Welcome to Realms

Are you ready to create the fantasy Character you’ve always imagined? Using a robust set of rules with ultimate creative freedom, you will be able to turn any imagination into creation through the imaginative joy of tabletop roleplaying.

Realms is built around 3 core goals for the player experience:

• Freedom in player creativity and customization

• Engaging and fluid gameplay

• Putting fun first, flavor second, and rules third.

If you give time and energy to the game, trusting the system with your most precious and creative ideas, it promises to reward you with immersive and satisfying Characters built on exactly what you envision, adventuring in a way only the imagination can picture.

With the added layer of freedom in world-building backed by the idea of “The Realms,” the cooperative style of fantasy Table-Top Role Playing Games (TTRPG) gameplay, and the combined creativity of a party of friends, Realms is a rewarding role-play experience for all.

The Players

The Realm Master. Your Realm Master, or “RM,” is the individual who crafts the realms of adventure for you and your party to explore. Their role is to guide the player Characters through the rules of the game, assist with Character creation, and serve as the narrator and storyteller.

The Realm Master has the final say on rules, exceptions to those rules, and what is permitted within their created realms, as well as the interpretation of flavor interactions. Players and the RM should communicate openly about their desires and needs, striving for compromises and agreements that ensure everyone feels heard and that their Characters and the world align with their shared vision.

The goal of the Realm Master should be to create an experience in tandem with the players that allows for challenging experiences or captivating roleplay, but also always aims to be enjoyable. Games are about having fun, after all!

The Players/Party. The individuals who create the Characters of their dreams and roleplay their in-game interactions with the other Characters with whom they team up. Each Character will be a unique combination of inspiration from the realm of adventure your story is set in, and the wonderful ideas and goals in your own mind.

Players should feel comfortable being themselves or playing their Character how they feel. If the type of experience a player wants doesn’t line up with that of others in the party or the RM, they should seek a compromise or find a group that is a better fit for their goals.

The Main Realms Resources

Below you’ll find the various resources provided and/or recommended to help optimize your gaming experience:

The Core Rulebook. This book is designed for ease of navigation and straightforward rules and guide referencing. You’ll find core game mechanics, rules for custom Character creation, a leveling guide, the rules glossary, and guides for developing a Character’s signature Powers and Techniques.

The Realms Codex. The Codex on RealmsRPG.com is the master of all lists, offering reference to all the relevant game Skills, Feats, species, and Power and Technique parts, organized into an easy-to-reference cache of information.

The Realm Master’s Guide. This core rulebook will include everything a Realm Master will need to know to be effective in running adventures for their party. It will detail how to build unique Encounters, help players build bastions, and other optional rules, as well as how to create custom monsters, Feats, species, and so on.

Character Sheets. There are different forms of Character sheets, such as the digital sheet, hosted on the RealmsRPG.com, including multiple tabs and features such as automatic ability calculations, dropdown menus for Skills and Feats, and other user-friendly tools to streamline gameplay and Character creation. Printable PDF Character Sheets are also available on RealmsRPG.com

Dice. Realms is a base D20 system. Almost every active Action a Character takes with a chance of failure requires a roll of a D20, modified by Bonuses or Penalties which represent the Character's or situationally imposed advantages and disadvantages.

In addition to a D20, you'll need the following dice: 1d12, 2d10, 1d8, 1d6, 1d4, and 1d2. For a d2, you can use a coin or any die, treating even numbers as 2 and odd numbers as 1. What these dice are, and understanding dice notation, is explained in Chapter 1: Playing the Game.

While this set covers the essentials, you may find yourself wanting more dice as you play. Feel free to have as many as you'd like! Both physical and digital tools can provide additional dice. If you need more options, try searching for “dice roller” online for a quick resource.

A “Table.” By default, Realms uses a hexagonal or square grid system for Combat or any situation where precise measurement is required, with distance referred to in “spaces.” However, you are free to use any method that suits your group, such as theater of the mind, gridless maps with assigned units for spaces, or measuring distances directly.

Realm Master Screen. Whether using digital or physical tools, the Realms Master may prefer to keep their notes and rolls hidden from players. A screen or other method to conceal these elements can help create secrecy and suspense.

Miniatures. Finally, regardless of whether your game is online or in person, most players will want miniature representations of their Characters for use on the map. If detailed miniatures aren't available, simple alternatives like dice, buttons, coins, or other small objects can suffice.

Using This Book

What you’ll find in this book:

Chapter 1: Playing the Game. This chapter is a comprehensive review of all the core game mechanics.

Chapter 2: Encounters. Where most of the game happens, Skill and Combat Encounters, and movement rules are outlined in this chapter.

Chapter 3: Character Creation. The most exciting part of the game (in our opinion) begins in this chapter, a comprehensive guide for everything you need to create a unique Character.

Chapter 4: Equipment & Armaments. Guide to your Character's adventure items, such as equipment and armor, and how to use them. This chapter also walks Characters through creating custom Armaments.

Chapter 5: Powers & Techniques. A guide for creating your Character’s unique toolset, known as Techniques and Powers.

Appendix A: Rules Glossary. Terms, conditions, definitions, and other rule clarifications for ease of access and quick referencing.

Appendix B: The Realms. A quick guide to The Realms, the multiverse where all Realms games take place.

Legends & Formatting

This section provides a quick guide to the different text formats you’ll encounter throughout this book, and what each of them means:

Capitalized Terms. Certain words are capitalized to show they are official game terms used consistently across all resources. For example, Abilities are the six defining attributes of every player Character.

Italicized Text. Italics indicate a game term that has not yet been formally defined. Sometimes a concept is referenced before its full explanation appears later in the book. For instance, Powers may be mentioned before they are described in detail.

Tables. Tables are used frequently to organize game information. Each table includes labeled columns and rows, and results are typically read by cross-referencing a row with its corresponding column.

Roll Tables. These tables rely on a rolled dice to generate a random result, which can be cross-referenced using the resulting value rolled.

Boxed Text. Different box styles are used to highlight specific types of information:

• Broken-Border (Blue) Boxes. Provide clarification or expand upon existing rules.

• “Write This Down” Boxes. Prompt you to record something important, such as a Character statistic or creature detail, either on paper or digitally.

• Player Tip Boxes (Orange). Contain advice and helpful suggestions. These are not official rules.

• Formula Boxes. Display only the relevant formula needed for a calculation.

• “Another Way to Play” Boxes. Present optional rules that Realm Masters and players can agree to use at their discretion.

• Example Boxes. Often longer, these walk through gameplay scenarios step by step, showing how a specific rule or mechanic functions in practice. Usually accompanied by fictional players and Characters interacting in a scenario.

Using the Codex

The Realms Codex contains multiple lists and columns in a Google Sheet™. The lists are organized into tabs that can be found at the bottom of the codex. The following items are located solely in the codex:

Section 1: Species. This tab contains the game’s base species which are used in Character creation to give your Character a lineage and customized ancestry.

Section 2: Skills. Each of the Skills your Character has the potential to be proficient in are found here. Instinctive and sub-skills are denoted by the columns in their Skills’ same row, as well as the different benefits for Successes or failure used for Skill rolls.

Section 3: Archetype Feats. This list is full of a plethora of Feats that will help define your Character's class, build, or archetype, primarily as it relates to Combat.

Section 4: Characteristic Feats. This list holds the Feats that help define your Character’s nature, personality, and unique talents, primarily as it relates to interacting with the world and its occupants.

Section 5: Items. All of the items along with their properties, values, proficiency costs, benefits, and drawbacks are included in this section.

Section 6: Power & Techniques. This list holds all Powers and Techniques that are pre-made with energy and training point costs, descriptions, and so on ready to be added to a Character sheet or modified to fit your desired effect and flavor.

Appendix A: Power & Technique Parts. Here are each of the Power and Technique parts that can be used to create unique Powers and Techniques with an infinite number of combinations and possibilities for flavor and effect.

Appendix B: Genetic Feats. Feats such as ancestry traits, creature or animal Feats, or any other Feats used to create monsters, animals, or summoned companions.

Builder A: Item Creator. A tool used to create custom weapons and armor easily.

Builder B: Power & Technique Creator. A tool used to create custom Powers and Techniques or a combination of the two with your own flavor and effects.