Basics of Play

Resolution

When you attempt something uncertain, roll a d20 and an Effort die.

• ◆ The d20 determines success.
• ◆ The Effort die determines impact.

Encounter Target Numbers (TN)

The GM sets a baseline TN for the scene:

Add your Attribute Modifier to the d20. The GM tells you which attribute applies to the action you're attempting.

Unique TNs

Specific creatures or hazards may have their own TN instead of using the Encounter TN. The GM calls these out when relevant.

Easy vs Hard

Most rolls use your standard target number, but circumstances can make a roll Easy or Hard.

The GM calls for Easy or Hard based on the fiction. If you can justify why something should be easier, make your case.

Attributes

Your character has eight attributes representing natural capability:

These eight stats define your character. They are your raw potential, not trained skills. When you roll, the GM calls the attribute you're going to use. These same attributes feed your three Defenses (Body, Mind, Soul), so what makes you capable also makes you hard to kill.

Checks, Effort & Contests

There are three types of rolls:

Checks ask "can you?" Effort asks "how long?" Contests ask "who wins?"

Roll vs Effort Bonus

Each attribute has two values:

• ◆ +Roll — Added to your d20
• ◆ +Effort — Added to your Effort die

By default, both equal your attribute score.

Optional Customization

You may adjust bonuses within the same attribute. For each point you reduce one value, increase the other by the same amount.

When you make a roll, the GM tells you which attribute applies. You add your +Roll bonus to the d20 and your +Effort bonus to the Effort die.

Actions

On your turn, you get 1 Action and 1 Move.

Basic Actions

Attacking

1. 1 Declare the attack (must have Line of Sight).
2. 2 Roll both dice (d20 + d8 Effort).
3. 3

   If you hit: Add your Effort modifier to the Effort die. (If you rolled a 5 you would add +3 for total of 8)

4. 4

   If you miss: You Graze, dealing your Effort modifier in damage (+3 for this example) — or you may spend Momentum.

5. 5 Subtract your Effort from the target's current Heart.

Turns & Order

Combat is organized into Rounds. Each Round, every character and enemy takes a Turn.

Initiative Options

Momentum

"You feel it, don't you? That surge before you strike. That calm before you speak. Power is not a river you dam… it is a tide you ride. It swells, it recedes, it swells again. The fool fights it. The master moves with it. Stop trying to hold it. Learn the rhythm of your own spirit, and you will never be without strength when strength is needed."
— Sethro Kaan, Sage of the Quiet Hand

Momentum is your engine.

Momentum represents everything that keeps you in the fight; your stamina, your power, your focus, your will to push forward. It's not just health. It's not just mana. It's both, woven together. The same resource that keeps you standing fuels your greatest abilities. Spend too freely and you leave yourselfexposed. Hoard it and you'll never reach your potential.

Every hero must learn this balance. Momentum is how you stayalive, how you power your gambits, how you seize control when the odds turn against you. Master it, and you'll always have one more trick when it matters most. Ignore it, and the tide will drag you under.

Momentum Pool

You start with 3 Momentum dice (d6s). You gain more as your Vigor increases.

Momentum dice exist in three areas:

Momentum starts in Stamina, your reserve. It flows into Power when you build up, drops into Fatigue when you take hits or burn out, and eventually cycles back to Stamina.

Sometimes you move it. Sometimes the world moves it for you. Where your dice sit determines what's possible.

Preparing

At the start of your turn, you Prepare by moving 1 Momentum die:

• ◆ Stamina → Power (building energy)
• ◆ Fatigue → Stamina (recovering)

Spending Momentum

You may spend Momentum during your turn. There is no limit except what you have available and your action economy (1 Action, 1 Move).

Power is Stamina with potency. Use it wisely

Locking Momentum

Some abilities require you to Lock Momentum.

• ◆ Move a die into a Locked slot
• ◆ It remains there while the effect persists
• ◆ You cannot use it
• ◆ On your turn, you can opt to remove it, or replace it with a new Lock ability you've activated
• ◆ If you take a Hit, you may move it to Fatigue (ending the effect)

You begin with 1 Lock slot. Discplines will open additional Lock slots.

Hits & Beats

When you take a Hit, move 1 Momentum die into Fatigue.

It can come from:

Beats

Beats represent pivotal shifts in the encounter. They may:

• ◆ Knock you out (and cause a Wound)
• ◆ Advance timers
• ◆ Activate enemy abilities
• ◆ Grant GM Pressure
• ◆ Escalate the scene

The GM defines what Beats mean at the start of the encounter. Not all Beats lead to being Knocked Out. They are narrative ways that change the stakes of a scene.

Wounds

When Knocked Out, you roll for Severity:

Severity Table

Determining the Wound

Roll d8 on the matching Defense chart.

Narrate It

You and the GM describe what happened. Broken rib? Deep gash? Concussion? Give it a name. This Injury Aspect lives in the fiction. The GM can invoke it when it matters, and so can you.

Recovery

Wounds have timers. Check the duration to know when it fades. Some need rest. Some need a healer. Some need time and safety.

It is possible that the GM can string Encounters together without Short Rests between them.

Boost Example

Scenario: A

1. 1 Declare the attack (must have Line of Sight).
2. 2 Roll both dice (TN is 13 and your Skill Die result is 9, and your Effort die rolls a 6).
3. 3

   Your Could Graze: But you might want to suceed so you could do 9 effort (Effort + Mod) instead of just your Modifier (+3)

4. 4

   Roll and Fatigue Stamina or Power: You roll Momentum, and get a 4.

5. 5 Apply the Momentum result to the Skill Die: Add 4 to the d20 (9) to get 13. Success! Effort is 6 damage + 3 Modifier
6. 5 Apply Effort You hit the enemy for 9 Effort.

Scenario: B

1. 1 Declare the attack (must have Line of Sight).
2. 2 Roll both dice (TN is 13 and your Skill Die result is 13, and your Effort die rolls a 3).
3. 3

   Your already Succeeded, but aren't doing much Effort: Your effort will be 6 (3+Modifier of 3) but you want to do more!

4. 4

   Roll and Fatigue Stamina or Power: You roll Momentum, and get a 4.

5. 5 Apply the Momentum result to the Effort Die: Add 4 to to Effort. Success! 3 Effort + 3 Modifier + 4 Momentum = 10 Effort
6. 5 Apply Effort: You hit the enemy for 10 Effort.

This is where heroes shine. But every die you spend is one less standing between you and Fatigue. Push too hard, and when that next Hit lands, you're eating a Wound or triggering a Beat.

Building

On your turn, you may push any number of Power dice into Building. These are no longer yours.

• ◆ Allies may use them like Power dice (after which they are returned to your Fatigue)
• ◆ They cannot Lock them
• ◆ If unused when your turn returns, they move to your Fatigue

This is how you set up the rogue's killing blow. How you fuel the mage's big moment. Momentum isn't just personal, it's shared. A team that builds together hits harder than any solo hero ever could.

Combat

"Stop thinking about glory. Keep moving. Hesitate and you're dead. Rush in blind and you're dead faster…"
— Cap. Harren Voss, Blackwall Company

This is where plans fall apart and instincts take over. Combat isn't a math problem, it's a conversation between steel, ink will, and chaos. Every round is a question: press the advantage or fall back? Protect your ally or trust them to hold? Spend everything on one glorious strike or keep something in reserve? The answers change moment to moment. The wrong call gets people killed.

Encounters are more than monsters with stat blocks. They're pressure. Timers ticking down. Terrain that helps or hurts. Enemies that think and exploit your mistakes. Victory doesn't go to the strongest....it goes to the team that moves together and strikes when the iron's hot. Hesitation is a knife in your ribs. Recklessness is a shallow grave. Find the line between them and walk it.

Advanced Actions

These actions are for the Heroes who need to adapt more. The one who sees the whole battlefield, not just the enemy in front of them. Sometimes the best move isn't an attack. It can be buying time, setting up an ally, or getting the hell out of a bad spot.

Line of Sight & Cover

To attack, you need Line of Sight.

Movement

Distance Bands:

Move shifts one band.

1. Engaged — Right next to them. In their face. This matters—certain abilities and enemy actions trigger when you're Engaged.
2. Close — A few steps away. Same general area.
3. Nearby — Across the room. Reachable with effort.
4. Far — Edge of the battlefield. You'll need to commit to get there.

Grid Play

Action & Movement:

Stay Close? Move and act in any order. You're just repositioning within the same space.

Push to Nearby? That's your Move. You can take an Action beforeor after, but your move is done.

Going Far? That's two Moves. Your Action is spent getting there.

Grid Play: If you're using hexes or squares, you can split your Move around your Action. Move some, act, move the rest.

Reactions

You get 1 Reaction per Round.

Every Reaction has a trigger. Something that lets you act outside your turn. Some are specific ("when a Close ally takes a Hit"). Some are broader ("during the round"). When the trigger happens, you decide: spend your Reaction or hold it for something else.

Free Reactions ignore this limit.

You won't have Reactions yet, they come from Gambits tied to your Disciplines, starting at 2nd level. But you need to understand this now: Reactions are part of the Round's rhythm. Know your triggers. Know your window. Don't waste it on something small when something big is coming.

Effort

Effort measures progress. Damage in combat is Effort. So is chipping away at a locked door, decoding ancient runes, or convincing a hostile crowd to hear you out.

Hearts

Each Heart = 10 Effort

• ◆ 3 Hearts = 30 Effort
• ◆ You target only 1 Heart at a time
• ◆ Excess Effort beyond 10 is wasted unless specified (Overflow or Overkill Gambits)

Variations

Conditions

Conditions represent temporary states that alter your capabilities. They come in pairs (positive and negative) and are applied by abilities, environmental hazards, or the GM based on the fiction.

Some conditions are broad and let you choose how they apply. Others target specific Defenses and the attributes tied to them. Conditions can Stack and Off-set each other.

You can carry multiple conditions at once; Empowered and Protected, Weakened and Trapped. Stack away.

But paired conditions cancel out. Empowered meets Weakened? Both gone. Focused meets Dazed? Wiped clean. Opposites don't coexist.

Duration varies. Some conditions last until the situation changes—leave the fire, lose the burning. Others stick until an enemy's effect ends or you shake it off with a Saving Throw. The GM will tell you what it takes to break free.

Conditions can stack. Opposites cancel out.