Encounters

Encounters are where the game truly comes to life. This is where most of the rolling, mechanics, Feats, and other aspects of the game come into play. Whether engaging in Combat or using Skills, Encounters are the moments that define your Character’s journey and determine the outcome of their actions.

General Encounter Rules

Below are the rules that often apply across all Encounters and the game in general, while specific rules for Combat and Skill Encounters are in their own sections in this chapter.

Movement

Speed. Your Character’s Speed is equal to half of your Agility plus 6. This represents how many spaces you can travel in 10 seconds (1 round/turn). Each space can be interpreted as a meter and a half or five feet. On a battlemap, you may represent a space as a square or hexagon, usually two and a half centimeters or one inch in diameter. Using a measurement stick or tool can be done using these measurements for spaces, and moving pieces independently.

On square grids, moving diagonally counts as moving 1.5 spaces.

Jumping. As part of movement, you can jump horizontally a number of spaces equal to your Strength or Agility. You can jump vertically a number of spaces equal to half of your Strength or Agility. Jumping beyond these limits requires a successful Athletics or Acrobatics Skill roll against the Distance Score (1 space over your limit adds +5 to a base Difficulty Score of 10).

Climbing. You can climb if you succeed on an Athletics Skill roll or have a Climb Speed from another source. Your Climb Speed is equal to half of your Strength in spaces when Climbing without a specific Climb Speed. Your Realm Master may use the general Difficulty Scores rankings found in “Overcoming Scores” to determine what the DS of climbing a specific wall should be.

Swimming. You can swim if you succeed on an Acrobatics or Athletics (Vitality) Skill roll with a Difficulty Score of 10 for calm waters, or if you have a Swim Speed from another source, such as a Feat of Power. Your Swim Speed is equal to half of your Agility or Vitality. Failing to swim causes you to begin suffocating as outlined in the “Hazards” section of the Playing the Game chapter.

Difficult Terrain. Moving through Difficult Terrain costs double the usual movement. Difficult Terrain could be uneven ground, stairs, a food-cluttered table, mud, oily surfaces, riverbeds, etc. Moving through the space of another creature counts as Difficult Terrain. Difficult Terrain penalties do not stack.

Prone. A creature is considered prone when lying down, crawling, etc., and has the Prone Condition. While prone, you count all spaces you move through as Difficult Terrain. To stand up, you must spend 2 spaces of movement. If you have less than 2 movement available, you must use additional movement Action(s) until you have enough movement to stand.

Flanking. A creature is flanked when two or more enemies are within one space of it and positioned on different (not necessarily opposite) sides of the target. While flanking, you or your flanking ally may use a Basic Reaction to make an attack when the target moves outside of one space from either of you. This may only occur once on the triggering creature’s turn.

Falling. When you fall, you take 1d4 bludgeoning damage for every 200 kilograms you weigh, per 2 spaces fallen (up to a maximum of 800 kilograms for 4d4 damage every 2 spaces). Creatures under 200 kg still take 1d4 fall damage as normal (weight rounds up to the nearest 200 kg). Roll Reflex (DS 10 + 1 for every 2 spaces fallen). If you succeed, you take half damage; if you fail, you take full damage and are knocked prone. If you land on another creature, it may attempt a Reflex roll (Same DS) to avoid being hit by you, splitting the damage between both you and the creature if it fails, and both you and the creature are knocked prone. Damage reduction effects do not reduce fall damage.

Your falling speed is 30 spaces, or 45 meters, per round.

Flight. Flying creatures or Characters use their regular Speed as their Flight Speed unless otherwise specified. If a flying creature would gain the Prone condition, it instead begins falling from whatever height it was at.

Carrying. A medium Character can carry 100 kilograms, plus an additional 100 kilograms for each +1 to Strength they have. These values are halved for small Characters and again for tiny Characters, but doubled for each size larger than medium. For quick reference and calculations, use the carry capacity chart in the Size section. Carrying more than half of your maximum capacity halves your Speed. The minimum amount you can carry is 10 kilograms.

Mounts. To mount or dismount a creature, you spend 3 spaces of movement. Mounted creatures take damage separately from their riders. If the mount is knocked prone, the rider is also unmounted and knocked prone unless they succeed on a DS 15 Reflex or Might roll to avoid it. While mounted, you move at the same speed as the creature. You may mount any willing or unwilling creature that is mountable and at least one size larger than you. Willing mounts can be controlled freely, but unwilling mounts control their own movement unless saddled or another method of control is employed. To mount an unwilling creature, remain mounted, and control it, you must succeed on an Animal Handling skill roll (DS 10 + the mount's level).

Size

Creatures are classified into size categories based on their height and, in some cases, width. Generally, larger creatures take up more space on a battle map. For instance, a Huge creature occupies 4 spaces. The size categories, along with their corresponding height and the number of spaces occupied, are detailed in the Size Table below.

Creature Space and Shape. When a creature occupies multiple spaces, those spaces are typically adjacent to one another. However, some creatures may have unique shapes that result in non-standard arrangements of their occupied spaces.

Additionally, certain creatures may have a width equivalent to the typical height of their size category. For example, a horse, while often 150 centimeters tall (the height of a Medium creature), is approximately 250 centimeters long (the height of a Large creature) and is therefore classified as a Large creature.

Carrying Capacity. A creature's carrying capacity is determined by its size category, as described in the Size Table. If you carry more than half your maximum capacity, your movement speed is halved. Regardless of your Strength, you can carry a minimum weight equal to the bonus you’d multiply by your Strength in kilograms, even if your Strength is negative. i.e., if your size was Tiny and you had a Strength of -2, you could still carry 10 kg. For ease of reference, use the carrying capacity by size chart below.

Movement Through Enemy Spaces. When moving through the space of an enemy creature that is your size or smaller, the space is considered difficult terrain. You cannot end your turn in the same space as another creature unless that creature occupies more than double the number of spaces you do (e.g., a Medium creature occupying one of the spaces of a Huge creature).

Armor & Damage

The rules for Armor, Shields, Damage Reductions, and Healing are found below.

Armor

Armor provides protection by reducing damage and/or decreasing the chance for a target to achieve a critical hit against you. It comes in various shapes and sizes, may require specific Abilities like high Strength to wear, can potentially reduce your Agility, and may have vulnerabilities or resistances to certain damage types.

Armor Damage Reduction. The most common benefit of armor is its base damage reduction, which applies to all damage types except Psychic, Spiritual, and Sonic damage. While specialized armor may reduce these damage types, standard common or uncommon armor usually does not.

Damage reduction decreases all applicable damage types by the amount specified in the armor's description to a minimum of 1. However, each time the armor reduces damage within a single turn, its effectiveness diminishes by half until the beginning of the next turn. This means armor becomes less effective the more instances of damage you take in a turn.

For example, if you were dealt 20 slashing damage while wearing armor with a Damage Reduction of 5, you would take only 15 damage. If you were dealt an additional 10 damage later in the turn, you would reduce it by only half of your Damage Reduction of 5, rounded up. Thus, you would reduce it by 3, taking 7 damage. Each additional time damage is reduced during the turn, the Damage Reduction is halved again; for example, from 3 to 2, then to 1.

Taking damage types that are not reduced by your armor does not decrease its damage reduction for that turn.

Any damage that occurs over time, such as long-liner damage, does not get reduced by armor when taking on subsequent turns, but can still be reduced the first time it is applied.

Armor Resistance. Armor with resistance to a specific damage type reduces that type by double the armor's base Damage Reduction and increases its Critical Range against that type (if any increase) by double.

Armor Vulnerability. If armor is vulnerable to a specific damage type, it provides no reduction to the damage of that type, as well as no increase to Critical Range against attacks of that type. However, if the attack involves multiple damage types, the armor can still reduce other damage types.

Critical Range Increase. When something increases your Critical Range, it increases the margin by which an attack must exceed your Defense or Evasion to achieve a Critical Level. For example, increasing your Critical Range by 1 would adjust the Critical Range to +11.

Shields

Shields work as an active way to reduce damage through using Reactions. To reduce damage with a shield, you take the Defend Reaction, rolling the Shield’s die and reducing the damage by that much.

Damage

Damage Reductions. Similar to armor, each time you are dealt damage in a round that would be reduced, the effectiveness of each damage reduction effect (such as from a feat or Power) decreases by half until the beginning of the next turn. This means that sources of damage reduction become less effective the more instances of reducing that damage type occur in a single turn.

Resistance. You take half damage of a specified damage type, rounded up.

If you have multiple sources of Resistance to the same damage type you instead gain Immunity until you would no longer have multiple sources of Resistance.

Vulnerability. You take double damage of a specified damage type.

If you are both Resistant and Vulnerable to a damage type at the same time, each instance of these effects cancel each other out.

Immunity. You cannot be damaged by a specified damage type.

Energy Damage. If your Energy (EN) total drops below 0, you take 1 damage for each point of Energy below 0 (e.g., if Energy drops to -3, you take 3 damage). Your Energy cannot fall below 0, and you cannot cause your own Energy to fall below 0.

Healing. When you Heal, you regain a number of Health equal to the amount healed, up to your Health Maximum. When healed by a Power, you heal an additional amount equal to the Power Bonus of the one healing you.

Overheal. When you Overheal, you heal a number of Health equal to the amount overhealed, which can exceed your Health Maximum temporarily. Overhealed Health lasts until you take damage that would put you below your maximum Health, or until you complete a recovery. All sources of Overheal can stack.

Death & Dying

Dropping to Zero or Negative HP. If damage reduces your Health (HP) to 0 or below, you enter the Dying condition and fall prone immediately. While in the Dying condition, you immediately drop to 1 Action Point and only gain 1 Action Point at the end of your turns.

If your HP total falls below 0, each point below 0 is counted as a Negative Health, and you take escalating damage on your subsequent turns in the Dying Condition:

• 1d4 damage on the first turn,

• 2d4 damage on the second turn,

• 4d4 damage on the third turn,

• And so on, with the damage doubling each turn.

You cannot lose the Dying condition until your HP is healed to a value above 0.

Stabilizing. To stop a target with negative Health from losing additional Health each turn, they must be stabilized. Stabilization can be achieved through a Medicine roll, bandages, potions, feats, or Healing Powers. The target may receive any amount of Healing to stabilize (see example below).

Once stabilized, the target stops taking damage at the start of their turn. However, if they take damage while still below 0 Health after stabilization, they resume taking damage each turn, starting at 1d4, with the damage doubling each turn as before.

Dying and Stabilizing Example. In this example, Nia is hurt badly and will need quick attention from their allies to be stabilized.

Death

If damage reduces your HP to the negative inverse of your total HP, your Character dies (e.g., if your total HP is 20, you die when your HP reaches -20).

Companions in Encounters

Skill Encounters

During a Skill Encounter, a Character can have up to two Companions assist them in the following ways:

Helping. One Companion can assist a Character with a Skill Roll if it is proficient in the relevant skill and the context allows it. This does not require any action from the Character.

Making Skill Rolls. A Companion can make a Skill Roll instead of the Character, but this requires the Character to sacrifice their own Skill Roll to command the creature. If they do so, they may still help either the Companion or another Character with a Skill Roll.

Both. If a Character has two Companions involved, they can:

• Sacrifice their Skill Roll to allow one Companion to make a Skill Roll.

• Additionally, they may give up their ability to help another Character or Companion, allowing their second Companion to provide assistance instead.

Combat Encounters

Companion’s function similar in combat to Characters and other creature’s with a few notable differences.

Initiative. Companion’s turns are taken at the very end of the combat round, in order of Percieve skill bonuses, with tie’s being decided by the players as to who goes first. The first Companion’s turn will be directly after the last enemy or ally.

Action Points & Turns. Companions, like Characters, always have 4 AP. On a creature’s turn it only takes the ready action to dodge with all 4 AP unless it is otherwise commanded using the command reaction. This means without being commanded, a Companion simply gain’s +1 Evasion on the next 4 attacks that target it. A Companion can be commanded prior to it’s turn as outlined in the command reaction.

Dying. A Companion does not enter the dying condition, instead it is considered dead once it reaches 0 or less HP. For summoned Companion’s this simply causes them to be unsummoned, but for bonded Companions it results in actual casualty unless through the intervention of powers or feats.

Outside of Encounters

A Companion’s behavior and personality are defined by its owner. Rather than detracting from roleplay, Companions should serve as opportunities to enhance Character development and story moments.

Since a Character with a Companion introduces additional creatures into the party, players should be mindful of this dynamic. Companions should not overshadow other Characters or disrupt the balance of time and attention each player receives. Maintaining courtesy ensures that all players have an equal opportunity to contribute and engage in the game.

Acting Outside Encounters. Outside of encounters, Companions can act much like Characters, participating in roleplay, making Ability Rolls, using out-of-encounter feats and powers, and more. They can contribute to the story and problem-solving in unique ways.

Conditions

Conditions are temporary effects that apply to a creature or Character for a specified duration. Each condition works as outlined in the Condition list below. To avoid being affected by some conditions, the target of a condition will often need to attempt to Overcome that Condition using a relevant Defense, such as using Might to Overcome the Restrained Condition.

Leveled Conditions

Most conditions followed by a number, “Stunned 2” for example, are called level conditions. These conditions have an effect that is proportional to its number. For instance, Stunned 2 removes 2 Action Points.

Conditions Exceeding Values. If at any time a condition exceeds the number for which it is reducing (Stunned 5 exceeds 4 Action points) then it reduces that number to a minimum of 1. For Stun this would mean it would reduce the affected Action Points by 3 to a minimum of 1 at the end of the turn. The same is true for Slowed and Movement Speed, but not for any conditions that affect D20 Rolls.

Multiple Sources of the Same Condition. When more than one source attempts to apply the same Condition to a creature, use the following rules:

• Conditions Don’t Stack. A creature can be affected by only one instance of a given Condition at a time. Leveled Conditions do not combine; new sources cannot add levels to an existing one.

• Durations also do not stack. The duration currently in effect is determined by whichever instance of the condition is active.

Replacing Conditions. If another source would apply the same Condition, whether with a different level, potency, duration, or targeted defense, the Realm Master along with the Players can determine which version applies. As an general rule, the stronger version replaces the weaker one. If both conditions are inflicted by players, the players may decide which condition takes effect. The weaker version is removed and its duration does not continue.

Strength is determined by the RM, based on factors such as: Condition level, Condition potency (if applicable), Duration, The defense targeted (if relevant to severity)

RM Note: When two versions are close in strength, the RM adjudicates which one meaningfully imposes the greater effect. Player input is allowed, but the RM’s ruling is final.

Conditions

The following list covers all conditions in the game, and what they do.

Blinded. All targets are considered Completely Obscured to a blinded creature that relies on basic vision. Acuity Skill rolls that rely on sight automatically fail.

Charmed. Charmed creatures can't attack or perform harmful Actions against the creature that charmed them. All Charisma rolls and potencies against this target from the charmer gain +2.

Restrained. Restrained creatures cannot take Actions or Reactions that require the use of their arms. In some cases, a Realm Master may rule that Restrained creatures can take an Action using their hands with limited mobility.

Dazed You cannot take Reactions.

Deafened. You cannot hear anything in the world around you. You have resistance to Sonic damage. Acuity Skill rolls that rely on hearing automatically fail.

Dying. When your Health total is reduced to zero or a negative value, you enter the Dying Condition. Each turn, at the beginning of your turn, you take 1d4 irreducible damage, doubling each turn (1d4, then 1d8, 2d8, 4d8, and so on). While dying, you are prone and only gain 1 Action Point at the end of your turn. Upon entering the dying condition, your Action points are reduced to 1 (if you had any).

Faint. You have -1 to Evasion, Might, Reflex and on all D20 rolls requiring balance or poise, such as climbing, dancing, and acrobatics. Outside forces gain +1 to D20 rolls and potency to make you prone, knock you back, or grapple you.

Grappled. Grappled targets have -2 to Attack rolls, are +2 to hit, cannot move away from the grappler, must remain within the same distance of it or closer, and cannot take movement Actions.

Hidden. While hidden, you have a +2 bonus on Attack rolls made against creatures unaware of your location in addition to any bonus granted by Obscurity. Hidden implies that your exact location is unknown to targets and cannot be discovered unless a successful Perceive or Search roll is made against your Stealth or Hide Score. Becoming hidden usually requires a Stealth or Hide action.

Immobile. Immobile creatures cannot take Movement Actions, and their Speed is considered 0. Their Speed cannot be increased by any effect until the immobile condition is removed.

Invisible. You are considered Completely Obscured to all creatures relying on basic vision.

Prone. Your Speed is reduced by ½ and you are a +2 to hit from creatures within Melee range. Increase your level of Obscurity by 2 against creatures that aren’t above you or in your melee range.

Terminal. Your current health is at or below ¼ of your maximum health, placing you in the Terminal Range. Terminal creatures appear gravely injured and close to defeat.

Leveled Conditions

Bleed. Lose 1 Health at the beginning of your turn for each level of Bleed. Any healing received reduces the bleeding condition by the amount healed, but reduces the amount restored to Health by an equal amount.

Exhausted. For each level of Exhaustion, reduce all bonuses and Evasion by an amount equal to that level. Additionally, for every 2 levels of Exhaustion (starting at level 2), your Speed is reduced by 1. This affects all Scores calculated using Bonuses as well.

You can recover from Exhaustion incrementally; for each full recovery, reduce your Exhaustion level by 1. However, if your Exhaustion level ever exceeds 10, your Character dies.

Exposed. Decrease all defenses and Evasion by an amount equal to the level of Exposed.

Frightened. Frightened creatures have a penalty to all Scores and D20 rolls against the source of their fear equal to the level of frightened, and a penalty to all Scores and D20 rolls while they have vision of the source of their fear equal to half the level of frightened.

Staggered. Decrease Evasion by an amount equal to your Staggered level.

Resilient. Reduce damage taken by an amount equal to your Resilient level.

Slowed. Decrease all Speed types by an amount equal to your Slowed level.

Stunned. Stunned creatures lose 1 or more Action Points based on the level of Stun (e.g., Stun 2 immediately removes 2 Action Points and reduces points gained at the end of the turn by 2). A stunned creature always receives at least 1 Action Point at the end of their turn.

Susceptible. Increase all damage taken by an amount equal to your Susceptible level.

Weakened. Decrease all D20 rolls by an amount equal to your Weakened level.