The following steps can be completed in any order. For the best experience, we encourage the use of our Character Sheet App.

1. Choose a Path. Regardless of which is chosen, each character begins with 3 Life Points and a score of 4 in each Trait.

2. Apply the Path’s Starting Bonus. This is the first real boost to a character's Traits.

3. Calculate Life Points. Add the Path's Life Point Bonus to the character's starting 3 Life Points. For example, a +3 bonus gives you 6 Life Points total.

4. Claim the Starting Talent. Each Path provides a unique Starter Talent that gives special bonuses during roleplay or combat.

5. Gear Up. Choose one Treasured Possession that means the world to the character. Then, list any Common Items they carry.

6. Prepare for Battle. Create up to four Weapons and assign their Range based on the examples provided. Add Armor if the character wears it.

7. Attain Power. Choose two starting Powers if the character would possess them. If the character does not use Powers, leave the Power Trait at 0 and put those 4 starting dice into other Traits instead. However, if it is decided that a character does not use Powers at Level 1, they cannot begin to use them until Level 6.

8. Give the character a name and fill in any personal details that make them unique.

Leveling Up

Each character will get stronger as a game progresses. After significant Milestones, the GM will tell the players it's time to level up.

• On EVEN LEVELS (2, 4, 6, etc.), add two extra dice to the character's Traits (you can split these between different Traits if desired, or add both to one) as well as a new Power.

• On ODD LEVELS (3, 5, 7, etc.), add 2 Maximum Life Points (up to a Maximum of 50) and create a new Talent with the GM. Once a character's Life Points have reached their cap of 50, players may instead Upgrade an existing Talent with the GM's approval.

• Every TEN LEVELS (10, 20, 30, and so on), a character gains an extra Action to use in combat.

Player characters are capped at Level 40, at which point their character has reached their maximum potential and will no longer level up. While Paths, Talents, and other bonuses may alter the following, a Level 40 character will have attained at minimum: 78 Trait Dice, 20 Talents, 43 Life Points, and 22 Powers.

Mastered Traits

A Trait score cannot be raised higher than 10 dice. When a Trait reaches 10, it becomes a MASTERED TRAIT and gains Exploding 6s. Whenever a 6 is rolled for a Mastered Trait, players can immediately roll an additional die per 6. For example, you roll a Mastered Trait and get a 6. You add a success and roll an extra die. That extra die is another 6. You add a second success and roll again. This time, you roll a 5. The chain ends. In total, that single 6 generated 3 successes.

Talent Upgrades

Once a character's Maximum Life Points reach 50, Odd Levels no longer grant additional Life Points. Instead, a character can begin upgrading existing Talents. For example, Increasing a +1 bonus to +2, removing or loosening a usage limit (e.g., "once per Encounter" could become "once per Round"), or expanding the Talent's scope to cover additional situations.

Paths

Paths determine where a character's skills lie at the beginning of their adventure. There is a Path tied to each of the 9 Traits, as well as a Pathless option for those who prefer a blank slate.

A character's Path gives them bonuses to specific Traits, but doesn’t lock them into playing a certain way. Think of them as starting points, not predetermined routes.

Artisan

You're clever and resourceful, using your knowledge of magic or science to bring ideas to life.

• Key Trait: Sage
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Sage, then add 1 to either Awareness or Survival
• Starting Talent: Battle Partner — When combat begins, pick an ally to partner with. You automatically enter Shared Combat with them, and gain a +2 bonus on one roll per Round.
• Life Point Bonus: 2

Brute

You're powerful and intimidating, excelling at dealing damage, taking a beating, and utilizing your raw strength.

• Key Trait: Endurance
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Endurance, then add 1 to either Might or Survival
• Starting Talent: Battle Fury — When you drop below half your maximum Life Points, you gain a +2 to all Endurance and Might rolls until the current Encounter/ Scene ends.
• Life Point Bonus: 4

Courier

You're lightning-fast, fighting primarily by staying one step ahead of your opponents.

• Key Trait: Swiftness
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Swiftness, then add 1 to either Subterfuge or Survival
• Starting Talent: Haste — You can move to anything "Near" without using an action and to anything "Far" in a single action. In addition, each attack made with Swiftness deals 2 Points of damage per success instead of the standard 1 Point.
• Life Point Bonus: 2

Hunter

You're a master tracker whose reflexes and experience allow you to anticipate attacks others don’t see coming.

• Key Trait: Awareness
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Awareness, then add 1 to either Sage or Swiftness
• Starting Talent: Uncanny Reflexes — Once per Encounter you can automatically dodge one attack without rolling.
• Life Point Bonus: 3

Nomad

Deeply connected to the world around you, you thrive in the wilderness and live off the land with ease.

• Key Trait: Survival
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Survival, then add 1 to either Endurance or Might
• Starting Talent: Natural Survivor — When making rolls to Endure, 1s no longer subtract from successes. You can also use your Survival score instead of Swiftness when determining your place in Initiative.
• Life Point Bonus: 3

Pathless

You can become anything you want, limited only by your imagination, the fiction, and your GM.

• Key Trait: Selected by Player
• Starting Bonus: Add 2 dice to any of the 9 Traits
• Starting Talent: Create a Starting Talent with your GM
• Life Point Bonus: 3

Performer

You're deeply charismatic, using your skills to entertain, inspire, seduce, persuade, and demoralize.

• Key Trait: Charm
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Charm, then add 1 to either Power or Sage
• Starting Talent: Captivating Performance — Once per Round, you can use your Charm instead of Might, Power, or Swiftness for a single attack roll.
• Life Point Bonus: 2

Shade

You're stealthy and cunning, excelling at moving subliminally against your enemies.

• Key Trait: Subterfuge
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Subterfuge, then add 1 to either Charm or Swiftness
• Starting Talent: Vanishing Act — Once per Encounter, become undetectable for a single Round. No Awareness roll can detect you during this time. You also gain a +1 to any roll you make while undetected.
• Life Point Bonus: 3

Spellweaver

You wield magic or advanced technology to bend reality to your will.

• Key Trait: Power
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Power, then add 1 to either Awareness or Sage
• Starting Talent: Empowered Prodigy — Begin with 2 additional Powers.
• Life Point Bonus: 2

Warrior

You're a skilled and formidable fighter who dominates the battlefield with their strength.

• Key Trait: Might
• Starting Bonus: Add 1 die to Might, then add 1 to either Endurance or Survival
• Starting Talent: Crushing Blow — Each attack made with Might deals 2 Points of damage per success instead of the standard 1 Point.
• Life Point Bonus: 3

Items, Weapons, & Armor

A character's gear is an extension of their abilities. Each COMMON ITEM a character carries grants a +1 bonus to relevant dice rolls. These items don't increase the Trait scores themselves, but grant extra dice to roll when they are used. For example, a rope could help you climb a tree (+1 to Swiftness) but won't help you spot a hidden door.

A character can carry as many Common Items as a GM or the fiction permits.

A TREASURED POSSESSION is something deeply important to a character. It grants a +2 bonus to relevant rolls. If a character uses another's Treasured Possession, they don't get the +2 bonus as the item is only special to one character (and is treated as a Common Item in their hands). As always, the GM will stop unreasonable uses of any item.

Weapons

Weapons can be selected from the table below or created with the help of a GM, using the following examples as a guide to determine its proper Range. Regardless of type, all weapons can either impose a Tribulation or deal 1 point of damage per success.

Armor

While not required, Armor improves a character's defenses but reduces their mobility. Only one type of armor can be worn at a time.

Talents

Talents are unique abilities that define a character. Talents should be forged with the GM to ensure characters feel unique and suit the fiction. The GM has final say on what works.

New talents cannot:

• Permanently increase Maximum Life Points.
• Add more than a +2 Bonus to any Roll.
• Allow a character to move beyond Far in a single action.

Talent bonuses can push the total number of dice employed for a roll above the Trait cap of 10. The following Example Talents can be adopted, or used as starting points to create new ones:

• Elemental Affinity: You connect deeply with one element (fire, water, earth, or air). Gain +1 to all rolls involving your chosen element.

• Heightened Senses: When Impaired, you may still roll half your Awareness dice to sense the world around you.

• Lucky Streak: Luck follows you. Gain a +1 to rolls in games of chance or when making guesses.

• Magical Adaptability: At the start of each session, you can swap up to three Powers on your character sheet for others you don't currently have.

• Silent Movement: You gain +1 to Subterfuge rolls when moving quietly.

A Player Character can possess no more than 20 Talents. After reaching the maximum number of Talents, players can instead upgrade previous Talents as referenced in Leveling Up.

Powers

Powers can be used no matter which Path a character follows, and can even be added to weapons by Enchanting them. Like weapons, any power can be created, so long as the GM agrees and a Range/ Definition is settled on.

The number of successes a character rolls determines how strong a Power's effect is. With three successes, a character might pull a weapon out of their enemy's hand with Telekinesis. With ten or more successes, a character could lift an entire ship. The final outcome always depends on both the successes rolled and the GM's judgement.

When a Power is used offensively in combat each success deals 1 point of damage. If a Power is used to impose a Tribulation, the character will need to roll enough successes to overcome their target's Opposing Roll.

At the end of this section are a few examples of Powers that work equally well as the result of magic or advanced technology. These powers can either be added directly to a character's sheet, or used as inspiration to create new Powers.

A character can possess no more than 25 Powers, though Talents can be used to enhance, augment, or swap them.

Enchantments

A character can add Powers as Enchantments to any Weapon or Item. Enchanting a weapon allows it to take on the abilities of the Power, but does not increase its damage per success. For example, a sword enchanted with Fire Mastery deals 1 point of damage per success, but can also set the environment/ enemies on fire, imposing the Burning Tribulation.

A character can Enchant or Disenchant a Weapon or Item at any time, including during combat, which counts as a single Action. When a character uses a Power to enchant an Item or Weapon, they can't use that Power separately until it is removed from the Item/ Weapon.

Crafting NPCs

GMs can create NPCs using the same system as player characters. For major NPCs designed to have narrative weight, consider rolling them up to at least Level 15, and multiplying each of their Traits by the number of players in the party divided by 2. For example, the BBEG of a campaign with 6 players should have each of their Traits multiplied by 3 after completing Character Creation.

For those in need of quick stats for an NPC on the spot the table below can be used to determine Trait Scores and Life Points. Simply decide how dangerous you want the NPC to be, then use the corresponding row from the table.

Key Traits should be chosen to complement the NPC's role. For example, a guard might prioritize Might and Endurance, while a spy would prioritize Subterfuge and Awareness. For Talents and Powers, you can choose appropriate ones from their sections, or create simple ones that better suit the NPC.