3, etc., so ultimately, level 2 costs 3 points total, level 3 costs 6, level 4 costs 10, 5 costs 15, 6 costs 21, and 7 costs 28. Once the points spent exceeds x2 the level, you can “buy” other privileges with the remaining points (2 points of privileges at level 4, 5 at level 5, 9 at level 6, and 14 at level 7) with the exception of Title. It is up to the player to determine where this source of income comes from.

Weapons: Indicates the number the character possesses. One for level 1, two for 2, four for 3, a range of weapons large to small at easy access at level 4, a small armory at level 5, a large armory at level 6, and enough to equip an army at level 7.

Willpower
The measure of the strength of the soul, Willpower is a reflection of a character’s determination and confidence, his drive to succeed, his self-reliance and his self-esteem. Willpower has two ratings, the Passive Willpower Rating and the Active Willpower Rating.

A character's Passive Willpower Rating is a mostly stationary rating that may go down only in cases of severe trauma that shakes a character's confidence in himself down to his very soul or through vicious magical attacks against a character by a very powerful witch, mage, spirit or god, and raised by experience points only if a character achieves a difficult and personally significant goal. An attack on a character's Passive Willpower is an attack on the character's very soul, and if this ever drops to 0, not only does the character die, but his soul is extinguished for eternity. This rating, as it suggests, is used passively by the character, such as when determining the minimum Difficulty of a roll attempting to manipulate or influence a character through mundane means, or control or attack a character through magic.

A character's Active Willpower Rating is much more fluid, continually going up or down throughout the game as the character spends it to further his objectives, and regains it as events bolster his confidence. The highest a character's Active Willpower Rating can be without magical spells used to increase it is his Passive Willpower Rating. Whenever a character actively uses his will, such as to cast magic or add a Quality Rating to his die pool for a greater chance of success, he must spend a point of his Active Willpower Rating, or Willpower Point. In special cases, such as the casting of magic, the remaining Active Willpower Rating after spending the Willpower Point may be rolled, but in most cases, spending a Willpower Point allows the rolling of a Quality to actively utilize a character’s will, generating dice to roll towards a specified action, mostly used to add dice to an action in order to increase the chance of success.

Qualities
Whereas Willpower measures the strength of one’s soul, Qualities are a measure of the soul’s desires. Twelve Qualities in all, they are divided between selfish desires, or Vices, and selfless desires, Virtues. Different Qualities are used in different ways including to fuel magic, but any use of a Quality requires a Willpower Point to be spent before it can be used. The use of Qualities is also how a character generates karma. Whether it is good or bad karma and how much is earned depends on how and why a character used the Quality and the impact of the action on others. Only one Quality can be used on any non-magical roll unless otherwise noted under certain circumstances, whereas magical rolls can use any number of applicable Qualities. The number of Qualities used on a roll determines the amount of karma generated.

Pride vs. Humility: The inevitable struggle between the self and others, Pride places the value of the self above anyone else, while Humility places others before yourself. All souls need a sense of pride, a sense of worth, a feeling of confidence within one’s self, but pride can lead one down a dangerous road of arrogance, overconfidence and hubris, making one believe he is above even the gods. Humility is a necessary sense of respect towards others and to the gods, and is important in redeeming one’s self in their eyes, but it can stifle the voice of the soul, undermine confidence, and kill aspirations.

Lust vs. Discipline: The struggle between Lust and Discipline is the struggle between pursuing one's desires and controlling them. Lust is not just limited to sexual desires, such desires are but one. Lust is the desire to possess. Whether sex, power, money, jewels, adrenaline, or any number of things, lust is a vice of compulsion, a need to have, to pursue lust is to pursue what one wants. But lust can turn to greed, the desire to deprive others of what one has or desires, to overindulgence, and to possess something at any cost. Discipline is the desire for restraint, for time to determine the consequences of one's actions, and for control over one’s urges. It is the ability to resist temptation and to focus on whatever one puts her mind to. But the constant desire for restraint can hold one back, the constant need for control can cause one to refrain from even the occasional indulgence.

Wrath vs. Empathy: Wrath and Empathy represent the conflicting desires to only care about your own feelings and expressing your anger and to care about the feelings of others and to attempt to understand them first. Wrath is one’s anger, hatred, and driving desire to let no one stand in one’s way. Wrath is a valuable shield against fear in the heat of battle, and a righteous rage against unwarranted attacks, but it can also lead to a short temper, and a preference to solve any problem with violence. On the other hand, Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to those around you, to feel their pain and act on their behalf as they would themselves, but it can make one all too easily affected by the emotions of others.

Deceit vs. Integrity: Truth vs. lies, trust vs. betrayal, this is the struggle between doing whatever necessary to benefit yourself and being someone others can rely on to keep his word. Deceit is the desire to hide one’s true intentions, to lie and mislead, to pretend to act in another’s best interests for one’s own gain, while Integrity is the virtue of truth, of allowing one’s true thoughts, feelings, and intentions to be known, to stand by one’s beliefs even when they oppose those around you, and to honor your promises no matter what.

Malice vs. Charity: The opposing feelings of contempt and compassion for others, the fight between Malice and Charity is the fight between the desire to cause and relieve the suffering of others. Malice is the desire to see others suffer, to cause them pain, to laugh at their hardship, and corrupts any action taken with cruel intentions and the pleasure one derives from it. Conversely, Charity is to show compassion for your fellow man, to do what you can to make another’s life easier or more enjoyable, to show kindness, and to relieve the suffering and pain of those around you.

Cowardice vs. Sacrifice: The conflict of Cowardice and Sacrifice is that of self-preservation and valuing something greater than yourself. Cowardice can be a healthy refusal to risk your life over trivial matters, to value your own life and not take it for granted, but it can also prevent you from taking chances, to cower in fear and to abandon those who are counting on you. On the other hand, Sacrifice is to go without what one needs so that another may have it instead, to go hungry in the place of someone else, to go poor so that another may get by, to risk one’s life to save someone else. It shows a profound sense of value to believe some hardships are worth enduring and some risks are worth taking for the greater good, but the more eager you are to risk your life for others, the more quickly your life will be thrown away. If you’re too busy looking out for everyone else, who’s looking out for you?

Virtues
Humility: Placing others before one’s self and humbling one’s self before the gods, the virtue of Humility is a virtue of respect and atonement, either in apologizing to someone you have wronged and earning their forgiveness, or repenting for your sins and reducing your bad karma. In order to make atonement, a character must go before a Priest and make an offering, then spend an Active Willpower Point and roll Humility at a difficulty of 8. If the character offers something of significance to him, Sacrifice can be added as well and the difficulty is lowered to 7. Each success rolled takes a point of bad karma away. Atonement can only be made once a week and unless it is done on a holiday, only when the character has an equal or higher amount of good karma. Humility can also be added to any roll a character makes to placate someone he has angered or make amends for a wrong committed against another.

Discipline: The virtue of self-control and restraint, of determination and a strong work ethic. A disciplined character is better able to resist temptation, manipulation, peer pressure, torture, and other means to sway her opinion or get her to divulge information. This can be done either by adding Discipline to a resistance roll, requiring the player to match or beat the number of successes rolled by the one she is resisting, or after such a roll has failed, requiring the player to roll Discipline by itself at a difficulty of 5 + the number of successes on the roll, but only needing 1 success. The later method can also be used by Ascended characters in order to resist mind-affecting magic. This use of Discipline does not earn any kind of karma. Discipline can also be added to any extended roll, again by adding it directly to one of the rolls (cannot be the first), or by giving the player an amount of rolls equal to Discipline to gain enough successes to succeed after one of the rolls has failed. If an extended roll has botched, Discipline can negate an equal number of ones, allowing the roll to simply fail or even succeed and allow it to continue being extended. This applies even to magic rolls, and using Discipline in this way is the only situation that allows a character to spend a second Willpower Point on a roll. When used to add dice to an extended magic roll after the first, Discipline is added to all the remaining rolls made. Discipline can also be added to a single magic roll or to all rolls on an extended magic roll without spending a second Willpower Point if an extended High Ritual roll of difficulty 7 or higher is required in order successfully complete the ritual to invoke the magic. Finally, Discipline can lower any modifier imposed due to distractions of any kind, up to the character’s level in Discipline, this cannot give the character a negative difficulty modifier, only negate a penalty. In all cases, only one use of Discipline can apply to any roll.

Empathy: The virtue of relating and understanding others, their emotions and perspectives, their hopes and dreams, and their hardships and fears. Empathy is a universal language and can be used in place of Linguistics to communicate with Instinctive characters or characters who do not speak the same language at a +1 difficulty instead of the +2 difficulty if Linguistics is used. It is also good in understanding someone’s emotional state or gauging their general about the character or the current topic with a Wisdom + Empathy roll, difficulty 8. Neither of these uses generates karma. A virtue of emotions, Empathy can be added to any roll during a highly emotional event. Empathy can also add to a roll used to try and sway the opinion of or otherwise influence others by appealing to their emotions.

Integrity: The virtue of truth and trust, Integrity can be added to any roll a character makes to convince people he is being truthful, but only if he actually is telling the truth. It can also be added to any roll a character makes to determine whether or not he is being lied to. Neither of these uses generates karma. Good karma can be generated through Integrity if a character is truthful in situations where it is difficult to be so or when lying would offer some sort of advantage to the character, or makes a significant promise and keeps his word for no reward to himself by spending Willpower and rolling Integrity, difficulty 8, while the Storyteller can assign a point of bad karma if a character uses the truth to be purposely hurtful or from an act of betrayal. Integrity can also be added to any magic roll trying to defeat mind-altering or illusionary magics, or any roll that otherwise exposes the truth or reveals a deception.

Charity: The virtue of sharing and good will towards others, Charity can be used in any action that can be considered an act of kindness to another. Charity always generates good karma, and even if a roll is not required but can still be considered an act of kindness, a player may spend a Willpower Point in order to gain a point of good karma if they succeed on a Charity roll, difficulty 8. If the act of kindness involves giving up something of personal significance to the character, Sacrifice can be added, lowering the difficulty to 7, and allowing up to 2 points of good karma to be earned if at least 2 successes are rolled.

Sacrifice: The virtue of Sacrifice represents the willingness to place someone or something above yourself. The act of risking your life to protect another, suffering in the place of another, or burdening yourself with hardship to relieve another’s hardship. Sacrifice can be also be added to any magic roll if the ritual involves the destruction of something of personal significance to the character.

Vices
Pride: The vice of arrogance, Pride is the belief of a character’s own importance, a measure of his confidence, which can all too easily turn to overconfidence, hubris, and the direct defiance of the gods. Pride can be used to add dice to any roll in any situation. However, Pride always generates a point of bad karma. If used on a magic roll that otherwise generates good karma, only the point for Pride is marked as bad karma.

Lust: The vice of desire, lust is the urge to possess. Sex, money, power, that shiny trinket at the merchant booth, it is a spur of the moment need to have. Lust can be added to any roll directly related to a character getting what he wants.

Wrath: The vice of anger, hatred and vengeance, Wrath is the desire to lash out at the slights against you and those you care about, to meet opposition with deadly force, to vent your rage. Wrath can be added to any attack roll or any roll to any action taken as an expression of anger, an act of vengeance, or directly against something or someone a character hates.

Deceit: The vice of deception, Deceit can be added to any roll where the character is being dishonest or has ulterior motives or hidden intentions, or can be considered an act of betrayal. Deceit can also be added to any illusionary or mind altering magic roll.

Malice: The willingness to inflict pain and suffering upon others, Malice can be used on any roll used to hurt another in anyway. Malice always generates bad karma, and on magic rolls that would otherwise generate good karma, all points of karma generated are bad karma when Malice is used.

Cowardice: The desire for self-preservation, Cowardice is a measure of how willing a character is to run from a situation, to only care about his own well-being, to abandon others in the face of danger, or to sacrifice or betray others to save himself, and can be added to any applicable roll. A character will generate a point of bad karma for any act of cowardice that endangers or betrays others.

Karma
Karma is a result of the spiritual connection souls have to each other, and the impact their will has upon that connection. Each action taken by a soul that directly affects other souls colors the soul’s karma through the spiritual reaction to how those souls were affected. If those souls were affected positively, the soul responsible for the positive affect is touched with good karma; if the affect was negative, the soul is instead touched with bad karma. Those affected do not have to be consciously aware of the one responsible, for their souls know through their spiritual connection who to direct their positive or negative resonance towards. The main source of karma is through the use of Qualities. When a mundane action is fueled by a Quality, unless otherwise noted, it has the possibility of generating one point of karma, while any act of magic generates as many points of karma as the number of Qualities used to fuel the casting. They also have the possibility of being neutral actions, in that no one in particular was affected either way to warrant good or bad karma being earned. Whether the action was fueled by a Virtue or Vice doesn’t necessarily translate into good or bad karma respectively. Virtues can be used to harm in certain circumstances, such as a spell utilizing Discipline intended to aid an attack on a village, or using Empathy to manipulate someone to do something they regret. Likewise, Wrath could be used while defending someone from a group of bandits.

Good Karma
Good karma is generated from actions that have a positive affect on those the action was committed for if a Quality was used to fuel the action. The Storyteller can also award a point of good karma, or double the amount of good karma earned if an action is exceptionally beneficial to a large number of people. When a character accumulates 20 good karma, she has the choice of raising a Quality for free if the opposing Quality is not high enough to block it from being raised, or, if it is, lowering a Quality so that the opposing Quality may be raised with experience points. All accumulated karma, good or bad, is then erased.

Bad Karma
Bad karma is generated from actions that have a negative affect on those the action was committed for or against. If a character attacks someone, or commits such an action against anyone that is fueled with a Quality, a point of bad karma is generated unless the person the character attacks has hurt a large number of people, who’s positive reaction to the person finally facing justice overpowers the person’s negative reaction to being attacked. Characters who are simply defending themselves or others from an attack do not generate bad karma under any condition. If a character’s action negatively affects a large number of people, again, the Storyteller may award a point of bad karma even if no Qualities were used, or double the karma generated if they were. When a character accumulates 20 points of bad karma, he must lower a Virtue, and may also choose to raise a Vice with experience points. All accumulated karma, good or bad, is then erased.

The Golden Rule
Though the following chapter is dedicated to the rules of the game, one rule trumps them all. That rule is that nothing is more important than enjoying the game. If a troupe doesn’t like a rule, they are free to alter or ignore it as they see fit. If a troupe needs a rule that isn’t found here, they can create one. No rule is set in stone, and this book is but a guide to give troupes ideas as to how they want their story to be told. The goal of the game is to enjoy telling a good story together, and should a rule get in the way of that, the rule should bend or break to give way to a better role-playing experience. With that in mind, we start with one of the most important and complex elements of RPG’s, the rules of combat.

Basic Combat Rules
As conflict is a vital element to any good story, and combat the epitome of conflict, a Storyteller would be hard pressed to run a game free of fighting. Whether it be defending their city from an invasion from the hoard, leading a rebellion against a corrupt king, escaping the king’s dungeon and battling his guards, fighting great beasts in search of treasure, a simple bar brawl or challenge to a duel, combat is one of the most varied and complex elements of a game. Below are found the basic, simplified rules for combat. These rules ignore all health bars but the Overall Health. The next section, Advanced Combat Rules, offers optional rules to expand combat, including various combat maneuvers, hit locations, and other complexities to make combat more realistic. Storytellers may feel free to use only the basic rules, all rules, or pick and choose which to apply to their games, as per the Golden Rule.

Combat Rounds
Combat is broken down into rounds lasting roughly 5 seconds where characters can each declare at least one action to perform within that round. This can be range from attacking or defending, to running across a room, to having the character’s horse leap an obstacle in its path to any number of actions. Combat rounds are further broken down into three stages to organize who does what and in what order, Initiative, Declaration and Resolution.

Stage One: Initiative
A character’s Starting Initiation is his Agility + Reflexes (+ Instincts). If the starting initiation is 7 or less, roll 1 die and add the number rolled to the score; if it is 8 or more, roll two dice and add the higher number rolled. This is your Base Initiation Score for the round (Some ST’s may decide to use this for the combat scene if it’s easier).

If a character is under the effects of magic that grants extra actions in a round, each full pool action gets a +5 bonus to its Base Initiation Score for each action left after the one they are currently taking (so if an enchantment grants 3 extra actions in a single turn, the character gets +15 for his 1st action, +10 for his 2nd, +5 for his 3rd, and +0 for his last).

Stage Two: Declaration
Once Initiation is determined for each action each character is able to take, the character with the lowest Base Initiation score declares his action first, followed by the character with the second lowest, on up to the character with the highest initiation declaring last. In the case of a tie, an NPC declares before a PC and if two PC’s are opposing each other, the character with the highest Reflexes goes first, followed by Instincts, then Agility, then Alertness. In the case that they’re all the same, each character can roll a die, lowest roll declares first. Declared actions can be pretty much anything a character wants to do in that turn, from attacking an opponent, to defending himself, to attempting to flee the battle, to trying to open a locked door before the guards catch up to him, to diving under a closing portcullis.

Once a character’s action is declared, he must take that action unless events make an action impossible to perform (such as the character a player is attacking dies or otherwise becomes unable to be attacked) or the character changes his action to a Defensive Action to defend against an attack against him announced by another character with a higher Base Initiation. In order to change a character’s action in either case, the character must spend an Active Willpower Point.

Movement: A character is able to move a number of meters equal to his Agility x2 in a round per action he is allowed to take while still being able to take an action. If the character does not wish to take an action other than running, he can move up to his Agility x4 in meters during the round.

Stage Three: Resolution
Once all actions are declared, the characters’ Initiation Scores are adjusted by their weapon’s Initiation Modifier, if any and the offensive or non-combat action with the highest Modified Initiation Score is rolled first. If the action is being opposed by another character, such as a character attempting to defend an attack against him, the opposing roll is then made regardless of the opposing roll’s Initiation. The successes from the defensive roll are subtracted from that of the offensive roll and if all the successes from the attack roll are negated the attack fails, while if successes remain, it hits and damage is figured. The action with the next highest Initiation is then taken, going from highest Initiation Score to lowest.

Actions
There are three general types of actions a character can declare in a round of combat: Offensive actions, where the character attempts to attack another character, defensive actions, where the character attempts to protect himself from an attack, and non-combat actions, where a character attempts to perform any other kind of action.

Non-Combat Actions
Many times throughout the course of combat, situations will come up that involve characters attempting to do things not directly related to combat. A group of characters may come upon a locked door while escaping some guards, forcing one to pick the lock while the others try to hold them off or there may be a race between two groups of treasure hunters to be the first to grab a rare treasure at the center of a room. For these actions, it is important to remember that time is of the essence. Rounds of combat only last about 5 seconds, and many things simply cannot be finished in so short of an amount of time. So, when it comes to actions that usually can’t be finished in a single round of combat, it is best to turn the action into an extended roll at difficulty 7 with a set number of successes needed to achieve the goal.

The number of successes set should be determined by doubling how many rounds on average the Storyteller believes the action should take to accomplish. A failure simply means something prevented the character from making any progress that turn but can still keep going. A botch would cause some kind of set back that will either detract from the successes gained, or make it more difficult for the character to continue.

Offensive Actions
In order to attack, the player starts by describing what the character is doing in order to attack his opponent. This can be as descriptive as the player wishes to make it. The player must then roll the character’s Agility + the Ability of the type of attack the character is making. If it is an unarmed attack, Brawl or Martial Arts is rolled at a Difficulty of 6 or7 for Brawl, or 5 or 6 for Martial Arts depending on how difficult he believes the described action is. An attack using a weapon uses either Martial Arts at -1 the Difficulty of the weapon for any kind of weapon save Firearms, Melee or the Ability of the type of weapon being used for close range weapons, or Archery, Ranged Weapons or Firearms at the Difficulty of the weapon used for ranged weapons. The Storyteller may also decide to add the character up to 3 extra dice on the roll based on how well the maneuver was described, especially if the player’s description involves the character using something to his advantage, and the player may also choose to spend Active Willpower to add a Quality to the action, which should somehow be included in the description of the action.

The total number of dice are then rolled, remember to keep the dice from Qualities separate, either by rolling them second along with the extra dice rolled from 10’s as they use the same rules, or by using a different color of dice for them. The character who is attacked may then make his roll to defend if he declared the intention to do so. If the character did not choose to defend the attack and the attack roll succeeded, figure damage

Close Combat
Close combat requires a character to be able to move to within one meter of his opponent in order to attack with Brawl, Martial Arts, Melee, or a weapon-specific Ability.

Brawl: When attacking while unarmed using Brawl, the Difficulty of the attack is 6.

Melee: When using a close ranged weapon with Melee or the weapon specific ability, the Difficulty of the attack is the weapon’s Difficulty.

Fencing: Only able to be used with a fencing sword or knife, the Difficulty is the weapon’s Difficulty -1.

Martial Arts: The Difficulty of an unarmed attack made with Martial Arts is 5; the Difficulty of an armed attack is the weapon’s Difficulty +1 unless the Ability for the weapon used is listed as a focus.

Ranged Combat
A character skilled in Ranged Weapons, Archery, or Firearms can attack from a distance so long as she has weapons to throw or ammunition to shoot. Ranged Weapons have a Rate at which they can be thrown or shot and a Range they can travel without losing accuracy. It can be thrown or shot up to 1.5x the Range at a +1 Difficulty to hit, while from over 1.5 up to 2x the Range, it is at +2 Difficulty. Beyond this it simply cannot be thrown or shot accurately and will more than likely fall short of the target anyways. The rate determines how many times the weapon can be fired using a normal action. A crossbow, for instance, fires at a Rate of 1/2, meaning 1 bolt can be fired every 2 turns as it takes 1 turn to load the bolt and turn to crank the bow, and another turn to fire. A bow has a Rate of 1, meaning 1 arrow can be fired each turn.

The Difficulty of a ranged attack is the weapon’s Difficulty; Martial Arts can be used in place of Archery or Ranged Weapons at a +1 Difficulty unless the Ability used is listed as a focus.

Defensive Actions
There are a few different ways in which a character can declare a Defensive Action. The character can either declare a Full Action Defense, where at least one full action a character has is declared to be devoted entirely to defense, declare a Reactive Defense, where a character spends an Active Willpower Point in order to change his declared action to defend against an attack declared against him by a character with a higher Initiation, or he can declare a Reflexive Defense, where a character attempts to defend against an attack while still being able to perform his Declared Action.

Regardless of how a character attempts to defend an attack, he must first describe how he does so. Again, the Storyteller may decide to award 1 to 3 extra dice to the roll if the player is especially descriptive and inventive in his defense, especially if the player can use something in the description of the attack to his advantage. The roll is then made per the rules listed below, and again, an Active Willpower Point may be spent to add a Quality to the die pool. Should the defender roll as many or more successes than the attacker, the attack is successfully defended and the defender takes no damage and describes the resolution of the attack. If the attacker rolls more successes, he then moves on to determining the damage roll.

Full Action Defense: When a character declares a Full Action Defense, meaning the character declares he is going to spend his full pool action defending during the Declaration Stage, he can take a number of defensive actions equal to his Agility in the round, rolling Reflexes (+ Instincts) + Ability for the type of defensive action he takes. He does not have to use the same ability for each defensive action he takes, but he can only make one defense roll against each attack made against him.

Reactive Defense: When a character has declared an action, then wants to change his action in order to defend against an attack declared against him, he must spend an Active Willpower Point to do a Reactive Defense. A Reactive Defense rolls a character’s Reflexes (+ Instincts) + Ability used to defend, but unlike a Full Action Defense, a Reactive Defense can only make one roll to defend against one attack and must be declared during the Declaration Stage.

Reflexive Defense: If a character doesn’t want to sacrifice his declared action in order to defend and his action doesn’t use Reflexes or Instincts, he may opt to do a Reflexive Defense by rolling Reflexes (+ Instincts) at a Difficulty of 7. A Reflexive Defense is always a Dodging Defense, trusting that the character can instinctively move in just the right way to avoid the attack while still carrying out the action he intended to take. Like a Reactive Defense, only one roll can be made against one attack, though if a character has multiple actions in the round, he may make a Reflexive Defense for each action he can take, so long as none of the declared actions use Reflexes and/or Instincts, and Reflexive Defenses can be declared at any time, including after the attack roll is made.

Deflecting Defense
One type of Defensive Action is to deflect the attack, either by blocking it if unarmed, or parrying it with a weapon. If a character can successfully deflect an attack, he gets +2 Initiation to his next action if it is an offensive maneuver against the same character he deflected the attack of.

Parry: Parries are an attempt to deflect an attack with a weapon. Only Melee weapons can parry, as ranged weapons are ill suited for such tasks unless specially modified to do so (such as unusually long throwing knives). Parry can attempt to deflect any close combat maneuver as well as any ranged attack except Firearms. Parrying thrown weapons is at a +1 Accuracy Modifier on the defense roll, and against Archery attacks, the roll is at +2 Accuracy. This means that if a player rolls 3 successes after subtracting the number of 1’s rolled while trying to Parry an arrow, treat it as if only 1 success was rolled. If only one success was rolled after subtracting for 1’s, treat is as if a failure, and if the roll was a failure or critical failure, it is no worse than it was before. If used against an unarmed attack and the defender rolls more successes than the attacker, treat the extra successes as if the character parrying executed an offensive action with a Damage Modifier of +0.

Parry, when used with Melee or a weapon specific Ability, is at the weapon’s listed Difficulty. With Fencing, it is at the weapon’s Difficulty -1, and with Martial Arts it is at +1 Difficulty unless the weapon specific Ability being used is listed as a focus.

Block: An attempt to deflect an attack while unarmed, a block can only be used to deflect other unarmed attacks. Blocking with Brawl is done at a Difficulty of 7 while with Martial Arts it’s at 6.

Dodging Defense
The other type of Defensive Action is to Dodge the attack, or attempt to avoid it by moving out of the way. Using Dodge, Athletics, Acrobatics or Martial Arts, it works like a Deflecting Maneuver, but requires room to move, and a Storyteller may rule that certain Athletics and Acrobatics cannot be used in confined spaces. Dodging Actions can attempt to dodge any kind of attack, though Archery attacks are at a +2 Accuracy Modifier to dodge and Firearms are at +3.

Dodge: Specifically meant to be used for dodging attacks, Dodge is used at a Difficulty of 6.

Athletics: Not meant for dodging, a character can still use Athletics at a Difficulty of 7 to attempt to avoid an attack.

Acrobatics: Though not necessarily meant for dodging, the level of body control, flexibility and movement that Acrobatics teaches allows a character to use it at a Difficulty of 5 in order to dodge attacks.

Martial Arts: Teaching a wide variety of combat skills, Martial Arts can be used at a Difficulty of 7 to avoid attacks unless Dodge is taken as a focus, in which case, the Difficulty is 6 or 5 depending on the focus modifier Dodge is listed under.

Cover
Even more effective than simply dodging out in the open is dodging behind some kind of natural protection. A wall, a tree, a fence, anything that can be ducked behind to partially or fully block an oncoming attack from hitting the character will do. Using cover provides two benefits, the first being that it makes a character harder to hit with ranged weapons by increasing the number of successes needed to hit the character. It also makes it easier to dodge any kind of attack by putting an obstacle between the character and the attack being dodged, granting a Difficulty Modifier on the defense roll. The Ranged Accuracy Modifier of cover is not added to the Accuracy Modifier of Called Shots, but if not enough successes are rolled to meet the Ranged Accuracy Modifier, the shot misses instead of following the rules of Called Shots. If a character is fully protected by cover, he cannot be targeted by ranged attacks.
Cover Dodge Difficulty Modifier Ranged Accuracy Modifier
25% of Body Covered -1 +1
50% of Body Covered -2 +1
75% of Body Covered -3 +2
Only Head Exposed -4 +3
Full Cover -4 N/A

Shields
Shields are used to aid a character in defending attacks, either passively by making it harder for opponents to hit the character, or actively by the character using a Shield Parry to block an attack. There are five types of shields: bucklers, target shields, heaters, kite shields and wall shields.

Bucklers: Small and light shields made of metal, bucklers give opponents a +1 Accuracy Modifier in close combat but are too small to pose much difficulty for opponents attacking from range. Bucklers are used at a Difficulty of 6, but the shield is lost if an opponent rolls 2x the successes on his attack roll as the character rolls on a Shield Parry or if the character’s roll is a critical failure.

Target Shields: Larger than a buckler, target shields are circular and often made of wood. Strapped to the character’s arm instead of held in his hand like a buckler is, it is not so easily disarmed but due to it’s size and shape, it gives the character a Mobility Penalty of 1 (-1 Agility when determining Movement). Opponents are at a +2 Accuracy Modifier to any kind of attack against the character and the shield is used at a Difficulty of 5 to parry.

Heaters: A heater is more of a triangular shape, but about the same size as a target shield. The shape allows for greater mobility, but also makes it easier for an opponent to get around it if not actively used, giving opponents a +1 Accuracy Modifier to attack the character, while the character uses the shield at a Difficulty of 5 to parry with no Mobility Penalty.

Kite Shields: The largest shields able to be carried, kite shields provide the best protection at the greatest hindrance. Favored by riders who don’t need to worry about its Mobility Penalty of 2 and Fatigue Rating of 1, it spans the length of a character’s chest down to his knees, giving opponents a +3 Accuracy Modifier to hit and the shield is used at a Difficulty of 4 to parry.

Wall Shields: Very large shields not meant to be actively carried, but are set on the ground to provide full cover for the character, often used by archers and crossbowmen to hide behind while they reload. A character with a Strength of 5 can carry a wall shield at a Mobility Penalty of 3 and Fatigue Rating of 2 to make it impossible for a character to be hit unless the shield is destroyed or the character is attacked from behind, but he cannot attack while carrying it except by using a Shield Bash or Charge at -3 Damage.

Damage
If a successful attack is not successfully defended, it is time to figure damage. Different kinds of attacks come with different ways of figuring damage.

Unarmed Attacks (Brawl or Martial Arts): The Damage Pool is the character’s Strength + successes on the attack roll over 4 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). Unarmed attacks cause lethal damage unless the character chooses to do dazing damage instead.

Weapon Attacks (Melee, Fencing, Ranged Weapons or Martial Arts): The Damage Pool is Strength + Weapon's Damage Modifier + successes on the attack roll over 4 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). Weapons do lethal or dazing damage based on the type of weapon used, a character may opt to spend an Active Willpower Point in order to do dazing damage with a weapon that usually does lethal.

Archery Attacks (Archery or Martial Arts): The Damage Pool is Weapon’s Damage Rating + Arrow's Damage Modifier + successes on the Attack Roll over 1 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). Archery does damage based on the type of arrow used.

Firearms: The Damage Pool is Weapon’s Damage Rating + Bullet’s Damage Modifier + successes on the attack roll over 1 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). No Damage Roll is made when using Firearms, instead, all remaining damage after soak is applied. The type of bullet used determines the type of damage caused.

Damage Types
Dazing Damage: Soft damage caused by maneuvers and weapons designed to soften their impact such a boxing gloves or training weapons, dazing damage is used in sparring and other circumstances when a character doesn’t want to kill his opponent. Represented by a \ through a health level, dazing damage doesn’t suffer die penalties from the damage, and if it reaches the point of Incapacitated or Dead, the character must spend an Active Willpower Point and succeed in a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 7 at Incapacitated, or 8 at Dead or beyond to stay conscious. Each time the character takes another level of dazing damage, a new Active Willpower Point must be spent and roll made until Willpower is exhausted or the roll fails. Once a health bar is filled with dazing damage, if more damage is taken it is marked as lethal damage, starting over from the beginning. Weapons designed to do dazing damage can deal lethal damage, or attacks designed to do lethal damage can do dazing damage by spending an Active Willpower Point. If the character uses Martial Arts, this can be done without spending Willpower.

Lethal Damage: Normal damage represented by an X, lethal damage is damage inflicted through use of fists, weapons, or other normal sources of injuries. Die penalties do count, and a character reaching the “D” health level with lethal damage is to the point of dying, and unless magically healed, will die per the rules listed in the Health section.

Aggravated Damage: Damage from fire, acid, magic, or other sources that burn or corrode the skin and are extremely difficult to heal, aggravated damage is represented by an >|< through a health bar, taking twice as long to heal as lethal damage, and often leaving the character permanently scarred and in pain (a permanent die penalty), which can only be fully healed by magic. Beyond this, Aggravated Damage is treated like Lethal Damage.

Soaking
Once the Damage Pool is figured, the victim’s Soak Rating is subtracted. The remaining number is then rolled at Difficulty 7, each success equaling 1 level of damage. Do not subtract successes for 1’s or roll extra dice for 10’s, simply count each die landing on 7 or higher as a level of damage. The only exception is Firearms, where the remaining number is applied as damage without a roll. If the Damage Pool is equal to or greater than the Opponent’s Armor Rating, but reduced to less than 1 after Stamina, Resistance and/or Natural Protection is applied, then 1 die is rolled even with Firearms at Difficulty 7 for the chance to deal 1 damage.

After the roll is made and damage is determined, or if no damage is done because it wasn’t strong enough to penetrate the armor, the attacker finishes the exchange by describing what had happened. The next offensive or non-combat action with the next highest Initiation gets resolved.

Dazing Damage: A character’s Soak Rating against Dazing Damage is the Armor Rating + Natural Protection + Stamina + Resistance.

Lethal Damage: A character’s Soak Rating against Lethal Damage is Armor Rating + Natural Protection + Stamina.

Aggravated Damage: A character’s Soak Rating against Aggravated Damage is Armor Rating + Natural Protection + Stamina (Certain kinds of magic can negate Natural Protection and Armor Rating by attacking the character internally).

Armor
If a character is protected by armor its rating is added to the Soak rating. The Armor Rating can range from 1 to 15, which is the amount of damage of any kind the armor can absorb as well as the armor’s Durability. The Armor Rating is then divided by 1.5 (round to the nearest number) to determine the Armor Penalty, and by 3 (round to nearest number) to determine the Strength Requirement. This means a suit of armor with a rating of 15 has a Durability of 15, an Armor Penalty of 10, and a Strength Requirement of 5, while a suit of armor with a rating of 8 has a Durability of 8, Armor Penalty of 5 and Strength Requirement of 3, and an Armor Rating of 7 has a Durability of 7, an Armor Penalty of 5 and Strength Requirement of 2. The Armor Penalty comes in two forms, the Fatigue Rating and the Mobility Penalty, which the penalty is divided between. These two penalties do not need to be the same, but they cannot have a difference of more than 3 (an Armor Penalty of 5 can be split 3/2 or 4/1 but not 5/0).

Durability: The Durability of a piece of armor is how hard of a hit it can take before it is damaged and is equal to the Armor Rating. If an opponent’s base damage pool is equal to or greater than the armor’s Durability, the impact damages the armor, reducing its Armor Rating by 1. Once it reaches an Armor Rating of 0, the armor is rendered useless and irreparable. Once a piece of armor with an Armor Rating of 8 or higher is reduced to half its original rating, it may also incur added Mobility and Fatigue Penalties at the Storyteller’s discretion as the thick metal plating of the armor is warped and bent, damaging the joint hinges and cutting off the already limited airflow within.

Fatigue Rating: Though a literal lifesaver in combat, armor is also hot and heavy. The better protection a suit provides, the greater the weight that the wearer must bare, and the more likely he is to become overheated from its stifling layers of protection. The Fatigue Rating is the amount of successes a character must score on a Stamina + Endurance roll, Difficulty 8 in sweltering weather, 7 if somewhat hot, and 6 in cooler weather, to avoid becoming worn out from the weight of the armor. If fewer successes are rolled than the Fatigue Rating, the character suffers -1 dice to all pools per success under (so if the fatigue rating is 3, but only 1 success is rolled, it's a penalty of -2). This penalty remains until the armor is removed and the character rests for 1 hour per die penalty (so in the example above, 2 hours must be spent resting). This roll is made at least once per hour the armor is worn and/or after a period of strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting, running, or combat.

Mobility Penalty: Armor is not only hot and heavy, but also cumbersome. The armor’s Mobility Penalty represents how difficult it is to move in a suit of armor. All those extra layers in addition to the weight inhibit a character from moving as freely or quickly as he can without the armor. Subtract a number of dice equal to the Mobility Penalty from all rolls using Agility (or Reflexes if it is replacing Agility) with the exception of Offensive Actions and Deflecting Actions.

Strength Requirement: A suit of armor may only be worn by a character who has a Strength of at least 1/3 the Armor Rating (1/2 the Armor Penalty) of the armor, otherwise, the suit is too heavy for the character to bare the weight of it.

Health
When recording damage, it’s important to remember that “lighter” damage is pushed ahead of “heavier” damage. This means that if a character suffers dazing damage, then takes lethal damage, the lethal damage is marked at the beginning of the health bar, while the dazing damage is pushed to the right.

[ ] : A superficial bruise or cut that comes with no die penalty and heals in a day of rest.
[-1] : A painful bruise or cut that comes with a -1 die penalty and takes a week of rest to heal.
[-2] : A large welt or painful gash that gives a -2 die penalty and takes two weeks of rest to heal.
[-3] : A large gash, or major internal wound that not only gives a -3 die penalty, but needs to be tended to in order to avoid blood loss, reduces movement to 3/4 and takes a month of rest to heal.
[-4] : A serious injury that comes with a -4 die penalty, the risk of blood loss, reduces movement to 1/2 and takes two months to heal.
[-5] : A crippling injury that comes with a -5 die penalty, a major risk of bleeding to death, reduces movement to 1/4, and takes three months to heal.
[ B] : Blinded, indicating the eye can no longer see. The first level in an eye heals within a day, the second level is permanent blindness. If one eye is blinded, the character is at 1/2 die pool of any sight-based Perception roll and hit rolls are at +2 Difficulty, while if both eyes are blinded, all sight-based rolls automatically fail and hit rolls are at +5 Difficulty, while each level of Blind Fighting a character possesses reduces this penalty by 1. Characters who possess Blind Sight are not affected by blindness.
[ C] : Crippled, indicating the limb can no longer be used, or in the case of the groin, the reproductive organs. If caused by bashing damage to an arm, leg, or hand, it is broken and if set right, will take at least a couple months to heal, but if caused by piercing damage, the limb is likely never going to heal properly again if it wasn’t completely severed to begin with.
[ I ] : Incapacitated, indicating the character is grievously injured to the point that he can no longer act and has likely lost consciousness or is slowly slipping towards it and death. This level takes at least 4 months to heal by resting, which is all the character can do until healed, as any attempt to stand will result in incredible pain and tearing open wounds which will likely result in the character bleeding to death. This is assuming the character gets the immediate medical attention necessary to avoid dying of his injuries in the first place.
[ D] : Dying, the character must spend a Willpower Point to stay alive per turn, if he is not magically healed by the time he’s spent his last Willpower Point, the character dies, basic medical attention is not enough to save a character at this point and he is too injured to do anything but concentrating on breathing and holding on to life and perhaps utter his last words.

Each level’s healing time is only for that level, and once healed, the next level must be healed as well, taking its healing time to do so. Healing times are based on lethal damage, healed after receiving proper medical attention and while refraining from any kind of strenuous activity. If it is not healed under these conditions, the Storyteller can prolong healing times and without proper medical attention, can rule certain injury affects such as die penalties and impaired movement as being permanent unless undergoing risky and difficult surgery to correct the improper healing or if healed by a sorcerer or mage who can do magically what’s necessarily surgically. Dazing damage is healed at 1 level per day of rest and aggravated damage heals per 2x lethal damage, and unless healed magically will leave behind permanent die penalties even with proper medical attention.

Advanced Combat Rules
Though above is all that is needed to run a relatively quick and easy combat system for Storytellers who prefer not to let combat bog their story down, the devil is in the details, and in combat things are rarely so simple. The basic rules may be enough for roleplayers who can fill in the details themselves and a Storyteller who can react accordingly, and some troupes may even be able to go through combat and entire campaigns for that matter with no dice rolling at all if they prefer, but for others, the rules below are to give Storytellers and Players a better idea of the complexities involved in combat, a potentially more deadly and realistic health system where injuring certain locations on the body prove more deadly than others, and a wide variety of combat maneuvers where some may prove more advantageous in certain situations than others. These rules add additional rules to the Basic Combat Rules above, or replace them, so if a section is missing below that is present above, the rules above are used.

Combat Rounds
Like basic combat rules, each round of combat lasts about 5 seconds and are broken up into 3 stages, the differences in each stage are slight and listed below.

Stage One: Initiative
Initiative is handled the same way under Advanced Combat Rules as it is under Basic, but characters have the option of splitting a character’s die pool to perform multiple actions even if a character isn’t under the effects of magic.

Splitting Die Pool: If a character wants to split her die pool, he can take a number of actions up to his base initiation score divided by 5 (rounded down), plus any number of Defensive Actions the character wants to take. The entire base initiation score is then divided between each action at the character’s digression, but each action taken must have a Base Initiation of at least 1. For example, if a character has a base initiation pool of 14, the character can only take 2 non-defensive actions by splitting the pool, but could also take 2 Defensive Actions. The initiation pool can then be divided as 6 to the first action, 4 to the second, 3 to the first Defensive Action and 1 to the 2nd. Only one Full Pool Action can be split per round and it is always the last Full Pool Action a character has that is split.

Stage Two: Declaration
Advanced Combat uses a system of various Combat Maneuvers that can be declared as actions. The declared Combat Maneuver is something to be considered carefully because different maneuvers have different advantages and disadvantages in different situations, including Initiation Modifiers that will raise or lower a character’s Base Initiation Modifier. This may affect the order in which actions are resolved, allowing a character with a lower Base Initiation Score to act before a character that had a higher Base Initiation because of the Modified Initiation. In order to be able to perform a Defensive Maneuver, the defender’s Modified Initiation must match or exceed the Modified Initiation of the attacker. A character cannot perform an action if the Modified Initiation is reduced below 1.

Maneuvers that a character can change his action to without his declared action becoming impossible to perform are noted as Reactive Maneuvers.

[/b]Movement:[/b] When a combat maneuver is declared, a character’s Agility is adjusted by the maneuver’s modifier. A Movement Modifier adds to, subtracts from or replaces a character’s Agility, which is then multiplied by 2 to determine the number of meters a character can move while performing the declared maneuver. However, a Movement Modifier cannot be higher than a character’s Agility, allowing a character to move at most 4x his Agility in meters per full pool action the character can take in a round. Movement can be declared before, during or after an action is resolved. If a character’s Movement Rating is reduced to 0, he may move 1m per turn, at -1 he may move 1m in 2 turns, at -2 he may move 1m in 3 turns and so on.

Stage Three: Resolution
The resolution stage is handled the same as in Basic Combat, just be sure to note if the order of resolution changes due to the Modified Initiation from the declaration stage and whether or not a defensive maneuver can be performed.

Actions
Actions in the Advanced Combat Rules are handled pretty much the same as with the Basic Combat Rules. There is no difference in how Non-Combat Actions are handled, while Offensive and Defensive Actions have their Difficulty determined by the maneuver declared as opposed to the Ability used along with a few other changes listed below.

Offensive Actions
When taking an offensive action, the player has the option before the attack roll is made to attempt to target a specific location on his opponent’s body, needing to roll a certain number of successes in order to do so. If a hit location is not declared before the player makes his attack roll, the hit location is determined randomly based on one of three different hit charts. For ranged combat, the Ranged Hit Chart is used, for close combat, most maneuvers will use the Upper Body Hit Chart unless the maneuvers are purposely aimed low, in which case the Lower Body Hit Chart is used. However, if a character is attacked while crouching, the Ranged Hit Chart is used.

Maneuvers marked Aerial mean the character is airborne while executing the maneuver, and most, unless noted, cannot hit characters that are crouching, while maneuvers marked Crouching do not indicate the character executing the maneuver is crouching, but that it is designed to attack opponents who are. In order to execute close combat maneuvers while crouching, the character must know the Athletic Maneuver Ground Fighting. Non-Aerial Maneuvers can still target crouching characters or the lower body, and Crouching Maneuvers can be aimed higher to hit the upper body (but not characters who have executed an Aerial Maneuver) at the cost of -2 to their Modified Initiation Score.

Defensive Actions
When declaring a Defensive Action, the maneuver used must raise the character’s Modified Initiation Score to an equal or higher number than the attacker’s Modified Initiation Score, or the character cannot react in time to defend himself. If a character splits his die pool, he cannot use a Reflective Defense, he can only declare a Defensive Action as one or more of his actions, but these actions do not count towards how many actions a character may declare when splitting his pool based on his Base Initiation. However, the Base Initiation must still be divided to include these actions, each action requiring a Base Initiation Score of at least 1 and the Modified Initiation Score cannot be lower than 1 either. When declaring a Full Action Defense, each extra defensive action taken is at -2 Initiation (-2 for the second action, -4 for the third, -6 for the fourth, etc) and must still be able to match or exceed the Modified Initiation Score of the attack.

Dodging
Most Dodging Maneuvers also have a strength and a weakness, giving a -1 or +1 Difficulty to certain kinds of attacks used against it. Using Jump as a Dodging Maneuver, for instance, is weak against Aerial Maneuvers, and Aerial Maneuvers used by opponents are at -1 Difficulty, but strong against Crouching Maneuvers, giving opponents using Crouching Maneuvers a +1 Difficulty. Side Step is strong against thrown weapons, but weak against multiple opponents. Dive is strong against Archery and Firearm attacks, but weak in close combat and comes at the extra disadvantage of the character having to stand back up.

Damage
Damage for Archery and Firearm weapons are handled exactly the same as in Basic Combat Rules, while the others are handled only slightly differently.

Unarmed Attacks (Brawl or Martial Arts): The Damage Pool is the character’s Strength + Maneuver’s Damage Modifier + successes on the attack roll over 4 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). Unarmed attacks cause bashing damage unless the character chooses to do dazing damage instead.

Weapon Attacks (Melee, Fencing, or Martial Arts): The Damage Pool is Strength + Weapon's Damage Modifier + Maneuver’s Damage Modifier + successes on the attack roll over 4 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). Weapons do bashing, piercing or dazing damage based on the type of weapon used, a character may opt to spend an Active Willpower Point in order to do dazing damage with a weapon that usually does bashing, or bashing damage with a weapon that usually does dazing, piercing weapons require a special maneuver in order to do dazing damage.

Ranged Weapon Attacks (Ranged Weapons or Martial Arts): The Damage Pool is Strength + Weapon’s Damage Modifier + Character’s Rating in Ranged Weapons or Martial Arts + successes on the attack roll over 4 (after successes from the Defense Roll are subtracted). Ranged Weapons do bashing, piercing or dazing damage based on the type of weapon used.

Damage Types
Just like with the Basic Combat Rules, damage is either dazing, lethal, or aggravated, however, under the Advanced Combat Rules, lethal damage can either be bashing or piercing damage.

Bashing Damage: Damage from blunt force, such as fists, clubs, chains, falling, etc, bashing damage is just as lethal as piercing damage, with the exception that it isn’t quite as damaging to internal organs. If a character is hit in the heart or lungs with bashing damage and only 1 damage is caused, it is marked on Overall Health. If 2 or 3 levels of damage are caused, they are marked on Overall Health, and the character is dazed for a turn from having the wind knocked out of them. If 4 or more damage is caused, all of it is marked under Overall Health, the BR health level is marked indicating the rib cage has been broken, and any damage from the 4th level on is counted towards the heart or lungs. Once the BR health level is marked, any additional attack to the heart or lungs has only its first level of damage absorbed by Overall Health and the rest marked on both. If a character is hit in a vital organ below the rib cage, 2 damage causes the character to be dazed for a turn and is absorbed as Overall Health, while any damage over 2 is marked on both the Overall Health and Vitals health bar.

Piercing Damage: Damage from sharp objects designed to puncture and slice the skin such as swords, knives, arrows, bullets, spiked maces, etc, piercing damage is designed to cut or puncture the skin, making internal organs more vulnerable to the attacks. If a character is hit in the heart, lungs or vital organs with piercing damage, only 1 damage is absorbed as Overall Health, the rest going to both Overall Health and the internal hit location attacked for each attack to those locations.

Soaking
Soaking is handled the same under the Advanced Combat Rule with only minor differences between how soaking bashing or piercing damage is calculated.

Bashing Damage: A character’s Soak Rating against Bashing Damage is Bashing Armor Rating + Natural Protection + Stamina.

Piercing Damage: A character’s Soak Rating against Piercing Damage is Piercing Armor Rating + Natural Protection + Stamina.

Armor
Under the Advanced Combat Rules, Armor has three different ratings, one for bashing damage, such as from clubs, staffs and fists, another for piercing damage, such as from bullets, arrows, and swords, which can range from 0 to 15, and the average of these two ratings which determines the rating against Aggravated Damage and the Durability of the piece of armor. These ratings do not need to be the same, however, one’s rating for either Bashing or Piercing cannot be more than twice the other’s (you can have a rating of 2 for Bashing and 0 for Piercing, but not 3/0 as it must be 2/1, can have a rating of 8/4 but not 9/4, it must be 8/5, etc).

There are seven areas armor can protect, each able to have its own Armor Rating: the Head, Neck, Chest (Heart, Lungs, Non-Vital), Waist (Vitals, Groin, Non-Vital), Arms, Legs and Hands. The Average Rating of these areas excluding the Hands is then added together and divided by 9 (rounded to the nearest whole number) to determine the Armor Penalty and by 18 (rounded to the nearest whole number) to determine the Strength Requirement. Therefore, a full suit of armor providing 15/15(15) protection to all locations would give an Armor Penalty of 10 (15 x 6 / 9) and Strength Requirement of 5 (15 x 6 / 18, or the AP (10) / 2), while the same suit of armor without the helmet would have an Armor Penalty of 8 (15 x 5 / 9 = 8.3, rounded to and Strength Requirement of 4 (15 x 5 / 18 = 4.2, rounded to 4), and the same suit leaving the neck exposed as well would have an Armor Penalty of 7 (15 x 4 / 9 = 6.7, rounded to 7) and Strength Requirement of 3 (15 x 4 / 18 = 3.3, rounded to 3).

Each location also have different styles of armor that can be worn with different advantages and disadvantages, such as leaving areas open to attack in order to lower the Armor Penalty. If a player opts for a style of armor that reduces the Armor Penalty, it can also lower the Strength Requirement, and instead of dividing the total Average Armor Rating of all the different pieces of armor except the gloves by 18, the player should just divide the adjusted Armor Penalty by 2 (round up).

Head: A helmet comes in three styles, opened, obscured and closed. Opened helms leave the face exposed, allowing someone to target the face at a further +1 to the Accuracy Modifier for hitting the head in order to avoid the armor and hit the exposed face. Obscured helms leave a small portion of the face exposed, allowing someone to target it at a further +2 to the Accuracy Modifier and give the character wearing it a +1 Difficulty to all sight-based Perception Rolls. Closed helms protect the face completely, but give a +2 Difficulty to all sight-based Perception Rolls and other people are at +2 Difficulty to hear the character. Closed Helms have the option of having a movable faceplate that can be opened, effectively making it an obscured helm.

Neck: Many helmets can be designed to protect both the head and the neck, in which case, the Armor Rating of the helmet is counted twice towards the Armor Penalty and targeting the neck falls under the same rules above if an open or obscured helm. A separate neck guard can also be worn, which leaves no exposed part, and can be added to the armor rating of a helmet that is also long enough to protect the neck, however, both the armor rating of the helmet (counted twice) and neck guard are counted towards the Armor Penalty.

Chest: Chest Plates can be full or partial. Full chest plates cover the entire chest, while partial leave parts exposed. The most common partial plates will cover the heart and lungs, but leave the non-vital areas opened, which reduces the over all Armor Penalty of the armor by 1, but allows the exposed areas to be targeted at the normal Accuracy Modifier. Others, especially some female armor worn more for aesthetics than protection, will cover the breasts and therefore lungs, but leave the heart and non-vital areas exposed, or protect the heart and leave the lungs partially exposed, giving a +2 Accuracy modifier to hit the exposed parts of the lung, and the non-vital areas completely exposed, which reduces the over-all Armor Penalty by 2.

Waist: The waist covers the vitals, groin, and non-vital areas. Some armor pieces will protect the vitals and non-vital waist areas, but not the groin or vice-versa, reducing the over-all Armor Penalty by 2, while others will protect the groin and leave part of the vital and non-vital areas exposed, allowing those areas to be targeted at a further +1 Accuracy while reducing the Armor Penalty by 1.

Arms & Legs: Some armor designs will likewise only protect the vulnerable places on these limbs that would be marked on the limb’s health bar, reducing the over-all Armor Penalty by 1. So if both the arms and legs leave the non-vital areas exposed, it will reduce the Armor Penalty by up to 2.

Hands: Armor that protects the hands do not count towards the Armor Penalty, however, gloves with an Average Armor Rating of 6-10 count as gauntlets, giving +1 Difficulty to any action involving their hands including the use of weapons and unarmed maneuvers, and +3 Damage to punch maneuvers, Bashing for normal gauntlets, Piercing for spiked gauntlets. Armored gloves with an Average Armor Rating of 11-15 count as heavy gauntlets, giving +2 Difficulty to any action involving their hands and +4 Damage to punch maneuvers. Fist Blades, brass knuckles and tiger claws can only be used with gloves of an Armor Rating of 4 or less, though some armored gloves may have blades jutting from the back of the wrists that are used like Katars, but give +2 Difficulty to any action involving their hands on top of the Difficulty Modifier for gauntlets or heavy gauntlets.

Health
If a location is a fatal location, any damage recorded on it is also recorded on the Overall Health Bar, whereas locations that can only cripple only have the first level of damage to that location also marked on Overall Health. When attacking the Vitals location, the first level of damage done on any attack is marked on Overall Health, so if only one damage is dealt to that area, it is only marked on Overall Health, the second level of damage on a single attack and above is marked on both the Vitals and Overall Health Bar. The same holds true for piercing damage to the heart or lungs, whereas with bashing to these two locations, at least 4 damage must be caused in a single attack to break the ribs and begin to damage these areas, at which point it follows the same rules for piercing damage, but until then, 3 damage or less of bashing to the heart or lungs, though badly bruising the ribs, is not enough to damage the organs beneath. When multiple locations are damaged, only the highest die penalty overall is applied. Die penalties to the arms or hands only affect attacks using the injured arm, and die penalties to the legs also come with impaired movement of -1 Agility per health level.

Infection
When a character suffers lethal or aggravated damage, they run the risk of infection, and must make a Stamina + Resistance roll with a difficulty of 4 + the number of damage taken. If the wounds are sustained under particularly bad conditions, the Storyteller may increase the difficulty further to reflect the higher risk of infection. If the character succeeds, he resists infection, but if the wound is not properly dressed, or otherwise maltreated where it could be exposed to infection again, the ST may call for another roll. If the roll fails, the wound becomes infected and the character must then fight off the infection.

When fighting off infection, a character must succeed on a Stamina + Resistance roll - Die Penalty at a difficulty of 8. Another character administering medical aid can roll Intelligence + Medicine, Difficulty 7 or a character mixing healing salves can roll Intelligence + Herbalism, Difficulty 8, to lower the difficulty of the Resistance roll by 1 per success. The character fighting the infection can roll once per day at a +1 difficulty for each additional day for a number of days equal to his Endurance. If the character does not succeed in that time, or rolls a critical failure, the infection turns fatal and he will die in a number of days equal to his Stamina unless healed magically.

Bleeding
Characters who reach a health level with a -3 die penalty or higher run the risk of blood loss if the wound isn’t bandaged, cauterized, or otherwise staunched. If a character is at a -3 die penalty and the wound isn’t staunched within Stamina +3 turns, another health level is lost. At a -4 die penalty, another health level is lost if the wound isn’t staunched within Stamina +2 turns. At a -5 die penalty, the character will lose another health level within Stamina +1 turns. At Incapacitated or Crippled, a character loses a health level in a number of turns equal to his Stamina. In the case of Crippled, these lost health levels are marked on Overall Health. In order to stop the bleeding, a character must spend a full pool action to do so. He can either burn it closed with fire, turning a level of damage to aggravated (but doesn’t gain another level of damage), or roll Intelligence + First Aid (Difficulty 7 if done by self, 6 if done by another character), or Medicine (Difficulty 6 if done by self, 5 if done by another character).

Hit Locations
When declaring an attack, a player has the option of declaring a hit location. If a hit location is declared before the roll, an Accuracy Modifier determines the number of successes needed to hit that location. A +3 Accuracy Modifier, for instance, requires 4 successes to be rolled to hit the location. The fewer successes rolled the more off the mark the aim. If no location is declared, roll a 100-sided die to determine hit location. In ranged combat, the Ranged Hit Chart is used, while in close combat, most attacks with fists or weapons use the Upper Body Hit Chart is used unless specifically aimed low, while most kick attacks use the Lower Body Hit Chart unless specifically aimed high. Different locations have different health bars and damage effects.

Non-Vital Damage: Marked under the Overall Health Bar, non-vital damage is damage that doesn’t significantly damage vital areas such as a chest wound that misses vital organs, or a hit to a part of a limb that can largely be shrugged off. Attacks to non-vital areas carry with it only the die penalty of the Overall Health Bar and the risk of bleeding to death once reaching the -3 die penalty. There is a +1 Accuracy Modifier to target a non-vital area, if only 1 success is rolled, it becomes a random hit roll instead if aimed at the chest or waist, and if aimed at a limb, roll 1 die, low (1-5) misses, high (6-10) hits its mark.

Head: One of the largest of lethal locations on the body, the head is a +3 Accuracy Modifier to aim at a distance, and +2 for close combat. Crouching Maneuvers and other low attacks cannot target the head unless the victim is crouching. Each level of damage to the head is also marked on the Overall Health Bar. At the first level of lethal or aggravated damage, a character must succeed in a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 7, to avoid becoming dazed, at the second, it is difficulty 8, while at the third, it is a difficulty 8 roll to avoid falling unconscious for the rest of the scene and the character is at risk of bleeding to death. At the 4th level of damage, the character is Incapacitated and slips into a coma even if prevented from bleeding to death, while the 5th level of damage kills the character.

If only 3 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 2 in close combat, roll a 10-sided die. 1-3 means you miss, 4-5 is a neck hit, 6-10 is a headshot. If only 2 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 1 in close combat, 1-4 means you miss, 5-6 is a non-vital chest wound, 7 hits the neck, and 8-10 is a headshot. If only 1 success is rolled in ranged combat, 1-5 you miss, 6-8 is a non-vital chest wound, and 9-10 is a headshot.

Eyes: Very hard to hit, but very easy to cause permanent damage, the eyes are at a +5 Accuracy Modifier to hit at a distance, and +4 in close combat. Crouching Maneuvers and other low attacks cannot target unless the victim is crouching. The first level of damage to the eye causes blindness in that eye until healed. The second level causes permanent blindness unless healed by magic. Any further damage is transferred to the head. If one eye is blinded, the character is at a +2 difficulty for all hit rolls, and must follow the rule for blindness if both eyes are injured.

If only 4 or 5 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 3 or 4 in close combat, it misses the eye, but hits the head. Follow rules for a called shot to the head for less successes rolled.

Neck: Even more lethal of a hit location than the head, but harder to hit, the neck is at a +4 Accuracy Modifier to target at a distance and +3 in close combat, unable to be targeted by low attacks unless the victim is crouching. The first level of damage causes an inability to speak for the scene if hit from the front and the character risks bleeding to death, while the second can cause a loss of consciousness unless the victim succeeds in a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 8 if hit from the front, and from the back, can damage the spine, causing paralysis until healed. The third level comes with permanent paralysis if hit from behind and Incapacitation from any direction with bashing damage, while with piercing damage, unless healed by magic in a number of turns equal to the victim’s Stamina, he will die from a punctured windpipe and/or jugular vein. The fourth level causes death. As with head trauma, all damage to the neck is also marked on the Overall Health Bar.

If only 4 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 3 in close combat, roll a 10-sided die. 1-2 means you missed, 3-5 is a non-vital chest wound, 6-8 is a headshot, and 9-10 hits the neck. 3 successes in ranged or 2 in close combat, 1-3 you missed, 4-7 is a non-vital chest wound, 8-9 a headshot, and 10 hits the neck. 2 in ranged or 1 in close combat, 1-4 misses, 5-8 a non-vital chest hit, and 9-10 a headshot. If only 1 success is rolled in ranged combat, 1-5 misses, 6-9 a non-vital chest hit, and 10 a headshot.

Heart: The most lethal but difficult of locations to target, the heart is at a +4 Accuracy Modifier to target at a distance and +3 in close combat, when attacking the heart with piercing damage, the first level of damage on any attack is marked only on the Overall Health bar, while with bashing damage, the first two levels are marked on Overall Health, the third resulting in broken ribs (BR on the Health Chart), which causes an additional -3 die penalty and the first level of damage marked on the Heart Health Bar. If a damage roll with bashing damage results in only 1 or 2 damage, the Heart is left undamaged until at least three damage is rolled on a single attack. Once the ribs are broken, it only takes 2 damage to affect the heart again as per piercing damage. All damage marked on the Heart Health Bar is marked on the Overall Health Bar as well. At the first level of damage that affects the heart, the character is dazed for a turn and risks bleeding to death, at the second, the character is Incapacitated, and at the third, dead.

If 4 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 3 in close combat, roll a 10-sided die, 1-4 is a non-vital chest wound, 5-8 hits a lung, and 9-10 hits the heart. If 3 successes are rolled in ranged combat or 2 in close combat, 1-5 is a non-vital wound, 6-8 hits a lung, 9 hits a vital organ, 10 hits the heart. If 2 successes are rolled in ranged or 1 in close combat, roll per upper body hit chart. If 1 success is rolled in ranged combat, roll per ranged hit chart.

Lungs: Though damage to the lungs is lethal, it’s not nearly as so as other vital organs, and gets a +3 Accuracy Modifier at a distance, and +2 at close range, unable to be targeted by low aiming Maneuvers unless the target is crouching. Like the heart, the lungs are protected by the rib cage, and damage is distributed the same as if attacking the heart. The first level of damage to the lungs can cause the victim to be dazed for a turn unless he succeeds in a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 7, raising to difficulty 8 at the second level with the risk of bleeding to death, while at the third, the character is dazed for 5 turns – the number of successes on such a roll, difficulty 8. At the fourth level of damage, the character is Incapacitated, and the fifth, dead.

If only 3 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 2 in close range, roll a 10-sided die, 1-5 is a non-vital hit, 6-9 hits the lungs, 10 hits the heart. 2 successes in ranged combat, and 1 in close range, roll per upper body hit chart, and 1 success in ranged combat, roll per ranged hit chart.

Vitals: A character’s soft midsection is home to many vital organs that can easily cause massive pain or death, getting a +3 Accuracy Modifier at a distance, and +2 at close range. The vitals can be targeted by both Crouching and Aerial Maneuvers, and the Overall Health Bar absorbs the first level of damage for any kind of attack, the rest being recorded on the Overall Health Bar and Vitals Health Bar. The first level of damage to the vitals will daze the victim for 5 turns – the number of successes on a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 8. The second level risks bleeding to death or organ failure, while at the third, the character is Incapacitated, and fourth, dead.

If only 3 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 2 in close range, roll a 10-sided die, 1-6 is a non-vital hit, 7 hits the groin, 8-10 hits a vital organ. 2 successes in ranged combat, and 1 in close range, roll per upper or lower body hit chart as appropriate, and 1 success in ranged combat, roll per ranged hit chart.

Groin: Home to the reproductive organs and a very sensitive area, the groin has an Accuracy Modifier of +4 at range, and +3 in close combat, unable to be targeted by aerial maneuvers unless the target is elevated as well. Though not lethal, it is extremely painful, dazing a character for a turn at the first level of damage, for 5 turns – the number of successes on a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 8 (minimum of 1 turn) at the second level, and incapacitating at the third, which also renders the character sterile, unable to ever again have children unless healed magically. Any damage to the groin is marked on both the Groin Health Bar and Overall Health Bar.

If 4 successes are rolled in ranged combat or 3 in close range, roll a 10-sided die, 1 misses, 2-4 is a non-vital hit, 5-6 hits the left leg, 7-8 hits the right leg, 9 hits the groin, and 10 hits a vital organ. 3 successes in ranged combat or 2 in close combat, 1-3 misses, 4-7 is a non-vital hit, 8 hits the left leg, 9 hits the right leg, and 10 hits the groin. 1 or 2 successes in ranged or 1 in close combat, 1-4 misses, 5-8 is a non-vital hit, 9 hits the left leg, 10 hits the right leg.

Arms: Though not a vital area, damage to an arm can make it hard for a character to do a lot of things and gets an Accuracy Modifier of +2 from a distance and +1 in close combat and cannot be targeted by Crouching Maneuvers unless the target is crouching as well. The first level of damage to an arm is marked on the Arm Health Bar and Overall Health Bar, while any other damage is only marked on the Arm Health Bar, and any damage taken to an arm past Crippled is ignored. The second level of damage can cause a character to drop what he’s holding in that hand unless he succeeds in a Stamina + Endurance roll, difficulty 7, and needing to spend a Willpower Point and succeed on a roll at difficulty 8 at the third level of damage. At the fourth level of damage, anything held by that hand is dropped as the arm is rendered useless. If a sword or other slashing weapon is used to deal more than 4 levels of damage in a single attack, the arm is severed. If 3 or more damage is taken by piercing damage, the victim risks bleeding to death. Die penalties for arms only affect trying to use that arm.

If 2 successes are rolled in ranged combat or 1 in close combat, roll a 10-sided die, a roll of 1-3 misses, 4-6 hits a non-vital location, 7-9 hits the arm aimed, and 10 hits the hand of the arm aimed for. If 1 success is rolled in ranged combat, 1-5 misses, 6-8 hits a non-vital location, and 9-10 hits the arm aimed for.

Hands: Quite a bit harder to hit than the arm, it is also much more difficult to keep hold of something when the hand is hit directly. It gets an Accuracy Modifier of +4 in ranged combat and +3 in close combat and cannot be targeted by Crouching Maneuvers unless the target is crouching as well. Like the Arm, only the first level of damage to a Hand is marked on the Overall Health Bar and Hand Health Bar, all other damage to it goes only to the Hand. At the first level of damage, the victim must spend a Willpower Point and roll Stamina + Endurance, difficulty 8 to keep hold of anything in that hand. At the second level of damage, anything being held is dropped. At the third level of damage, the hand is useless, and with 3 or more damage from a slashing weapon in a single attack, the hand is severed and the character risks bleeding to death. Die penalties for hands only affect trying to use that hand.

If only 4 successes are rolled in ranged combat, or 3 in close combat, roll a 10-sided die, 1-2 misses, 3-4 hits a non-vital area, 5-8 hits the arm, and 9-10 hits the hand. If 3 successes are rolled in ranged or 2 in close combat, 1-3 misses, 4-6 hits a non-vital location, 7-9 hits the arm, and 10 hits the hand. If 2 successes are rolled in ranged or 1 in close combat, 1-4 misses, 5-8 hits a non-vital location, and 9-10 hits the arm. If 1 success is rolled in ranged combat, 1-5 misses, 6-9 hits a non-vital location, and 10 hits the arm.

Legs: Usually not life-threatening, hitting a leg is a fast and easy way of severely limiting an enemy’s mobility. It gets an Accuracy Modifier of +1 whether in ranged or close combat and cannot be targeted by Aerial Maneuvers unless the target is elevated as well. The first level of damage marked on a Leg Health Bar and any damage taken after reaching Crippled on a Leg Heath Bar is also marked on the Overall Health Bar. For each level of damage taken to a leg, the character is at -1 Agility in terms of Mobility. Once Agility reaches 0, the character cannot stand on his own. If only one leg is damaged, he can instead use crutches to move at 1/2 mobility or crawl at 1/4 mobility, but if both legs are damaged, the character must be carried, or can make a Strength roll, difficulty 8, to use his arms to move 1 meter per success per turn as their action. If a slashing attack deals 5 or more damage to a leg in a single attack, it is severed, and at the third health level or higher dealt by piercing damage, the character risks bleeding to death.

If only 1 success is rolled, roll a 10-sided die, 1-5 misses, 6-7 hits the leg opposite to the one aimed for, and 8-10 hits the leg that was targeted.

Hit Chart Tables rich text file (right click, Save Target As)