Minimum rules

For Whom

Haunted Matter is for those who choose drama over simulation, narrative over mechanics, and decision over supernatural power. There are no levels, classes, builds, grand abilities, or balance. There is risk, pseudo-realism, fluidity, consistency of rules, narrative thinking, real consequences, grime, blood, and pressure. It requires an understanding of the rules but offers concrete mechanics to keep the story coherent. This is a system made for story-driven play — a dark and fast-paced dramatic action in a low-magic fantasy world where survival comes before morality.

It combines traditional elements (the GM has a story), PbtA (narration first, degrees of success, players contributing to world details, etc.), and OSR (resource management, survival, lethality).

The system aims to realize a specific belief: the narrative is the most important thing, but deep moral stories can’t be created purely through improvisation. The GM provides the framework, while players move freely within it, filling it with details.

I call this play to reveal as opposed to play to find out — players co-create the world, but within the boundaries of a narrative prepared by the GM. They don’t invent the story as they go; instead, they develop it through decisions that uncover new facts, secrets, consequences, and meanings. They add details that give the story depth and direction without breaking its structure.
For example: the GM knows exactly what’s behind a building’s doors, but if a player decides to circle around and look for another entrance — and the roll allows it without breaking the story’s spine (GM’s decision) — another path indeed exists and alters the story’s tone.
The GM holds the structure (scenes, clocks, factions, consequences), but what is revealed and how it’s interpreted depends on the players’ actions.

The most important thing is the consequence of choice — it’s the players’ decisions that shape the story.

Every rule here can and should be changed to smooth the narrative, maintain the flow of play, and ensure everyone’s enjoyment. The GM has the final word.

How to play

The game takes the form of a conversation, where points of tension are resolved through dice rolls. It’s a collaborative, interactive storytelling experience.

The GM (Game Master) places the P (Players) in specific scenes within the world through description, and the players — imagining themselves as real individuals within that reality — act as if they were truly there.

Example:
GM: The incense smoke stings your eyes. Thousands of chanting throats fill the air of a crystal cavern so vast its ceiling is lost in shadow. A priest, standing in the center of a runic circle, slits the throat of a screaming doe, its blood splattering over the offerings laid before the god. The ritual is almost complete — the darkness will open, revealing a pastel landscape of a surreal dream realm — the faithful will soon begin to dream while awake. But there’s unrest in the crowd. It’s your duty to keep order here; you swore it. Nothing can interrupt the ceremony. Something unseen moves among the kneeling worshipers nearby. They’re stirring, afraid to rise. What do you do?
P: I want to position myself so I can intercept whatever’s moving there as fast as possible, without disrupting the prayer — even if it means stepping over people or brushing past them.
GM: Okay. That’ll be a roll for Dexterity, with a penalty, since you’re trying to move both carefully and quickly.
P: I got a partial success.
GM: You make it to the spot where the intruder is about to emerge, but your awkward movement breaks the rhythm of the chant. You’ll need to take a splinter if you want the harmony to hold.
P: I’ll take the splinter.
GM: Alright. You hear the melody of the prayer return to its steady rhythm — and at that moment, something steps into view that makes your insides twist. You see a young Uurundi, a sacred creature worshiped across nations, whose bellies grow blue orbs of energy that power ancient technology. They only live in their native lands. Its presence here is a violation of faith and law. How did it get in? Someone must have let it in on purpose. You don’t have time to wonder — it’s a provocation. You’re the first to see it, a Priest of Dream, and it’s your duty to act. You must choose. If you ignore it, the foreign guests will accuse you of breaking the pact. If you expose it, the ritual will collapse into chaos. Which sanctity do you protect?
P: I take the risk. I remove my cloak, cover the creature, and calmly walk toward the exit as if nothing happened.
GM: That’s a Performance test — you’re acting for everyone present. Since you’ve covered the Uurundi, you cancel the penalty you’d normally have on this roll.
P: I got a failure.
GM: …
P: I’ll use a Narrative Die… rolled a 6! I change the narration: I manage to lead the Uurundi out, and those who saw it I convince with whispers that it was a fragment of dreamstuff slipping into the waking world.
And so on.

The goal of the game is not to win — it’s to tell a story. The GM is neither against the players nor on their side. Everyone at the table builds the narrative together.

Legend

• P — player, players, player character, etc.
• GM — game master.
• action — any move a character makes in their turn, such as attacking, using a power, moving, or interacting with the environment.
• arcana — magical items.
• weak, average, strong, powerful — scale of enemy strength.
• scar — a permanent consequence of critical damage.
• attribute — a core ability (physical, mental, social, or specialized) that determines the dice pool for tests.
• short rest — one hour of downtime; removes 2 fatigue and allows side actions.
• long rest — eight hours of downtime; restores 5 fatigue and allows side actions.
• discomfort — hunger, lack of sleep, or cold conditions that prevent resting.
• inventory — everything a character carries; each P has a limited number of item slots.
• slot — a unit of space in the inventory; shares the same pool as HP and fatigue.
• main die — one die in a roll (different color or first from left) whose result may trigger an additional effect.
• HP — hit points; an abstract measure of endurance, not literal wounds. Restored after a scene.
• narrative dice — bonus dice used to alter the narrative or add to a roll.
• critical damage dice — used to avoid death when HP drops below 0; losing them represents real wounds.
• condition — a short-term effect from combat (e.g., STUNNED, BLEEDING) applied by weapons or powers.
• critical success — two rolled 6s; grants maximum effect and one bonus narrative die.
• critical failure — two rolled 1s; automatic failure and a new splinter for the character.
• magic — use of arcana, nature, or faith to manipulate matter; costs fatigue.
• maneuver — an alternative to a standard attack, used to disarm, trip, or push an enemy.
• power / specialization — a special ability that costs fatigue to use.
• madness — represents loss of mental stability; destabilizes tests; after 5 points, the character loses control.
• armor — number of incoming damage dice that can be blocked; can be physical or magical.
• full success — result of 6 on a die; the action succeeds completely.
• partial success — result of 4–5; succeeds but with a drawback or cost.
• failure — result of 1–3; the GM describes a negative outcome.
• fate point — a single chance to avoid death; leaves the character traumatized.
• development points — reward for progress; used to improve attributes, buy powers, etc.
• reaction — the enemy’s response to a player’s action.
• reputation — level of relationship with a faction or region; positive or negative values affect NPC behavior.
• status — a lasting negative condition, e.g. WOUNDED, HALLUCINATING, WEAKENED; hinders tests.
• disadvantage — penalty to a roll (–1 die) or reduced maximum result.
• advantage — bonus to a roll (+1 die); cancels disadvantage or increases success chance.
• natural / dominant / privileged / executive / threatening authority — levels of influence affecting how a P can challenge power through narrative.
• splinter — a temporary flaw triggered when a 1 appears on the main die, worsening the outcome.
• clock — a progress or danger tracker that triggers an event when filled.
• corruption clock — represents the soul’s decay from magic or alchemy; leads to mutation.
• fatigue — the primary cost of actions; occupies slots, lowers HP, and causes disadvantages.
• zone — a space on the battlefield; the core unit of positioning in combat.
• downtime action — after 3 days in a major settlement, P can spend time on various personal pursuits.
• inevitable damage — damage that cannot be avoided.
• moves — special tests that help P interact with the world and advance the story.
• utility items — common items with practical uses, like a torch.
• elixirs — potions with potent magical-chemical effects.
• brews — concoctions granting specific effects, usually at a cost.
• tactical gear — simple technology designed to overcome obstacles.
• technology — complex mechanisms powered by energy orbs, highly useful but rare.
• energy orbs — bio-batteries for technology, produced from the blue fluids inside the translucent bellies of sacred Uurundi creatures.
• miracles of Jaruga — flora and fauna mutated by the power of the river-god Jaruga, possessing strange traits.
• healing items — ointments, balms, and remedies that remove fatigue, status effects, or other conditions.
• exotic material — rare substances or monster parts used to upgrade items.
• raw material / component / material — crafting ingredients.
• treasure — valuable loot such as a golden chalice, tapestry, or jewelry.
• armor penetration X — X successes always deal damage; armor can only block additional ones.
• wealth level — abstract measure of a character’s financial ability.
• market — a trade location that P can visit once per stay in a settlement.

Core Mechanics

• Narration first, then mechanics. Say what you want to do, and the GM decides whether it’s possible and which mechanic applies.
• Almost all tests use pools of d6.
• Number of dice = level of the used attribute (usually 1–4).
• Main die (different color):
  • 5–6: the P may do something extra for free, e.g. interrupt an effect in time (6), unless they pay fatigue (5).
  • 1–2: the enemy may do something extra.
• Test result = highest value among all dice:
  • 6 – full success.
  • 4–5 – success with a cost (GM describes consequences).
  • 1–3 – failure (GM describes consequences).
• Minimum dice: 1. Maximum: 6 (unless stated otherwise).
• The P may roll fewer dice than their attribute if they wish.
• Help from another P: +1 die, helper gains fatigue. Multiple P may help (max. 6 dice total).
• Repeating the same action after failure costs fatigue (e.g. forcing a door, picking a lock); each additional attempt costs +1 fatigue.
• The GM may modify the roll (+/– dice) depending on the situation.
• If the test is general (e.g. perception in open terrain), a maximum of 2 people may roll to limit stat abuse.
• Critical failure (two or more 1s) – automatic failure and the P gains a splinter.
• Critical success (two 6s) – automatic success and the P gains one narrative die (d6).
• One 6 cancels two 1s, two 6s cancel three 1s, etc. In that case, the final result counts as one success level lower.
  • Example: rolls 1, 1, 6 → partial success.
  • Example: rolls 1, 1, 6, 6 → full success.
• If the P has plenty of time and no pressure, no roll is needed – the action automatically succeeds.
• Narrative dice:
  • A pool of d6 the P can use at any time to influence the narrative (within logic, and with the GM’s approval, who has the final say).
  • For example, the P wants to prevent something that just happened to them or the group, summon reinforcements, or make something occur differently than described by the GM, etc.
  • To succeed, at least one of the used dice (any number, up to what they have) must roll a 6.
  • A P can’t have more than 5 narrative dice.
  • The P gains a narrative die on a critical success or as a reward from the GM.
  • The GM has their own narrative dice, which can be used narratively against the P or to impose disadvantages – they gain them when a P would receive a splinter but already has 3.
• Advantages / disadvantages:
  • Advantage: +1 die to a roll; Disadvantage: –1 die to a roll.
  • They stack and cancel each other (e.g. +2 and –1 = +1).
  • If a disadvantage would remove the last die, the P still rolls one die, but the maximum result is reduced by 1 (scalable).
  • Enemies:
    • Disadvantage: when dealing damage, remove 1 of the P’s lowest failure dice. Additional disadvantages alternate removing highest/lowest.
      • If there’s only one die, the enemy performs a maneuver or tries to inflict a status → resistance test: fatigue / status.
        • If they must deal damage, it’s only 1.
    • Advantage: the enemy adds one failure die (value 2) to the P’s pool; it counts as normal damage and may be reduced by armor.
• Fate points:
  • Each character starts with 1 fate point. If you die, you can miraculously survive by spending it. You remain unconscious but stable. Fate points can be repurchased with development points.
  • Losing a fate point leaves the P with a permanent trauma related to what nearly killed them.
• Madness points:
  • The GM grants them for reckless acts, especially those conflicting with the character’s values.
  • Each madness point adds 1d10 to every roll.
  • Results on madness dice have higher priority than regular d6:
    • 1 = critical failure, regardless of other results.
    • 10 = critical success, unless another madness die shows 1.
  • At 3 madness points, the character loses their mind — the GM takes control.
  • Recovery: 1 month of treatment with a healer = –1 madness point (can be split into 4 weeks for ¼ effect each).
• If there’s no clear way to determine the outcome of an unexpected or undefined situation — e.g. the P sends a messenger into dangerous lands and you want to know if they made it, or whether an NPC noticed something — the GM rolls 1d6: 1–3 = negative result, 4–6 = positive result.
• For the GM – don’t worry if you forget a rule, it happens; just apply it next time. In the heat of the game, the most important thing is that everyone has fun and the narrative stays engaging.
• For the GM – if you’re unsure which attribute to use for a roll or how to resolve a situation, ask the P and decide together.

Splinters

• When the GM doesn’t know how — or chooses not — to trigger an immediate narrative consequence for a P after a partial success or failure, they may instead give the P a splinter.
• Max 3 splinters per character. Players record and track them themselves.
  • If a P would receive a splinter but already has 3, the GM gains one narrative die instead.
• A splinter triggers when the P rolls a 1 on their main die (16%) — once triggered, it disappears.
• Effect: reduce the outcome by one step (full → partial, partial → failure).
• All Splinters (at once) can be removed through:
  • A worthy sacrifice offered to the gods on an altar — something rare or valuable,
  • Spending a long rest on prayer or meditation + at least a partial success on Religion/Will,
  • A donation to the church (a treasure per Splinter),
  • A downtime action.
• A critical failure (two 1s) gives a splinter.
• A critical failure with a 1 on the main die does not remove an existing splinter.
• A splinter never triggers when rolling only one die.
• When a splinter activates, the P describes what interfered with their action.
• Example: A player wants to jump over a hole in a ruined staircase - he rolls 3 dice on athletics, and gets 1, 5, 6 - normally he would have a full success and would succeed without consequences, but he has a splinter that lowers the result of his test by one step - so he achieves a partial success, he jumps over, but he gets fatigue.

Traits

Each P has a level in every trait — from 1 to 4 — and rolls that many dice when making related tests.

Physical

• melee – striking, defending, reading an opponent’s movements
• aim – shooting bows, throwing spears, hitting distant targets
• resilience – enduring pain, poison, hunger, fatigue
• athletics – climbing, pushing, pulling, jumping, breaking resistance
• dexterity – balance, dodging blows, acrobatic maneuvers
• sleight of hand – stealing, handling small objects, disarming traps, picking locks
• stealth – moving silently, hiding, setting ambushes

Mental

• arcana – understanding and using magic, alchemy, handling artifacts
• mind – deduction, analysis, memory, knowledge of history or science, general knowledge
• investigation – finding details, examining crime scenes, uncovering traps
• nature – recognizing plants and animals, tracking, navigation, druidic or nature magic
• religion – rituals, symbols, cults and dogmas, divine magic
• will – resisting fear, mental pressure, psychic influence

Social

• intuition – reading emotions, detecting lies, sensing moods
• deception – lying, pretending, creating false identities
• intimidation – threats, pressure, physical or verbal dominance
• performance – speeches, singing, gestures, music, holding a crowd’s attention
• persuasion – negotiation, convincing, easing conflicts
• influence – connections, forcing events, gathering information

Specializations

• perception – noticing hidden details, sounds, movements, sensory awareness
• medicine – treating wounds, diagnosing illness, stabilizing the injured
• animal handling – taming, calming, training, issuing commands
• survival – tracking, lighting fires, building shelters, finding paths, exploration
• technology – repairing mechanisms, unlocking devices, crafting tools
• herbalism – making potions, identifying and collecting herbs or poisons

HP, Inventory, and Fatigue

Slots

• Each P has 10 shared slots for HP, inventory, and fatigue. The number of slots represents both the P’s carrying capacity and their HP.
• HP is restored after the scene if the conditions allow it - every 4 restored HP turns into 1 fatigue.
• Each point of fatigue occupies 1 slot, reducing both HP and carrying capacity (you must drop something if you run out of space). HP and capacity blocked by fatigue don’t recover until the fatigue is removed.

Fatigue

• If you have 6+ fatigue, you gain a disadvantage for every roll.
• At 10 fatigue, roll for critical damage and receive:
  • +1 madness point
  • a permanent trauma (set by the GM, e.g. fear, hypersensitivity)
• You can always take 2 fatigue to add 1 die to a roll. This fatigue is applied after the roll.
• Common sources of fatigue: prolonged exertion, critical wounds, harsh conditions, magical effects, costs of partial successes, etc.
• Enemies can’t have fatigue — whenever they would gain it, they instead take 1 inevitable damage.
• If you rest and return to the place where fatigue forced you to drop your equipment, you can pick it up again — other P can also collect your items if they have enough space in their backpacks.

Rest

• Short (1h): –1 fatigue.
• Long (8h): –5 fatigue.
  • In a dangerous place: group Survival test — on failure, recover only –3 fatigue.
  • Crafting during rest: only –3 fatigue.
• Discomfort (hunger, cold, wet clothes) prevents rest. Each morning spent in discomfort adds +1 fatigue.
• In cold weather, characters must wear warm clothing (a common item, takes 1 slot), or they can’t rest.

Inventory

• Small/light item: ½ slot; Common: 1 slot; Large/heavy (two-handed weapon, large shield): 2 slots.
• Tiny items (berries, coins) don’t take space.
• Ammunition / kits (e.g. lockpicks): 20 pieces = 1 unit; P tracks usage.
• Ranged weapons share space with their ammunition (don’t count separately).
• Rations:
  • Large: 1 slot, lasts 3 days.
  • Small: ½ slot, lasts 1 day.
  • When not in a settlement or using an inn, P must consume a ration each day or gain discomfort from hunger.
• Arcana: take no slots and can’t be lost.

Item Upgrades

• Items can be upgraded up to twice using exotic materials (e.g. hydra scales = +1 magical armor; basilisk venom = melee weapon inflicts a condition (choose/roll which) on a 5 on the main die).
• Upgrades are done at the market, according to the party’s wealth level.
• Aside from the exotic material, upgrading an item also requires 1 regular material.
• Upgrades can’t be swapped or removed.
• Arcana can also be upgraded.
• You can’t have more than 4 upgrades active at once (unless you purchased an upgrade slot with development points). If you exceed that limit, you must choose which ones remain active and which are disabled.

Statuses

• if P is to receive a status but it is not known which exactly, roll a d6 to draw it from the indicated group.
• If the P would receive the same status again, roll a different one. if you roll one they already have, a catastrophe occurs — instead of a new status, the P suffers permanent damage: roll twice on the scar table and take the worse result.
• Statuses are the main tool for truly weakening the P beyond regular damage.
• Fatigue and statuses are the only lasting effects that influence the players. everything else should lead to or reinforce them.
• The P should fear statuses. they are common, long-lasting, and hard to remove.
• Well-used statuses create the feeling of a brutal, pseudo-realistic world, where failures have consequences and every decision carries real weight.
• Enemies cannot have statuses — if they ever would, they instead take 2 inevitable damage. they can, however, have conditions.

Physical

1. WEAKENED – disadvantage on tests using physical attributes.
2. WOUNDED – whenever you roll a partial success or a failure, gain 1 fatigue.
3. MAULED – your wounds are so deep that every damage die deals +1 damage.
4. SOAR – each failure on a physical test costs you one critical damage die.
5. SHOCKED – you can’t benefit from armor.
6. CUT OPEN – every 1 rolled on any die lowers your highest result in the pool by 2; altered dice don’t count toward criticals.

Mental

1. SENSITIVE – doubles received fatigue.
2. JITTERY – disadvantage on tests using social attributes and specializations.
3. HALLUCINATING – you can’t achieve full successes.
4. DISTRACTED – disadvantage on tests using mental attributes.
5. BROKEN – you can’t roll more than two dice for any test.
6. UNCERTAIN – a result of 4 counts as a failure.

Damage

Dealing Damage

• Each success (4–6) on an attack (melee, aiming, magic) deals 2 damage, unless something states otherwise.
• Each failure (1–3) represents potential damage from the opponent.

Enemy Attacks

• P takes damage based on the enemy’s weapon: typically, a one-handed weapon deals 2 damage per P’s failure, and a two-handed weapon deals 3, unless stated otherwise.
• Enemies choose their targets rationally — the GM selects targets with narrative logic in mind (usually the attacker, the greatest threat, or the closest one), or follows the targeting rules from Combat – Controlling Enemies as GM.
• An enemy can use only as many of P’s failed dice as its class allows:
  • weak (1), regular (2), strong (3), boss/powerful (4).
  • Example: P fights a regular opponent, rolls 3 dice, and gets 3 failures — the enemy can use only two of them, even though there were 3 failures total.
• Strong and powerful enemies have base damage — 1 and 2 respectively — added to their total regardless of rolls. These can still be blocked by armor.

Special Cases

• Armor Piercing X: X successes always hit; armor can only block the rest.
• Unavoidable Damage: cannot be blocked in any way.

Hit Points and Recovery

• HP = the ability to avoid harm (not literal wounds).
• After a scene, P restores all HP from slots not covered by fatigue, but for every 4 HP restored they gain 1 fatigue.
• HP blocked by fatigue do not recover.
• Temporary HP: last until the end of the scene; they do not refresh.
• Losing HP below 0 = critical damage.

Critical Damage

• Represents actual bodily harm.
• P rolls their critical damage dice:
  • 6: lose 1 critical damage die, stand with 1 HP.
  • 4–5: +3 fatigue (max 9), lose 1 critical damage die, stay conscious with 1 HP.
  • 1–3: same as above, but you fall unconscious. If no one heals you before your next turn → you die. Outside combat → only 1 person can attempt to save you, and they must score at least a partial success on medicine.
• Critical damage dice are restored only by oil/incense and only during a long rest.

Crushing Damage

• If you would take more damage from a single source than your maximum HP, you suffer disadvantage on your critical damage roll.

Falling Damage

• Falling from a mount / breaking flight causes fatigue.
• Low height (up to 1 story):
  → roll a physical status.
• High height (2–3 stories):
  → roll a physical status, lose 1 critical damage die.
• Very high height (4+ stories):
  → roll for critical damage with disadvantage; failure means death.

Area Damage

• Always roll at least 2 dice. If you have only 1 from the attribute, add another (even under disadvantage).
• Damage from successes must be distributed among targets in range:
  • Each success = 2 damage.
  • Assign 1 success to each target first.
  • Spare successes can be assigned to already-hit targets.
• If there aren’t enough enemies and an ally is within range, spare successes must hit them.
• Against a group unit (a single stat block representing several enemies), you can assign any number of successes to it.

Damage Types

• Physical
• Magical / Elemental

All can be blocked by armor.
A single attack can deal only one type of damage.

Resistance and Vulnerability

Resistance to a damage type means you may always discard 1 failure when determining the amount of damage of that type.

Vulnerability means that when determining damage of that type, you are treated as if hit by one additional failure. It can still be blocked by armor if nothing forbids it.

Immunity means complete negation of that damage type, though it is extremely rare. An example could be dwarves’ immunity to poison or disease.

Scars

When P’s HP drops exactly to zero, they receive a scar — roll on the Scars Table. You can’t gain more than one scar per encounter.

Scars Table – all effects stack – roll 1d6 – describe the scar on your body.

Weapons and Armor

Weapons

Specialization

• There are 8 weapon types: one-handed, two-handed, dual wielding, bows, crossbows, thrown, firearms, martial arts.
• P starts with 2 specializations; more can be bought with development points.
• Without specialization: each success deals –1 damage (minimum 1).

Melee Weapons

• One-handed (e.g. sword, mace):
  • The off-hand can hold a shield, light source, or utility item.
  • Fighting with two one-handed weapons:
    • +1 die (advantage) to melee tests.
    • Each rolled 6 inflicts 1 fatigue.
• Two-handed (e.g. axe, hammer): each success deals 3 damage instead of 2.

Ranged Weapons

• Can attack into other zones.
• Shooting from horseback/similar = disadvantage.
• Reloading costs 1 fatigue.

Bare Hands and Improvised Weapons

• Bare hands: 1 damage per success (more only with the monk power).
• Improvised weapon: 1 damage per success.
  • If your first attack is a full success and the enemy isn’t powerful, they faint — e.g. from a bottle smashed over their head.

Conditions on Hit

• If the main die shows:
  • 4–5 (for P)
  • 1–2 (for the enemy)
    → you may apply a condition (e.g. BLEEDING) if the weapon allows it.
• P must remember that the enemy is under a condition — its effect is resolved at the start of that enemy’s next turn.

Armor

Physical Armor

• Armor = number of failures P may discard from their attack roll to reduce incoming damage (including base damage).
• Limit: 4 damage blocked per 1 point of armor.
• Maximum 6 armor.

Magical Armor

• Increases the failure-blocking limit from 6 to 10.
• Also works against mental, internal, ethereal damage.
• No penalties to rolls.
• Found only in arcana / exotic materials.
• Maximum 4 magical armor.

Armor Restoration

• After resting (end of scene), P restores full armor.
• Temporary armor: lasts until the end of the scene, then disappears.

Armor Penalties

• Agility: limits rolls involving dexterity, stealth, sleight of hand, and some athletics (e.g. swimming, climbing) or arcana/nature requiring gestures. GM decides logically.
• Visibility: limits perception and aiming rolls.
• Penalty = –1 to the highest die in affected tests (per penalty point).

Armor Types

Powers (Specializations)

• Using a power costs 1 fatigue, unless stated otherwise.
• Using a power takes an action if its description says so or if it’s logically tied to an attack.
• It can be activated at any point during your turn.
• You can use several of them at once — unless something specifically forbids it.

• Medic – treat an ally (not yourself) in the same zone; heal them for 1d4 or remove 1 fatigue. Only one P in the group can have this power.
• Mobile – move freely through 2 zones, including dangerous terrain (like climbing) or past enemies; you can also break a grapple (doing so reduces your extra movement to 1 zone). Costs an action unless you take disadvantage.
• Finesse – your next attack ignores enemy armor. Can’t be used with two-handed weapons.
• Defender – take the effects of an attack, effect, or status that would hit an ally in your zone.
• Armored – regain up to 1d4 armor points. Costs an action; each additional use in the same scene costs 1 more fatigue.
• Silent – outside combat: appear unnoticed within line of sight (not teleportation; can’t bypass barriers or terrain). In combat: after using it, you automatically gain HIDDEN when entering a hidden zone (see zone effects), and such zones don’t give you disadvantage to attack.
• Veteran – after your action, you can perform a free maneuver (grapple, trip, disarm, etc.).
• Brutal – your next attack deals +1 damage per success.
• Conjurer – influence (but not create) an element in the scene (fire, ice, shadow, wind, water, etc.) to cause a single narrative effect (e.g. block passage, dampen light, slam someone down). Can be chosen only if you have 2 arcana, nature or religion.
• Unyielding – ignore one chosen status/condition until the end of the scene or your next failed test. Each additional use in the same scene costs 1 more fatigue. If you fail and blocked more than one effect, only the last ignored one applies.
• Hunter – instantly find a nearby track if it exists, or erase your and your party’s tracks.
• Immortal – you can reroll 1 critical damage die.
• Commander – allow an ally to make an extra move or maneuver, even outside your turn. No per-round limit, but each additional use in the same turn costs 1 more fatigue.
• Supportive – turn an ally’s failure into a partial success (combat only). Each additional use in the same scene costs 1 extra fatigue.
• Thief – steal or take something small unnoticed within reach, even in a tense situation.
• Steadfast – ignore any effect that would knock you down, move, throw, stop, or restrain you.
• Actor – invent a believable lie or false identity on the spot, accepted until openly disproved.
• Menacing – force obedience from a non-essential NPC.
• Messenger – leave a hidden sign, message, or symbol understood only by chosen recipients — it will be found.
• Collector – gain access to one small item you could reasonably have on you this scene (not an artifact).
• Mediator – make one hostile, non-essential creature open to negotiation.
• Shieldbearer – you can sacrifice your shield to protect an ally beside you (using normal shield sacrifice rules). You can also throw your shield as a thrown weapon (2 damage per success).
• Oracle – ask the GM one question about the near future of the current scene (e.g. “what happens if we stay still?”, “will someone betray us?”). The GM answers honestly within fiction. Each further use costs +1 fatigue (2 for the second, 3 for the third, etc.) and resets after a short rest.
• Crouched – remain hidden even after interacting with another creature.
• Bastion – for one round you are immune to damage and status/condition effects but cannot attack. Cannot be used two turns in a row.
• Trickster – create a distraction (shout, whistle, topple something) that diverts attention from a chosen target for 1 turn (they cannot be targeted).
• Monk – your unarmed attacks deal 2 damage per success permanently (no fatigue cost). You can also run along walls (costs fatigue) but cannot stop on them.
• Animal Companion – your companion grants you 1 armor (cannot exceed your maximum). Always in your zone. You may spend 1 fatigue to attack using your Animal Handling dice (3 damage per success). Outside combat, it obeys every command.
• Swing – split melee/unarmed attack dice among any number of targets in your zone. You may, but don’t have to, make this attack with advantage, but then you can’t achieve a full success.
• Traveler – identify the shortest route to a place you’ve been. When traveling there, you can skip the exploration roll and count as if you got a partial success, plus ask the GM one question.
• Berserker – costs 1 fatigue per turn; lasts until you stop it (only at the start of your turn) or your HP reaches 0. You enter a rage, losing control but gaining strength: attack with advantage, your successes deal 4 damage, gain armor piercing 1, but lose armor and treat full successes as partial.
• Telepath – only if you have at least 2 in arcana/nature/mind; a creature you clearly see hears your voice in its head.
• Speak with Animals – ask 2 questions to an animal; the GM tells you if it’s intelligent enough to answer.
• Globetrotter – add advantage to move “I Know Someone Here.” Failure costs nothing and doesn’t spread rumors.
• Executioner – if your next melee attack kills the target, deal 4 damage to another creature in the same zone.
• Assassin – if you outnumber the enemy, spend 1 fatigue to attack with 5 dice (only in light armor or none).
• Protector – until your next turn, every ally who stays in your zone gains 1 temporary armor.
• Mystic – costs 2 fatigue, and each repeated use on the same enemy costs 2 more fatigue. You foresee what the enemy will do — you decide their action, but it must be something they could reasonably choose. Coordinate with the GM.
• Shapeshifter – once per scene, roll nature/survival to transform according to shapeshifting magic rules (see Magic chapter). Costs an action.
• Trapper – instantly craft a simple trap from your surroundings and place it in an adjacent zone (must make sense) — e.g. toppled cauldron, stretched wire, greased floor. The first creature entering that zone becomes PRONE/ENTANGLED/DISARMED (P chooses) or takes 4 damage.
• Marksman – hit anything you want within range, but it can’t be a lethal or extreme pain shot (e.g. eye or genitals). In combat you may use it outside your turn, but only once before your next. Doesn’t cost an action, but can’t be used more than once per turn.
• Controller – after your action, you can affect the environment (flip a table, use an item, light a lamp, topple a chandelier, block a path, draw a curtain, etc.).
• Inventor – successfully manipulate scenery with tools (fire a cannon, jam a lock, make a lamp go out, repair something simple, etc.) or pull out a small gadget that creates a simple effect (smoke, spark, noise). Must be logical; coordinate with GM.
• Scout – detect a hidden threat/information (ambush, observer, trap, hidden passage). Each additional use in the same scene costs +1 fatigue.
• Awakened – once per scene you can cast a simple spell even without magic or nature; act as if you had 2 successes to spend on parameters, or spend 2 extra fatigue for a third success.
• Slayer – your next attack, if it hits, inflicts TERRIFIED. Costs 2 fatigue and works only once per target.
• Shaman – sense the presence of souls, magic, or corruption in the current scene (even without a clear source), or grant yourself resistance to one chosen element until the end of the scene.

Magic

Narrative Premises

• Magic is a rare, often unwanted, sometimes illegal force known only to a few.
• Wizards are nearly extinct, and rituals require the cooperation of many participants.
• Magic is seen as disturbing and incomprehensible — common knowledge about it is distorted.
• P using magic should justify it narratively and hide it whenever possible.
• Scrolls can be cast by anyone.
• Scrolls/elixirs are rare — they can’t normally be bought at markets, only found or crafted.
• Those who can cast spells face virtually no limits on what they can attempt, but spellcasting is always costly and risky.

Spellcasting Mechanics

• Magic functions as a power. Each spell cast costs 1 fatigue.
• Roll arcana or nature — you may use it only if you have at least 2 points in that attribute — and if you achieve at least a partial success, you add 1 extra success to your pool.
• The GM and P determine spell parameters — each higher level of a parameter costs an additional success:
  • Scale: single target (including self) (1) • group/zone (2) • entire scene (3)
  • Complexity: simple (2 dmg/success) (1) • demanding (3 dmg/success) (2) • extreme (4 dmg/success) (3)
  • Duration: instant/up to 2 turns (0) • scene (1) • hour (2) • day (3) • whole session (4)
  • Range: up to 2 zones (0) • each extra zone costs 1 success.
• If you have fewer successes than required for your intent, you may reduce parameters as you wish, as long as you keep the spell’s core idea.
• Partial success:
  • In combat → enemy reaction
  • Out of combat → pay 1 extra fatigue or lose 1 success from your pool.
• Religion instead of arcana/nature:
  • Casting doesn’t cost fatigue, but only works on a full success.
• Your spells can’t harm you, but can harm allies.
• GM may reject an impossible effect regardless of success count.
• Monster magical powers cost them neither HP nor fatigue.

Example Spells

• What you can do with your spell points:
  • 2 points → always available basics (missile, short buffs).
  • 3 points → standard “battle spells” (group effect, flight, barrier).
  • 4 points → strong, scene-shaping effects (entire scene effect, long buffs).
  • 5+ points → epic, rare, and spectacular (disasters, session-long rituals).

Side Effects

Magical Catastrophe

If you roll three ones, trigger the Magical Catastrophe Table (regardless of modifiers).

Corruption Clock

• A critical failure (two ones) forces P to roll 1d6 on the Corruption Table.
• Each time P rolls on this table, they invent a physical mutation — it can be small — fitting the rolled effect.
• Demons in the world of Zaya are the result of advanced corruption caused by spellcasting or alchemy — twisted souls trapped in distorted bodies.
• Corruption effects can be reversed during downtime by making sacrifices to the gods.

Negative effects can be reversed with a downtime action at a surgeon.

Social Clock

• Each use of magic in front of ordinary people advances the Social Clock.
• After level 3, the party loses 1 reputation level with the local faction.
• The clock can be reset by doing favors for that faction.

Scrolls

• Magic scrolls don’t contain specific spells — they hold raw magical potential, which the user (even without magical ability) can shape freely.
• Scrolls are used like spellcasting — the user gains 3 arcana dice and may add 1 more by spending 1 fatigue.
• Using a scroll costs 1 fatigue.

How Magic Works — for GM Only

Do not read this unless you’re the GM — it will spoil the mystery for players.

In the world of Zaya, everything — from living beings to stones and air particles — has a soul.
A soul is a mindless force that travels through all forms of existence until it joins the Pillar of Being, expanding the world’s space (see Cosmology in Lore).
The soul is thus also the force that shapes reality.

Magic is the act of tearing souls from their forms and bending them to one’s will.
Few can do it. On a large scale, it corrupts matter itself.
Practically no one, not even magicians, understands how magic truly works — it remains one of the greatest secrets of this world.

Arkana (magical items) are objects inhabited by stray souls that entered them by mistake during their journey — though almost no one knows they are haunted.

Giving arcanas to players

• Arcana are the main source of a P power, so the GM should hand them out sparingly.
• They’re rare and players should have only a few over the course of a campaign.
• The list of arkanas is only an example — GMs and players can invent their own, but the GM always has the final say on whether an item fits the story and isn’t too strong.
• If an arcana turns out to be too powerful for your table, discuss whether to nerf it or replace it so it doesn’t disrupt the game.
• When designing adventures, GMs can include arcana tied to that specific story. If you don’t want them to remain in play afterward, make them consumable, e.g. usable 2–3 times, with a possible way to recharge them later.
• The most reliable balancing method is to give arkanas limited uses.
• Totems are worn on the back.
• P can’t wear or carry gear illogically — no two helmets, no helmet and hat combo.
• If an item has multiple versions (e.g. small/large shield), P chooses which version they obtain.

Special Magical Effect Mechanics

Summon

You summon a being or a group of beings — e.g., spirits, animals, undead, elementals, etc.

Summoned creatures:

• Do not act independently — you control them as part of your own action.
• Deal area damage in the zone where they end their turn (even if they don’t move), calculated from a new roll using the relevant attribute (e.g. arcana, nature, religion).
• Cannot move more than 2 zones away from you.
• Do not harm you, but can harm allies.
• If they are forcibly moved, they deal no damage that turn.
• You can have a maximum number of summoned creatures equal to half (rounded down) of your relevant attribute level.
• On the first turn after being summoned, they cannot move.
• A summoned creature can be used to grant you 1 magical armor — doing so makes it disappear.
• Each summoned creature lasts for up to one hour of real time.

Copy

You create a copy of yourself or a chosen creature in its current or adjacent zone.

• Has 1 HP and 0 armor.
• If it’s in the same zone as you, you can use it as 1 armor — then it disappears.
• Moves at the same time you do.
• Cannot be more than 3 zones away from you.
• Lasts up to one hour of real time.
• You can act either from your own position or from the copy’s — but not both.
• You can have a number of copies equal to the attribute used to create them.
• They count toward numerical advantage.
• You may spend 1 fatigue to swap places with one of them.

Shapeshifting

You change your form.

Roll nature/survival.

• You always have 1 guaranteed success if you rolled at least a partial success.
• Total number of successes = number of form uses.
• Transformation costs 1 fatigue.
• You gain 1 armor in that form.
• If you want to act in the same turn you transform, spend 1 success.
• Known forms = value of the attribute used for transformation.
• To learn a new form — offer that creature to a god. Doing so overwrites one of your known forms.

Using a form = performing an instinctive ability of that form.
Examples:

• Wolf — tracking, extra movement, knockdown, fast running.
• Bird — flight, aerial view, advantage on attacks.
• Bear — throw enemies, climb, powerful strike.
• Intelligent race — speak in another’s voice, blend into a crowd, mimic characteristic gestures.

Attacks are made normally with melee combat — you may burn 1 use of your form to gain advantage on that attack or roll it with survival instead.
When all uses are spent or your HP drops to 0, you return to your normal form.

Forms aren’t limited to animals — when learning another type, like a monster form, discuss with the GM what abilities it grants.

Combat

General Rules

• Combat takes place in the theater of the mind or on a simplified map divided into zones. It should be narrative and fast-paced.
• The battlefield is divided into zones. Each zone represents an area, such as a corridor, room, or part of one. Moving from one zone to another costs one move. Each additional zone crossed costs one more move. Distances within a zone are abstract — anyone in the same zone can reach anyone else for melee attacks.
  • If the zones are square, you can move diagonally between them — this matters for maps.
• There is no initiative. P always act first, in order determined by dexterity + perception – fatigue → if tied, whoever declares first acts first. If P are surprised, they roll with disadvantage on all rolls in their first turn.
• By default, a P may move and perform one action per turn. You can move double distance if you do nothing else that turn.
• You state what you want to achieve on your turn, and the GM tells you whether it’s possible and which mechanic to apply. This is a narrative game. The system assumes the character acts because the player describes it, not because it’s written on their sheet.
• Enemies have no turns. They act only in reaction to the P’s moves. On a partial success or failure, enemies act effectively; on a full success, their attempts fail. One enemy reacts to each P action.
  • Usually, the last roll in a P turn should determine the enemy’s reaction — most of the time P roll only once per turn.
  • An enemy, when reacting, has a move and an action. If their action is an attack, they deal damage equal to their weapon’s damage × the number of failures (1–3) rolled by the P in their test.
• Once per turn, you can draw or swap an item/weapon for free.
• Using an item (like a potion) costs either a move or an action.
• You can ready an action to react to a trigger, e.g. “I strike the moment someone crosses the doorway.”
• Numerical advantage grants +1 to every damage die.
• Maneuvers: Instead of attacking, you can attempt maneuvers (blinding, knocking down, pushing, etc.). Repeating the same maneuver on the same target in consecutive turns applies disadvantage. Maneuvers against larger creatures are made with disadvantage.
  • Disarm throws the weapon into an adjacent zone chosen by the attacker. Picking it up costs move/action/triggers an opportunity attack (choose one).
  • Standing up after being knocked down costs a move and may trigger an opportunity attack.
• Ranged Combat:
  • Attacking with a ranged (non-thrown) weapon against a target in the same zone is done with disadvantage. The maximum range of a ranged weapon equals the character’s aim level in zones (max 3).
  • Thrown weapons have a range of 1 zone beyond the attacker’s own but cannot target enemies in the same zone. You can’t throw further.
    • Throwing a weapon not designed for it is rolled with a single d6.
• Buying effects with successes — if you roll more than 1 success, you may spend 1 fatigue for each additional success to turn it into another effect instead of damage (a free maneuver, movement, item use, etc.).
• Huge creatures always deal damage to all enemies in their zone and cannot be affected by maneuvers.
• A sustained effect (such as concentration, flight, or mounted riding) may be broken when the main die shows 5 or 6 (1–2 for enemy actions):
  • 6 = the effect simply ends;
  • 5 = it ends if the interrupter pays fatigue (or 1 HP for enemies).
• Hiding in combat:
  • Roll Stealth:
    • 6 = gain the HIDDEN condition and continue your turn;
    • 4–5 = choose:
      • gain HIDDEN and end your turn – triggers an enemy reaction;
      • continue your turn without HIDDEN by paying 1 fatigue;
    • 1–3 = fail – your turn ends and you trigger an enemy reaction.
  • You can’t hide in plain sight. You must describe how you hide — the GM may deny it if the terrain doesn’t allow it. If you’re in a zone with enemies, roll with disadvantage. The effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your successes + 1. It ends earlier if you interact with another being (attack, touch, use a power, etc.). Before interacting, you may pay fatigue to keep the condition.
• Powerful enemies / bosses:
  • Monsters are rare but terrifying — at the start of combat against one, roll Will:
    • partial success = disadvantage on your next roll,
    • failure = gain the FRIGHTENED condition.
  • Entering a zone occupied by a powerful enemy often requires a defensive test.
  • Powerful enemies deal 2 base damage (added to their normal result).
  • They are resistant to conditions – these apply only if the P rolls 5–6 on the main die, or pays fatigue; other results have no effect.
  • They are resistant to conditions and maneuvers — these only take effect if the P rolls a 5–6 on the main die, or a 4 and pays fatigue; any other result means no effect.
    • If an effect would apply a condition or maneuver to a powerful enemy without a roll, the P rolls a d6 to determine the result of the main die.
• Morale: when the commander dies or enemy numbers drop to ⅔, the one with the highest attribute rolls Will: failure = all surrender or flee. If only one non-boss enemy remains, they always surrender unless escape or a suicidal attack makes narrative sense. Morale is used to end drawn-out fights – apply it consistently.
• If a P rolls a partial success (e.g., when picking up a weapon) and has no failure dice to determine enemy damage, the enemy attacks using a status attack, forcing a Resilience/Will test. If there’s still no failure die and the P chooses to take damage, treat it as damage from one failure die. Generally — whenever P should take damage but has no failure dice, they take damage as if from one failure die.
• Opportunity attacks:
  • If an enemy leaves a zone where their side lacks numerical advantage, the P who triggered their reaction (or the nearest logical one) rolls 1d6 → on 4–6: deals 3 damage.
  • Similarly, if a P flees a zone where their side lacks numerical advantage and rolls 1–3 on the main die in their next roll that turn, they take 3 damage.
  • The same applies when standing up:
    • if a P stands up and rolls 1–3 on the main die in their next roll that turn, they take 3 damage;
    • if an enemy stands up, the P who triggered that reaction (or the nearest logical one) rolls 1d6 → on 4–6: deals 3 damage.
  • Maneuvers do not trigger opportunity attacks.
  • Opportunity attacks can be made with any weapon type.
• if a P didn’t make any roll during their turn — for example, only moved or lit a torch — the enemy may react as if it had scored a partial success, dealing 1 die of damage.
• At the end of the round, after all P turns, any enemy who hasn’t reacted to any P action may make one move.
• If an effect is global (e.g., something tries to inflict fear on everyone in a zone), the P with the highest relevant attribute defends, but with disadvantage.
• Every fight should have an objective beyond simply eliminating the enemies.
• If a P’s declared action stays within system mechanics, they may achieve the goal in any logical way (e.g., “I jump, grab the chandelier, and kick the enemy away,” or “I grab a bottle from the table and smash it on his head before trying to stab him with a knife”).
• Summary: One roll determines everything:
  • you hit if any die shows 4+; damage = number of successes (4–6) x weapon demage;
  • on a partial or failure, the enemy hits back for each 1–3 x weapon demage.
    Example: 3 dice → one 4, two 2s = you deal 1 x weapon damage, take 2 x weapon damage.
    1 Armor blocks 1 enemy die; 3 Armor = block 3 per fight.
  • on 6 enemy can not react.

Conditions

• BLINDED / DEAFENED – reduces melee and aim to 1 die – the affected sense is inactive – typically lasts 2 turns.
• BLEEDING / POISONED / BURNING – take 3 unavoidable damage at the end of each turn while you have this condition – how do you plan to deal with it?
  • I spend my turn removing the condition (e.g., rolling in sand to extinguish flames); the enemy acts as if I had 2 failure dice.
  • I endure – I don’t take the damage and remove the condition only on a full success, but all my actions are made with disadvantage; a partial success gives me fatigue, and a failure causes a physical status.
• FRIGHTENED – you can’t move closer to the source of fear and have disadvantage on all tests against it – typically lasts 2 turns – if you’re in the same zone as the source, you must flee using both your move and action.
• CHARMED – doesn’t affect monsters – forces a Will test at the start of your turn:
  • full success: you break free and act normally;
  • partial success: you break free at the end of your turn if you pay fatigue, but until then, the enemy controls you (move + action), using your failure dice to attack allies or act otherwise;
  • failure: the enemy controls you.
    If you’ve charmed an enemy, you may give them a command that doesn’t violate their values.
• SLOWED / FAST – if you move, you have disadvantage / you may move once more or roll with advantage – typically lasts 2 turns – any flying or mounted creature has the FAST condition, but it’s a sustained effect that can be interrupted.
• GRAPPLING – you can drag a creature you’ve grabbed, but all your other actions have disadvantage – you can release it at any time.
• GRAPPLED / ENTANGLED – you can’t move, and attacks against you have advantage – you must make an Athletics test at the start of your turn – on a partial success, you break free at the end of the turn if you pay fatigue.
• STUNNED – the target loses their turn, and any action against them counts as a full success – each damage die deals +2 additional damage, and the target can’t use Armor.
• PRONE – actions performed while lying down are made with disadvantage (if logical), unless the target is also prone – then no change – attacks against a prone target have advantage – standing up costs a move and provokes an opportunity attack.
• DISARMED – each damage die against them deals +1 extra damage – the weapon is thrown into an adjacent zone chosen by the attacker – picking it up costs move/action/triggers an opportunity attack (choose one).
• INVISIBLE / HIDDEN – such creatures can’t be targeted by non-physical ranged attacks (e.g., mind control) and are attacked using perception with disadvantage – they gain advantage on their own attacks – the condition ends when the creature performs any non-verbal interaction, such as an attack.

Organized Groups

Special units represented as a single entity within zones, made up of multiple beings. They follow unique rules that override those of normal groups.

Squad

• 15 HP, 3 Armor.
• If you need its attributes (e.g., Resilience), roll 3d6.
• Base damage: 2. Deals 2 damage per success.
• Composed of 5 members.
• Every 3 HP lost means one member dies – even from one action. When 3 members die, P may pay fatigue to force the rest to scatter. If it keeps fighting, use 2d6 for its attributes.
• Cannot be bypassed or targeted with maneuvers.
• On a 1 on the main die, applies the BLEEDING condition.

Mob

An angry, chaotic crowd of individuals.

• Composed of 7 members.
• 14 HP, 2 Armor. Every 2 HP lost means one member dies.
• If you need stats, roll 2d6.
• When 5 members die, the rest always flee.
• Cannot be bypassed.
• Cannot be targeted with maneuvers.
• On a 1 on the main die, applies a physical status.

Swarm

A mass of weak, similar creatures that are dangerous in numbers.

• Composed of 15 members.
• 15 HP, 1 Armor. Every 1 HP lost means one dies.
• If you need stats, roll 2d6.
• When 10 members die, the rest always flee.
• If it has 10+ HP, any P ending their turn in its zone must test Resilience → fatigue / physical status.
• Cannot be targeted with maneuvers.

Equipment Damage

Whenever a P rolls a critical failure in combat (two 1s), in addition to normal effects, instead of gaining fatigue (as outside combat), roll 1d6 on the table below. All effects last until repaired. Arkana cannot be damaged.

Enemy Control by the GM

• An enemy reacts after the P action resolves. If that action killed the enemy who would have reacted, another enemy reacts instead — the GM chooses one that best fits the narrative.
• Usually, the last roll in a P turn should determine the enemy’s reaction — P will rarely roll more than once per turn.
• If the P rolls: 6 = the enemy may narratively reposition and take a failed action; 4–5 = the enemy gets a move and makes a soft move (e.g., deal damage, perform a maneuver, force a defensive test for a potential hard move); 1–3 = the enemy makes a hard move, e.g., a special attack, applying a status without a test, or 2 soft moves.
• Soft move — a lighter consequence without defense, or a defensive test against a heavier one (damage / maneuver / attempt to apply a status / power / attempt to apply a weaker condition). Hard move — a heavier consequence without defense, or two lighter ones without defense (damage / maneuver / attempt to apply a status / power / apply a condition / attempt to apply a stronger condition).
• Example: the P rolls a 4 and deals their damage; the enemy responds by attempting a hard move (apply a status), forcing a Will test (psychic attack). If the P then rolls: 6 = avoids the consequence; 4–5 = gains the status or takes damage (the P chooses); 1–3 = gains the status and takes damage.
• Second example: the P rolls a 3, and the enemy responds with a hard move (apply a status) — the P randomly receives a psychic status (mental attack).
• Enemies don’t have full stat blocks — if you need a test (e.g., dexterity, will, nature), assume a default attribute value based on their power tier:
  • Easy/pawn — 1 die, 1 HP.
  • Standard foe (e.g., guard, thug, wolf) — 2 dice, 6–8 HP.
  • Strong foe (e.g., veteran, chief, knight) — 3 dice, 10–12 HP.
  • Powerful foe/boss (e.g., demon, monster, master) — 4 dice, 15–20 HP.
• Applying a status — every enemy has a special attack they can use as their action. It forces a P to roll an appropriate defense (usually Resilience for a physical status or Will for a psychic one). Partial success = fatigue; failure = the corresponding status. The status type should match the creature (a knight tends to inflict a physical status; a telepath, a psychic one).
  • This is often used when the enemy has no damage dice to spend (e.g., they lost them due to disadvantage).
• You may give any special enemy one unique, simple power that belongs only to them, e.g., Passes through walls for free, Walks on walls and ceilings, Immune to fire, Flies, Each damage die it deals restores 1 HP. Usually one such power is enough.
• Example enemy:
  • Hunger of Slaughter (powerful) — monster — HP: 18 | Damage: 3 (teeth and claws) — armor penetration 1 | Armor: 4 | Special: 2 moves + each damage die it deals restores 1 HP.
  • Behavior: Resembles a wolf without skin. No eyes, only nostrils — it smells blood and fatigue. Moves in a shaky, spasmodic way, as if it didn’t control its body. Can mimic the voices of victims it devoured. Trembles with ecstasy when someone dies nearby. Born of alchemical experiments.
• Enemies can use powers just like P: they pay 1 HP to do so, or they may use a power when the P shows 1 (or 1–2 for stronger foes) on the main die.
  • If a P didn’t make a roll during their turn, the enemy may activate their ability only by sacrificing HP.
• Powerful enemies have 2 base damage, and strong ones have 1.
• Enemies grouped in one place act together narratively — e.g., two archers in the same zone volley at a P in an adjacent zone at once, even if mechanically they only leverage the damage dice from one P roll; or three knifemen cut a P in a massed strike, supporting each other, still using only the damage dice from that single P roll.
• NPC control sequence (use the same for P):
  • Conditions — check any that require activation.
  • Narrative effects — check other states imposed by fiction.
  • Main die — what its result indicates.
  • Move — reposition the NPC toward its goal.
  • Zone on-enter/stay effect — resolve any consequences.
  • Reaction to the P result — soft/hard moves per the triggering roll.
  • Zone end-of-turn effect — if applicable.
• Choosing which enemy reacts:
  • Pick the one that best advances the fiction. If you want more ramdomness, use this schema:
    • Sort enemies by power and assign activation ranges: powerful — 4, strong — 3, regular — 2, easy — 1.
    • Draw yourself a reaction clock to track this — a P can track it for you just as well - example: PA (powerfull enemy A) -1,2,3,4; SA-1,2,3, RA-1,2; RB-1,2; EA-1.
    • Advance the counter by the value of the main die result + 1 steps.
      • Critical failure and critical success double the main die result.
    • If the counter exceeds the current enemy’s range, move the marker to the next enemy along the power order and mark correct number.
    • If the main die result + 1 exceeds the total range sum, wrap a round — pick a new random starting enemy - new round of counting begins.
    • If a P didn’t make a roll during their turn, advance the reaction clock by 2.
    • Powerful enemies always act at least once per such round (beside first), even if the die didn’t point to them — if the pointer passes the last step of the last enemy and a powerful enemy hasn’t reacted, set the marker to 1 within that enemy’s range regardless of the main die result.
      • If there are several, randomly choose which gets the marker.
    • Because of the ordering by power, the higher the main die result, the more likely a weaker enemy reacts (and the round might wrap back to a powerfull enemy). With a low main die result, enemies fire off their special abilities.
    • Online tool link — https://wkr92.github.io/enemy-selector.

Zones and their effects

• Zone is an area on the battlefield; a unit of space where the action takes place.
• Most zones should influence combat in some way. The GM chooses or rolls zones and their effects from the table below to quickly diversify encounters.
• Zone effects can stack or overlap.
• When resolving zone effects for enemies, check the main die:
  • 1 → enemy full success
  • 2–5 → enemy partial success
  • 6 → enemy failure
• When applying effects to enemies, they can’t gain fatigue — each time they would, they instead take 1 unavoidable damage.
• Hidden elements in zones — e.g., traps:
  • can’t be detected from adjacent zones and, once discovered, remain visible to everyone;
  • if a P enters a zone containing a trap and doesn’t know it’s there → roll Survival; if they do know → roll Athletics/Dexterity (jump/avoid) with advantage:
    • full success → the P avoids the trap and may act normally;
    • partial success → the P either triggers the trap (physical status) but may still act, or avoids it but takes double disadvantage;
    • failure → the P triggers the trap → 1d12 damage.
• Each P should have their own copy of the zone effects table to plan their moves more easily.
• Managing zone effects (see below) takes practice — don’t worry if you miss a few early on.
• P should help the GM track zone effects for enemies so you don’t have to handle everything alone.
• There’s also a NEUTRAL zone type, which has no effect.

Character

Levels

At the end of each session, you gain 2 development points (unless the GM decides otherwise).

• P may spend development points only in larger settlements, such as cities or strongholds, not villages.
• Traits can reach a maximum of 4.
• P gain +1 development point each time they roll a failure and at least three dice show the same number — e.g., three ones.
• The GM may also award development points for completing campaign milestones, but shouldn’t give more than 3 at once.
• The listed costs assume a campaign lasting up to a year with weekly sessions — if you expect a longer one, increase all costs by 1 or 2 accordingly.

Character Creation

1. Choose a race.
2. Choose a name and age, describe appearance, write a short backstory — pick a previous occupation (e.g., courier, demagogue, cobbler).
3. Where are you from?
4. Answer these questions:
   1. What is most important to your character?
   2. What are their ambitions and fears?
   3. What bonds do they have?
   4. What secret do they keep?
   5. What connects them to the party?
5. Create one question about your backstory that two other players must answer, e.g., “You saw me transform into a beast — why didn’t you report me to the authorities?”
6. Choose 5 traits at level 2 and 2 traits at level 3 (you cannot start with level 3 in melee, aim, arcana, or nature). These should reflect your background and training.
7. All other traits start at level 1 — except arcana, technology, and herbalism, which require training to use. If you didn’t invest in them, they start at level 0.
8. Choose 1 power.
9. Start with specialization in two weapon types.
10. Select your equipment with GM approval. You can fill all 10 inventory slots, but don’t have to. Explain narratively how you obtained your gear.
11. You know the common language + your racial language (if human, choose 1 additional beyond common).

Races

• Human (see Lore to chose area of origin):
  • Adaptability - choose any power and justify it with a storyline, or develop an additional trait to level 2.
• Dwarf (from the Well or the Talking Mountain — see Lore):
  • Darkvision — within 2 zones in combat.
  • Immune to disease and poison — automatically discard the POISONED condition and WEAKENED status (if you would receive one randomly, you receive none instead).
  • Subspecies are distant relatives.
  • They live up to 200 years
• Lobo (see Lore):
  • Move on all fours but have four grasping limbs, a prehensile tail, and are excellent climbers — always roll at least 4 Athletics dice when climbing walls or ceilings, even smooth or slick ones. You can wield a bow or one-handed weapon while climbing.
  • They live up to 100 years
• Elf (Onirari — white, from the Dream; Volari — blue, from the Floating Isles; see Lore):
  • Restore 1 additional fatigue when resting.
  • Sharpened senses — always get 1 extra question to the GM during discover reality moves or other tests that grant questions.
  • Elf is rather a shape than a race - different elves are not genetically related.
  • They live up to 300 years

Character Sheet

End of Session

At the end of each session, each P describes how their character feels about what happened and asks one question to another P about their character — for example:
“What’s your favorite meal?” “What would you be doing if not for this situation?” “Do you have any siblings?”
Every P should both ask and receive a question — it can also concern that P’s view on current events.

The first part grounds the character in the world; the second builds relationships within the party.
Never skip this step.

Each P gains 2 development points.

One player — taking turns each session — must briefly summarize what happened in bullet points and add it (with a date) to your shared online journal, accessible to everyone.

Full rules

Moves

• Moves are mechanics designed to help P interact with the world.
  For example, instead of waiting for the GM to call for a survival roll to look for tracks, a P can declare they’re examining the area and use the discover reality move to ask the GM questions about the scene.
• If the GM is unsure how a P should pay for a partial success, the P pays an appropriate amount of fatigue or receives a splinter.
  • Example: the P declares they’re following the tracks found by the party and rolls a partial success. The GM asks them to pay 1 fatigue as the cost of that success. In more difficult terrain (swamp, storm, snow), the fatigue cost may be higher. Particularly risky situations — such as sneaking through an enemy camp — may also inflict splinters.
• Narrative rule: If a move grants you points, you may spend 1 point to propose your own effect or direction for the narrative. The GM decides whether it fits the game world and may suggest an alternative.
• The GM always has the final word and may adjust the listed consequences for the sake of narrative flow.
• These mechanics are tools, not mandates — the GM doesn’t need to use them if a more fitting resolution presents itself.

I act in Secret — various —

If, for example, the P have broken into a place, every failure during their actions inside gives them 2 points, and every partial success gives 1 point.
When they accumulate X points (GM decides), someone arrives and notices them or similar consequences happen.

If a roll wouldn’t normally be required but there’s still something to discover, the GM may ask:
“You have a feeling there’s something more here — do you risk checking?” — for example, when an already opened chest has a false bottom that could be found with technology or investigation.

Similarly, if a room contains a secret — for example, a loose floorboard hiding something underneath — the GM asks the same question about taking the risk. The P senses that something is there but won’t uncover what it is unless they pass the test. They may choose to give up instead, knowing they’are close to being caught.

I act Behind Their Backs — deception —

P earn points that let them perform actions before time runs out: 3 points for a full success, 2 points for a partial success. They can always buy 1 additional point for 2 fatigue.
Each point can be spent on a discreet action such as reading a document unnoticed, taking a letter, or stealing a robe from a wardrobe.

P cannot exceed the limit — they’re restrained by natural authority — an instinct for self-preservation. If they ignore it and push further, they face immediate consequences: typically triggering an alarm or being spotted.

When using the Acting Behind Their Backs move, P don’t need to roll for object-related tests while searching a room if nothing protects the object — e.g., it isn’t locked or hidden. They automatically receive the information or loot instead, though their number of interactions is still limited.
If they do roll, a partial success costs 1 fatigue, and a failure costs 2 fatigue.

I sneak by — stealth —

The P attempts to move unseen or hide from enemies.
On a partial success, you must choose one of the following:

• take mental status,
• take 2 fatigue and splinter,
• or be detected.

I steal — sleight of hand —

On a partial success:

• You fail to take the item, but no one notices your attempt — you can’t try again.
• Or, you succeed in taking the item unnoticed, but you lose 1 reputation point, advance the clocks* (if present), and gain 1 splinter and 2 fatigue.

I Recall — relevant knowledge (mind, arcana, nature, etc.) —

Use this when a P wants to check their knowledge about a religious ritual, encountered creature, historical figure, special formula, and similar topics.
A full success grants 3 points.
A partial success grants 1 point, and you may buy 1 additional point for 1 fatigue.
Ask the GM 1 question per point — their answer becomes your character’s knowledge. The questions must fit the situation. Normally, open tests can be made by two people. If both succeed and gain I Recall points, they may ask different questions.

Common questions:

• Do I know this creature/place/object?
• What makes it distinctive?
• Who or what is connected to it?
• How does it work?
• How can I use it?
• Does it have any weaknesses or limitations?
• What dangers are tied to it?
• Are there any legends, stories, or superstitions about it?
• Who or what might know more about it?
• Is this knowledge common or secret?
• What rules or laws govern it?
• Are there known ways to defend against it?
• Has anyone tried to use/destroy/study it before? What happened?
• Your own question.

I Discover Reality — perception, survival, investigation, nature, mind, and similar —

Use this when you try to learn something about a specific situation through action — for example, following tracks, examining a wall fresco, or studying a curse.
A full success grants 3 points.
A partial success grants 1 point, and you may buy 1 additional point for 1 fatigue.
Ask the GM 1 question per point, and their answer becomes your character’s knowledge. The questions must fit both the situation and the trait used in the test. Normally, open tests can be made by two people. If both succeed and gain I Discover Reality points, they may ask different questions.

Common questions:

• Who passed through here?
• How far am I from the one I’m tracking?
• What happened here?
• What stands out to me?
• Is there anything here that threatens me?
• Is there anything here that could be useful?
• How long ago did this happen?
• Do I see signs of struggle, flight, or haste?
• Was something hidden or disguised here?
• Are there repeating patterns, symbols, or markings?
• Can I tell where someone went or came from?
• What scents or sounds feel out of place?
• What doesn’t fit with the surroundings?
• How could I best hide or stay unseen here?
• Are there traces of magic, poison, illusion, or supernatural interference?
• Your own question.

You can use this move with mind when the problem involves general knowledge — physics, chemistry, geography, psychology, anthropology, or other disciplines not covered by another trait.

This is the main move you’ll use most often.
It should always follow a specific in-fiction action — e.g., “I examine the corpse” — and apply to that subject.

GM tip: if a scene contains important information you want the players to discover, use their questions from this move to reveal it — even if the answer stretches the topic slightly. Be flexible for the sake of good narrative flow.

I Want Someone to Do Something for Me — persuasion, deception, intimidation, influence —

• The P must explain how they’re using the chosen trait.
• If the P lacks any kind of leverage over the target, they roll with disadvantage. Leverage can be, for example, valuable information or social authority.
• If the target belongs to a dominant or privileged authority, the P rolls with additional disadvantage.
• Example: I want to convince the guard to let me through the gate by lying that I’m a royal envoy and showing him a stolen safe-conduct letter.
• You can never persuade someone to act against their core values.

Partial success — the P may suggest an option, but the GM makes the final call, choosing what best serves the narrative:

• You fail to convince the target, but there are no consequences — the attempt blows over harmlessly.
• The target demands payment — an item, favor, or bribe.
• You succeed, but you must take 1 splinter and 2 fatigue, advance the clock if one exists, and the GM decides whether the group loses 1 reputation.
• The GM tells you what favor or repayment the target expects in return.
• You partially succeed — the target agrees only in part, solving one side of your problem. The GM describes what changes.
  • Example: a dwarf agrees to lead you to his clan’s hall but won’t vouch for you or offer help afterward, leaving you to handle the rest.

Failure — besides immediate consequences, the GM decides whether the action advances the social clock, lowers reputation, or causes similar fallout.

I Want Someone to Change Their Beliefs — persuasion —

The P may try to convince someone to think differently about a personal belief or situation — the GM decides whether such an attempt is even possible (e.g., convincing a bandit to betray his leader).

• The P must state which belief the target should change and how it makes sense in context.

Partial success — the P may suggest an outcome, but the GM makes the final decision, choosing what fits the story best:

• You fail to change the target’s mind, but the attempt has no negative consequences.
• You succeed, but you take 1 splinter and 2 fatigue, advance the clock if relevant, and the GM decides whether the group loses 1 reputation.
• You partially change their view — it resolves only part of the problem. The GM explains what has shifted.
  • Example: a cultist agrees that sacrificing the mayor’s daughter is wrong but insists another child must still be offered to the god.

I Know Someone Here — influence —

The P makes an influence test to determine whether they know someone in this location who could help with the current problem.

• Only 2 P may attempt this per location, and the roll can’t be repeated.
• If a contact exists, the P defines who they are — but the GM has the final say.
• Full success — the acquaintance belongs to the privileged authority and can help the P bypass one key obstacle.
• Partial success — the acquaintance is below the privileged authority in the social hierarchy and can help bypass one non-critical obstacle.
• Failure — the P comes across as a manipulator or opportunist and must take a mental status to get out of the awkward situation they’ve created.
• Using this move may have narrative consequences — people know the P received a favor, and rumors may spread.
• The connection must make sense — for example, a P is unlikely to know anyone in a deserted village or remote wilderness.
• No assistance rolls are allowed for this test.

I Force an Event — influence —

When you want to accelerate or provoke an event (e.g., a hearing, a court decision, arrival of the guard, acceptance of a bribe, opening of a fair, or outbreak of a revolt), you may make an influence test.

• The event you push for must have some narrative or social foundation unless it’s minor (like finding a place to stay even though all rooms are booked).
• The GM may apply disadvantage if the event involves people in power or is particularly complex.

Full success — the event happens here and now, in a form favorable to you (e.g., guards arrive on time and take your side).

Partial success — the event is triggered, but with a complication:

• it happens later than intended,
• it requires a price (favor, payment, concession),
• or its consequences turn against you (e.g., the guards are corrupt).
• if no clear consequence fits, pay 2 fatigue and gain 1 splinter.

Failure — your attempt to interfere with the course of events backfires; you provoke anger or rejection and gain a mental status.

No assistance rolls are allowed for this test.

I have a feeling there’s more here — investigation —

When a P suspects they haven’t found all the important information in a location or something is missing, they may make this test to check whether they were right.

• Full success — the GM tells you one thing you missed, if one exists.
• Partial success — you learn whether you missed something or not; if something remains to be discovered, you must pay 2 fatigue to learn what it is.
• Failure — you have no idea whether you missed anything.

The GM may use this move to reveal only significant information — it’s also a tool for the GM to point players to important, previously overlooked details.

I instill fear — intimidation —

A P uses intimidation to induce fear or compliance in a target. On a full success or a partial success (plus 1 fatigue, or more if the target is resistant or the situation is unfavourable — GM’s call), you force the creature(s) to do one chosen effect:

• stop moving;
• interrupt what they are doing;
• refrain from an action they were about to take;
• surrender — costs 3 fatigue and does not work on key NPCs, powerful enemies or organised groups; GM has final say;
• stand where you point and do not move;
• perform a simple task for you (carry something, act as bait, etc.);
• quickly withdraw;
• attack you — costs 2 fatigue; GM decides if this fits the narrative;
• do something against their own interests — costs 4 fatigue on a partial success, 2 fatigue on a full success; does not work on key NPCs, powerful enemies or agents of dominant authority; GM has final say;
• your own idea (propose a different effect — GM must approve).

The GM decides fatigue cost adjustments and whether an outcome suits the scene.

I Perform — performance —

The P uses their artistic talent — singing, dancing, acting, or any other form — to influence the emotions and behavior of others.

• Full success — gain 3 performance points.
• Partial success — gain 1 performance point and may buy 2 more for 1 fatigue each.

Each performance point (unless stated otherwise) may be spent to:

• Draw attention — others focus on you, allowing allies to perform one unnoticed action or giving you a chance to address the crowd; can be chosen multiple times.
• Earn a favorable impression — gain advantage on social tests against the audience; costs 2 points.
• Gain renown — you become recognizable in the area.
• Learn local rumors — the GM tells you 1 important piece of information about recent local events.
• Secure an audience with a local authority; costs 3 points (GM’s discretion).
• Plant a small suggestion that listeners will follow if logical (e.g., “Go home,” or “Support my candidate for mayor”); costs 3 points.
• Evoke specific emotions — you can make a crowd angry, calm, hopeful, etc.; costs 2 points.
• Find shelter — someone offers you a safe place to stay; costs 2 points.
• Your own ideas — propose an effect fitting your performance; GM approval required.

I Foresee the Future — religion or intuition —

• When used with religion, it requires a one-hour ritual and the sacrifice of a component.
• When used with intuition, it requires one hour of meditation and the sacrifice of a resource.
• It cannot be performed as part of a rest — others may rest, but the P who attempts to foresee the future does not.

The P attempts to glimpse what is yet to come — through prayer, omen-reading, meditation, or instinctive foresight.

• Full success — you receive 3 foresight points.
• Partial success — you receive 1 foresight point and may buy 1 additional point for 1 fatigue.
• Failure — your vision turns against you; the GM may give you a misleading or ominous impression and you gain 1 splinter.

Each foresight point may be spent immediately or saved for later in the same session to:

• Ask the GM one question about a future event — what will happen if a certain action is taken, or what danger lies ahead.
• Gain advantage on one roll directly tied to what you foresaw.
• Reveal a symbolic or prophetic vision that the GM describes — it may contain clues, warnings, or hidden truths.
• Predict one upcoming consequence of the current situation — the GM confirms or hints whether your feeling is accurate.
• Sense an approaching danger — the GM must tell you whether the threat is imminent, distant, or illusory.
• Create a minor prophetic effect in the scene (e.g., a candle flickers, a shadow forms a meaningful shape) to draw narrative attention to something important.
• Your own idea — propose how your insight manifests; GM decides if it fits the fiction.

I Know How This Works — technology —

When the P interacts with a machine or tool, they may make a roll to determine how familiar they are with its workings.

• Full success — gain 3 technique points, and you may buy 1 additional for 1 fatigue.
• Partial success — gain 1 technique point, and you may buy up to 3 more for 1 fatigue each.

Each technique point (unless stated otherwise) may be spent to:

• Ask the GM one question about the machine or tool to determine how much you know about it, such as:
  • What is it used for?
  • How does it work?
  • Who created it?
  • How could it be useful to me?
  • How old is it?
  • Is it still functional?
  • What dangers come from using it?
  • Is there something I’m not seeing at first glance?
  • Your own ideas.
• Create a simple tool or machine — costs 2 points and a short rest dedicated solely to that work.
• Repair a simple, familiar tool or machine — costs 2 points.
• Repair a simple, unfamiliar tool or machine — costs 2 points and a short rest; afterward, you know how to operate it.
• Repair a complex tool or machine — costs 4 points and a long rest devoted entirely to the task (it can be postponed if the object can be carried). After repairing it, you know how to use it.
• Operate a simple, unfamiliar tool — costs 2 points.
• Operate a complex, unfamiliar tool or device (e.g., a wheeled machine or vehicle) — costs 4 points.

I Lead the Way — survival —

One or two P may choose to lead the exploration:

• Full success — gain 2 points.
• Partial success — gain 1 point for 1 fatigue, and you may buy 1 additional point for 2 fatigue.

Each point gained from this test may be spent once to:

• Hunt for food — this effect doesn’t stack, even if two P choose it — reduce the rations required for the journey:
  • if the trip lasts up to one week — each P pays 1 ration total.
  • if it lasts more than a week — each P pays 3 rations total.
• Ask the GM for a hint related to your goal, the environment, or the current situation.
• Mitigate failure — if a P receives a status after a failed exploration roll, you may convert it into 2 fatigue for them and 1 fatigue for yourself.
• Remove 1 fatigue from an ally.
• Automatically find one component, resource, or material.
• Roll on the Treasure Table.
• Shorten the journey by 2 days.
• Propose your own narrative effect — must make sense in the story; GM decides if it applies.

I Pretend to Be Someone Else — deception, performance —

• Full success — you are unrecognizable, but you will expose yourself if:
  • you ask more than 3 questions whose answers would be obvious to the person you’re impersonating, in the eyes of your audience;
  • you issue more than 3 orders to the subordinates of the person you’re impersonating.
    • No one will follow an order that directly contradicts the values of the group you’re deceiving — such an attempt immediately exposes you.
• Partial success — every question or command you direct at the group you’re deceiving costs 1 fatigue. You can spend no more than 3 fatigue this way without revealing yourself. The same restrictions and logic from the full success apply.
• Failure — beyond the immediate consequences, the GM decides whether your actions advance the clock, lower reputation, or cause similar fallout.
• The GM may apply disadvantage depending on how complex or implausible your impersonation is.
• You may gain advantage through creative disguise or convincing roleplay.
• The number of allowed questions and commands does not reset — it applies to the entire duration of the deception operation.

I Sell a Lie — deception —

• The GM may rule that a specific lie has no chance of fooling the target — e.g., a king will not believe the queen has a secret lover because his spies track her every move.
• A complicated, strongly accusatory lie, a lie directed at privileged authority or higher, or similar claims will not pass unless the P has something they can offer as evidence — e.g., a man’s nightshirt found in the queen’s chamber that could not possibly fit the king, or paid false testimony from a chambermaid.
• Partial success — the GM chooses one:
  • the target believes you, but the whole group takes disadvantage on subsequent social tests against that target;
  • you convinced part of the gathering; it’s not enough for your original goal, but it may open a different cooperative path;
  • the target demands more proof;
  • you fail to convince the target, but the lie passes without immediate consequences;
  • you take 1 splinter and 2 fatigue as the stress of improvising, and you manage to invent something plausibly convincing on the spot — allowed only for narratively low-stakes lies.
• Failure — besides immediate consequences, the GM decides whether your actions advance the clock / reduce reputation / cause similar fallout.

I Perform a Ritual — religion, arcana —

Rituals require the sacrifice of a treasure, component, resource, or material, a downtime action, and a quiet, uninterrupted place.
On a partial success, if the P wants the ritual to succeed, they must pay 2 development points. If the ritual concerns a specific person, the P must possess something personally connected to them — for example, a belonging or keepsake.

A ritual may allow the P to:

• Hold a brief audience with a high representative of a chosen deity — 3 questions.
• Remove a curse or dispel strong magic.
• Impose a curse on an object or being — the P and GM define it together, but the GM has the final word.
• Obtain an important narrative piece of information — the GM must reveal it directly but should frame it with appropriate atmosphere.
• Locate an object or person, as long as they are within the same geographical region (e.g., within state borders).
• Fulfill a narrative requirement — when the story demands a ritual.
• Summon an angel, demon, or spirit of nature — 4 questions determine its attitude; it may become hostile.
• Declare that one non-critical event will certainly occur in the future — e.g., the vault door will be open when we break into the bank, or the NPC will still be alive when we arrive.
• Open a dimensional passage for one day — requires sacrificing something linked to that realm.
• Open/Close a portal.
• Erase one memory from a creature’s mind.
• Ask one key question about the past — the GM must answer.
• Create an arcana — the P and GM decide its effect; the GM has final say.

I’m grasping at straws — appropriate trait —

The P decides to do something clearly and extremely dangerous — such as leaping across a chasm, sneaking unseen through open guard lines, deceiving a bandit chief in his own den where failure could mean violence, climbing a slick wall that’s the only escape, or swimming through a flooded tunnel that’s far too long to reach the end safely.

• This move can be used only as a last resort, when all other methods have failed.
• Current fatigue does not affect this roll — adrenaline overrides exhaustion in critical moments.
• Partial success — you succeed, but gain 4 fatigue and draw a physical or mental status (whichever fits the situation).
• Failure — you fail, and in addition to the normal consequences, you gain 6 fatigue and draw a physical or mental status (whichever fits the situation).
• Instead of these default penalties, the GM may assign other consequences that better fit the narrative.

I Seduce — persuasion, influence, performance, deception —

The P may attempt to seduce an NPC for one night (for longer relationships, see downtime actions section) — for pleasure or advantage.

The GM determines how difficult the target is to seduce and applies the appropriate disadvantage - usually based on the NPC’s authority type:

• Dominant authority — 3 disadvantage.

• Privileged authority — 2 disadvantage.

• Executive authority — 1 disadvantage.

• Additional disadvantage may apply depending on the fiction (e.g., the princess is never alone, she fears strangers, the P has insulted her values, etc.).

• Full success — you spend the night together or share a pleasant evening, and you may obtain one key piece of information or a favor from the NPC (if they have such knowledge or influence — GM’s call). The P is unavailable for at least 4 in-world hours.

• Partial success — you spark interest but don’t act on it; you may gain one non-critical piece of information from the NPC or small favor.

• Failure — besides immediate narrative consequences, the GM decides whether your actions advance the clock, reduce reputation, or cause similar fallout.

I Try to Read Them — intuition —

The P attempts to discern whether their interlocutor is lying, hiding something, or otherwise being deceptive.

• Full success — the P realizes the NPC hasn’t told the whole truth and gains advantage on a social test to draw out the missing information.
• Partial success — the GM chooses one:
  • The P knows the NPC is withholding something but gains disadvantage on any social test to extract it.
  • The GM gives the P a minor, non-essential clue about the situation — e.g., “You can’t tell whether X is acting of his own will, but you noticed how defensive he became when the topic of honor came up.”
  • The GM tells the P outright that the NPC is hiding or faking something, but makes clear there’s no way to extract details.
  • The GM provides a clear fact without its context or reason — e.g., “You’re certain this man beat his child, but you know nothing about the circumstances.”
  • The GM reveals only part of the information — e.g., “You suspect X held a letter from the baron, but you can’t confirm whether he opened it.”
• Failure — the P believes the NPC has nothing more to add, is hiding nothing, or simply cannot be read at all.

I Push Through Difficult Terrain — resilience, athletics, survival, dexterity —

The P attempts to climb a slippery rock face, push through blocking enemies, wade across mud or thorns, or perform similar feats. Choose the trait that fits the situation.

• Full success — you may discard 1 failure die from another P’s traversal test (unless they rolled only one die) — your progress is steady enough to help them — or you may instead apply a narrative rule.
• Partial success — you must pay 1 fatigue, plus 1 additional fatigue for every failure die beyond your number of successes, to succeed; otherwise, you are treated as if you failed.
• Failure — the GM assigns narrative consequences or a physical/mental status (whichever fits the fiction).

Use this move only outside of combat. During a fight, a similar attempt with a partial success should simply trigger an enemy reaction instead.

I Steer — animal handling, technology —

Sometimes a P is controlling a vehicle or mount in a risky situation, or attempts an unusual maneuver while driving — e.g., jerk the reins so the horses pull the wagon onto its side. Use this move for that.

Break the P’s intended action into distinct objectives (examples):

• yank the reins so the horses tip the wagon;
• have the wagon fall onto our enemies / provide cover;
• do it so nobody inside is hurt / avoid damaging the cargo;
• avoid breaking the wagon so we can use it later.

Resolution:

• Full success — the P gains 3 control points and may buy 1 additional point for 1 fatigue.
• Partial success — the P gains 2 control points and may buy 1 additional point for 1 fatigue.

Each objective you listed costs 1 control point to satisfy. The GM adjudicates whether objectives are compatible and may assign extra consequences or trade-offs if they conflict.

I Interrogate — persuasion, intimidation —

When you try to extract information from an unwilling target.

• Full success — you may ask 4 questions, and the GM must answer them truthfully.

• Partial success — you may ask 2 questions, and may ask 1 additional question for 1 fatigue.

  • GM may decide that one of the answers is a lie — but will not reveal which. All other answers must be true, though not necessarily straightforward.

• Questions must concern facts the target actually knows.

• P can not repeat this move to get more answers.

Example questions:

• Who gave you this job?
• Where is the person/object located?
• How many of you are there?
• What were you promised in return?
• Who else knows about this?
• Was it you who did it?

Other mechanics

Group Rolls

Use this to resolve how the whole group handles a shared action requiring the same trait — for example, everyone trying to sneak past guards.

• Every P rolls their own dice pool for the relevant trait.
• To succeed, the group must achieve a number of total successes equal to half the number of players, rounded up; minimum 2.
• If any P scores a full success, they may pay 3 fatigue or take a mental status to raise one other P’s failure to a partial success.
• If there are only 2 players, a full success from one of them wins the test, even if the other fails.

Opposed Tests

When two sides act directly against each other — for example, two P grappling — both roll using the appropriate trait, and whoever gets more successes wins.
If tied, the side with the higher total die results wins.

Disagreement

Sometimes, one P wants to do something another would oppose — e.g., one tries to pour poison into the queen’s goblet while the other wants to stop them.
Since there’s no time for open discussion (and talking about murdering the king’s wife at his own table might be… suboptimal), in such cases pause the game.

This is a team game, and for the sake of story and group cohesion, the party should discuss how to handle the situation before it turns into the last decision they ever make together.
The GM can mediate or propose a compromise.

We’re people here to have fun and build a story together — keeping a healthy table atmosphere requires effort, and talking is the best way to do that.
If discussion can’t produce a solution everyone is happy with — stop playing together.
It’s better not to play at all than to make each other miserable.

You can apply this rule not just to direct conflicts, but to any key moment where the group’s direction is at stake.

Exploration

Travel

• Used to narratively resolve the P’s journey from point A to B when it carries no significant narrative weight — that is, when it isn’t particularly important.
• At each narrative stop — but no more than once per in-game day — when the P travel, especially through difficult terrain (deep snow, marsh, dense forest, etc.), they make a group survival test to see how they fare.
• The GM describes the landscape, and each P briefly (1–2 sentences) narrates something that happens to them along the way, consistent with both the group result and their personal roll. This can also take the form of a short in-character exchange.
  • These short descriptions matter: they keep the world alive and make travel meaningful. Never skip this step.
• Resting while exploring:
  • If the journey lasts more than one day but less than a week, the group may take 1 long rest mechanically.
  • If it lasts over a week, they may take 2 long rests.
• The overall success or failure of exploration is decided as a group, but each P also gains an individual outcome based on their own roll.
• Critical results:
  • A critical failure counts as two failures and gives a splinter as normal.
  • A critical success cancels an ally’s extra failure from a critical failure or lets you roll three times on the Loot Table and pick the best result. It also grants a narrative die as normal.
• Weather and terrain may impose disadvantages.
• The whole sequence should take around 15 minutes of session time — quick rolls, short descriptions, move on.
• Food and travel:
  • If the P are outside a settlement and not staying in rented rooms, they must consume 1 ration per day or gain the discomfort status from hunger.
  • For multi-day travel, they must have enough food for every day of the journey.
  • 28–35 rations cost 1 treasure — one month of living for one person, or one week of travel for 4–5 people.
  • If they lack food, they suffer a disadvantage and fatigue during exploration as they’re forced to hunt.
  • If the journey represents a pursuit or escape, hunger penalties can be waived if both sides are equally deprived.
• Before travel, up to two Ps may use the I Lead the Way move.
• Exploration is a perfect time for the GM to show changes in the world or consequences of past actions — for example:
  • Wanted posters with the group’s names.
  • A passing merchant caravan.
  • A military patrol or road inspection.
  • Distant armies or strange creatures on the horizon.
  • Rumors about an NPC the group once helped (or harmed).

15-Minute Framework

1. GM describes conditions — weather and terrain.
2. Group survival roll.
3. Resolve group and individual outcomes (clockwise around the table):
   • Group Success — the team travels safely — individual results:
     • Full success — choose one:
       • You found something — roll twice on the Loot Table and keep the higher result.
       • Ask the GM 2 questions or request 2 clues about the situation (may come through dialogue).
       • One loot roll + one question/clue.
     • Partial success — if you rolled more failures than successes, gain fatigue. Then choose one:
       • Roll once on the Loot Table.
       • Ask the GM 1 question or request 1 clue.
     • Failure — gain fatigue; you must discard something even if you have empty space in inventory.
   • Group Failure — the journey is rough — individual results:
     • Full success — choose one:
       • You found food — skip ration consumption for this trip.
       • Ask the GM 1 question or request 1 clue.
     • Partial success — you suffer an accident and gain a physical status.
     • Failure — you barely make it through; roll for both a physical and mental status.
4. Descriptions: each P narrates one sentence about what happened to them — how they found something, got hurt, spoke with someone, etc.
5. Event or rumor: the GM introduces a change in the world or a consequence of past deeds.
6. Wrap-up: the GM summarizes the journey in two sentences.

Sequential / Minor Explorations

If exploration happens frequently in one session (3+ times), one after another, or over short distances, replace it with a simple individual test suited to the terrain for each P.

Example: crossing a frozen lake — everyone rolls stealth:

• Failure — gain a physical status or 3 fatigue.
• Partial success — gain fatigue.
• Full success — you may pay 3 fatigue to help an ally, upgrading their failure to a partial success; or you may instead choose one:
  • find a material, component, resource, or utility Item;
  • ask the GM a question;
  • receive a clue from the GM.
  • propose own narration.

You can also run this as a group test if it fits the scene.

Other examples:

• Climbing — athletics
• Wilderness — survival
• Labyrinth — mind / intuition
• Shaky bridge — dexterity
• Stampede — animal handling

Each P should still describe in one or two sentences how they handled the challenge.

Exploration as a scene of tension

If exploration is meant to be more than just traveling from point A to B — an emotional scene with greater significance, such as climbing an icy mountain to light a signal fire so reinforcements can arrive on time — it can be played in two ways:

1. As a chase (see below) — the GM defines the segments, and the P must race against time and their own exhaustion.
2. As a sequential narrative (see below) — the GM sets as many obstacles as there are P, and they devise a plan to overcome them.

Chase

• Use this when the P are either fleeing from something or chasing someone.
• There are as many segments as there are players (max 4).
  Example: Crowded Street → Narrow Alley → Fence → Sewers.
• Each segment is led by a different P, in order. The first leader is chosen at random.
• The leader picks the main trait for the segment, describing how they intend to use it. Each other P picks a different trait (or the same one, if justified) and briefly explains how it supports the leader’s action or act on their own.
  • All traits from the same category as the leader’s trait are rolled with disadvantage.
• The group performs a group test, but rolls in sequence, stopping once they have enough successes to win the segment — this helps preserve unused traits for later.
• If the group wins the segment before everyone rolls, leadership passes to the next P in line who hasn’t yet led.
  • A player can only lead once, unless everyone has already done so.
• The same trait used by the leader can’t be chosen again in the chase.
• Each P also can’t reuse a trait they used in a previous segments.
• The GM applies advantages and disadvantages to the P’s rolls to reflect the situation — for example, you’re carrying a child while running, so you roll with disadvantage.
  • If certain conditions impose a persistent penalty — for example, the pursuer can fly unobstructed, or the fleeing P must wade through water while the pursuer doesn’t — the GM rolls a d6 at the start of the segment to determine how many P suffer disadvantage from that condition.
  • GM note: Don’t hesitate to assign disadvantages — without them, the P have a much higher chance to win, especially once their traits are developed.
• To win the chase, the group must win more than half of the segments.
• After each roll, P briefly describes their actions, and the GM ensures it fits the scene and overall narrative.
• In case of a tie, add one more segment.
• The chase ends early if one side has already secured enough wins to make a comeback impossible.
• Speed powers (teleport, temporary flight, etc.) can be used once per segment to grant advantage, costing 1 fatigue and disabling further use of that same power.
• Using combat actions (melee, aim) and magic (arcana, nature, religion) — counts as an attempt to wound the enemy but won’t stop them outright.
  • If the group wins a segment using such a trait, the next leader gains advantage.
  • If they lose, the next leader gains disadvantage.
• Players can’t assist each other during a chase.
• A critical failure gives the next P disadvantage.
• A critical success gives the next P advantage.
• After the chase, everyone gains 1 fatigue.

Quick Resolution — Catching Without a Full Chase

When the situation doesn’t need a full chase, resolve it with a single roll.

If the P chases physically (athletics):

• Full success — the P catches and tackles the target.
• Partial success — choose one:
  • The P catches the target but suffers a random physical status.
  • The P catches the target, but the group gains disadvantage on further social tests against them.
• A P may gain 1 advantage for each mobility-type power they use, paying its normal cost.

If the P tries to shoot the fleeing target (Aim):

• Full success — the target takes full damage and collapses unconscious if still alive.
• Partial success — the target takes full damage and falls prone; then choose one:
  • Their screams alert bystanders.
  • The group gains disadvantage on future social tests involving witnesses or locals.
  • Other consequences — especially when the chase involves key NPCs trying to escape.

Sequential Narrative Mechanics

• Use this when the P have a plan to achieve a specific goal — before starting, agree on what will happen if they fail — the consequences should be serious.
• The P and GM jointly define the stages of the plan (maximum 8). Sometimes the GM may decide parts of the plan in secret. These stages form the success clock, which advances by 1 each time the P complete what they intended for that stage.
• Each stage requires one test of an appropriate trait, performed by one P — aim to give each player a meaningful role in the plan.
• Alongside the success clock, there is a failure clock with as many levels as the plan originally had stages.
• If there are more than 8 stages, split the plan into two separate sequences (rounding the number of stages up).
• Unexpected stages:
  • If the P overlooked something or an outside factor disrupts the plan, the GM may introduce an additional stage.
  • This extends the success clock by 1 level (e.g., from 8 to 9), while the failure clock keeps its previous maximum value. However, from that point onward, the P roll one extra die on every test that could advance the failure clock (see below).
  • If the P achieve a full success on this additional stage, the failure clock’s maximum limit also increases by 1 (e.g., from 8 to 9).
• Consequence stages force the P to find a new approach — they must repeat the stage using a different trait and method than the one that caused the complication.
• Either clock can never drop below 0.
• A critical success always reduces the failure clock by 1; a critical failure always advances it by 1 additional step.

Example:
The party plans a bank heist — distraction, stealing the coordinator’s key, sneaking into the restricted zone, bypassing guards, disarming traps, opening the vault, and escaping through a tunnel.
Each stage requires a separate roll. Failures introduce new obstacles that force the P to improvise and make additional rolls.
If the failure clock fills before the plan is completed, the GM triggers major consequences — an alarm, betrayal, casualties, etc. That doesn’t have to mean the end of the scene; it simply escalates the situation based on the fiction.

GM note:
When using sequential narrative mechanics during inner exploration (e.g., infiltrating a facility or searching a complex), you may include more rolls than the plan technically allows. In secret, decide which rolls count as stages (and affect the clock), and treat the rest as minor situational checks — they don’t move the clocks but can alter the scene (reveal clues, consume resources, shift position). This keeps the rhythm of a tense sequence while preserving narrative depth.

Interactions with the External World

Items

Basic Equipment

Each P carries a few essential items in their pack that do not take up inventory slots and count as basic gear:

• Roll-up bedroll – insulates from the ground and allows better rest.
• Waterskin – used for storing water.
• Tinderbox – allows starting a fire.
• Small pot – for cooking or boiling water.
• Utility knife – for preparing food, carving wood, or improvised combat.
• Spoon and wooden bowl – for eating.
• Piece of rope – several meters of simple cord for small repairs or tying things together.
• Piece of chalk or charcoal – for making marks or rough writing.
• Cloth bag – for gathering food, trinkets, or found items.
• Needle and thread – for mending clothes.

Utility Items

• If an item’s size isn’t stated, it occupies 1 backpack slot.

1. torch / lamp / set of candles — burns for 1 real hour; for play, illuminates the zone it’s in and adjacent zones (if that makes sense).
2. tools (20) — light — lets you use technology (hammer, nails, pliers, etc.).
3. lockpicks (20) — light — lets you open locks and disarm traps.
4. flask of oil — light — fuels lamps, makes surfaces slippery, flammable.
5. small-creature cage — 2 slots — fits creatures no larger than a dog.
6. paper, quill & ink / wax tablets & stylus — light — without these the P can’t write.
7. folding shovel — 1 slot.
8. pickaxe — 1 slot.
9. hemp rope (50 m) — 1 slot.
10. chain — 1 slot (size/weight per GM).
11. manacles / shackles — 1 slot.
12. climbing kit with piton — 1 slot.
13. sack / large bag — light.
14. glass vial / flask — light.
15. warm / fancy / other clothing — light.
16. hand saw — 1 slot.
17. crowbar — 1 slot — gives advantage to Athletics when prying heavy objects.
18. magnifying glass / small mirror — light.
19. quiver with arrows / ammo bag (20) — 1 slot.
20. kits (sewing / makeup / fishing / poisoner / etc.) — light — each kit represents the set of tools for that trade.

Medical Items

All of the following items are light and require at least 1 hour of rest or downtime to use:

1. first aid kit — removes one chosen physical condition.
2. herbs — remove one chosen mental condition.
3. splints — restore 1 die to a chosen physical trait or specialization (only during a long rest).
4. compress — grants 1 narrative die.
5. incense — inhalation restores 1 die to a chosen social or mental trait (only during a long rest).
6. oil — applying it restores 1 critical damage die (only during a long rest).
7. balm — removes 1 additional fatigue during rest.
8. bandages — remove 1 splinter during rest.

Elixirs

• If no duration is stated, the effect lasts 1 real-time hour.
• Each elixir is a light item.
• Multiple elixirs can be active at once, but not of the same type.

1. Elixir of Power – each of your attack successes deals 5 damage.
2. Elixir of Regeneration – removes all mental conditions.
3. Elixir of Relief – removes all physical conditions.
4. Elixir of Renewal – restores all dice of a chosen trait.
5. Elixir of Energy – you do not gain fatigue - lasts for 30 min of real time.
6. Elixir of Agility – adds +1 die to rolls with physical traits.
7. Elixir of Freedom – adds +1 die to rolls with social traits.
8. Elixir of Confidence – adds +1 die to rolls with mental traits.
9. Elixir of Perception – adds +1 die to rolls with specializations.
10. Elixir of Resistance – reduces all incoming damage by 5.
11. Antidote – removes the POISONED condition and 5 fatigue.
12. Elemental Resistance Elixir – grants immunity to a chosen element.
13. Elixir of Strength – increases your backpack capacity by 10 slots.
14. Elixir of Invisibility – you remain invisible until the effect ends or you attack/use a power.
15. Healing Elixir – restores full HP (does not remove fatigue).
16. Elixir of Haste – grants the FAST condition.
17. Elixir of Fury – you become immune to maneuvers and crowd-control effects.
18. Elixir of Immortality – when your HP drops to 0 or below, set it to 1 instead (single use).
19. Elixir of Illusion – take on the appearance and voice of any creature; the illusion breaks on a failed social test.
20. Elixir of Luck – all 3s on your dice count as partial successes.

Decotions

• If no duration is stated, the effect lasts 1 real-time hour.
• Each decotion is a light item.
• Multiple decotions can be active at once, but not of the same type.

1. Decotion of Binding – the first creature you make a promise (must be sufficient) to cannot refuse you, but if you break that promise, you gain 1 point of madness.
2. Decotion of Slickness – you can squeeze through any gap your head can fit through, but your backpack slots are halved.
3. Decotion of Friendship – no one perceives you as a threat, but you cannot attack anyone unless attacked first. Those present will remember you.
4. Decotion of Forgetting – no one remembers your face or voice, but you gain the APATHETIC mental condition until the effect ends.
5. Decotion of Breathlessness – you can go without breathing for an hour and move freely through any liquid or gas (you’re still affected by their properties, such as explosions or heat), but afterward you gain 3 fatigue.
6. Decotion of Silence – you move silently, rolling 6 dice for Stealth tests, but you cannot speak.
7. Decotion of Intangibility – you can pass through walls and fly, but you may only wear clothes, your backpack slots drop to 0, no one can see you, and you cannot touch anything.
8. Decotion of Memory – choose one: the GM must tell you everything your character could recall on a given topic (without breaking narrative integrity), or you perfectly memorize something and can recall it forever.
9. Decotion of Luck – you gain 1 reroll of any die until the end of the session.
10. Decotion of Certainty – you ignore all mental conditions, but afterward, they all return and you gain the HALLUCINATING mental condition.
11. Decotion of Calm – you ignore all physical conditions, but afterward, they all return and you gain the UNCERTAIN mental condition.
12. Decotion of Surge – once during the effect, you may take an extra action in combat immediately after your turn; in the next round, you are treated as if you automatically failed and the enemy deals 1 damage die to you.
13. Decotion of Safety – once during the effect, you may replace one failure with a full success, but doing so costs 2 fatigue.
14. Decotion of Steps – automatically succeed on all major or minor exploration tests, but you gain no other rewards except ensuring the group’s success and asking the GM one question.
15. Decotion of Revelation – once during the effect, you may demand from the GM a hint toward the best possible move in the situation. Afterward, you gain the BROKEN mental condition.
16. Decotion of Insight – you see every secret (including traps) in the current scene, but your HP drops to 5 (this doesn’t affect fatigue or inventory), and it cannot be raised above that during the effect.
17. Decotion of Madness – you feel no fear and automatically pass all Willpower tests, but afterward you gain the SENSITIVE mental condition.
18. Decotion of Vision – choose one: see invisible beings but gain the PARALYZED physical condition, or enter a dream you know/remember and take as many actions there as your Willpower test successes + 1.
19. Decotion of Shadow – you can separate your shadow from yourself; it acts as a copy (see Magic), but you share HP and armor with it.
20. Decotion of the Hunt – you automatically find every track as if rolling full successes on Survival tests, but afterward you gain the WEAKENED physical condition.

Tactical Equipment

• Using one of these items costs an action, unless stated otherwise.
• All items are single-use.
• All items are light.

1. Adrenaline Shot – free action – removes all fatigue for 3 turns, but after that, all fatigue returns +2 extra.
2. Smoke Grenade – affects one zone, range 1 zone – apply BLINDED to as many creatures as your Ranged test successes +1. If there are more successes than enemies, and allies are in the zone, they’re blinded instead (or you blind yourself). Everyone in the zone gains Advantage to Stealth, and all opportunity attacks in that zone are canceled.
3. Grappling Gun – instantly move 2 zones horizontally or vertically (if physically possible), or pull a creature/item up to 2 zones closer, as long as it’s not huge. Can interrupt flying or mounted movement.
4. Explosive Charge – deals 3 damage per success on a 10d6 roll in the zone where it detonates. Explodes at the end of the 2nd turn after activation. Destroys any obstacle/wall (if logical).
5. Net with Clips – Ranged:
   • Full success — target gains ENTANGLED.
   • Partial success — same if you pay 1 fatigue.
   • Failure — you can retrieve the net only if you completely missed.
6. Net Trap – occupies an entire zone; can’t be placed where anyone but you or allies stand. Make a Technology test:
   • Full success — first creature entering takes 2 damage per success and gains STUNNED.
   • Partial success — first creature entering takes 2 damage per success and gains ENTANGLED.
   • If triggered by a powerful creature, roll a d6 to determine the main die result.
   • Can be retrieved if never triggered.
7. Investigation Kit – gives 2 Advantage on Investigation tests or 2 extra questions when using I Discover Reality.
8. Sound Jammer – blocks all sound from leaving its zone. Works for up to 30 minutes real time.
9. Spectral Hand – a translucent tether that can reach and grab an object or creature up to 3 zones away (no larger than a human). If the target is guarded or in view, roll Dexterity:
   • Partial success — GM chooses:
     • you succeed but pay 3 fatigue, or
     • you fail but remain unnoticed.
   • The item is destroyed even on failure.
10. Braided Rope – can form a short bridge, ladder, net, sack, or similar structure once.
11. Cipher Box – encrypts a single letter; can only be opened by guessing the correct password.
12. Vibration Detector – senses all traps and hidden passages in a room.
13. Compressor Blocker – range 1 zone – releases compressed air strong enough to block passage for 3 rounds, pushing everyone in the zone to adjacent ones.
14. Backpack Frame – increases your backpack capacity by 8 slots for 24 in-game hours, then breaks.
15. Cluster Goggles – grant darkvision for 24 in-game hours, then crack.
16. Revealing Lamp – exposes invisible creatures within 1 zone of the light source for 1 real-time hour.
17. Indestructible Box – protects one stored item from all damage; disintegrates after 24 in-game hours.
18. Gravity Charge – reverses gravity in a zone for 1 round. Creatures without footing fall and take fall damage. Flying creatures crash immediately and take fall damage. Can lift the entire party to rooftop height.
19. Deconfigurator – automatically disarms one mechanical trap.
20. Slime Bomb – apply SLOWED to as many creatures in a zone as your Ranged test successes +1. If you exceed the number of enemies, hit allies or yourself instead.

Technology

• Every technological device must be powered by an energy orb, which costs a treasure and isn’t commonly sold — the orbs are harvested from the sacred Uurundi beasts, which generate them in their lower bodies.
• Each device can be used 3 times (unless stated otherwise), after which it breaks.
• Each energy orb also has 3 charges.
• If the technology is single-use, it consumes 1 charge of the orb.
• Each device is a light item, usually a small mechanical cube that unfolds when activated.
• Has no market value — few can operate it, and it degrades quickly.
• Using such an item costs an action, unless stated otherwise.

1. Mechanical mount – lasts for a distance no longer than a week’s travel.
2. Mechanical wings – last one scene.
3. Energy rifle – d20 damage; breaks after 3 shots; an enemy uses it on a 1 on their main die.
4. Mechanical assistant – single-use – 10 HP, 4 armor, 3 damage, and 6 inventory slots – lasts for one scene. If used only as a pack mule, it has 3 uses (one of which may still be a full activation) and lasts 24 hours in-game.
5. Automated wagon – twice as fast as a regular one; lasts for a distance.
6. Signal bell – emits a loud tone audible for many kilometers; can be set to trigger by a chosen stimulus.
7. Energy spotlight – projects concentrated light across several hundred meters.
8. Chain lift – vertical transport in towers, mines, or cliffs.
9. Regeneration chamber – resting inside removes all fatigue and one chosen status; only one person fits.
10. Mechanical bird – sends a message any distance; single-use, but may return with a reply if not intercepted.
11. Exoskeleton – sets athletics to 5 dice for one scene.
12. Folding bridge – a mechanical structure you can deploy to cross a wide gap or river.
13. Collapsible shelter – allows a safe rest even in harsh conditions; final word with the GM.
14. Light-bender – makes everyone in the zone invisible, but the device cannot be moved; alternatively, it can project a logical illusion; lasts one scene.
15. Bomb – single-use – detonates 3 turns after activation; deals d20 damage to everyone in the scene who fails to escape or destroys a small building/part of a large one (with all consequences).
16. Anticoffin – dissolves corpses.
17. Drill – tunnels underground/through rock up to 5 km.
18. Hologram – single-use – can be programmed with a visual and sound scene; plays for up to 24 h within a 50 m radius; functions as an illusion.
19. Regenerator – single-use – removes a scar effect.
20. Barrier field – single-use – creates a transparent wall that nothing can cross for 30 minutes of real time, not even sound. Must be anchored between two stable points (walls, boulders, trees) up to 1 km apart; does not work in open space or without support on both sides.

Wonders of Jaruga

• Jaruga is a god in the form of a river whose waters change everything they touch except the riverbed. Some of these altered things develop strange, extraordinary properties.
• Each Wonder of Jaruga is worth one Treasure.
• All are considered light items.
• All are single-use, unless stated otherwise.
• Using one takes an action, unless stated otherwise.

1. Jar of All-Consuming Larvae – when released onto something, they devour it completely, though there aren’t many of them — the GM has the final say.
2. Dust of Great Poppies – 2 uses; doesn’t affect powerful enemies. When applying, roll Sleight of Hand to see if you manage to get the dust close enough to the victim’s nose or mouth — on a full or partial success, the target falls asleep.
3. Mist Catcher – a spider-like fungus that traps fog, clouds, or gas and condenses them into liquid.
4. Glass Flies – insects that refract light like crystal; used as living jewelry. A resin brooch containing their queen is worn in the hair — the flies circle around her like glittering gems. Fed properly, they live up to a year. A rare aristocratic gift.
5. Blue Urchin Spines – a delicacy containing a blue marrow that tastes like sour mist; once cracked, they become crisp like salted biscuits. Highly prized among nobility.
6. Tears of the Waterers – crystallized tears of birds that use them to feed their chicks. One restores 1d10 HP.
7. Swelling Thistle – when attached to a creature or object, it inflates like a balloon, lifting it about 4 meters off the ground as if suspended in vacuum. In combat, the target gains a strange version of the Restrained condition. Can also be used for vertical movement. After use, it rots away.
8. Unmelting Ice Floe – remembers the reflection of the first person who looks into it; creates a permanent 3D “photograph.” What it captures cannot be erased.
9. Magic Eaters – flowers with spiral petals; when spun, they absorb and nullify all magic in the zone, then wither — they don’t destroy Arcana.
10. Crystal Cactus Needle – no action required. Remove up to 3 chosen physical or mental statuses (from one category only) until the end of the scene. New statuses still affect you normally. When the scene ends, the delayed ones return and you gain a new physical status.
11. Copper Veins – a marsh plant whose stems conduct electricity. Wrap it around a weapon or arrow: the first attack counts as a partial success, and all dice rolled for that test are treated as successes. The plant dies afterward. Cannot cause criticals.
12. Jarugan Reed – blowing into it produces a tone so deep it shatters every piece of glass in the scene.
13. Choking Coral – a soft coral that rapidly expands when in contact with water, able to clog a bottle, pipe, doorway, or someone’s throat.
14. Bloody Lilies – petals turn red on skin contact; instantly remove WOUNDED or RIPPED OPEN status but leave a scar — roll a d6 on the Scars Table.
15. Cheeks of Great Toads – can be used as a parachute; after one descent, they dry out and crumble.
16. Thorns of Silence – once embedded in a target, steal its voice for one hour of real time.
17. Razor Reed – cuts through any material before disintegrating.
18. Light Lilies – wrapping them around your feet allows you to walk on liquid for one hour of real time.
19. Symbiotic Fungus – merges with a severed stump, growing into a replacement limb; it feeds on your nutrients — you permanently lose 1 Endurance die, or gain 1 point of Madness if you can’t afford to lose it.
20. Heart of a Transparent Beast – consuming it grants 2 Development Points.

Exotic Materials

• Used to enhance items.
• Can also be used to enhance arcanas.
• All count as light items.
• The GM decides what form each material takes — e.g. monster scales, strange metal ore, mutated blood, etc.
• Some effects are mutually exclusive (marked in the description).
• You may invent your own effects if it fits the world.

1. The weapon inflicts a condition (choose or roll — not STUNNED) on 5 on the main die.
2. The weapon inflicts a condition (choose or roll — not STUNNED) on 4 on the main die.
3. Grants armor/helmet/shield 1 point of magical armor — you can never have more than 4 magical armor.
4. Grants a weapon +1 damage — can only be applied once per weapon.
5. Grants armor/helmet/shield damage reduction 1 — cannot exceed 1 total ever.
6. Grants armor/helmet/shield resistance to one chosen element.
7. The weapon glows like a torch — if enhanced twice, you can choose when it shines or fades.
8. The weapon/armor becomes indestructible.
9. Grants a power (choose or roll). Using that power costs its normal cost (usually 1 fatigue).
10. The weapon can strike intangible, spiritual, or ethereal beings even if normally untouchable.
11. The weapon is bound to the Dreamlands — it appears in your hands at will.
12. Grants 1 free advantage on any combat roll except critical injury tests — you can have at most 2 such upgrades.

What Can the P Find?

• Treasures – the equivalent of a large sum of money or valuables like goblets, jewelry, or tapestries; used for bribery, trade, or raising wealth levels.
• Resources – ingredients for medicinal items, decoctions, and similar creations.
• Components – ingredients for elixirs or rituals.
• Materials – ingredients for tools, gear, or weapons.
• Exotic materials – can be merged with items to grant special properties.
• Energy orbs – bio-batteries for technology, produced from blue fluids secreted inside the transparent abdomens of the sacred Uurundich beasts.
• Relic – without trade value; sacrificing it to a god during a one-hour religious ceremony alongside a large animal grants 5 narrative dice for an immediate attempt to alter local narrative reality — success is interpreted as a miracle (a divine act). The act must make sense, stay small in scale, and cannot kill anyone. The result depends on the god receiving the offering.
• All of the above take up half a backpack slot (they’re small items).

Loot Table

• Roll on this table to determine what the P found.
• Repeat as many times as you deem appropriate.
• Rare items have a lower chance of appearing.
• When the P find an item whose exact type requires clarification (for example an elixir, decoction, or component), roll the appropriate die to determine the result from that category’s sub-table.

Money

General Rules

• Coins are not tracked — the P share a wealth level, representing their lifestyle and purchasing power.
• To buy anything, the P must visit a market.
• A market can be visited only once per stay in a settlement.
• In small settlements (villages, hamlets), the maximum usable wealth level is With a Coin — higher levels are treated as With a Coin while there.
• Expensive purchases (e.g., heavy armor, wagon) are orders — ready after 3 days.
• Scrolls, elixirs, arcanas, and Blood of the Earth are found through story events, not bought — they’re too rare except in special places like faction vaults or grand markets.
• Renting a room automatically includes food.
• Prices are fixed unless the GM explicitly allows negotiation.

Wealth Levels

• To advance: the party must deposit in a bank (downtime action) the number of treasures listed for each wealth level.
• Depositing treasures can be done gradually, over multiple visits.
• Treasures deposited for previous advancements do not count toward the requirement for the next level.
• Once deposited, P use checks for purchases.

1. Barely Surviving

• The P are starving, can’t afford an inn or any purchase.

2. Poor (starting level) (requires depositing 3 Treasures)

• The P eat but can’t afford luxuries or lodging.
• May obtain 2 rations and 1 common item.

3. Common (requires depositing 5 Treasures)

• May obtain 2 common items, 3 rations, and 1 healing/material/component/resource item.
• Can afford the worst inn room.

4. With a Coin (requires depositing 8 Treasures)

• May obtain 3 common items, 6 rations, and 2 healing/material/component/resource items.
• Can afford a decent inn room.
• As a group:
  • merge 1 exotic material (e.g., Hydra scales) with an item.
  • buy 1 expensive item (e.g., wagon, heavy armor) → wealth –1.
  • hire 1 person for a simple task.

5. Doing Well (requires depositing 12 Treasures)

• May obtain 5 common items, 9 rations, and 2 healing/material/component/resource items.
• As a group:
  • merge 2 exotic materials into items.
  • buy 1 expensive item (e.g., wagon, heavy armor).
  • hire up to 5 people for a specific task.
  • gain 1 major favor (e.g., from an executive authority) → wealth –1.
  • gain 1 contact within privileged authority → wealth –1.
• Can afford an apartment.

6. Wealthy (requires depositing 20 Treasures)

• As above, but:
  • no limit on common items or food (limited only by inventory); 3 healing/material/component/resource items.
  • As a group:
    • merge 3 exotic materials.
    • gain a favor from privileged authority → wealth –1.
    • hire a mercenary unit → wealth –1.
    • buy 1 property → wealth –1.
    • fund a public event, e.g. tournament → wealth –1.
• Can afford a luxury suite.

7. Magnate (requires depositing 30 Treasures)

• As Wealthy, plus:
  • gain a favor from dominant authority → wealth –1.
  • buy a major property → wealth –1.
  • found an organization (up to 30 members initially) → wealth –1.
  • use spies to make faction moves (GM-approved) → wealth –1.

Treasures

• Collecting treasures increases wealth.
• A treasure = any valuable physical item (e.g., jewels, goblets, tapestries).
• A treasure takes ½ slot (light item).
• Bribes are always paid in treasures.
• One treasure equals one month of provisions for one average person.

Table of goods

• Buying goods/services for treasures happens during a market visit, outside the limits of the party’s wealth level.
• Buying elixirs, scrolls, or arcanas is nearly impossible except at rare markets, though they can always be sold.

Travel and distances

• Ship/Machine — 1 day per hex — expensive: 1 treasure per person / 3 per group (does not require own food).

• Wagon/Mount — 1.5 days per hex — must own one, or pay 1 treasure per group (requires own food).

• On foot — 2 days per hex.

• Even when traveling by a hired means of transport, the exploration procedure is still performed.

Downtime

If a P spends at least 3 nights in a larger settlement (e.g. a city, but not a village), they may take one Downtime Action. A short description of what they do is required.

Standard Actions

1. Read a Tome – Gain 1 important piece of narrative information.
2. Build a Contact (roll Influence):
   • Full Success: Contact of Privileged Authority.
   • Partial Success: Contact of Executive Authority.
3. Rest Thoroughly – Recover lost Trait dice from one group.
4. Host a Gathering – Roll Persuasion/Influence to improve Reputation.
5. Send a Message – It reaches any civilized place.
6. Perform a Ritual – Use the Perform Ritual move.
7. Cover Your Tracks / Repair Reputation – Roll Deception.
8. Send a Helper or Hireling on a Mission – Roll Persuasion, costs 2 Treasures per hireling.
9. Acquire a Rare Item – Through the Market or connections.
10. Gain a Development Point – Only once per real-world month of play.
11. Gather Underworld Information – Roll Persuasion / Influence / Deception.
12. Spread a Rumor – Roll Deception.
13. Intimidate Someone – Roll Intimidation, gain a Favor (Executive Authority) but lose Reputation.
14. Commission Equipment Repair – Costs 1 Treasure.
15. Romance (→ see details below).
16. Medical Treatment – Remove scars, mutations, etc. – costs 3 Treasures.
17. Deposit Treasures in a Bank – Raise Wealth Level; banks exist only in major cities.
18. Other Idea – Propose it to the GM.

Romance

• To seduce someone once, use the Seduce Move.
• To develop an Emotional Bond, collect 3–5 Bond Points (difficulty decided by the GM).
  • Each point = Full Success on a roll of any trait, described in a romantic context.
  • You may reuse the same Trait, but not the same approach.
  • Critical Success = +1 point; Critical Failure = –1 point.
• Each Bond Point can be used once as an advantage on a later roll.
• Negative Bonds are possible.
• The GM may assign extra Bond Point changes depending on the fiction. For example, betrayal or breaking a promise may erase all gathered points or even result in negative ones.
• Buying sex does not count as Romance.

Reputation

Before play begins, ask the P to imagine they are members of a royal court standing before a king. Would they risk mocking him or speaking out of turn? Certainly not.
The same applies to their characters: the world they inhabit follows strict hierarchies and social codes. A jester may insult a lord if that is his role, but a commoner or mercenary doing the same would likely end up with their head on a spike. P should understand that their characters do not have plot armor — insulting the powerful or ignoring authority has real consequences. Disrespect breaks the tone of the world.

A character must know to bow before a king, or accept what follows. Mocking an empress in her own court is likely to end in exile or death unless done with grace and luck.
Being recognized by an influential faction grants privileges and favors that others can’t access. A society that fears you won’t offer you shelter or aid.
The following system is designed to help the GM track how the world perceives the party.

Assign each faction or community a reputation score showing how they view the party, using the table below.
The starting level is 0. You can also track an overall global reputation.

Each step up or down includes all effects of the previous levels.

GM Note:
Ask the P to track the consequences of their own reputation in each area.
Simply inform them when their reputation changes — you already have enough to manage.

Influencing Reputation

• Each successful mission completed for a faction or community increases the P reputation with that group by +1.
• If the P unknowingly act in a way that benefits a faction (e.g. killing someone the faction wanted dead or advancing their interests indirectly), their reputation also increases by +1.
• If a mission for a faction ends in failure, their reputation drops by 1.
• If the mission brings both benefits and harm to the faction, the P must roll influence to determine how the group ultimately perceives the outcome:
  • Full Success – reputation increases by 1.
  • Partial Success – reputation remains unchanged.
  • Failure – reputation decreases by 1.
• If the P act directly against a faction’s interests — even unknowingly — their reputation with that faction decreases by 1.
  • Examples include:
    • Being proven guilty of killing an innocent person.
    • Being caught stealing.
    • Making a deal that causes the faction to lose money or status.
    • Publicly mocking the faction’s faith, symbols, or values.
    • Treating ordinary members with arrogance or contempt.
    • Similar acts of open disrespect.
• Gaining positive reputation is intentionally slower and harder than losing it.
• +2 for an exceptional deed; –2 for a blatant betrayal.

Respecting Authority and Social Values

Types of Authority

Authority can be divided into:

• Natural — e.g. survival instinct.
• Dominant — e.g. a king or empress.
• Privileged — e.g. a bishop or officer.
• Executive — e.g. guards or tax collectors.
• Threatening — e.g. a criminal or bandit leader.

When an authority figure gives an order and the P refuse, they must make an Influence test.

Authority cannot afford to lose face, and resisting it is inherently difficult — even a full success may come with consequences. The higher the rank of authority, the harder it is to oppose.

If a P has a strong narrative reason to oppose a certain authority, they gain advantage on Influence tests against it.
Likewise, advantage or disadvantage may apply depending on the authority’s current attitude toward them.

If the P openly insult or act against the values of a faction — for example, spitting on an altar before believers or mocking a monarch in public — they immediately lose 2 reputation levels, and executive authority is called to apprehend them.
If guards are not nearby, the P have a brief chance to flee.
If they neither flee nor surrender when confronted, combat ensues.

If the P lose such a fight, they are imprisoned; all their possessions are sold to pay compensation to guards or their families.
If they win, they must flee the faction’s territory — their reputation with that faction drops to –4 either way.

If a P’s attire is inappropriate for an event, they are not admitted (unless special circumstances allow it).

Natural Authority

When a P attempts something blatantly self-destructive or absurdly illogical — for example, murdering civilians during a sacred procession — they are stopped by natural authority, the primal instinct of survival. The fear of being torn apart by a furious mob keeps them in check; one character’s moment of self-preservation restrains another’s recklessness. It is extremely difficult to resist the commands of natural authority.

This is a GM safeguard against actions that would break the fiction — such as killing merchants in broad daylight or casting spells into a crowded street. Whether it applies depends entirely on the GM’s judgment.

When the GM decides that a P’s action is extremely irrational, suicidal, or socially impossible, they may call for a Will test against Natural Authority:

• Degree 1: Minor barrier
  (e.g. a shopkeeper begs for his life while several people watch) → Roll 1d6, success on 5+.
• Degree 2: Serious consequences
  (e.g. the authorities will hunt the P, the mob will attack, the act betrays their core values) → Roll 2d6, success on 11+.
• Degree 3: Extreme risk
  (e.g. casting spells publicly in a realm where magic is forbidden, killing in front of royal guards, defiling a sacred site) → Roll 3d6, success on 16+.

If the test fails, the P cannot bring themselves to act — instinctively restrained by the will to survive.
They may instead attempt a different approach or seek a subtler method.

If the test succeeds, the act proceeds — but the P loses reputation (as determined by the GM).
At Degree 2 or 3, they also gain 1 point of madness.

This mechanic protects the GM from players whose actions would openly undermine the narrative.

Acting “Out of Character”

If a P tries to do something radically opposed to their established personality —
for instance, a kind priest deciding to torture a prisoner for information — the GM may require a Will test to represent inner conflict.

Test result:

• 6 – You do it, but gain a mental status.
• 4–5 – You do it, gain a mental status, and the GM may introduce a narrative consequence (trauma, NPC rejection, etc.).
• 1–3 – You hesitate; something stops you. The GM describes how.

The player may ignore the result, but doing so automatically grants 1 point of madness.

Influence Tests Against Dominant Authority

Every act of defiance immediately reduces the party’s reputation by 2 and gives the P fatigue, reflecting the stress of realizing they’ve just provoked serious trouble.

When, for example, the royal guard orders a P to bow before the king seated on his throne, and the P refuses, they must first make an Influence test before their defiance takes effect.

• Full success — The P resists the command. Their composure briefly unsettles the ruler’s presence, but the tension in the room is palpable. The whole group gains disadvantage on all social tests within this faction’s territory until their reputation improves by at least one level.
  The king might say something like: “Let’s hear what these savages have to say before I have them thrown out.”
• Partial success — The P resists, but the defiance sparks open hostility. The group is immediately dismissed or expelled from the ruler’s presence. If they resist the order, a confrontation begins.
• Failure — The P submits to the weight of authority and must act as commanded.

Influence Tests Against Privileged Authority

Every act of defiance immediately reduces the party’s reputation by 1 and gives the P fatigue, representing the stress of realizing they’re crossing a line.

For example, if a bishop demands that the P show respect in his holy place and the P begins telling a lewd joke instead, the action does not go through until they make an Influence test.

• Full success — The P resists the authority. Their confidence momentarily unsettles the bishop, though the atmosphere remains tense.
  The bishop might respond: “May the gods forgive me for tolerating your presence in their house. Speak, before my patience runs dry.”
• Partial success — The P resists, but the defiance provokes open hostility. The group is immediately expelled from the audience. If they resist, the situation escalates into a confrontation.
• Failure — The P submits to the pressure of authority and must behave as ordered.

Influence Tests Against Executive Authority

Defying executive authority does not reduce the party’s reputation unless the defiance is openly disrespectful. In that case, the party’s reputation decreases by 1.

For example, if a guard orders a P to surrender their weapons before entering the castle and the P refuses, they must make an Influence test.

• Full success — The P resists the command, and their composure makes the guard hesitate. The guard might escalate the issue to a higher authority or say something like:
  “Fine, but don’t come crying to me when the lord has your head for it.”
• Partial success — The P resists, but the guard immediately becomes hostile and calls for backup, leading to removal from the premises or a potential confrontation. Alternatively, the guard may demand a bribe or a favor — whichever fits the scene.
• Failure — The P yields and must follow the order, though they can still try to find a way around it later.

Influence Tests Against Threatening Authority

Threatening authority is power built on fear and violence — those who command through danger rather than legitimacy. Defying such authority is expected, so it never reduces reputation.

For example, if five knife-wielding thugs surround a P in a tavern and order them to come along, and the P laughs in their faces, they must make an Influence test before the situation plays out.

• Full success — The P resists the threat; their confidence makes the bandits lose their nerve. The P gains advantage on social rolls against them and can attempt to negotiate or intimidate.
• Partial success — The P doesn’t give in immediately but knows they’ve only bought themselves a brief moment. They get one chance to think of a way out. If they fail that, they’re forced to comply, though they can still look for another opportunity later.
• Failure — The P submits and must follow the order, though they may still try to escape or retaliate later.

Crafting

• Crafting takes place during a long rest, but the P restores 2 less fatigue while doing so.
• When a failure causes the P to lose a critical damage die, it represents a costly mistake during the process — chemical burns, spontaneous ignition, explosions, or similar accidents.

Alchemy

A P may brew elixirs. To do so, they must:

• Spend 1 component.
• Roll Arcana:
  • Must have at least Arcana 3.
  • Critical success — may instead create an Arkana (decide with the GM).
  • Full success — succeeds and chooses which elixir to create.
  • Partial success —
    • Either succeeds but rolls randomly for which elixir was made,
    • Or chooses the elixir but gains 3 fatigue.
  • Failure — the attempt fails; the component is lost, and the P loses 1 critical damage die (if none remain, they die).
• The P may craft Wonders of Jaruga using the same procedure as for elixirs, except a critical success produces two copies instead of an Arkana.
• The P may craft scrolls, but this requires 2 components and a full success. On a partial success, nothing happens. A critical success creates two scrolls instead of an Arkana.
• Any critical failure (two 1s on the dice) advances the Corruption Clock.
• The GM and P may collaborate to invent custom elixirs, Wonders of Jaruga, or Arkanas.

Herbalism / Apothecary

A P may craft healing items. To do so, they must:

• Have at least Herbalism 2.
• Spend 1 resource.
• Roll Herbalism/Apothecary:
  • Critical success — combine the effects of any two chosen healing items, ignoring their costs, or the created item has 2 uses, or the P makes 2 copies of the same item.
  • Full success — succeeds and chooses which healing item to make.
  • Partial success —
    • Either succeeds but rolls randomly to determine which healing item was made,
    • Or chooses which decoction to make but gains 2 fatigue.
  • Failure — the attempt fails; the resource is lost, and the P loses 1 critical damage die (if none remain, they die).
• The P may also brew decoctions using the same procedure as for healing items.
• The P may combine items with exotic materials, but this requires a full success. On a partial success, nothing happens. A critical success refunds the resource.
• Any critical failure (two 1s on the dice) advances the Corruption Clock.
• The GM and P may collaborate to create custom decoctions — they should function mechanically similar to those on the standard list.

Crafting Technology

A P may craft tactical equipment. To do so, they must:

• Have at least Technology 2.
• Spend 1 material.
• Roll Technology:
  • Critical success — combine the effects of any two chosen pieces of equipment, ignoring their costs, or the created item has 2 uses, or the P makes 2 copies of the same item.
  • Full success — succeeds and chooses which tactical equipment to craft.
  • Partial success —
    • Either succeeds but rolls randomly for which tactical equipment was made,
    • Or chooses which one to craft but gains 2 fatigue.
  • Failure — the attempt fails; the material is lost, and the P loses 1 critical damage die (if none remain, they die).
• The P may craft common utility items (like a shovel or rope) using the same procedure as for tactical gear, but on a partial success, they always choose the item and gain 1 fatigue.
• The P may make or repair weapons, armor, or other gear using the same procedure, but:
  • On a partial success, they always choose the item and roll for a physical status.
  • It costs one downtime action instead of a long rest.
  • Crafting heavy armor requires 4 materials.
• The P may craft technological devices using the same procedure as for tactical gear, but it costs 2 materials and requires an energy core to power the tools.
• Any critical failure (two 1s on the dice) advances the Corruption Clock — sparks, short circuits, or chemical accidents.
• The GM and P may collaborate to create custom tactical gear or technology — they should function mechanically similar to those on the existing list.

Interactive Elements

Traps

• Traps are designed to kill or immobilize — they should always be lethal or inflict statuses, not just scare.
• When a P interacts with something that might be trapped, they immediately sense danger — but the investigation test determines how much they understand:
  • Performing this test triggers a sequence: investigation → disarm/open. Once the P rolls investigation, they cannot back out of disarming/opening — it’s treated as one continuous action initiated by the first decision.
  • However, the P may skip the investigation test entirely to avoid risk — doing so also forfeits any chance to discover what the trap guards.
  • Investigation outcomes:
    • Full success — The P understands the mechanism; no disadvantage on disarming.
    • Partial success — The P finds the trap but has 1 disadvantage to disarm it.
    • Failure — The P finds the trap but has 2 disadvantages to disarm it.
• No one can assist in identifying or disarming a trap.
• Disarming and opening is treated as a single test.
• The P disarms the trap using technology/sleight of hand:
  • Full success — lock is disarmed and opened.
  • Partial success — appropriate status.
  • Failure — d20 damage → if the damage reduces the P below 0 HP, they roll critical damage dice → on a failure, they die.
• If a trap isn’t one-use, attempting to open the lock again will repeat both the investigation and disarming tests, with the risk of the trap being triggered again.
• If a P enters a trapped zone during combat:
  • If unaware → roll survival.
  • If aware → roll athletics (to leap/avoid) with advantage.
    • Full success — avoids the trap, may act normally.
    • Partial success — either triggers it (physical status) but may act afterward, or avoids it but acts with double disadvantage.
    • Failure — triggers the trap → d12 damage.

Puzzles / Riddles

• If the P have no idea how to solve a puzzle or riddle presented by the GM, they may attempt a group test of mind.
  • On success — they receive 1 hint, plus 1 more per full success.
  • On failure — each P gains 1 fatigue, and a trap (if present) may activate.

For the GM – How to Run

• The following advice is meant to help you create the best possible grim-dark, low-magic dramatic experience for the P.
• Most important: when preparing anything, remember — this is the P story. They matter most!

Let the P Shape the World’s Details

When presenting the world, leave room for the P to expand it by asking questions like:

• What’s the strangest thing you see in this tavern?
• How does your character know this NPC?
• Why does this place make you uneasy?
• What in this scene reminds you of your childhood?
• What does the room you just entered look like?

How to Build an NPC

Below is the fastest way to create a believable NPC ready to use in your adventure.

Write down:

• name
• who they are
• what they want — one goal
• one sentence on how they look, including a distinctive trait (e.g. scratches his neck compulsively)
• one weakness that can be used against them — optional, but helpful

Example:

• You don’t need anything more — an NPC created with these points is fully sufficient for the role you need and easy to improvise around.
• This method also lets you create NPCs on the fly during a session.

Building Tension

• The world often works against the PCs. Tension rises. Time is running out. It gets harder. Will we make it? How much slack do we have left? The mechanics collected here help the GM foster a real sense of pressure and consequence.
• They all operate on the principle of clocks.

Clocks – what are they?

• Every action has consequences. Clocks measure their progress, for example:
  • the number of people the PCs must convince to change their mind in order to truly influence the social situation.
  • how many failures the PCs can suffer before someone realizes they’ve broken into the judge’s house.
  • how many of the boss’s weak points the PCs have wounded.
  • how close the bounty hunters are to finding the PCs who have warrants out.
  • how many rests the PCs can take in the dungeon before the beast finds them.
  • how many successes the PCs need to escape a trap in time.
• A clock can have as many points as needed—typically no fewer than 4 and no more than 8.
• The GM decides by how many points the PCs’ actions or events advance the clock.
• The GM decides whether the clock is public or hidden. It can also be semi-public: the PCs don’t know the total, but the GM informs them whenever it moves.
• The best method for using clocks — every time the clock is about to advance, roll d6 × the number of remaining segments and move it forward for each 1–3 rolled, or 1–2 if you want it to progress more slowly.

Sample Clock Mechanics

Immediate Pressure

• Each successive turn imposes fatigue.
• At the start of each turn, the GM rolls 1d6—on a 1, time has run out.
• Every round, the boss’s base damage increases by 1.
• You may take only as many actions before capture as you rolled successes.
• Each failure advances the clock by 1—every mistake costs a second.
• If the PCs don’t gather 3 full successes in 5 rounds, they fail to escape the collapsing tower.

Clocks in Combat

• PCs are defending someone—if that person is struck by ten enemy failures, they die.
• If enemies burn down four houses, the entire village the PCs vowed to save goes up in flames.
• Each round without resolving the threat prompts the GM to roll 1d6—on a 4+, a new enemy arrives.
• The boss cannot be killed until the clock fills—you must expose its weak point first.
• PCs must destroy ritual totems before the clock fills—otherwise the enemy regenerates.
• The longer the fight drags on, the more foes arrive. Each round advances the clock; at full, reinforcements show up.
• The more hits the boss takes, the stronger its final form becomes.
• The boss has a devastating attack—each PC failure advances its recharge clock.

Social Clocks

• The number of transgressions—insults, disrespect, value violations—before the community turns hostile.
• The number of debate successes required to earn the king’s trust.
• How many lies you can tell before someone starts fact-checking.
• How many questions you can ask before bystanders see through your disguise.
• How many alliance-breaking messages can reach a neighbor before cooperation collapses.
• How many diplomatic failures will ruin the plan.

Passage of Time

• After three in-game hours (accelerated by short rests), night falls and the PCs may uncover a secret visible only in moonlight.
• How many scenes the PCs can resolve before it’s too late to reach an important event.
• How many long rests before the PCs fail to reach the erupting volcano.
• How many noisy incidents the PCs must leave behind before bounty hunters catch up.
• How many units the PCs must recruit before they’re ready to retake the temple from invaders.

During Exploration

• How long the PCs can stay in a magic-tainted zone before it affects them.
• How many survival test failures before they become truly lost.
• How many real-time minutes they can spend underwater before running out of air.
• Each rest in the desert restores one fewer point of fatigue.
• How many successes they need to survive a night in the wild without consequences.
• How close they are to discovering a secret path—each full success advances the clock.
• How long they can make noise in the ruins before waking something best left asleep.
• How many clues they must gather to locate a hidden dungeon entrance.
• How many times they can use the same makeshift crossing before it collapses into the river.
• How many turns they can spend disarming a trap before the mechanism triggers.

Building Fights

• When you as the GM find yourself needing to quickly prepare an encounter, or simply looking for inspiration, you can use the ready-made patterns and tables below to build a dynamic, engaging, and memorable challenge for the PCs on the fly.
• The following fight types don’t cover every possibility, but show how to stage many common scenarios.
• If the rolled combination seems illogical in any way, just replace the mismatched element.
• If you’re a beginner, start with a smaller number of elements.

Fight Types

1. Defense

• Goal: Hold out for X rounds, defend an NPC/object/location, escort something across the map.
• Mechanics:
  • Enemies attack in waves.
  • If they score X hits on the NPC/object, the PCs lose.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die means the defended object takes 2 hits.

Examples:

• Defending a caravan from bandits.
• Guarding a magical ritual from interruption.
• Holding a bridge until reinforcements arrive.

2. Difficult Terrain

• Goal: Win the fight in harsh environmental conditions.
• Mechanics:
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die triggers a terrain hazard: lava splashes from a geyser, you slip on ice, you get tangled in thorny vines, etc.
  • PCs may use Athletics to shove enemies into hazards; enemies can do the same.
  • Certain zones are dangerous: entering or starting your turn there forces a saving throw (appropriate trait). Failure imposes a random physical or mental status; partial success lets you pay fatigue to avoid it.
• Often combined with other fight types.

Examples:

• A battle among erupting steam vents.
• Falling into a trap in a mountain ravine.

3. Escape

• Goal: Get away instead of defeating the foe.
• Mechanics:
  • Each turn, players earn Escape Points from their rolls:
    • 1 point for a partial success
    • 2 points for a full success
  • If they reach X points before time runs out, they escape.
  • Current total and required total are public.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die means you stumble, lose an item, or lose 2 Escape Points.

Examples:

• Breaking out of a prison before the guards lock the doors.
• Racing out of a burning building.

4. Domination

• Goal: Seize and hold a key position.
• Mechanics:
  • There’s a control area—PCs must drive all enemies out.
  • Enemies attack in waves; if they push the PCs out, the PCs lose.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die summons another enemy.

Examples:

• Taking the guard tower during a siege.
• Holding a choke point in a canyon.

5. Time Pressure

• Goal: Stop something from finishing (e.g. a ritual).
• Mechanics:
  • The GM rolls 1d6 each round—on a 1, the event completes.
  • Or each round every PC takes 1 fatigue.
  • Or each PC failure advances the end-of-event clock by 1.
  • To interrupt the event, PCs must destroy/neutralize X specific objects or people.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die either advances the clock or re-triggers another aspect of this encounter’s mechanics.

Examples:

• Preventing the necromancer from raising an undead army.
• Closing a portal before a monster crosses through.

6. Destruction

• Goal: Destroy something rather than fight to the last.
• Mechanics:
  • The object needs X hit successes to break.
  • Enemies try to stop the PCs from reaching their objective.
  • PCs can use the environment (chop down a pillar onto a statue) to add hits.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die means someone reinforces or repairs the target, forcing +2 extra hits.

Examples:

• Collapsing a cavern pillar to bring down the ceiling.
• Burning all the key documents in a fortress.

7. Boss Fight

• Goal: Defeat an exceptionally powerful foe with special phases.
• Mechanics:
  • Phases: Every X hits on the boss triggers a new phase or ability.
  • Weak Points: Each boss has one weak spot per phase, revealed by a full success in perception or relevant lore.
  • Special Attacks: Every X rounds or PC failures, the boss unleashes a devastating move.
  • Each round the boss’s base damage increases by 1.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die advances the boss’s special-attack clock or grants an extra action.

Examples:

• Two smaller foes merging into one, then splitting again.
• A golem empowered by runes—destroy the runes one by one to weaken it.

8. Hunt / Invisible Foes

• Goal: Track and defeat a foe before it escapes.
• Mechanics:
  • Tracking: Each turn PCs roll perception, collecting points: 1 for a partial success, 2 for a full success. If the foe gathers X points, it escapes or hides successfully
  • Invisible foes can mislead PCs—luring them with sounds—forcing further perception checks and boosting their escape chances.
  • Hidden foes may ambush and then vanish or leave traps.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die increases the foe’s escape-point requirement by 2.
  • If the foe fails to escape, each X points PCs gather can translate into a surprise attack on it.

Examples:

• Hunting a demon that phases between shadows.
• Chasing a fleeing assassin who misleads trackers.

9. Combat in Motion

• Goal: Fight while moving—on a wagon, train, horse chase, or moving platforms.
• Mechanics:
  • Any failure risks a fall unless you pay fatigue.
  • If an attack achieves at least half successes on all dice, the target falls unless they pay fatigue.
  • Falling may remove you from combat; fights can drag on until fatigue runs out.
  • Shifting battlefield: Every 2 rounds the terrain shifts (a carriage uncouples, platforms move).
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die triggers another terrain shift.
  • X full successes smooth out the terrain and reduce fall risk.

Examples:

• A duel atop a flying giant snake.
• Battle across swaying chandeliers.

10. Chaos in a Crowd

• Goal: Precise action amid random elements—more than just foes.
• Mechanics:
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die means you collide with the panicked crowd and fall.
  • If you fall, you make an endurance check to withstand trampling. Partial success – 2 damage; failure – 4 damage.
  • All attacks and spells have disadvantage—hard to aim or cast gestures.
  • An attack failure kills a random bystander; after X such deaths, the crowd turns on the PCs.
  • Changing zones requires a dexterity check to push through the crowd; failure means you’re carried one zone away by the mob.

Examples:

• A melee in a crowded market where bystanders impede combat.
• Fighting amid a stampede.

11. Illusion Combat

• Goal: Identify the real threat among illusions and false copies.
• Mechanics:
  • A full success in perception dispels one illusion—you can attempt this as an action.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die multiplies the illusions, increasing identification difficulty.
  • Failing an attack gives disadvantage next turn due to confusion.
  • Each illusion has 6 HP.

Examples:

• A mage duel where the foe creates copies of themselves.
• A hall of mirrors.

12. Severing Power

• Goal: Weaken the foe by separating them from their source of power.
• Mechanics:
  • PCs need X points from athletics or sleight of hand to damage the power source enough to break it. Partial success grants 1 point, full success 2 points.
  • Rolling a 1 on the main die means the foe temporarily strengthens the link—PCs must earn an extra 2 points.
  • A full success in Perception or Arcana (as an action) reveals one of three weak links; destroying one requires a full success and immediately grants 4 points toward severing. After all three are destroyed, the link breaks regardless of current points.
  • Until the link is severed, the foe may be effectively immortal or too resilient for direct damage to be optimal.

Examples:

• Fighting a knight whose strength comes from a relic in his armor.
• Confronting a child possessed by a demon—you don’t want to hurt the child.

Fight Tables

How to Use the Tables

• The GM rolls 4×d12 to determine Fight Type, Hazard, Opportunity, and Modifier.
• Combine them into one description and tailor to your world.
• Lay out combat zones so environmental elements matter.

1. Fight Type (d12)

2. Hazard (d12)

3. Opportunity (d12)

4. Fight Modifier (d12)

Room Search Procedure

Searching rooms in Haunted Matter is meant to create tension, risk, and a sense of progress. Every roll is a chance to uncover a secret — but also a step closer to being discovered. This procedure helps the GM prepare a structured, consequence-driven scene without writing a list of items in advance.

How to Use

• Define what the room is (e.g. guard’s office, cell, bedroom).
• Choose or roll 4–5 objects from the object table.
• Assign contents to each — place story-relevant information first, then roll or pick from the table for the rest.
• Add an Alarm Clock (4–6 segments). The P usually won’t have time to check everything unless they roll full successes. Some objects may require more than one test.
• Determine the NPC reaction if they’re caught (see reaction table).
• The P begin interacting with the room using the I act Behind Their Backs or I act in Secret move.
• Each object is searched with appropriate tests that may advance the Alarm Clock. If the object requires multiple rolls, each can move the clock.
  Example skill links:
  • Traps – per their rules.
  • Locked but untrapped – sleight of hand/technology.
  • Searching documents or piles – investigation.
  • Small details, hidden spots, furniture – perception.
  • Secrets – first ask if P risks the test (perception or investigation), then a second test if access is tricky (e.g. loosening a brick – sleight of hand).
  • Pushing, lifting, forcing – athletics.
  • Reading traces – survival.
  • Mechanical puzzles – mind.
  • You may skip a test if the content is clearly accessible.
• When P use I act Behind Their Backs, they skip rolling for unguarded objects (not locked or hidden) — they simply gain the info/loot. They still have limited actions. When they do roll, partial success causes 1 Fatigue, failure 2 Fatigue, as in the move’s description.

Object Table (d6)

Content Table (d6)

NPC Reaction Table (d6)

Minimal Prep Example

• Room: City guard’s office.
• Objects:
  • Desk – Info + Trap (poisoned needle) → letter about a gold convoy.
  • Shelf – Info – investigation → report book naming local spies.
  • Chest – Loot + Trap (blade cuts hands).
  • Wardrobe – Loot – perception → guard’s uniform (advantage to impersonate).
  • Hidden compartment – 2× Loot – ask P if they risk perception → loose floorboard – athletics → roll twice on Loot Table.
• Detection: P use I act in Secret move (6-segment clock) to see how many interactions they can risk.
• NPC Reaction: Calls the guards if they’re caught.

How to write scenarios — a thought process by example

This chapter is not a theory of scenario writing. It’s a practical guide to turning an idea into a working adventure for Haunted Matter — from the first thought to a finished structure.

I’ll walk you step by step through how I build an adventure for my table.

We’ll use an example from the book — the scenario: The Twenty-Seventh Among the Twenty-Six.

Assumptions

• The system lets you prepare mechanically very quickly. Building a deep story — a drama-action piece with moral decisions — cannot be rushed.
  • For me, it always takes at least a few hours.
• Don’t invent endings or scene resolutions — the GM provides the frame/structure; what exactly happens depends on the P.
• Each scene should lead to at least two others.
• If the adventure you’re creating is part of a campaign, try to include threads tied to the stories of at least two of your P — this is one of the most effective techniques for rooting the P in the plot and the presented world; almost nothing else has that much immersive power.
  • This adventure is a one-shot, so we don’t have that here.
• Every adventure is a story about your P — they are the ones playing, and they are the most important.

Core Motif

• Always start with an idea or a core motif — for me, it was: the community has one member more than the census shows, and no one knows who it is.
  • Coming up with the main axis sometimes takes longer than preparing the whole adventure — don’t worry if you don’t have ideas right away.
• If you want to stay true to the system’s tone: the adventure’s motif should revolve around a serious drama with no clearly good solutions — a tragedy, ideally touching on religious themes in a mystical way. We want it to feel mysterious, difficult, dirty, strange, ritualistic, dangerous.

Build a logical, not a linear structure

• What does my idea mean, and what follows from it? That’s the logical branching of the story’s foundation.

The extra member comes from the count.

• It’s better if the number of people that need to be counted isn’t too high — 27.
  • In such a small community, everyone knows everyone. How is it possible that no one knows who the extra person is?
    • Who is the extra one? — a girl, Darra.
      • She shouldn’t have her own home, so no one can just go visit her — homeless, a wanderer.
        • How to justify that? — many people in the world live as farmhands, earning their keep with bread and a spot on someone else’s floor.
      • How does she hide? — this is one of the key points — I’ll admit it took me a few days to come up with something both logically believable and satisfying as an interesting world element — Darra is not human but a local species of giant moth in its larval form.
        • Lunae Noctivora — a symbiotic parasite. It takes the shape of a member of a nearby community and creates a cocoon from materials gathered from that group. Often lives among mammal herds. A human host — a rare case. During development, it forms an illusion of identity; victims don’t clearly remember it. Usually, larvae of the same generation try their luck among different species to increase survival chances — but if possible, they help each other, e.g. a mole larva might show a bird larva where to find worms. Their intelligence depends on the form they take but never exceeds a low threshold.
        • Are there other larvae? — yes: two wolves and a badger — one wolf has already transformed, the other is still gathering materials for a cocoon, the badger’s transformation failed.
        • Where did they hatch? — in the marshes — the P can find eggs there.
          • How to mislead the P so the trail isn’t obvious? — another local species.
            • Lumbricina Gigantalis — a semi-aquatic larva with exceptional color and scent mimicry. Lives in wetlands. In a dormant state, it enters symbiosis with sphagnum and lichens, becoming almost invisible. Feeds on organic matter and sometimes carrion. Can produce moving patterns on its skin that look like crawling animals — when it moves, this deters predators. Non-intelligent, reacts mainly to heat and smell. Can imitate motion, but not sound.
        • Where do the animals build their cocoons? — Darra in an abandoned mill, the transformed wolf in a forest clearing, the badger in another part of the forest.
        • How can the P learn about this in a believable and logical way?
          • A half-mad herbalist named Olven, who studies local insects — NPC.
            • He discovered what Darra is but finds her a fascinating specimen and studies her life — he doesn’t want to expose her — says he enjoyed her company because she wasn’t bothered by his insects, which is why she worked for him more often than for others.
            • Ideally, he should live on the outskirts — it fits his character and gives the P more freedom.
              • He used to live with the rest of the village, but they didn’t accept his oddities, so he moved near the forest — though women still visit him for his remedies.
              • Since he lives near the forest, he could live close to the badger’s cocoon — his house will be presented as a potential place to check, and on the way there, the P can also discover a clue about the larvae — a dead badger that looks like an empty shell, a burst husk, tracks leading toward the cocoon.
            • In his house, in a hidden compartment protected by a trap, are notes describing local species — including the larvae.
            • If the P show him the badger’s husk and/or its cocoon, he’ll lie that he doesn’t know exactly what it is but wants to learn more because he’s studying it.
          • Questioning the villagers:
            • They don’t remember what Darra looked like, though they swear she stayed in each of their homes, working for food and shelter.
            • She arrived a few years ago, but no one remembers exactly when.
            • She often visited Olven.
            • She sometimes wandered near the abandoned mill.
            • She collected various discarded items — old clothes, food scraps, bits of wood.
              • Such traces can be found along the road — they lead to a crossroads — the old mill/the clearing with the wolf’s cocoon, which has already hatched.
            • No one knows where she is now.

Who did the counting?

• Scribe Pelin (can read and write — that’s rare) — NPC
• When were they counted? — two days ago.
• Pelin makes the census every year, as required by the administration.
• He has the previous lists, but when the P come to him, it turns out they’ve been stolen.
  • Darra made sure they disappeared — though she’s rather clumsy herself, so she would’ve needed help — Janis — NPC — in love with the girl, unaware of what she really is — her oddness doesn’t bother him — he helps her with various things, including at the mill.
    • The lists are in a chest protected by a trap in the abandoned mill.
• On the current list, three names are written in a different handwriting — Olven, Ojran, and Darra — Pelin explains that he just doesn’t like them — a cue for the GM to point the P in the right direction.
• No one has died in the past two years, but no one has been born either.
• Pelin mostly handles administrative matters and writes/reads letters for people.

Why does it worry anyone?

• In such a small community, everyone knows everyone. They can’t understand how the numbers don’t match when everyone knows every face and there are no newcomers — they suspect dark forces.

How do the P find out?

• At the tavern Ribs, from its owner, Ojran — NPC.
  • Why from him? — he’s the village’s self-proclaimed leader, having seized authority.
    • Because of that, he doesn’t get along with Pelin, who refuses to recognize him.
• Many people are gathered in the tavern — including Burto with his caretakers — it’s clear that in the evenings they gather here to maintain a sense of community.
• If the P immediately tell him to gather everyone and count them, he’ll answer that it can’t be done right away because some people work nights and he doesn’t know where everyone is — but he can give an order for everyone to gather under the tavern tomorrow after work, though it’s uncertain whether Olven will show up.

Moral dilemma

• The moral dilemma should arise from the logic of the situation, not from an arbitrary choice. The GM doesn’t force it — they let it result from facts the P discover themselves.
• How to add a moral dilemma here?
  • Adult moths feed on moonlight — in places they have eaten out, natural night light will never shine again and artificial lights will be greatly dimmed — sunlight works normally.
    • For humans, if this phenomenon proved widespread, it would cause serious hardship.
    • How to show it? — on the clearing with the wolf’s cocoon that has already hatched there is a lone tree that does not receive moonlight at night, even though nothing blocks it — the area was eaten out by the hatched moth before it flew off.
      • For us this can also mean that cocoons are visible only in moonlight.
      • In the tavern there is a slow-witted young man, Burto — NPC — who claims the extra person in the village is one of the gods walking among people — he saw the lack of light on the clearing and can lead the P there.
      • The P may recall religious myths that the god of sleep will one day send animals that will consume all night light, forcing the faithful to dream.
  • Darra needs two more nights to transform — her cocoon in the abandoned mill is almost ready.
    • This creature hasn’t harmed anyone, but in its adult form it will be a strange kind of potential threat — will the P let her transform once they learn the truth, or will they eliminate her?
    • To prevent the story from ending too quickly, we must make destroying the cocoon difficult so Darra has a chance to transform even if the P don’t want that — it’s resistant to fire and physical force — it can only really be unraveled and it defends itself with a toxin.
• How will the villagers react?
  • They will see it as the work of dark forces and ask the P to kill Darra — if the P refuse, they will do it themselves — you can of course dissuade them, but it’s hard.
• The dilemma shouldn’t be only the question “kill or not,” but a real question whether a natural life process of an animal, which intrudes on the human world to some degree, is sufficient justification for killing it.

Setting

• Where does the story take place, what kind of scenery fits it?
• The smaller the area you choose, the fewer factors you have to account for. Don’t be afraid, however, to place the story in strange, fantastical, or unusual locations — it’s still fantasy, even if low-magic — just make sure they fit the tone and content of the scenes you’re preparing.
• Here we choose a small village.
  • What does the village live on? — it’s very poor — survives mainly through logging.

Strong start

• Engage the P from the very beginning — introduce a challenge, conflict, or mystery.
• In this adventure: the P arrive at the village of Gob at night. The place seems deserted. No lights in the houses. From the nearby forest comes the howling of wolves. All tracks lead to the tavern Ribs, where most of the villagers who can, gather in the evenings for company. Ojran notices the P from afar, comes out to greet them, and invites them inside. Everything should look like a trap — even though it isn’t. The innkeeper gives the P free food and stands over them, watching as they eat. Everyone watches them but doesn’t want to say what’s going on. They seem embarrassed. They say “later,” “after you eat.” That it’s a really strange matter. Finally, they tell the story — about dark forces that brought an extra person into their village.

NPC list

• Keep it separate so you can easily reference it.
• For this adventure, the NPCs are:
  • Darra — appears as a girl, but upon closer look bears signs of otherness — a larva of the Moon Moth in human form — needs two more nights to complete her transformation.
  • Ojran — a burly innkeeper — the village’s self-proclaimed leader, which makes some of the townsfolk hostile toward him.
  • Pelin — a thin scribe with glasses — believes he likely made a counting mistake rather than that dark forces have come to the village, but he lacks the authority to convince the pious, simple locals.
  • Olven — a half-mad herbalist with twisted locks of hair — studies the local flora and fauna, mainly insects — moved to the forest’s edge because others didn’t tolerate his eccentricities.
  • Janis — a young red-haired boy torn by hormones — loves Darra but doesn’t know what she truly is.

Scenes and locations

• What anchor points/scenes do we have, then?
  • the tavern — start
  • the clearing with the devoured moonlight
  • Pelin’s hut
  • Olven’s hut + the badger’s cocoon
  • the abandoned mill
  • the marshes
  • the villagers’ gathering for the count
• Note: it doesn’t matter in which order the P go to these places or what exactly they do there — that’s what we want — to give the P freedom — we’ve built situations, not a sequence of events.

Motivation

• How to encourage the P to get involved?
  • The strange story itself, and the treasure reward or a cow offered by the villagers.

Combat

• To add a potential armed conflict:
  • The pursued Darra may gain help from a wolf pack (5), led by her larva-brother.
    • She will likely try to hide that she was the one who summoned the wolves.
  • Olven will defend himself if the P break into his home.
    • He keeps a scroll of tornado under the floorboards.
      • Since we already have one scroll and know that Olven wants to protect Darra, let’s assume there’s an empty spot next to it — he gave the second scroll to the girl so she could cast an illusion of a swarm of giant spiders if threatened — she’ll use it in the mill if needed.
    • In one of the rooms there’s a large greenhouse full of local mosquitoes the size of fists — if opened, two swarms (organized groups) will fly out.
• You can prepare a map in advance, but you don’t have to — rolling or picking several zone effects before the fight takes only a moment.

Time to start the adventure

• Does the starting time of the adventure matter?
  • Here, yes: it’s better to begin at night, so the P can’t immediately gather all the villagers for the count and might postpone following Burto to the clearing of devoured light.

Rewards

• You don’t need to prepare specific items for the P to find in advance — if it feels like the right moment, if something should fall into their hands (for example, they opened a hidden compartment), just tell them to roll on the Loot Table — if the find is meant to be more valuable, let them roll twice and pick the higher result.

What if the P break my structure?

• That can always happen — it happens to every GM.
• Don’t be afraid to improvise — with experience it will become easier — just try to do it in a way that eventually brings the P back within the frame of your story.
• If you know your NPCs well and understand what the adventure is about, you’ll handle any situation.
• Remember — you can’t prepare for everything, and you shouldn’t even try — you only need to have enough planned to feel comfortable; the rest will emerge naturally along the way with the P and their moves.

Where’s the mechanics?

• There’s nothing mechanical here — and that’s intentional. In dedicated chapters you’ll find how to use traps, search rooms, run chases, etc. Once you learn these, you won’t need to write any of that into your scenarios, and examples of how to apply them can be found in the full version of the adventure.
• Of course, you can’t manage without mechanics, and you’ll need to spend time learning, together with the P, how to use specific rules. Early on, I’d suggest adding a few mechanical elements into your own adventures — for example, a ready-made room-searching procedure for specific locations — but once you’ve internalized it, as mentioned at the start, mechanical prep will literally take you a few minutes, and you can dedicate the rest of your energy to building credible, logical situations — which is what matters most.

Summary

• That’s basically all you need — you now have a logical, believable, and engaging structure within which the P can move freely using their moves.
  • It can, of course, be organized much better, but my goal here was to show you how to build a story as a chain of cause and effect.
• When you read the full version of the adventure, you’ll notice differences:
  • There are far more details — but everything beyond what we’ve done here is just additions — not required. Once you feel comfortable as a GM, you’ll be able to run without them.
  • Creating an official, publishable adventure follows different rules and needs to be much more exhaustive than what a GM should prepare for a private table.
  • There are specific tests included — that’s just an optional aid for beginner GMs who may struggle early on with conveying all key information to the P through moves — but the moves alone are fully sufficient and give the P much more freedom and impact on the narrative.
    • If, however, you feel more comfortable writing out every test — do it — just keep in mind it’s time-consuming.
• Most important:
  • Always start by asking what the moral core of the story is.
  • Build a logical, not linear structure — situations, not plot.
  • Don’t script scene outcomes — the GM reacts, not recites.
  • Each scene should lead to at least two others.
  • Introduce a strong start.
  • Connect to your P’s personal stories.
  • Every adventure is a story about your P — they are the ones playing, and they are the most important.

Printable materials

Farewell note

I hope the rules you’ve found here will let you and your friends experience an unforgettable adventure.

This system knows exactly what it wants to be — a grimdark, low-magic fantasy drama about choices and their consequences. If that’s the kind of story you want, everything you need — and more — is here.

It’s time to start making memories — good luck! | Thin air, oppressive pressure, eerie locale. |