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  Credits and Thanks
  Artists
  Yuri Kavalerchik, William Hendershot, Kyla Austin
  Layout 
  Design  
   
   
  Help
  Cosmonaut 
   
   
  Fiona Marie, Kyla Austin
  Grunt Work
  Jim McGarva
  Proofreading
  Jim Jacobson, Chris Longhurst, Jim McGarva
  Icons
  All Power Icons made by Freepik (www.freepik.com) 
  from www.flaticon.com are licensed under CC BY 3.0  
  (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
  Playtesting
  Charles Boucher, Eric Liaw, Jacob Saunders, Gabriel Butche, 
  Joseph Parsley
  Strike! had many playtesters. Thanks to all of you who played and 
  gave suggestions and feedback. 
  Development
  Gabriel Butche, Yuri Kavalerchik, Jacob Saunders,  
  Earth Seraph Edna
  These people checked my work for balance and clarity, contribut-
  ed ideas, and gave advice when I needed it, which was often.
  Kickstarter Backers
  Thank you to all the people on Kickstarter and otherwise who 
  bought this book! Without you, this game would always have been 
  just a messy document sitting on my hard drive.
  Fonts of Wisdom 
   
  Dr. Frankensteins
  Chris McEligot  
   
  Jim Jacobson
  Grant Chen 
   
   
  Elkay  
  DeadlyReed 
   
   
  Chris Gallant
  Ryan Isaacson  
   
  I. Smith
  Whitman Johnson 
   
  Richard Luoma
   
   
   
   
  David Brandt
  Lawgivers 
   
   
  Bardakus Maximus
  Patrick Holzman 
   
  Nezbleu
  Roman Chayka  
   
  Stubin Long
  Don Shaffer 
   
   
  Serf McSerfington
  gourdcaptain
  Strike! is ©2015 Jim Mcgarva
  www.strikerpg.com
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  3
  Contents
  The Basics 
  4
  The Basic Rules 
  5
  Conditions 
  7
  Recovery 
  8
  Skills 
  9
  Opposed Rolls 
  9
  Linked Rolls 
  10
  Helping 
  10
  Action Points 
  10
  Wealth 
  12
  Example of Play 
  14
  What Now? 
  15
  Creating Your Character 
  16
  Advancement 
  17
  Advancement Chart 
  18
  Backgrounds 
  18
  Background Walkthrough 
  24
  Origins: Species and Cultures 
  25
  The Characters’ Stuff 
  28
  Relationships: Friends and Foes 
  30
  Kits 
  32
  General Advances 
  32
  The Gunslinger 
  33
  The Psychic 
  34
  The Wayfarer 
  36
  The Boss 
  38
  The Scholar 
  40
  The Protagonist 
  41
  The Tinker 
  42
  The Seer 
  44
  The Spy 
  45
  The Flame 
  46
  The Fountain 
  48
  The Brute 
  49
  The Sorcerer 
  50
  Mini-Kits 
  51
  Custom Advances 
  55
  Reputations 
  55
  The Role of the GM 
  56
  Before the Roll 
  57
  The Results 
  59
  Creating Settings 
  64
  Planning the Session 
  67
  Useful Practices 
  67
  Pacing Rolls 
  70
  Optional Rules and Variants 
  71
  Detailed Subsystems 
  75
  Team Conflict 
  75
  Phase 1: Select Actions 
  76
  Phase 2: Resolution 
  76
  Customizing the Opposition 
  79
  Team Conflict Example of Play 
  82
  Chase 
  84
  Tactical Combat 
  87
  How to Read a Power 
  88
  The Attack Roll 
  89
  Winning and Losing 
  92
  Glossary 
  95
  Creating Your Character Part 2 
  98
  Reskinning 
  98
  Combat Example of Play 
  100
  Classes 
  101
  The Necromancer  
  101
  The Duelist 
  104
  The Archer  
  106
  The Martial Artist  
  108
  The Warlord 
  111
  The Magician 
  113
  The Bombardier 
  116
  The Shapechanger 
  119
  The Summoner 
  122
  The Buddies 
  127
  Simplified Classes  
  129
  Roles 
  130
  Blaster 
  131
  Controller 
  133
  Defender 
  134
  Leader 
  135
  Striker 
  136
  Feats 
  137
  Team Monster 
  140
  Combat and Monster Design 
  141
  Sample Monsters 
  144
  Dr. Frankensteins’ Monsters 
  150
  Titans 
  154
  Unfair Enemies 
  158
  Monsters From Scratch 
  161
  Tactical Combat Variants 
  168
  The Toolbox 
  172
  Sample Scenario 
  172
  Other Worlds 
  172
  Masters of the Four Elements 
  172
  Star Strike! 
  180
  The Company  
  183
  Villains 
  185
  Adversarial Play: Invasion! 
  188
  Adversarial Play: Dangerous Delves 
  191
  Essays 
  198
  Diversity in Strike! 
  198
  Horror in Strike! 
  199
  Strike!… in Space! 
  200
  Lessons from Earthbound 
  201
  Non-Combat Hacking 
  202
  The End 
  203
  Ludography 
  203
  Materials 
  203
  Index 
  204
  Zerginwan 
  Hydraliskoff 
  (order 
  #7757887)
  
  4
  T h e  B a s i c s
  The Players: Character Concepts
  Before you can get started, you must have a character. The rules 
  for character creation come later, but the first thing to start with 
  is a strong concept. Your concept is allowed to say something 
  about the setting, even to the point of challenging the setting’s 
  assumptions. Your character can be totally unique. For example, 
  in a fantasy world without telepathy, your character can be the 
  only telepath. In a setting without androids, you can be the only 
  one. While you can challenge setting assumptions with your con-
  cept, you cannot violate the genre or tone of the game. If you are 
  playing a serious, realistic historical game then you cannot play a 
  telepath or android.
  You can be anyone.
  It should go without saying that your character can be of any cul-
  ture or creed, any gender, and have any sexual identity you like, 
  regardless of the setting, genre or tone. Even in realistic historical 
  games, history tells us that there were people from distant lands 
  traveling the world, there were people who did not fit the common 
  ideas of the time, and there were people who defied both rules 
  and expectations. Your character can be any or even all of those.
  The players need to make sure that their characters tie into the 
  situation and have some relationship to one another. The GM can 
  comment and contribute to this, but they have their own work to 
  be doing. When the players are finished making their characters 
  and all is ready, the GM sets the first scene and off you go! Once 
  the game begins, everyone together is responsible for keeping the 
  tone of the game and enforcing the rules. 
  The Role of the Players
  Players are expected first and foremost to be engaged and be inter-
  ested. You should have plans and goals for your character and you 
  should care about your friends’ characters too. You interact with 
  the game by giving voice to your character, making decisions for 
  your character, and describing your characters’ actions. In play-
  ing your character, there are three priorities: making the character 
  seem real, making the character interesting, and trying to succeed 
  for the character. How you play your character depends on how 
  you rank those priorities. 
  First, making your character seem real doesn’t necessarily mean 
  “realistic” but can depend on the tone of the game. Create a con-
  sistent personality and make your character’s decisions line up 
  with it. If this is your top priority, you’ll come to the table with 
  a personality in mind and make your decisions based on that. If 
  it’s not your top priority, you’ll make decisions based on the oth-
  er two priorities and in that way you’ll discover your character’s 
  personality in play.
  Second, making your character interesting means making deci-
  sions that aren’t always optimal and that can put you in conflict 
  with the other players’ characters. This usually dovetails very nice-
  ly with giving your character a consistent personality with consis-
  tent complications.
  The Basics
  Fundamental Questions
  Why play this game? Because you want to roleplay with your 
  friends and end up with a story that none of you would have made 
  on your own.
  Okay, but why play this game? Because you want to spend your 
  time describing cool stuff and not thinking about rules or num-
  bers or stats. Because you want tactical combat that plays quickly 
  and makes the field of battle important. 
  What do we do in this game? The obvious answer is “anything you 
  want,” but that’s not very useful. The default assumption is that 
  you are going on an adventure where you fight things. Along the 
  way, you may explore and interact and discover and investigate 
  and do any number of other things. We play to find out what hap-
  pens when things go awry.
  What is the setting? The game rules can be applied to any setting, 
  and options and advice are given here for adapting this game to 
  different settings. That doesn’t mean that the game is universal: 
  characters in Strike! go on adventures. The rules work best for the 
  adventure genre, regardless of the setting.
  So the next question is “What do we do and who does what?”
  All Together
  In the first session, everybody together agrees on a situation and 
  setting to play in. Decide what the initial focus of the game is and 
  what sort of action the player characters need to be involved in—
  that’s the situation. Flesh out a few locations, antagonists, and oth-
  er characters. It’s perfectly reasonable to have one player with a 
  strong vision do most of the work here or to have a brainstorming 
  free-for-all. It doesn’t really matter how you do it as long as the 
  end result is something everybody wants to play. For more de-
  tailed advice on Setting creation, see page 64. Everyone needs to 
  agree on what rules they’ll be using and what modifications, if any, 
  need to be made to the rules to make the setting work. 
  Take a second here to make sure everyone is clear on the tone 
  before you move on. At this point, pick one player to be the GM 
  (Game Master), and the others begin making characters together. 
  The Role of the GM
  The first task as GM is coming up with a few good twists and sur-
  prises, working out the plans of all the antagonists, and coming 
  up with stats for any enemies the players are likely to fight in the 
  immediate future. There is time between sessions to work on this, 
  so it’s important just to focus on the short-term parts for now. 
  The GM has some special responsibilities and you can find more 
  detail about these starting on page 56. The role does entail more 
  work, but the game is flexible and simple enough that anyone can 
  manage it without needing to spend more than a few minutes be-
  tween sessions. Some people really enjoy spending time preparing 
  for their upcoming games, while others prefer to just show up and 
  improvise. This game can accommodate both types.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  5
  The Basic Rules
  This game is an instance of exception-based design, which is to 
  say that there are basic rules that apply in general, but individu-
  al characters and creatures are expected to have abilities that let 
  them break those rules. When there is a conflict between a rule 
  for a specific character or situation and a general rule, the specific 
  rule governs.
  Don’t demand nonsense!
  The rules of the game are an abstraction and sometimes slavish 
  devotion to them leads to nonsense. Don’t do that. Use the rules 
  in the spirit they were intended.
  Outside of combat, most tasks are handled through roleplaying—
  you describe what your character does, and the other players and 
  the GM add details and embellish. You make jokes and kibitz. 
  Anyone who tells you that you have to be in character one hun-
  dred percent of the time is taking the game too seriously. At some 
  point you reach a spot where your character runs into opposi-
  tion or where you’re not sure if your character can do something. 
  That’s when you go to the dice. There are two kinds of rolls: stan-
  dard Skill Rolls and Opposed Rolls. You make an Opposed Roll 
  when your character is struggling against another character. The 
  rules for Opposed Rolls come later; first let’s talk about standard 
  Skill Rolls.
  For a standard Skill Roll, the first thing you do is decide what you 
  want to achieve (your intent) and how you want to achieve it (your 
  task). Based on your task, you and the GM decide what Skill is 
  appropriate to roll. Sometimes there are multiple options that the 
  GM finds appropriate, and in that case you get to choose which 
  Skill to use. For instance, writing a short keylogging script could 
  easily be Hacking or Programming. For contrast, making a com-
  puter game would be Programming, not Hacking.
  Once you have decided what Skill you are using, either you al-
  ready have it on your character sheet (you are Skilled) or you don’t 
  (you are Unskilled). Roll a die and consult the following tables to 
  determine the outcome. 
  Skilled
  Unskilled
  6
  Success with a 
  Bonus
  Success and learn Skill or 
  with a Bonus
  5
  Success
  Success
  4
  Success
  Success with a Cost
  3
  Success with a Cost
  Twist
  2
  Twist
  Twist
  1
  Twist with a Cost
  Twist with a Cost
  Third, trying to achieve your character’s goals is important, but 
  if you make it more important than making your character real 
  or interesting then you will run into problems. If your character’s 
  success is the most important thing to you, you’ll be tempted to 
  push for stretching the rules at a number of points—trying to use 
  Skills where they don’t strictly apply, trying to make the Skills 
  you learn as general as possible, or violating the tone of the game, 
  to name some examples. You should want good things for your 
  character, and want them to succeed, but that can’t be all you care 
  about. In this game it’s easy to make your character successful in 
  an unrealistic and unsatisfying way by breaking the tone whenev-
  er it’s convenient, by ignoring any of your character’s flaws when-
  ever they would be inconvenient, and by pushing the other players 
  to let you stretch the rules just this one time (every time). If you 
  are the GM, it’s important to be strict about stretching the rules 
  and about the tone—if you go too easy then your players will be 
  happy in the short run but feel less satisfied in the long run.
  So what do you do if somebody has proven not to be able to han-
  dle keeping a consistent tone or has otherwise been bending the 
  rules? First, give them the benefit of the doubt and treat it the 
  same way you’d treat somebody dealing themselves first in poker 
  or talking in a movie theatre. You could say, “Hey, I know you 
  mean well, but there are rules. They exist for a reason. We don’t 
  do that in this game.” If everyone involved is an adult, that’s all 
  it should take. If that doesn’t work, then maybe a more involved 
  discussion is necessary.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  6
  T h e  B a s i c s
  Twists
  A Twist means that something threw off your plans. Your task 
  may or may not have been successful, but something somewhere 
  has gone wrong. It may or may not be your fault. It might not even 
  be a bad thing, though it often is.
  When you get a Twist, the GM gets to narrate how you came to the 
  Twist—in the course of their narration they might say something 
  your character does. This is part of the game. If the GM oversteps 
  their bounds, speak up and talk to them like an adult, but in gen-
  eral your job as a player is to roll with it and make it real. Maybe 
  your character screwed up. People do that. You don’t get to say 
  “no, my character would never make a mistake like that!” Sorry, 
  the dice disagree. That’s part of life and part of the game. Remem-
  ber, you don’t know everything there is to know about your char-
  acter and part of the fun of playing a character is finding out new 
  things about them. Twists are a vital part of that process. Some 
  Twists can be planned—a good GM often has a surprise ready in 
  their back pocket—but they are usually improvisational.
  I like surprises, so one of my favorite moments in gaming is when 
  everybody knows what should happen, it’s obvious to everyone 
  at the table where the story is going, but the dice disagree. Then 
  everyone needs to figure out what this new direction is.
  That’s right, the difficulty of the task does not factor in the results, 
  Advantage and Disadvantage (see below) notwithstanding. There’s 
  no difference between lifting a heavy object and lifting a heavier 
  object. That’s because this game is not concerned with simulating 
  the physics and realities of the game world in the mechanics. The 
  simulation should be going on in your descriptions, in the actions 
  you try, in which actions require rolls, and in the outcomes you 
  narrate. It is everyone’s responsibility to make the world and your 
  characters seem real to the other players.
  Advantage and Disadvantage
  When your character has a strong edge working in their favor on 
  a Skill Roll, you are said to have Advantage: you may roll two dice 
  and take the better result. If they have a strong drawback work-
  ing against them, you are said to have Disadvantage: you must 
  roll two dice and take the lower result. If you have Advantage and 
  Disadvantage, you simply roll one die as usual. These are not cu-
  mulative—having Advantage from three sources is the same as 
  having it from one. If you have Disadvantage from three sources 
  and Advantage from one source, they cancel out—roll one die.
  Success
  When you succeed, you get your intent. What you wanted to hap-
  pen happens. The GM and other players can embellish or add de-
  tails, but they can’t add anything that takes away your victory.
  What is “Success with a Bonus”? First, you succeed as normal. 
  Then the Bonus depends on what you were trying to do, how you 
  were doing it, and countless other factors. It could be that you 
  find out some useful information, that you make a friend, that 
  you get a useful object, or almost anything else. It could be that 
  your Success was beyond what you had aimed for or it could be a 
  boon that is tangential or unrelated that you gain in the course of 
  your Success. You, the successful player, choose the Bonus you 
  get. The GM and other players may have a say or insist on modi-
  fications if your idea doesn’t quite work for whatever reason, but 
  this is your chance to contribute something cool. Three guidelines 
  to ensure your idea doesn’t get vetoed: your Bonus needs to be in 
  keeping with the tone of the game; your Bonus should not inval-
  idate important aspects of the game or of any player’s planning; 
  your Bonus should not dwarf your initial Success. You won’t go 
  wrong by giving yourself Advantage to an appropriate future roll.
  If you roll Unskilled and get a 6, you may choose between the 
  short-term benefit of getting a Bonus as above or the long-term 
  benefit of learning the Skill. When you learn the Skill, write it on 
  your sheet. 
  You learn best when you take on tasks that are neither too easy nor 
  too difficult. When you have Advantage on an Unskilled roll, you 
  may only learn the Skill if you roll two 6s or a 6 and a 5. A 6 and 
  any other number still counts as a 6, but you must come up with 
  a Bonus instead of learning. When you have Disadvantage on an 
  Unskilled roll, you may learn the Skill when you roll two 6’s or a 
  6 and a 5, although the latter case still counts as a 5 for all other 
  purposes. So if your goal is to learn a Skill, your best chance is to 
  have neither Advantage nor Disadvantage or to have both. Either 
  one alone cuts your chances in half.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  7
  Costs without rolls
  Sometimes you can find an item with a Flaw without rolling. You 
  can agree to owe someone a Favor without rolling. If you run a 
  marathon you will be Exhausted, and if you try to take a bullet 
  for somebody, you’ll get the Injured Condition even if you roll a 
  Success. The GM decides, but it should never come as a surprise.
  Conditions
  As described above, Conditions are temporary ailments that 
  prevent you from performing at your best. There are Minor and 
  Major Conditions. GMs usually work their way up, giving Minor 
  Conditions before they give Major ones, but they are always free 
  to give whatever makes sense. 
  The following list is not comprehensive. There are other Condi-
  tions you might get, and the GM can make up their own. 
  Minor Conditions:
  Lost Confidence – When you have lost confidence in your ability, 
  all your rolls relating to that ability have Disadvantage. If that abil-
  ity relates to a Trick (See page 11), you cannot use that Trick.
  Angry – When you are Angry, you have Disadvantage on all Skill 
  Rolls in social situations or on tasks requiring concentration. 
  You’re not just a little bit mad; you’re absolutely furious. Similarly, 
  a character may be called Distraught or Grieving or Jealous or 
  Afraid or whatever. Pick whichever name suits the situation and 
  the character.
  Winded – When you are Winded, you have Disadvantage on all 
  Skill Rolls involving physical activity, and on attack rolls in the 
  first round of any combat. If you are given the Winded Condition 
  while already Winded, make a note (write Winded x2). There is 
  no additional Disadvantage and recovery is the same. However, 
  if you are Winded a third time before you recover, you become 
  Exhausted instead.
  Exhausted – When you are Exhausted, you have Disadvantage on 
  all Skill Rolls, on all rolls other than attack rolls in combat, and 
  on attack rolls in the first round of any combat. Because it affects 
  all Skill Rolls, Exhausted is a tough Condition to have. It is also 
  harder to recover from than Winded.
  Major Conditions:
  Injured – When you are Injured, you subtract one from every die 
  you roll. A roll of zero is treated as a roll of 1. This is cumulative 
  with the other Major Conditions.
  Sick – When you are Sick, you subtract one from every die you 
  roll. A roll of zero is treated as a roll of 1. This is cumulative with 
  the other Major Conditions.
  Cursed – Any game should have a third Major Condition distinct 
  from the others. Cursed is simply one example that applies in a 
  fantasy setting. When you are Cursed, you subtract one from ev-
  ery die you roll, or only on certain rolls at the GM’s discretion. 
  A roll of zero is treated as a roll of 1. This is cumulative with the 
  other Major Conditions.
  What happens when things go awry
  Once the players have formulated and articulated their inten-
  tions, we generally have a good idea of what a string of Successes 
  looks like. If the players are lucky enough to get those Successes, 
  we find out what it Costs them. But most often we play to find 
  out where the plan goes off the rails, how it goes off the rails, how 
  badly, whether it can be recovered, and what the effects of this 
  derailment are on the players. Twists are fundamental.
   
  Costs
  A Cost is something that gives you a Disadvantage going forward. 
  Where Twists are typically narrative, Costs give you a specific 
  mechanical penalty. There are three kinds of Costs: Conditions, 
  Flaws, and Favors. 
  A Condition is something inherent that prevents you from per-
  forming at your best. For example, maybe in lifting the portcullis 
  you get a Success with a Cost—you’ve raised it, but gain a Condi-
  tion. So you’re Winded or Exhausted. The GM decides what Con-
  dition is appropriate. 
  A Flaw is a known problem with an item or with information. It’s 
  not a surprise: you know the specific deficiency, although you may 
  not know how to correct it. When the Flaw is relevant to what 
  you are doing, the GM will give you Disadvantage. You may also 
  choose to use the Flaw to automatically get a Twist without roll-
  ing and in return you receive an Action Point (described on page 
  10).
  When you owe somebody a Favor, it means they agreed to help 
  you so long as you help them in the future. Slightly more gener-
  ally, a Favor means that a character feels that you owe them. You 
  and your friends have Disadvantage asking that person or any of 
  their associates for further help until the Favor is repaid. Failing 
  to fulfill a Favor in a timely manner gets you a Bad Reputation. 
  This provides the same Disadvantage, but it is harder to eliminate 
  since simply repaying the original Favor might not be enough. 
  Unchecked, a Bad Reputation can spread. It’s not limited to one 
  character or group like a Favor is.
  Which one you get depends on what you were trying to do. If you 
  were trying to jump of over a pit, you’ll probably get a Condi-
  tion like Winded or even Injured. If you were creating something 
  or gathering information when you got a Cost, your creation or 
  information will probably have a Flaw. If you were trying to con-
  vince somebody to help you, you might owe them a Favor.
  Costs also have fictional effects: people may be less willing to deal 
  with you if you are visibly diseased, and people will react to the 
  sight of your wounds with pity, revulsion, pride or disdain de-
  pending on your relationship to them. If you owe someone a Fa-
  vor, they might track you down to collect.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  8
  T h e  B a s i c s
  Recovery
  To recover from Lost Confidence, you must succeed at a roll de-
  spite the Disadvantage the Condition gives.
  To recover from Angry, your character has to find a way to calm 
  down or let out their rage. You may not recover from Angry while 
  you have any other Minor Condition. The type of action needed 
  depends on the character and is chosen by the player when the 
  character first gets the Condition. One character might need to 
  meditate, while another might need to talk to a friend. Recovery 
  need not be time-consuming—it takes as long as it takes, so long 
  as it is significant to the character. 
  Other Minor Mental Conditions are recovered narratively. For ex-
  ample, recovering from Afraid may just require you to find a safe 
  secluded spot to relax for a few minutes, while recovering from 
  Grieving requires you to come to terms with your loss.
  To recover from Winded, you need to rest for ten minutes and 
  have something to drink. 
  To recover from Exhausted requires food and a long rest in a safe 
  place. The exact amount of time is up to the GM to decide based 
  on context, but it is at least an hour and no more than a night’s 
  sleep.
  To recover from Enraged (or any Major Mental Condition), you 
  must defeat whatever caused it, or else capitulate or back down. 
  Example: If you are Enraged at the Prelate for embarrassing 
  you, you will remain Enraged until you get your revenge on her 
  or until you leave the gala without it. If you leave the gala, the 
  Condition will go away and you can still try for revenge later.
  Example: This works in more abstract cases, too. If you are 
  Terrified after seeing your friend Jad fall into the bottomless 
  chasm, you will remain Terrified until you successfully come 
  out the other side of the mountain or retreat back the way you 
  came.
  To recover from Injured or Sick requires appropriate treatment by 
  a doctor and at least one full day of rest (more at the GM’s discre-
  tion). If the treatment fails or is not received in time, you will still 
  recover eventually, but the GM will assign some other Twist, such 
  as a much longer recovery time. 
  Recovering from Cursed depends on the curse. Perhaps a priest 
  can bless you, or perhaps you need to find the right components 
  for a cleansing ritual, or perhaps there is some task you must per-
  form to make amends for your trespass. You have to work out in 
  play what is required. When you are using a custom Condition, 
  the GM will decide how recovery works.
  What about me?
  If your fellows are recovering but you have no Conditions, now 
  is a great time to do something useful. Depending on how long 
  they need to recover, you could explore your surroundings, make 
  something useful, research your opponents, or talk to the locals.
   
  Example: My cyberpunk setting has a Major Condition 
  called “Infected” representing a computer virus getting into a 
  character’s wearable electronics. This doesn’t affect every roll 
  they make, although it affects most. I make exceptions for 
  things that the characters do unaugmented by their high-tech 
  gear.
  Example: Games with psychic antagonists or with themes of 
  insanity can benefit from having a Major Condition focused on 
  that. I use Shattered for someone whose mind has been badly 
  affected by a psychic assault in my sci-fi setting.
  Enraged – The Major version of Angry: so mad that you cannot 
  see straight. This is a Major version of the Minor Mental Condi-
  tions like Angry, Jealous, or Afraid. When you are Enraged (or 
  Terrified or Stricken, for example), you subtract one from every 
  die you roll. This is cumulative with the other Major Conditions.
  ‘Tis but a scratch!
  If this is your first time playing, you might make the mistake of 
  thinking that getting Injured is no big deal and you can go right 
  on adventuring with minimal effects. That is not the case. While 
  you can indeed keep adventuring while Injured, you will feel the 
  impact on every roll you make. If you have more than one Major 
  Condition, you should probably be focused on getting well again 
  before you try to do any more adventuring.
  So now that you’ve got these nasty Conditions, you want to get 
  rid of them!
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  9
  Fun Once…
  Here’s another neat little rule with big implications. You cannot 
  roll for the same task and intent more than once. This works two 
  ways. First, if you’re trying to climb a rope to the fourth floor, the 
  GM can’t make you roll to climb to the second floor, then again 
  to the third floor, then again to the fourth floor. One roll decides 
  whether or not you accomplish your aim and if you roll badly then 
  the GM has the right to decide when your luck runs out—you 
  might falter at the start or fall from thirty feet up, whichever the 
  GM thinks is the most interesting. On the other hand, you can’t 
  roll to climb the rope, fail, and then roll to try again. A roll as-
  sumes you are giving it your best effort the first time. 
  You might need to roll again if the situation changes dramatically. 
  If you sneak past the guards successfully but then you get a Twist 
  on your roll to climb the wall of the keep, the Twist might be that 
  you are seen and an alarm is raised. It would then be fair for the 
  GM to require a further Stealth Skill Roll if you wanted to contin-
  ue sneaking, likely with Disadvantage for the alarm. 
  Note the limitations on this rule. You don’t make one stealth roll 
  for an entire session. If you have two different intents then you roll 
  twice even if you’re using the same Skill. You might sneak into the 
  gatehouse to raise the portcullis for your friends, and then sneak 
  to scout the disposition of the guards outside the Queen’s cham-
  ber. You can roll the same Skill twice in a row. The only thing that 
  is prohibited is rolling the same Skill multiple times when there 
  is only one intent and the situation has not changed dramatically. 
  Opposed Rolls
  You and your opponent are in an argument, a race, using catspaws 
  to contest control over the docks, or any sort of contest where you 
  find yourself in opposition with another character. You’re now 
  about to make an Opposed Roll. Here’s how it works. You each 
  declare what you want (your intent) and how you’re going to get it 
  (your task). Your opponent does the same. Stop for a second and 
  re-examine. Make sure that your intents really are at odds here. 
  There may not be any real conflict after all; you may look at each 
  other and say, “Oh, is that all you want? Well we can both have our 
  way.” Assuming that you are indeed at odds, you each pick a Skill 
  that matches your task and roll a die. The higher roll wins. If one 
  character wins by 3 or more, they win completely. They get what 
  they wanted and the loser pays the price of their actions.
  If a character wins by one or two, the winner gets what they want-
  ed, but the loser picks one:
  • 
  The winner’s hold on it is insecure.
  • 
  It costs the winner more than they expected: they get a Cost, 
  or sometimes a Twist.
  • 
  It costs the loser less than they expected: they avoid a negative 
  consequence such as a Cost or Twist.
  • 
  The loser gets something extra too: they get a Bonus as though 
  they rolled a 6 on a standard Skill Roll.
  Skills
  There is no list of Skills to look up. A Skill is just a word on your 
  sheet. They are made up on the spot. They must be specific.
  No Stretching!
  Players, please don’t “stretch” to make a Skill fit your task. GMs, 
  do not let your players stretch. First, you already have tons of free-
  dom to define your Skills and you shouldn’t need to stretch. Sec-
  ond, rolling Unskilled is how you learn new Skills and improve 
  your character.
  Jaden: I know about herbs from my cooking – I want to use 
  my cooking Skill to find the right herbs for a poultice to help heal 
  his wound.
  Dini: If you wanted to find the right herbs for stew that would be 
  fine. Finding medicinal herbs is different altogether. You’ll be roll-
  ing an Unskilled roll. If you roll well enough, I guess your cooking 
  Skills might transfer over. In case you roll a 6, what do you want 
  to call your new Skill? Herbalism? Apothecary? Foraging?
  Jaden: Foraging! That sounds more useful than Apothecary at 
  least.
   
  Aspects of Skills
  You can use Skills in a few distinct ways: first, you can roll a Skill 
  to attempt a task where you use that Skill primarily. This is what 
  you would naturally think of. Use the Blacksmith Skill to craft a 
  fine sword, or the Lockpick Skill to open a door.
  Second, your Skill grants you knowledge of and expertise in that 
  area. Your Blacksmith Skill means that you know about smithing 
  techniques and your Lockpick Skill means you know about dif-
  ferent kinds of locks. You can use this knowledge in two ways: to 
  know something or to declare something. 
  You may use a Skill to ask the GM what you know or notice about 
  a situation above and beyond what everybody knows. The GM 
  will tell you some extra information that is interesting or poten-
  tially useful. You may need to roll for this, but usually not.
  Alternatively, you may use your knowledge to make a declaration 
  of fact related to your Skill. This is your chance to invent some-
  thing about the world and steer the story. Usually this involves a 
  roll, but if the GM thinks your idea is cool or if they can’t think of 
  a good Twist, they will just say yes and your declaration becomes 
  fact. It seems obvious, but I’d better write it down: you can’t make 
  a declaration that contradicts previously established facts. Don’t 
  demand nonsense!
  Connections
  When you create your character, some Skills are known as connec-
  tions: Skills you roll when you’re trying to find a particular person 
  or a person with a particular skillset. These Skills usually result 
  in finding people your character already knows (even if the GM 
  makes them up on the spot). Connections Skills include Business 
  Contacts, Hierarchy, or Genie Summoning. Like all other Skills, if 
  you don’t have a connections Skill, you can roll it Unskilled as long 
  as your description for why you might know such a person makes 
  sense and fits the tone of the game.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  10
  T h e  B a s i c s
  What if I want to help my friend but the task doesn’t really have a 
  separate outcome that can have its own Twist? Like what if I just 
  want to lend my strength as we lift the portcullis? That is Helping.
  Helping
  If you want to help your teammate in a way that doesn’t qualify as 
  a Linked Roll—if it’s not a separate action that has its own con-
  sequences—then you get to roll (one die if you are Skilled, two 
  dice and take the lower if you are Unskilled) and if your result is 
  higher than that of the person you are helping, you add 1 to their 
  roll. This is not a normal roll and there are no Costs, Twists, or 
  Bonuses. 
  Example: If Bob is helping Cindy using his Law Skill and 
  Cindy rolls a 1 and Bob rolls a 5, Cindy’s result is counted as a 2. 
  So help is worth less than Advantage, but can act cumulatively 
  with it—the example would work just the same if Cindy had Ad-
  vantage but her highest die was less than 5. It also helps to mitigate 
  Disadvantage. And, as might be expected, the help of a Skilled 
  character is much more reliable than the help of an Unskilled 
  character. It never hurts to help, but the help must be appropriate. 
  Example: Judith is trying to use diplomacy to convince the 
  council that we should go to war for the good of the Federa-
  tion and Bret says, “Hey, I’m Skilled at intimidation – I want 
  to threaten them into going to war.” The GM replies, “No, Bret. 
  That’s not helping. That’s orthogonal to the diplomacy, not 
  helpful.” Bret says, “What if I’m just subtly and politely intimi-
  dating?” GM says, “No. You’re stretching.”
  Helpers at Risk
  If you help and the roll results in a Cost, you get one too. If the 
  player rolling owes a Favor, you are also obligated by that Favor. 
  If they get a Condition, you may get an equal or lesser Condition. 
  If you used a knowledge Skill to aid a physical roll, your failure 
  may reveal a Flaw in your information. You might be Angry at the 
  character who messed up.
  Multiple Helpers
  If multiple players are helping, they each must roll and then pro-
  ceed from lowest roll to highest. If their roll exceeds the current 
  total, then they add one to it. The GM may limit the number of 
  helpers on a roll.
  Example: Asher rolls a 2. Bob is helping and rolls a 5, and 
  Cindy helps too and rolls a 3. Cindy’s roll is lowest, so she goes 
  first. 3 beats 2, so they add 1, bringing the total to 3. Bob goes 
  next and 5 is bigger than 3, so the total goes up to 4. Notice that 
  if Bob went before Cindy, the final result would be a 3, not a 4. 
  That’s why the order matters.
  Action Points
  Action Points are a resource that you can earn and spend in cer-
  tain situations. Action Points allow your character to perform at a 
  higher-than-usual level both in and out of combat. You may spend 
  an Action Point in two ways outside of combat: to use a Trick, or 
  to get Advantage from a Related Skill. There are in-combat uses 
  for Action Points, and they are described on page 94.
  The loser of the roll chooses one of the options and they may sug-
  gest how they see it working, but it’s the GM’s responsibility to 
  fill in the details of the outcome. In any given situation, some of 
  these options won’t really make sense. It’s up to the loser of the 
  roll to choose an option that makes sense in the context. Don’t 
  demand nonsense! It’s up to the GM to explain the result in a way 
  that makes sense in the story, preserving the sanctity of both the 
  winner’s Success and the loser’s choice. 
  If the roll is a tie, you may earn an Action Point by breaking the 
  tie in your opponent’s favor using one of your Complications (de-
  scribed later) or Flaws. If the tie remains unbroken, neither side 
  gets their intent. The GM says what happens, assigning Costs or 
  Twists to each side as seems fitting.
  Unskilled Opposition
  In an Opposed Roll Unskilled vs. Unskilled, a character who gets a 
  6 (or rolls a 5 and a 6 with Advantage or Disadvantage) may learn 
  the Skill.
  If there is an Opposed Roll Skilled vs. Unskilled, the Unskilled 
  character has Disadvantage. If the Unskilled character rolls two 6’s 
  or a 6 and a 5, they may learn the Skill. 
  Specialists vs. Generalists
  In an Opposed Roll where each side is rolling essentially the same 
  sort of Skill, but where one side’s Skill is specific to the task while 
  the other’s is more general, treat the roll as though the side with 
  the more general Skill is Unskilled. This does give the generalist 
  a chance to learn the more specific Skill if the dice go their way. 
  Example: Naz has the Skill chess, while Lila has the Skill 
  strategy games. In a chess match, Naz’s specific knowledge 
  gives him an advantage over Lila the same way Lila’s Skill would 
  give her an advantage over someone with no relevant Skill.
  Linked Rolls
  A Linked Roll is a roll you make in preparation for a later action. 
  You may be buying or creating tools for you or one of your allies 
  to use. You may be spreading rumors about the Parson’s wife to 
  give your friend an Advantage at his trial. The idea is that you are 
  doing something that, depending on how well you succeed or fail, 
  could either help or hinder a future roll. It often precedes the next 
  roll in the chronology of the fiction, but it could also be simultane-
  ous. Distracting the guards while your friend sneaks past is a great 
  time to use a Linked Roll.
  A Linked Roll is always a standard Skill Roll, never an Opposed 
  Roll. You do all the usual things: declare your intent, your task, 
  and decide what Skill to use. Roll as usual and determine Success 
  and/or Twists. It is a normal roll in all respects with its own dis-
  tinct outcomes. It also comes with the added gamble that if you 
  succeed then you (or whoever you are setting up) get Advantage 
  on your future roll, but if you roll a Cost then the GM may choose 
  to give you or whoever you are setting up Disadvantage on the 
  future roll instead of giving you a normal Cost. The GM might tell 
  you what the Disadvantage is immediately or might wait until the 
  future roll to tell you.
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  11
  One last way to use a Complication to gain an Action Point is sim-
  ilar to the first, but with the difference being that no roll is being 
  made. If you and the GM agree, you can use a Complication to 
  generate a Twist even when no roll was called for. A common ex-
  ample is when you are facing a decision. In general, you don’t have 
  to roll the dice in order to have your character decide a certain 
  thing, but you might use your Complication to have your charac-
  ter make a bad choice within their nature. Any player including 
  the GM can suggest this sort of use of a Complication, but the 
  player in question and the GM both must agree. The guideline 
  you and the GM should look at when judging this sort of use is 
  the following: it needs to get you into deeper trouble, and it has 
  to hurt. If the Twist in question doesn’t hurt, you can still play 
  your character that way. Your character’s Complications affect the 
  decisions which are meaningless as well as those which matter, 
  but only the latter kind of decision can get you an Action Point. 
  The former is something most people do without encouragement.
  Example: If your character is cowardly, you don’t have to 
  roll dice to see whether or not he goes into battle, unless per-
  haps the enemy is supernaturally frightening. You might want 
  to use your cowardly Complication to get your character into 
  deep trouble by skipping out on the battle. The GM might dis-
  agree and say that skipping the battle is not more dangerous 
  than joining it, so you don’t get the point (you can still skip the 
  battle!). Or the GM might agree, give you the point and then set 
  up a scene where you are being arrested for desertion. 
  Note that the GM cannot give you Disadvantage for your Com-
  plications. Your Complications only come up when you choose 
  to play them. They are descriptive and they are resources, but they 
  are neither prescriptive nor restrictive. Complications do exist 
  in the fiction, though. If you have the Complication “Morbidly 
  Obese” then other characters will react to your size, you may have 
  trouble in tight spaces, and anyone—friend or foe—trying to lift 
  you up or throw you around will have Disadvantage.
  A Note on the Design of Complications
  A Complication is something that can cause trouble for your char-
  acter but it is never negative for you as a player. Your character’s 
  Complications can only help you! First, they get you Action Points 
  which can give you Advantage, guaranteed Success with a Trick, 
  or special abilities in combat. Second, they are only used when 
  you elect to use them—nobody can force you to use a Complica-
  tion against yourself. Third, you can use your Complications to 
  get Twists on rolls you don’t care about and spend the rewards on 
  rolls you do care about. If you take advantage of this cycle and use 
  your Complications and Tricks frequently, you will fail on your 
  own terms and succeed when it really matters to you. 
  Last, but not least, when you use a Complication, you put your 
  character in the spotlight. Adversity is guaranteed in Strike!, and 
  Complications allow you to guide where you want your character 
  to face adversity. When you and your friends are all doing this to-
  gether, you wind up with a story that is all about your characters.
  Conditions as Complications
  A player may use a Condition in the same way they would use a 
  Complication. If a player is Injured, they may choose to simply get 
  a Twist instead of rolling, and receive an Action Point for it.
  Related Skills
  Sometimes when you are making a Skill Roll, you have another 
  Skill on your sheet that is not being rolled, but that you think 
  ought to be helpful. In that scenario, you may spend an Action 
  Point to gain Advantage on your roll.
  Example: Khat is participating in a Joust. She does not have 
  the Jousting Skill, so she is rolling on the Unskilled table. How-
  ever, she is Skilled at Horseback Riding, and she thinks that 
  should be useful here. So she spends an Action Point to get 
  Advantage on her Jousting roll.
  Tricks
  After Character Creation (see page 16), each character will start 
  with two Tricks and can gain more as they level up, or from items, 
  trainings, boons, or other sources. A Trick is a narrow application 
  of one of your Skills. You may spend an Action Point to automat-
  ically succeed at something with a Bonus if you have an appropri-
  ate Trick. 
  Example: Khat has the Trick “I want the truth!: You can 
  always sense lies, evasions, or partial truths.” Her character is 
  in a conversation and she asks Manuel, the GM, “Can I tell if 
  he’s telling the truth about his husband?” Manuel could just say 
  yes and tell Khat “He’s clearly hiding something,” but he decides 
  that she needs to roll in this case. Khat spends an Action Point 
  and uses her Trick to garner an automatic Success, avoiding the 
  roll. She also gets a Bonus, which she uses to intuit precisely 
  what this man is hiding.
  Complications
  Complications are the ways your character tends to get in trouble. 
  Using them to get Twists earns you Action Points. After Character 
  Creation, each character starts with two Complications, and can 
  gain more later. 
  When an Opposed Roll is tied, you may break the tie in your op-
  ponent’s favor by pointing to one of your relevant Complications 
  and describing how it tipped the balance against you. This earns 
  you an Action Point. 
  On any standard Skill Roll outside of combat, you can earn an 
  Action Point by using a Complication to suggest a Twist caused 
  by that Complication instead of rolling. The GM is free to accept 
  your idea, modify it, or give you a different Twist altogether as 
  long as it still uses your Complication. If you both agree, the Twist 
  happens and you get the Action Point. If you don’t like the GM’s 
  Twist, you are free to change your mind and roll instead.
  Example: I’m trying to steal a relic from the Papal Treasury, 
  but I’m running low on Action Points, so I use my Complica-
  tion “Enemy of Charles the Bad” and suggest to the GM that as 
  I enter the treasury I find his agents there also trying to steal the 
  relic. The GM says “That’s pretty good but I’ve got something 
  better—you find the relic and realize that it’s a fake! Charles 
  the Bad’s agents have already stolen it!” Is her idea better than 
  mine? That’s a matter of opinion, but it’s her choice. Now I’ve 
  got an Action Point and a new lead to chase after. To Navarre!
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  12
  T h e  B a s i c s
  Your character starts play with appropriate tools for their starting 
  Skills. These may be lost as a result of Twists. When you learn a 
  new Skill you do not automatically get tools—you must acquire 
  them in play.
  Example: You can’t make a forgery if you have no ink. If you 
  have a penknife and a pen, you can forge a simple document 
  without Disadvantage. If you want to forge a complex docu-
  ment with stamps or seals you’ll have Disadvantage unless you 
  have proper tools.
  Wealth
  There is a Skill which isn’t quite the same as other Skills: Wealth. 
  Wealth is special because it has multiple levels and is the one place 
  in the game where difficulty matters. Why does difficulty matter 
  here? Simply because it works better this way. Strike! is not a game 
  about tracking individual coins, so your character’s ability to ob-
  tain items for sale is abstracted into this Skill. It represents not 
  only how much money you have, but also how available that mon-
  ey is to you and how good you are at using it.
  Wealth is ranked from zero to three. Zero is Penniless, one is Poor, 
  two is Rich, and three is Super-rich. Similarly, items you might 
  want to buy are ranked from zero to four. I’ll use today’s prices to 
  give you an idea of what I mean. Unranked are items that are prac-
  tically free: zero to five dollars. You never need to roll for these. 
  Each level thereafter goes up by a factor of twenty. So level zero 
  is items that are cheap: five to one hundred dollars. Even a poor 
  person can afford these. Level one is items that are expensive: one 
  hundred to two thousand dollars. A rich person can afford these 
  while a poor person might balk. Level two are major purchases: 
  two thousand to forty thousand dollars. A super-rich person can 
  afford these often, while a rich person would take such a purchase 
  very seriously. Level three are once-in-a-lifetime purchases: forty 
  thousand to eight hundred thousand dollars. Even a super-rich 
  person has to take these seriously. Lastly, level four purchases are 
  utterly opulent: costing more than eight hundred thousand dol-
  lars. Only a super-rich person could even consider trying to buy 
  one of these without needing a decades-long mortgage.
  If you try to buy something two levels or more below yours, you 
  can. You do not need to roll. You cannot use your Wealth to buy 
  something two or more levels above yours. If you want to make 
  that sort of purchase, you need to get a loan, find a wealthy patron, 
  or take further measures to be able to do so. To purchase anything 
  else, use the following table to determine the results. Items below 
  your Wealth are labeled “cheap” and items above your Wealth are 
  labeled “expensive.”
  Roll
  Cheap
  Same Level
  Expensive
  6
  Success + Bonus
  Success + Bonus
  Success
  5
  Success + Bonus
  Success
  Success + Cost
  4
  Success
  Success + Cost
  Success + 2 Costs
  3
  Success
  Success + 2 Costs
  Twist
  2
  Success + Cost
  Twist
  Twist + Flaw
  1
  Success + 2 Costs
  Twist + Flaw
  Twist + Flaw
  Session to Session
  You can carry over up to three Action Points from the previous 
  session. At the start of each session, you gain one if you didn’t have 
  any. Additionally, once per session you may award another play-
  er one Action Point for doing something you think is awesome. 
  To be clear, you don’t give them one of your own—it costs you 
  nothing. When to give this award is completely at your discretion 
  and the only rule is what I already said—give it away for some-
  thing awesome, not just because Brenda is running low on Action 
  Points or because it’s the end of the session and you need to dump 
  it off on somebody. If you haven’t awarded it by the end of the ses-
  sion, you can award it then for something that happened earlier.
  Your Character’s Stuff
  The effects of most items in this game are narrative. That is not 
  to say that they have no mechanical impact. They have the strong 
  mechanical impact of allowing you to do things in the story that 
  you could not otherwise do because they wouldn’t make sense. A 
  Letter of Marque doesn’t need a mechanical write-up, but without 
  it you’ll have a very hard time pleading your case when accused of 
  piracy. Without a forge you won’t be making any swords at all. A 
  gun lets you shoot things. A blessed weapon may or may not have 
  special mechanical benefits, but if the phantasms appearing in the 
  church cannot be touched by mundane or profane objects then 
  the blessing takes on a new significance. Some items may have 
  mechanical effects. The GM section has a lot more information 
  about items and their effects, but the one effect that is vital for you 
  to know about is the Flaw. Recall that a Flaw is just like a Compli-
  cation, with the difference that the GM can give you Disadvantage 
  for it. It goes like this: items are flawed, but people are compli-
  cated. It is generally to your advantage to have items with Flaws. 
  Make those Flaws work for you and get Action Points!
  Be aware that items in your character’s posession do not belong to 
  you in the same way that your character’s Skills or Complications 
  do. You can lose or break items, temporarily or permanently, as a 
  Concession in Combat or Team Conflict, or as part of a Twist at 
  the GM’s discretion.
  Items and character change 
  When a player gets an item that makes them better at the thing 
  they already do all the time, their character will not change and 
  their habits will be reinforced. An item that gives them a good 
  mechanical reason to try something different will push towards 
  change. An item that makes them better at their strength but at 
  a cost to some other aspect of play is subversive and will lead 
  towards interesting consequences without necessarily changing 
  the character’s playstyle. GMs ought to think about this before 
  they give out an item. Reinforcing a one-note character is bor-
  ing—subvert or provide alternatives instead, but never punish. 
  Punishment has no place.
  Tools
  Some Skills require tools to use properly. If you don’t have any 
  tools, you can’t attempt the task. If you have makeshift tools only, 
  you may attempt it with Disadvantage. This may depend on the 
  complexity of the task.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  13
  Cash
  In the course of your adventuring, you might come into posses-
  sion of cold hard cash or other easily spent loot. Cash parcels have 
  ranks just like items and act as Tricks to make purchases of the 
  same rank, except that instead of spending an Action Point to use 
  the Trick, you simply spend the cash and you don’t get a Bonus.
  Example: Fil’s character Gilly has a level two cash parcel. 
  It’s on her sheet as Ransom Money [2]. She wants to buy a used 
  but fast getaway car, which is a major purchase [2]. Gilly is Poor 
  [1], so she could roll for it but the results would likely be bad. 
  Instead, Gilly could spend the ransom money and get the car 
  without rolling. How will Gilly pay the kidnappers? Well, may-
  be she won’t.
  You can sell your stuff for cash parcels at the GM’s discretion. The 
  GM will tell you what you need to do. You can use cash parcels to 
  recover from Conditions, as stated above.
  You can also increase your Wealth tier permanently by investing 
  your cash parcels. When you invest your cash to go up a Wealth 
  tier, spend a cash parcel one level above the tier you are trying to 
  reach. Investment takes time, and your money doesn’t start work-
  ing for you right away. It’s up to the GM exactly how long it takes 
  before your new Wealth is effective.
  Examples: Gilly is a bit Short, so her Wealth is treated as 
  level 0. She can get back to her usual Poor [1] Wealth by selling 
  her iPad. Poor Gilly, she just bought it!
  Later, Gilly has really spent all her money. She had to “break the 
  bank” and has gone down a level to Broke [0]. To recover back 
  to Poor[1] she needs to invest a level 2 cash parcel. Maybe she 
  could sell that getaway car.
  Gilly made a Huge Score [3]. She could hold onto that to spend 
  on something really cool or she could invest it during down-
  time to increase her Wealth to Rich [2].
   
  Teamwork
  Five characters of Wealth X (two of whom can be replaced by cash 
  parcels of level X) can roll as one character of Wealth X + 1. You 
  all suffer any Costs or Twists that occur.
  Example: Gilly and her two pals are all Rich [2] and they 
  each have a Cash Reward [2] for returning their benefactor’s 
  kidnapped son. If the three of them combine their Wealth and 
  chip in two of their cash parcels, they can roll as though they 
  were one Super-rich [3] person. This could allow them to at-
  tempt to buy a level 4 item, like an old castle to use as their 
  headquarters! They’ll probably go broke doing it, but it’d be so 
  worth it.
  Helping someone in a different Wealth tier uses the usual helping 
  rules with some additions. When helping a character one Wealth 
  tier above, roll your helping die with Disadvantage. Helping a 
  character two tiers above you is impossible—the super-rich don’t 
  need money from the poor! When helping a character on a lower 
  Wealth tier, roll your helping die with Advantage. If the character 
  is two Wealth tiers below you, you would be wiser to buy the item 
  for them. If the player you are helping ends up rolling a Twist and 
  choosing to “break the bank,” then you get the Condition “Short.”
  There is a Condition that typically goes with Wealth: Short. When 
  you’re Short, you act as though you were one Wealth tier lower. 
  When you get two Costs, one of them is always a Flaw, while the 
  other is either that you are Short or that you owe someone a Favor. 
  The GM will decide which. 
  Often when you roll a Twist, the GM will ask you if you would 
  rather do without the item in question, or “break the bank” to pay 
  for it. A worse Condition happens when you “break the bank”: 
  being Broke. It’s the same as being Short, but is much harder to 
  recover from. Being Broke does not mean you have no money at 
  all, just much less than you were used to having.
  If you get the Short Condition twice, nothing changes. Simply 
  note it down. The third time, however, automatically “breaks the 
  bank” and Short upgrades to Broke. Later on, if you manage to get 
  Short and Broke at the same time, they combine to cause you to 
  treat your Wealth as two levels below normal. Multiple instances 
  of Broke compound too. Effectively, being Broke is the same as a 
  permanent reduction in your Wealth, but with the opportunity 
  to work your way out of it. This is rough, but unlike other Condi-
  tions, the GM cannot simply give it to you. You choose it or else 
  earn it by getting three Shorts.
  You recover from being Short by working your job and being 
  frugal for a week, or any equivalent way of making money. You 
  can also recover by spending a cash parcel (see below) equal to 
  the Wealth tier you are recovering to. To recover from Broke you 
  need to work your job and live frugally for a year or equivalent, or 
  spend a cash parcel one level above the one you are recovering to. 
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  14
  T h e  B a s i c s
  Rick: Of course. You’ll see that everything is in order. I hand him 
  the letter and he allows me in. As my Bonus for rolling a 6, he 
  doesn’t even assign us an escort—he lets us find our own way.
  Doug: Whoa. Alright, so then you use your knowledge of the lay-
  out of the place to make your way to the treasury. There are two 
  guards here and you’re not going to be able to talk your way past 
  these guys.
  Patty: We’ll approach as though we want to ask them a question 
  and I’ll take one out while you take the other. Our intent is to in-
  capacitate them without making lots of noise.
  Rick: Carlos nods and takes his garrote out of his sleeve. 
  Doug: Okay, roll your combat Skills. Patty takes the lead and Rick 
  will help because it’s Patty’s idea and she’s the big brawler anyway.
  Doug: Well you take them out, but they put up more of a struggle 
  than you expect. You’re both Winded. You’ve now arrived in the 
  Papal treasury. It’s a very large room with not a lot of light filtering 
  in from the windows high up on the wall. You see strongboxes and 
  loot, but nothing that looks like what was described. It seems like 
  there is a lot less gold here than you’d expect, too.
  Rick: Damn, it’s hidden. So I cased the joint earlier, right? Does 
  one of the guys I talked to know where it would be?
  Doug: Let’s roll and find out. We’ll make it a Linked Roll. You 
  still have to search, but your information might make that easier 
  or harder. I guess you’re rolling your Catholic Hierarchy Skill for 
  contacting the others who worked in the palace?
  Rick: Yep.
  Doug: And it’ll have to be Search to find where it’s hidden.
  Rick: Cool, here goes! 
  Doug: So the Twist is that your questions made someone suspi-
  cious and the authorities were alerted before you arrived. You hear 
  voices up above—you don’t have much time to find it and get out. 
  The Cost is that you get Disadvantage in your search because you 
  are short on time.
  Rick: Ah, Disadvantage sucks. I’m probably going to fail this any-
  way, so I’d like to use my Complication “Enemy of Charles the 
  Bad” here. How about as I enter the treasury I find his agents there 
  also trying to steal the relic? 
  Rick rolls a 6. A Success with a Bonus.
  Patty rolls a 3 on her Brawling Skill. Rick also rolls a 3. Rick’s 
  roll is not higher than Patty’s, so he’s not helpful. A 3 gets Patty 
  Success with a Cost.
  Rick rolls a 1 on his Priest Skill. A Twist and a Cost! 
  Example of Play
  The players here are Patty and Rick. They are playing the charac-
  ters Arles and Carlos. The GM is Doug. This example covers Suc-
  cess, Conditions, Twists, Complications, Wealth, Linked Rolls and 
  Helping. Arles and Carlos need to steal an enormous tome that is 
  supposedly kept in the treasury in the Papal palace in Avignon. 
  Carlos is a former priest and Arles is a knight.
  Patty: So Carlos, how are we going to get in?
  Rick: Well with my vestments and experience I’m sure that I’ll be 
  able to talk my way in. Disguising you is a different matter. My 
  clothes aren’t going to fit you.
  Patty: How about I play a monk sworn to silence? What are those 
  called?
  Rick: I dunno, but my character would.
  Doug: I don’t think it’s specific to them, but Cistercians would fit.
  Rick: Indeed, Arles, we need to acquire robes to make you look 
  like a Cistercian. I think we must make a trip to a tailor.
  Patty: Do we need to roll? I can afford it for sure.
  Doug: Yeah, we’ll make it a Linked Roll to your attempt to talk 
  your way past the guards. Getting the robes just right on short 
  notice will be expensive, so it’s a level 1 item.
  Patty: Okay, well I’ll roll my Wealth. I’m just going to flaunt my 
  gold and find the best tailor in town. 
  Rick: While she’s doing that, I want to case the joint. Find people 
  who know about the layout and where I need to go.
  Doug: Okay great. I’ll just say yes to that for now. You do exactly 
  that. In the course of the heist, when you want to bring in a fact 
  you learned this way we’ll roll and see what happens. Lets move 
  on to the palace. You approach the doors. There are guards every-
  where. The one in charge asks you your purpose.
  Rick: Brother Felipe and I are here as envoys from the Bishop of 
  Tortosa, conveying a message of some importance to His Holi-
  ness.
  Doug: Do you have a letter authorizing your visit?
  Rick: One of the guys I talked to would have told me about this, 
  surely.
  Doug: Yep. They did and you came prepared. Roll your Forgery 
  Skill, with the Advantage from Arles’ Linked Roll.
  Patty has Wealth 2 and rolls a 4. She succeeds and Arles 
  gets his robes, exact in every detail. And they get Advantage on 
  talking their way in.
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  15
  What Now?
  This marks the end of the basic rules. You’ve got everything you 
  need now to go and play the game if you just want a fast and sim-
  ple roleplaying experience. If you are planning to be the GM, you 
  can read up on what is involved in that role and find a wealth of 
  advice and tools starting on page 56. If you want to create a 
  character and start playing now, simply continue reading. If you 
  want to learn about the more in-depth systems like Team Conflict 
  and Tactial Combat, skip to page 87.
  Doug: Hmm. That’s pretty good but I’ve got something better. Af-
  ter a frantic search you find the secret entrance to the sub-trea-
  sury. The ceilings here are very low and it’s packed with jewels and 
  gold. A few paces in you find the relic and realize that it’s a fake! 
  Charles the Bad’s agents have already stolen the real one!
  Rick: Aw darn. Alright, I guess we’re chasing them back to Na-
  varre. So we’re going to have to get supplies for our trip?
  Doug: Not so fast! You’re still in the Papal treasury, and you hear 
  footsteps coming down.
  Rick: Isn’t that a Twist? Can you do that when I didn’t fail a roll?
  Doug: Sure I can. It’s not a Twist, it’s just a thing that’s happening. 
  Things keep happening even when we’re not rolling dice. Besides, 
  this was set in motion when you failed your Linked Roll.
  Patty: Carlos, I’ll hide behind the door and knock them out when 
  they come in and then we’ll run.
  Rick: I nod to Arles. I’ll catch their attention so they don’t notice 
  him sneaking up behind.
  Doug: Sounds good. Arles is using Stealth, Carlos is helping with 
  Acting, right?
  Rick: I’d prefer to call it Distraction. I’m Unskilled either way.
  Patty: It’s okay, I got this. Arles is very quiet for a big man.
  Rick: Ding! New Skill!
  Doug: Nice, Rick! Too bad it doesn’t help you this time. Four well-
  armed men come in dressed as guards. Before Carlos can even 
  start his song and dance number, one guard says “There’s the little 
  guy. Where’s the big one?” They turn around and see Arles. It’s 
  combat for you, and remember that you’re both Winded.
  Rick: Wait! I want to spend an Action Point to bring in my rela-
  tionship with Father Tomacelli and the Templars.
  Doug: Ah, that’s interesting. A secret Templar in Avignon. Okay, 
  let me think for a minute about who might be here and what they 
  might want.
  Patty rolls a 1. Doug, helping, rolls with Disadvantage for be-
  ing Unskilled. He gets a 5 and a 6. Taking the lower, his result is 
  a 5. It’s higher than Patty’s, so she gets to add one to her result 
  and gets a 2. That’s a Twist. Moreover, rolling a 5 and a 6 allows 
  Carlos to learn the Distraction Skill.
  Tactical Combat is described starting on page 87.
  For more on relationships, see page 30.
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  16
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  • 
  Gear. You start with tools for any of your starting Skills that 
  require them. Pick two more items to start with, subject to 
  group approval. Your character may own more stuff beyond 
  that, but you’ll need to roll your Skills in play to find out.
  • 
  Kits. (Optional) If your group is using Kits, pick a Kit, follow-
  ing the directions on page 32. Your Kit gives you some cool 
  powers and helps direct you towards a certain playstyle.
  • 
  Relationships. (Optional) Choose relationships. Using the re-
  lationship rules on page 30, collaborate with your group 
  in writing down initial relationships. Try to tie them into the 
  game’s starting situation or quest. Default is one friend, one 
  enemy, and one relationship somewhere in between.
  • 
  Motivation. Why is your character driven to do interesting 
  things alongside the other characters? This step doesn’t have 
  any mechanical weight, but it is not optional! You must have 
  some reason for your character to be involved and interested 
  and not just along for the ride. In Strike!, you must be pre-
  pared to take the initiative. Until you can answer that ques-
  tion, you are not done making your character!
  Now you’re ready for anything except Tactical Combat. The rules 
  for creating that side of your character are found on page 98 
  after the Tactical Combat chapter. If you just want to get started 
  playing the game with the basic rules, you can do that now!
  Creating Your Character
  Once you have your character concept, follow these steps: 
  • 
  Background. Your Background determines what Skills your 
  character is best at, where your character gets material goods, 
  and any special Tricks or abilities you may have outside of 
  combat. You may pick one from the list starting on page 18 
  or make up your own using the questions on page 24.
  • 
  Origin. When you write down your Origin, whether it’s a spe-
  cies or a hometown or a socioeconomic class, it lets you pick 
  two Skills and one Complication. You may add one to your 
  Wealth score in lieu of one Skill if you come from a wealthy 
  Origin. See page 25 for some example Origins.
  • 
  Personalize. Choose one additional Skill (Resource Skills al-
  lowed), one additional Trick, and one additional Complica-
  tion. These represent things that are personal to your char-
  acter. 
  Note: If your game has a core activity, like fighting monsters or 
  investigation, strongly consider picking up a relevant Skill now if 
  you didn’t get one from your Background. If you don’t, you’ll be 
  rolling Unskilled a lot until you can learn one.
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  17
  When you spend an Action Point to get Advantage for having a 
  Related Skill, put a check next to that Skill on your sheet. When 
  you get six checks next to a Skill, you can gain a new Trick deriv-
  ing from that Skill. You can also give up your Bonus when you roll 
  a 6 on a Skill to put a check next to it without spending an Action 
  Point.
  When you spend an Action Point in combat (on Rally or on your 
  Action Trigger), mark a check next to your Complications. When 
  you get ten such checks, pick a new Complication of your choice.
  New Complications are also received when you fail to recover 
  from a Condition. The rules below apply to Injured, Sick, and 
  Major Mental Conditions, but you can come up with your own 
  versions for any custom Major Conditions you use.
  If you do not receive medical treatment for a Major Physical Con-
  dition like Injured or Sick, or if that treatment fails, you must 
  make a Skill Roll to recover properly. This roll cannot result in 
  a Cost or a Bonus. If you get a Twist on the roll, you have a per-
  manent debility, whether it’s a chronic illness, a lost body part, or 
  lasting emotional trauma. Mechanically, this will take the form of 
  a new Complication. 
  When you back down to recover from a Major Mental Condition 
  (as opposed to defeating what caused it), unless you receive treat-
  ment, you must make a Skill Roll to recover fully. This roll cannot 
  result in a Cost or a Bonus—it is simply Success or Twist. If you 
  get a Twist on the roll, you get a new Complication, as above. This 
  can take the form of a damaging emotional or personality quirk, a 
  grudge, or a powerful phobia.
  As it says above, you must make a Skill Roll to try recover after 
  failed treatment. What Skill should it be? Well, if you have a Skill 
  that makes sense, roll it. Otherwise, the Skills to use for those are 
  Health for physical recovery and Steel for mental recovery. 
  Example: Zenobia fled from the oracle with the Terrified 
  Major Mental Condition and her mind filled with visions of as-
  sassins. She backed down, so she can recover. She could now go 
  and seek treatment from a priest, a lover, or anyone else quali-
  fied to help her with emotional trauma. Instead, she chooses to 
  keep it to herself. The GM calls for her to roll her Steel. She is 
  Unskilled, and she rolls a 3—a Twist. That means that she has a 
  new Complication. She decides that she will have the Compli-
  cation “Paranoia.” She sees assassins at every turn.
  Making significant enemies can also be represented by new Com-
  plications. If you continue to provoke or ignore a person with 
  whom you have a Bad Reputation, they may become your enemy 
  and this can be a Complication.
  Example: Zenobia once agreed to owe Arcadius a Favor in 
  exchange for his help making peace with the military, but it 
  turns out that his idea of a Favor is Zenobia’s hand in marriage. 
  Fat chance. Since she has no intention of giving him what he 
  wants, Zenobia’s unpaid Favor eventually becomes a Bad Rep-
  utation as he spreads rumours around his friends at court (like 
  Zenobia cares what those guys think). After she calls him out 
  on his corruption in front of everyone she gets the Complica-
  tion “Enemy of Arcadius.”
  Advancement
  Fallbacks
  When you first gain a level, pick a Fallback. Now that you’ve got-
  ten to know your character a bit in play, you might recognize a 
  trend. Your Fallback is that thing you always fall back on when 
  you are in trouble. Once per session, you can use your Fallback 
  to turn a Twist into a Success (a Twist with a Cost turns into a 
  Success with a Cost). After the GM has given the Twist, you nar-
  rate how you use your Fallback to turn the situation around and 
  achieve whatever the intent of the roll was. Your Fallback should 
  be broad, like bravery or meticulous planning. Fallbacks are very 
  powerful, and each player can only ever have one.
  Gaining Tricks and Complications
  There are two advancement schemes you can use to improve your 
  character over time and gain new Tricks and Complications: natu-
  ral and level-based. Natural advancement lets you gain Tricks and 
  Complications naturally through play just like Skills. Level-based 
  advancement has you gain new Tricks and Complications as you 
  gain levels instead.
  Natural Advancement
  To gain new Tricks, you need to track how you spend your Action 
  Points. When you spend an Action Point on a Trick, put a check 
  next to it on your sheet. When you reach ten checks, that Trick be-
  comes second nature—you no longer need to spend Action Points 
  to use it. You may now pick a new Trick of your choice related to 
  any of your Skills.
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  18
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  Backgrounds
  A Background expresses your character’s primary area of exper-
  tise. It gives you a set of Skills and some Tricks that only you can 
  do. When you are creating a character, you may pick one of the 
  Backgrounds given here or make your own. 
  Each Background has a list of Skills. They include a range—prac-
  tical, social, and so on. When you choose the Background, you 
  get these Skills. You also start with any items it’s logical for you 
  to own based on your Skills. For instance, having the Sword Skill 
  means you start with a Sword. The Background also has your base 
  Wealth—zero, one, or two. It will be six minus the number of Skills 
  you got. Last, it has one Trick: a special thing that you can reliably 
  do by spending an Action Point, avoiding a roll. Your Trick is a 
  specific use of one of your Skills. A Necromancer can always com-
  municate with a recently deceased person. A Scholar can always 
  call up a useful fact he once read. As long as they spend an Action 
  Point, that is… otherwise they have to roll and see what happens.
  If you are making up your own Background. It will be helpful to 
  use the Background Walkthrough on page 24. When making 
  your own, do not pick four premium Skills. By premium Skills, 
  I mean Skills that will see use nearly every session. Each Back-
  ground has at least one of those, but they all have Skills that are 
  of more niche benefit, too. Those are more likely to come up as 
  Linked Rolls or Helping for other Skills, or as Related Skills. These 
  Skills can help define your character over a longer narrative arc.
  Level-based Advancement
  With Level-based advancement, you want to give out bonuses at 
  every level or every other level. This is easily customizable based 
  on what options you are using in your game.
  Gain a new Trick at Levels 2, 6, and 10. Gain a new Complication 
  at Levels 4 and 8. Players gain new Advances from their Kits (see 
  page 32) at odd levels, and new Reputations (see page 55) at 
  even levels if you are using those options.
  Mixed Method
  You could have Tricks and Complications follow Natural Advance-
  ment, and have the players gain Reputations and Kit Advances by 
  level-up. This is my favorite, but it requires players who are willing 
  to put in the effort needed to use the Natural Advancement rules.
  Changing
  Changing Complications
  When it is narratively appropriate, you may swap out a Complica-
  tion for any other. You get to decide when it is appropriate, not the 
  GM, nor the other players, though they may voice their opinions. 
  Changing Tricks
  You can change your Tricks if it is narratively appropriate too, but 
  you need the group’s unanimous approval. Tricks are too easy to 
  abuse if you can simply change them whenever you like. 
  Replacing Lost Tricks and Complications
  Perhaps you had a Trick based on buying things and now your 
  character just lost all her money. You and the group agree that 
  your Trick no longer makes sense. When a Trick is taken away like 
  that, you can pick a new one to replace it immediately. The same 
  goes for when you lose a Complication. This does not apply to 
  Flaws and Tricks granted as part of equipment or other rewards, 
  just to the Complications and Tricks you get for gaining levels or 
  through Natural Advancement. Reward Flaws and Tricks granted 
  to you by the GM are under the GM’s control—if you lose one as 
  part of a Twist, the GM is not obligated to replace it. Your charac-
  ter has inbuilt effectiveness in the rules that the GM cannot take 
  away, and the extra stuff your character gets is just that—extra.
  Advancement Chart
   
  Level
  Class 
  and Role
  Kit and 
  Reputation
  Other 
  Advances
  2
  Role Encounter Power
  Reputation
  Trick
  3
  Class Encounter Power
  Advance
  Feat
  4
  Upgrade Role Boosts
  Reputation
  Complication
  5
  Upgrade Class Features
  Advance
  Feat
  6
  Role Encounter Power
  Reputation
  Trick
  7
  Class Encounter Power
  Advance
  Feat
  8
  Upgrade Role Boosts
  Reputation
  Complication
  9
  Upgrade Class Features
  Advance
  Feat
  10
  Role Encounter Power
  Reputation
  Trick
  *
  Gain a Fallback the first time you level up.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  19
  Actor
  They’re not necessarily your friends, but you can get an audience 
  with people in the highest places, and you’re good at finding odd 
  jobs or quests for hire.
  Skills: Acting, Singing, Oratory, Memorization, Wealthy Patrons 
  (Connections), Odd Jobs (Connections) 
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Life of the Party: An Actor can always put on a perfor-
  mance worth watching and use it to get attention.
  Shapeshifter
  A Shapeshifter can usually find the right form to take on to at-
  tempt access to any location, be it the sacred heart of the temple 
  or the bank vault.
  Skills: Shapeshifting, Impersonation, Stealth, Alien and Animal 
  Consciousness, Always a Way In
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Master of Disguise: Looking the part is easy for a Shape-
  shifter. A Shapeshifter can always have a perfect disguise. Acting 
  the part is another matter, but often the appearance is all that mat-
  ters. 
  (Former) Prisoner
  Prisoners learn to make the most of the little they are given.
  Skills: Ditch Digging, Inconspicuous, Confinement and Escape, 
  Saying What They Want to Hear, Something from Nothing, Un-
  derworld (Connections) 
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Bindings: A Prisoner is very familiar with methods of re-
  straint and can always improvise secure bindings given the right 
  materials. Given time, they can always escape from imperfect 
  bindings.
  Veteran
  A Veteran’s wartime friends are as close to him as family and con-
  tribute what they have when the Veteran is in need.
  Skills: Soldiering, Foraging, Appropriate Weapons, Command, 
  Old War Friends (Connections) 
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Fight Dirty: A Veteran can always win a clean fight by 
  turning it into a dirty one.
  You’ll note that some Backgrounds have one Skill that is more 
  general than is usually allowed. For instance, a Knight gets “Mas-
  ter at Arms” because to be a Knight one must be Skilled in a va-
  riety of weapons. The Knight Background would be incomplete 
  if it only offered “Sword”. A Background may have no more than 
  one such Skill, and you never learn such general Skills in play. 
  Also remember that in an Opposed Roll between a generalist and 
  a specialist, the generalist might as well be Unskilled (page 10).
  Without further ado, here are some Backgrounds:
  Magnate
  A Magnate believes in the power of money and making deals.
  Skills: Bargaining, Business, Politics, Networking (Connections)
  Rich [2]
  Tricks: Greasing Hands: A Magnate can pay any bribe. 
  Journalist
  A Journalist knows who to talk to when they need information 
  off the record.
  Skills: Writing, Research, Interrogation, Fast Talk, Sources (Con-
  nections) 
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Perfect Recall: A Journalist can always remember whatev-
  er they heard, word-for-word.
  Police Officer
  A Police Officer or town guard’s position comes with many 
  perks—everybody is eager to stay on good terms with the force.
  Skills: Observation, Streetwise, Interrogation, Investigation, Per-
  quisites (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Blank Stare: Whether through practice or sheer emp-
  ty-headedness, a Police Officer can outwait or outstare anyone. 
  Diviner
  A Diviner can often see a path to what they want that others might 
  think mere luck or happenstance.
  Skills: Augury, Astrology, Cold Reading, Rituals, The Stars Align
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Through a Mirror Darkly: A Diviner can always make a 
  prediction couched in metaphor such that, no matter the out-
  come, the recipient believes the Diviner to have been correct.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  20
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  World Traveler
  A World Traveler knows many tales from faraway lands.
  Skills: Languages, Navigation, Storytelling, Foreign Etiquette, A 
  Friend in Every Port (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: What’s New: A World Traveler can always find out quickly 
  what has changed since their last visit to a location. 
  Arcanist
  The Arcanist has over the course of his studies come into posses-
  sion of many strange magical or occult items kept safe in his study.
  Skills: Languages, Research, Esoteric Trivia, Spellcraft, Accumu-
  lated Debris
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Identify Magic Item: An Arcanist always knows what pow-
  er that weird relic must hold.
  Druid
  If it can be found in the wild, the Druid can find it.
  Skills: Rituals, Speaking with Animals, Runes, Sensing Harmony 
  and Discord, Spirits of the Land (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Signs and Portents: A Druid can always read the signs of 
  nature, predicting the weather, or mystic and natural events.
  Banker
  Bureaucracy doesn’t seem like much of a Skill until you’re stuck 
  without it in a lineup that never ends.
  Skills: Finance, Bureaucracy, Negotiation, Accounting
  Rich [2]
  Tricks: Restructuring the Deal: When circumstances change, a 
  Banker can always get favorable considerations in any bargain.
  Ranger
  If it can be found in the wild, the Ranger can find it.
  Skills: Trapping, Tracking, Pathfinding, Weather Prediction, For-
  aging, Herbal Medicine
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Dead Reckoning: A Ranger can always find her way back 
  to civilization when she is lost in the wilderness.
  Fashion Worker
  Either you make clothes and accessories or you have a large col-
  lection and know where to get more.
  Skills: Trends, Clothing Design, Decor, Backhanded or Ambigu-
  ous Compliments, Clotheshorse 
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Best Dressed: You can always show up looking perfect. 
  You show up your rivals without out-shining the people you want 
  to befriend.
  Jongleur
  They’re not necessarily your friends, but you can get an audience 
  with people in the highest places, and you know all the innkeepers 
  from here to Timbuktu.
  Skills: Singing, Storytelling, Seduction, Acrobat, Wealthy Patrons 
  (Connections), Well-Traveled (Connections) 
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Witty Repartee: A Jongleur can always craft a bon mot to 
  lighten the mood, cut the tension, or make light of an argument.
  Programmer
  Knowing about security isn’t enough to start hacking, but it’s a 
  first step.
  Skills: Coding, Hardware, Online Communications, Encryption 
  and Security, Techie Friends (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: I Know This Code: A Programmer can always figure out 
  how to work an unfamiliar computer program from the front end 
  or the back. 
  Necromancer
  A Necromancer must bind evil spirits to put into bodies.
  Skills: Rituals, Anatomy, Binding, Speaking with the Dead, Rais-
  ing the Dead
  Poor [1]
  Trick: Death Speaker: A Necromancer can always communicate 
  with the recently deceased.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  21
  Blacksmith
  A Blacksmith can make many things, but not without a good fire.
  Skills: Weapons and Armor, Firebuilding, Mending, Brute 
  Strength, Blacksmithing
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Heavy Lifting: A Blacksmith can always lift an object or 
  obstacle if anyone can.
  Dealer
  A Dealer in illicit goods and services has discreetly helped out 
  many people. They now owe a debt.
  Skills: Intimidation, Haggling, Bribery, Seduction, Debtors (Con-
  nections) 
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: The Dirt: A Dealer always knows the private vices of any-
  one who matters.
  Noble Knight
  A Knight must learn the use of many weapons.
  Skills: Riding, Etiquette, Master at Arms, Tactics, Inherited Titles 
  (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Of Course I’m On the List: A Noble Knight can always 
  finagle an invitation in high society.
  Noble (Non-Martial) 
  A Noble knows how to throw a party.
  Skills: Household Management, Etiquette, Hosting, Flattery, In-
  herited Titles (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Of Course I’m On the List: A Noble can always finagle an 
  invitation in high society.
  Bard
  They buy you drinks and invite you in if you entertain them.
  Skills: Music, Bardic Knowledge (The Truth Behind the Legends), 
  Witty Repartee, Sleight of Hand, Music Lovers (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Are You Not Entertained: A Bard can always play a crowd 
  and keep them enthralled until the final round of applause.
  Thief
  When trying to come up with an item, a Thief’s first inclination is 
  to find someone who has one and relieve them of it.
  Skills: Lockpicking, Climbing, Stealth, Bluffing, Stealing, Under-
  world Contacts (Connections)
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Case a Joint: A Thief can always find a way in and find out 
  who is watching. 
  Assassin
  An Assassin can kill in many ways.
  Skills: Poisons, Sharpshooting, Social Engineering, Stealth, Un-
  derworld Contacts (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: The Getaway: An Assassin always plans ahead for unex-
  pected occurrences. When something goes wrong in your plan, 
  you saw it coming and have a way to sneak out.
  Pirate
  A Pirate takes what he wants, or buys it with stolen coin.
  Skills: Sailing, Uncharted Places, Intimidation, Ropes, Stolen 
  Booty
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Brutality: A Pirate always knows the right threat to inspire 
  terror in a helpless captive.
  Politician
  You can tell them what they want to hear.
  Skills: Fundraising, Policy, Oratory, Positivity and Platitudes, 
  Friends in High Places (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Stump Speech: A Politician can always get a receptive 
  crowd fired up and ready for action. 
  Lawyer
  A Lawyer knows judges, police, and politicians.
  Skills: Law, Research, Oratory, Judicial Contacts (Connections)
  Rich [2]
  Tricks: Make Your Case: A Lawyer can always convince a disinter-
  ested observer that they are right.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  22
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  Related Backgrounds
  Sometimes you might want the players to all start out with a sim-
  ilar Background. But starting everyone off with the same Back-
  ground would work poorly: they would all have the same Skills! 
  So make similar Backgrounds that have some overlap. Here is an 
  example of related Backgrounds for a party consisting of sailors, 
  with Skills that give each their own niche to occupy aboard ship. 
  These are focused on the Age of Sail, but could be easily modi-
  fied for any military hierarchy, whether historical, fantastical, or 
  modern.
  Sailor
  Carousing can keep your troubles at bay.
  Skills: Sailor, Ropes, Carousing, Hard Labor, A Friend in Every 
  Port (Connections), Friends At Sea (Connections)
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Tall Tales: A Sailor can always spin a yarn worth hearing 
  and use it to get attention.
  Bartender
  A Bartender has heard enough stories to know where to start dig-
  ging when you want dirt.
  Skills: Mixing Drinks, Conflict Resolution, Storytelling, Listen-
  ing, Customers’ Secrets, Everyone’s Buddy (Connections)
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: That’s Enough: No matter how obstinate the jerk, a Bar-
  tender can always keep cool and lay down the law.
  Clown
  Why do you have one of those? Oh, it’s for a trick I do with this 
  rubber hose.
  Skills: Juggling, Facepainting, Comedy, Unicycling, Sack of Odds 
  and Ends, Comedians and Charlatans (Connections)
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Lighten Up: A Clown can always make a stiff or stuck up 
  person look bad. They might be furious, but they’ll just embarass 
  themselves.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  23
  Ship’s Cook
  Fire on a boat is very dangerous. They don’t let just anybody cook.
  Skills: Cooking, Sailor, Fishing, Fire and Firefighting Aboard, 
  Produce Procurement, Friends at Market (Connections)
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Rinse It Off: A Ship’s Cook can always cover up any foul 
  taste and make even the inedible taste tolerable.
  Captain
  Command your crew well and you won’t need to intimidate them.
  Skills: Command, Navigation, Intimidation, Tactics, Chain of 
  Command (Connections) 
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Peacemaker: The Captain can always settle disputes be-
  tween sailors.
  Officer
  Not as glamorous as being a Captain, but the administration 
  needs to get done.
  Skills: Persuasion, Administration, Command, Accounting, 
  Chain of Command (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Recruiter: The Officer can always talk someone into join-
  ing up with the crew for at least one adventure.
  The Owner
  You own the vessel. The Captain commands the crew, but you’re 
  the real boss. They risk their lives, but you risk your fortune.
  Skills: Finance, International Trade, Appraisal, Old Boys/Old 
  Girls Network (Connections)
  Rich [2]
  Tricks: Find Cargo: The Owner of the ship can always find some-
  thing to put in the hold that’ll turn a profit somewhere.
  Marine
  A marine can fight with pistols, sabers, or belaying pins.
  Skills: Climbing, Personal Weapons, Close Combat, First Aid, 
  Hard Friends (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Boarding: A Marine can always get on a ship, whether by 
  scaling the anchor chain or swinging from a grapnel in the rig-
  ging.
  Helm
  Making good maps gives you an advantage on future journeys.
  Skills: Pilot, Navigation, Weather, Geography, Cartography
  Poor[1]
  Tricks: Safe Havens: The Helmsperson always knows the best 
  places on the sea to find friendly towns and isolated coves.
  Gunner
  Whether you’re plotting a parabola or drawing up an attack, a 
  good diagram can give advantage to your plan.
  Skills: Vehicle Weapons, Physics, Chemistry, Tactics, Explosives, 
  Helpful Diagrams
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Dead Reckoning: A Gunner can always tell how far away 
  something is with a high degree of accuracy.
  Ship’s Doctor
  A Diagnosis is required for appropriate medical care.
  Skills: First Aid, Surgery, Diagnosis, Sailor, Medicines
  Poor [1]
  Tricks: Dull the Pain: A Ship’s Doctor can always dose a patient 
  with enough narcotics and alcohol to let them to ignore the pain.
  Ship’s Carpenter
  Making do with minimal tools and taking things apart for re-use 
  is always necessary on a ship.
  Skills: Mending, Cooper, Ship Maintenance, Timber and Lumber, 
  Carpentry, Scavenging
  Penniless [0]
  Tricks: Every Nook and Cranny: A Ship’s Carpenter can always 
  find hidden things or a good hiding place aboard their own ship.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  24
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  • 
  What other Skill do you have from your Background that 
  hasn’t been mentioned yet?
  Examples: The Goldsmith has Iconography.
  The Lawyer has Research.
  The Alien World-scout has Cartography.
  There is no one right way to answer these questions. A Goldsmith 
  might have picked Goldsmithing as his Skill for how he acquired 
  things, bumped Appraisal up to primary and picked a different 
  supporting Skill. The Alien World-scout could have put a great-
  er emphasis on abducting local fauna instead of focusing on the 
  science. The Lawyer could have used Logic instead of one of her 
  other Skills.
  • 
  Considering all the Skills you just picked, name one circum-
  stance involving one of those Skills, where you can always 
  succeed. That’s your Trick.
  Examples: The Goldsmith can always identify an icon or 
  symbol from his own religion, no matter how obscure.
  The Lawyer can always persuade anyone to give someone a 
  lighter punishment.
  The Alien World-Scout can always diagnose any illness with its 
  knowledge of biochemistry.
  Wait, the Lawyer is poor? That doesn’t seem right!
  Slow down. We still have Origins to take into account. You still have 
  one more chance to increase your Wealth. So that lawyer might end 
  up rich, or she might not. If the result still seems wrong, you can go 
  back and change your answers around. 
  Background Walkthrough
  To make your own background, simply follow this quick walk-
  through. Pick a background concept to describe what your char-
  acter did mainly before they got into the adventure. Your concept 
  could be something like Goldsmith, Lawyer, or Alien World-
  scout. Keep it brief: a few words, not a few sentences.
  Once you have your concept written down, answer the following 
  questions in order and write a Skill for each.
  • 
  How does your character acquire physical goods? If your an-
  swer to this is “with money,” increase your Wealth by one. 
  Otherwise write down a Skill.
  Examples: The Goldsmith buys what he wants with money: 
  Wealth +1.
  The Lawyer buys what she wants with money. Wealth +1.
  The Alien World-scout uses its Heuristic Scanning Device to 
  locate what it needs. Heuristic Scanning.
  • 
  Who can your character call on when times are tough? If your 
  answer is “they buy their way out of trouble” or “they fall back 
  on the hired help,” increase your wealth by one. Otherwise 
  write down a Connections Skill.
  Examples: The Goldsmith falls back on his fellow guild 
  members. Guild Member.
  The Lawyer falls back on her friends in the judicial system. Ju-
  dicial System Contacts.
  The Alien World-scout falls back on its commanders and fellow 
  agents. Scouting Network.
  • 
  What primary Skill do you need most to perform the tasks 
  necessary to your background?
  Examples: The Goldsmith needs Goldsmithing.
  The Lawyer needs Public Speaking.
  The Alien World-scout needs to evaluate worlds using Bio-
  chemistry.
  • 
  What Skill supports your primary Skill? This Skill is often, but 
  not always a knowledge Skill.
  Examples: The Goldsmith supports his trade with Apprais-
  al.
  The Lawyer supports her speaking with Legal Knowledge.
  The Alien World-scout supports its scouting with Geology.
  • 
  What social or business Skill do you need to get ahead?
  Examples: The Goldsmith needs Haggling.
  The Lawyer needs Persuasion.
  The Alien World-scout needs to blend in using Disguise.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  25
  Germinant
  A Germinant is a mobile, awakened plant. Some of them have the 
  ability to turn other plants into Germinants. Awakened grass is 
  not very bright, but larger Germinants have human-level intelli-
  gence.
  Skills: Germinate*, Unnatural Growth
  Complications: Solar Powered
  *The Skill by which you awaken other plants.
  Daughter of the Governor
  This character grew up with every luxury and with access to ce-
  lebrities.
  Skills: Famous Friends (Connections), +1 Wealth
  Complications: Spoiled
  Born At Sea
  This character grew up on a merchant vessel.
  Skiils: Sailing, Languages
  Complications: Alcoholic
  Making a Setting
  You might want to pre-generate some Origins to fit a particular 
  setting. Groups can make lists of appropriate Skills and Compli-
  cations to create Origins appropriate to how they imagine those 
  people to be in their game. These help flavor your world. If you 
  are playing in an established world, whether it be published or 
  homemade, the task is to agree on lists that describe the Origins 
  as you collectively imagine them to be. The lists can have more or 
  fewer than two Skills and one Complication. Players will just pick 
  from the lists or not, depending on their vision of their character. 
  This is also a good place to include some Restricted Skills that are 
  only available to certain Origins in your setting.
  Origin exceptions
  Player characters are allowed and encouraged to be unique. If 
  that means swapping around parts of Origins, that is to be al-
  lowed. If you want to be a robot vampire, you could perhaps take 
  the Robot Origin and swap its Complication for the Vampire Or-
  igin’s. The point of this is to be able to execute a character concept, 
  so just talk to the group about it. If you’re in it for the right rea-
  sons, they won’t say no.
  Origins: Species and Cultures
  Your Background tells us what your character has been up to late-
  ly. Your Origin tells us where your character comes from. Your 
  Origin might be a type of creature like “Troll” or “Protocol Droid,” 
  or a demographic like “Dwarven Peasantry” or “Middle-Class 
  Suburbanite.” Work with your group to pick something appropri-
  ate to the tone of the game.
  Once you have named your Origin, you pick two Skills and one 
  Complication related to that Origin. If your Origin is wealthy, you 
  may add one to your Wealth score in lieu of one of the Skills.
  Sample Origins
  Here are some sample Origins. The first couple are what you 
  would traditionally think of as “fantasy races,” while the others 
  are more general.
  Lizard Nomad
  The Eastern Lizardfolk Nation spans the Great Steppes and its 
  warriors are known for their superb riding skills. Eastern Lizard 
  cuisine is world famous.
  Skills: Cooking, Horses
  Complications: Cold Blooded
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  26
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  Bodyswapper
  Bodyswappers are humans who have learned a secret method 
  to transfer their consciousness into the body of another and the 
  other’s consciousness into their own. They can use this power to 
  prolong their life indefinitely, infiltrate organizations, steal secrets, 
  and gain power. 
  Skills: Bodyswap*, Seduction, Deception, Impersonation
  Complications: Reviled, Double Life
  * This Skill is Restricted to Bodyswappers only. It may be rolled 
  Skilled or Unskilled by any Bodyswapper. Rolling it Unskilled 
  simply indicates a lack of proficiency with the method.
  Pel Jin
  The Pel Jin originated as a movement of genetically modified 
  people to the oceans to escape the overcrowding of the 26th cen-
  tury. Some Pel Jin today are totally aquatic, known as Deepers, 
  but most are capable of moving on land. They look mostly human 
  except for their gill covers, hairless heads and their webbed fin-
  gers and toes. The Pel Jin are the keepers of a great deal of ancient 
  technology that has been lost to the land.
  Skills: Ancient Tech, Healing Factor*
  Complications: Fish out of Water 
  * Pel Jin have medical nanobots in their bloodstream to help speed 
  recovery from injury and disease. This Skill is Restricted. It cannot 
  be rolled Unskilled.
  Fantasy Standby Origins
  Here are some Origins you might use if you were playing a kitchen 
  sink fantasy setting. They are written to be a bit silly because silly 
  is the way I play this sort of setting.
  Undead
  You were just a simple werewolf when you were bitten by a vam-
  pire. That was only the beginning of your troubles, and someone 
  came along and silver-staked you. Luckily you managed to work 
  out a deal with some goddess and you’re back as a Revenant to 
  kick butt and take revenge. Or maybe you’re just a wise-cracking 
  floating skull.
  Skills: Bloodsucking, Faking death, Turning*, Limited Shape-
  shifting, Being Totally Spooky
  Complications: Stench of the Grave, Insatiable Bloodlust, The 
  World is Full of Prejudice, Flesh Deficiency, Fatal Garlic Allergy
  * Turning is when you bite someone to turn them into the same 
  type of undead as you. When it works properly, the victim is most-
  ly loyal to you. You can take this Skill if you are a Vampire, Were-
  wolf, or Zombie. (It sort of works for skeletons, but it can take an 
  awful lot of bites to get rid of all that flesh). 
  Sample Setting Origins
  Here are some Origins that go with the sample scenario on page 
  172. You’ll notice that despite their differences, only one Origin 
  is fundamentally non-human. Each of these has at least two Skills 
  and at least one Complication, and where it has more, you can 
  just pick your favorites or make up your own if you don’t like the 
  ones listed.
  Shade
  Shades are the living remnants of dead humans. They lack the vi-
  tality and drive of the living, but have great knowledge. In general, 
  as shades age they gain more knowledge and lose their drive to 
  action. The oldest shades are content to live in their memories 
  and occasionally stir to help a researcher answer some question 
  of little import. 
  Skills: Stealth, Ancient History
  Complications: Incorporeal, Unfocused
  Chem
  Chems are a dying breed. They have no way to procreate and can-
  not repair their injuries, leaving many of them to live with disabil-
  ities for lack of parts or knowledge.
  Skills: Deep Analysis*, Endure Extreme Conditions
  Complications: Inhuman, Irreparable
  * Deep Analysis is essentially a level of mathematics and comput-
  ing power that is unavailable to non-Chems. The Skill is Restricted 
  to Chems only. It can be rolled Skilled or Unskilled by Chems.
  Human
  Humans. They’re more or less like us. Some of them practice mag-
  ic. Some are keepers of ancient technologies. Some are clever or 
  wise, and some are stupid, craven, and dishonest. Some humans 
  have minor psychic abilities, a legacy of a past Aeon’s genetic sci-
  ence.
  Skills: Cantrips*, Any
  Complications: Any
  * Cantrips are minor psychic effects—small sensory illusions, 
  lights, temperature effects, and moving small objects are all fair 
  game. No telepathy. Cantrips are Restricted. Only Humans may 
  take the Skill at character creation and it may not be rolled Un-
  skilled.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  27
  Kobold
  Everyone always underestimates the plucky Kobold! Play a Ko-
  bold if you want to be the underdog and know everything there 
  is to know about traps and dungeons—you helped create the darn 
  things after all! Kobolds are by nature extremely cautious, but 
  those who refuse to conform to that stereotype tend to take it to 
  the opposite extreme.
  Skills: Traps, Caves, Kidnapping, Wisecracking
  Complications: Craven, Foolhardy
  Dark Elf
  Have you ever wanted to play the dark mysterious loner? Who 
  hates his oppressive mother? Did you want to play it in every 
  game? Then you want to play a Dark Elf.
  Skills: Brooding, Oppressing, Fighting Oppression
  Complications: Mommy Issues, Unconventional Beauty
  Barbarian
  You’re from one of those peoples that eat weird food, frighten the 
  city-dwellers, and pride themselves on their independence and 
  self-sufficiency. You might be a funny color, like green, which is 
  natural camouflage on top of its obvious aesthetic benefits. 
  Skills: Taboo-breaking, Hunting, Straight Talk
  Complications: Uncouth Customs, Foul Odor, Repressed Dark 
  Side
  Divine Spark
  In your veins flows the blood of the gods—or of demons. Or per-
  haps your birth was blessed or cursed by the great powers of the 
  world. You may or may not bear the marks of divinity.
  Skills: Divine Connections, Blessing*
  Complications: Marked, Cursed*, Divine Enemy*, Scapegoat
  *You might be blessed with a supernatural ability such as inhu-
  man endurance or an aura of inspiration. Equally, you might be 
  cursed. You might be hunted by the agents of a God or by demon-
  ic hordes. When you pick any of these, specify the details so you 
  can use them in play.
  Dwarf
  Play a Dwarf if you want to be the best. Dwarves are unrivaled 
  at pretty well everything. Everybody knows that Dwarves are the 
  strongest and toughest fighters, that they make the best items and 
  the best beer, sing the best songs, have the most bling, and have by 
  far the best beards. 
  Skills: Drunking*, Metalworking, Singing, Tunneling
  Complications: Dwarven Supremacy (It’s not that you think 
  you’re better than everyone else. It’s that you are better and they 
  can’t seem to handle the truth. Especially those snooty Elves.)
  *Drunking is the Dwarvish art of drinking a lot and pretending 
  to be drunk. In addition to being just plain fun, it’s useful for hus-
  tling, scamming, and generally getting away with things that you’d 
  never get away with sober.
  Elf
  Play an Elf if you want to be the best. Elves are unrivaled at pretty 
  well everything. Everybody knows that elves are the smartest and 
  most skilled fighters, that they make the best items and the best 
  wine, sing the best songs, and don’t need any bling to look better 
  than everyone else.
  Skills: Archery, Singing, History of the Ages, Animal Handling
  Complications: Elvish Supremacy (It’s not that you think you’re 
  better than everyone else. It’s that you are better and they can’t 
  seem to handle the truth. Especially those boorish Dwarves.)
  Monster-person
  You’re like a dragon, but also a dude! Or you’re a woman with the 
  head and arms of a giant praying mantis! You’re basically a mon-
  ster, but you’re also a person who can talk and walk and do people 
  things. Best of both worlds.
  Skills: Revulsion, Intimidation, Special Anatomy Skill*
  Complications: The World is Full of Prejudice, Anatomical Dif-
  ficulties*
  * Your monstrous side makes some tasks easier and others hard-
  er. For instance, if you have giant praying mantis arms, you are 
  probably great at snatching flying monkeys out of the air, but pret-
  ty poor at making balloon animals or sharing an arm-rest at the 
  theater. 
  Magical Robot
  You’re a magical robot. How cool is that?! You could act like Bend-
  er. Bender is hilarious and nobody ever gets tired of him. 
  Skills: Lifting, Bending, Math, Enduring Elements
  Complications: Too Heavy, Too Noisy
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  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  ers need to be able to count on the inherent effectiveness of their 
  characters, which is sacrosanct. Their gear is not.
  Some items go beyond the narrative effects and demand addi-
  tional mechanics. Use your imagination and pick something that 
  makes sense for your specific situation. In general, if you want to 
  acquire one of these items, you’ll have to either roll for it or pay 
  some price—it doesn’t do to give away these powerful benefits for 
  free. Giving such items as treasure to reward players for clearing a 
  dungeon or defeating a difficult enemy or exploring a secret pas-
  sage is of course acceptable—in fact it’s practically required. Loot 
  has long been a core part of roleplaying games.
  Possible benefits
  Grant Advantage with a specific Skill or Skills
  A skinsuit or an Elvish cloak that gives an Advantage to stealth rolls.
  Ignore certain Disadvantages
  Night vision goggles allow you to ignore Disadvantages to using the 
  Observation Skill in darkness. 
  A reactive nav-system that lets you ignore Disadvantages to maneu-
  vering in the debris field.
  Grant a Skill
  A loop of blessed rope that grants the bearer the Spirit Binding Skill.
  A knotted rat’s tail that allows one to communicate with rodents.
  Help clear Conditions
  A potion of health that can heal any Injury instantly.
  Stimulants to temporarily ignore being Winded.
  Grant a Trick
  A scroll containing the Knock spell. 
  An app you can install in your wearable computer to analyse some-
  one’s emotional state and know if they are being deceptive.
  Items like this are great: they are easily balanced because a player 
  needs to spend an Action Point to gain the full benefit of the Trick.
  Any of the above conditionally
  The loop of rope only allows you to use Spirit Binding in the daytime 
  and does nothing from dusk ‘til dawn. 
  The skinsuit cannot fool robots or computerized surveillance.
  Any of the above with a price
  You must invest a spark of your vital energy into the rod of power 
  before you can use it. Spend an Action Point. 
  When you take the drugs to ignore Winded, you will be Exhausted 
  when their effects end.
  The typical prices are spending Action Points and gaining Condi-
  tions, as those things are well balanced, but feel free to change it 
  up if you have a cool idea.
  The Characters’ Stuff
  Equipment, Loot, Magical Items, and More
  This section tells you all the many options you can use when cre-
  ating powerful items and advises you on best practices for this 
  game. Players wishing to acquire items or claiming that their char-
  acter would be carrying certain items already must look to their 
  Skills. Assuming that their Skills are appropriate to the object in 
  question, the GM must either say yes or ask the player to roll dice. 
  Most of these items won’t have any special mechanics attached. 
  They may be very powerful nonetheless.
  Example: The Holy Entrencher. This most sacred of blessed 
  shovels allows the wielder to dig all day long without ever tir-
  ing. The undead may not cross any ditch dug with this item.
  Items in the hands of the players are in an interesting position 
  because while the characters are in control of their use, the GM 
  has control over their downsides and also their existence. The dif-
  ference between Complications and Flaws is instructive—the GM 
  cannot use the players’ Complications to give them Disadvantage, 
  but Flaws are fair game. The GM cannot generally change a char-
  acter’s personality when a player rolls a Twist, but the GM can 
  certainly damage, corrupt, or even remove items as a Twist. Play-
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  29
  gets his benefit if he wants to use his armor to impress or if he 
  wants to sell or trade it. That is to say that one set of armor gives 
  a narrative bonus while the other gives a mechanical one in the 
  form of a Flaw.
  Nevertheless, sometimes you want to give an item another me-
  chanical downside to balance its upsides:
  Disallow certain Skills entirely
  Casting magic in metal armor. 
  Swimming while wearing a Mech-Assist Combat Suit.
  Grant a Condition when you use it
  A powerful artifact that brings a Curse on those who use it. 
  A book that drives the reader mad, giving the Shattered Condition.
  Pay money or resources when you use it
  A rocket launcher: rockets aren’t free! 
  A super-laser powered by diamonds.
  Owe a Favor when you use it
  A sentient spear with its own agenda. 
  A passkey given to you by a shady dealer who wants you in her debt.
  Any of the above conditionally
  The artifact only curses those who use it for their own gain. 
  You won’t owe the dealer any Favors as long as you only use the 
  passkey against her rival.
  These lists are not comprehensive. Be creative with items and 
  give them personality.
  Improving and Upgrading
  It’s appropriate for some items to have better benefits than oth-
  ers. Characters might replace items with better ones over time, or 
  modify existing items to improve them. Their first suit of armor 
  might give the benefit “Once per combat, when an enemy hits 
  you, you may force them to reroll that attack and use the worse 
  result.” Finding a much better suit, they might instead get the 
  benefit “Once per combat, when an enemy hits you, they instead 
  miss.” Bringing this suit to the greatest craftsman in the land for 
  improvements, they might get the same benefit as before with an 
  additional benefit of “Whenever an enemy hits you with a roll of 
  6, treat it as though they rolled a 5 instead.” 
  Mysterious Items
  The special uses and abilities of items, not to mention their down-
  sides, are not always clear to players at first. This can be true about 
  simple things like potions found in an alchemist’s lab, or it can be 
  true about artifacts of great importance. Sometimes a little mys-
  tery is a lot of fun. Just make sure everyone is on the same page 
  about this and don’t go overboard with it. Dragging a pile of junk 
  back to town and paying someone to cast “identify item” on it all 
  is the opposite of a fun mystery.
  Grant Action Points under certain conditions
  A bloodthirsty sword that grants the bearer an Action Point each 
  time it tastes the blood of the innocent. 
  A Holy Relic that grants an Action Point each time the bearer de-
  stroys a vampire.
  Be careful with this one. These items are powerful and players 
  really shouldn’t be getting more than one free Action Point per 
  session unless it comes with an associated price on the magnitude 
  of a Twist. Using Complications, Action Points and their Tricks, 
  players can trade Twists for guaranteed Successes. If you give away 
  Action Points too freely they have no reason to use their Compli-
  cations and the economy falters.
  Grant a combat benefit
  A Mech-Assist Combat Suit that can stop a fatal blow but cannot be 
  repaired once broken. 
  A tower shield that allows your allies to take cover behind you. 
  Be careful with this one as well. Encounter Powers are good, but 
  you don’t want your players to have so many that they don’t use 
  their Class and Role powers. Training or items may allow you 
  to gain another Class At-Will Power, giving you more versatili-
  ty while staying balanced. Constant benefits are hard to balance. 
  Conditional benefits are easier. If you don’t know what this means 
  yet, no worries—come back after you’ve read the Tactical Combat 
  rules.
  Note: Armor should generally not grant damage resistance: it’s 
  too powerful and stacks inappropriately with other abilities. What 
  armor does best is let you survive a blow that should take you out. 
  A suit of armor might allow you to spend an Action Point to stand 
  up with 1 HP after being Taken Out once per combat.
  For combat, I like limited-use items and items that have a chance 
  of breakage because it limits the risk the GM takes when they de-
  sign those items. If they screw up and the item is unbalanced, ev-
  eryone knows that it’ll only be unbalanced for a few combats and 
  then you can be rid of it. If it turns out to be balanced and fun, it’s 
  easy to come up with ways to give the player such powers perma-
  nently. To resolve items with a chance of breakage, just roll a die 
  each time it’s used. On a 1, the item is broken. Even if an item is 
  not limited-use, the GM is within their rights to break it or take it 
  away as a Concession at the end of combat.
  Downsides
  Lots of items have downsides. Your plate armor is noisy and heavy, 
  your rope is frayed and weak, your axe marks you as a foreigner, 
  your staff has a mind of its own. The easiest way to give items 
  downsides is by attaching Flaws. Recall that a Flaw is just like a 
  Complication, with the difference that the GM can give Disadvan-
  tage for it. Flawed items are great because they let players get their 
  characters in trouble without making them feel like they are being 
  punished as players. It also means that better is not always better 
  —chainmail might come with the Flaw “heavy,” which could earn 
  an Action Point when swimming or climbing or whatever, while 
  a Dwarf’s mithril shirt has no such Flaw and no such option. He 
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  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  Relationships: Friends and Foes
  Relationships can be simply people the characters know, but cer-
  tain relationships can also have mechanical weight. Here’s how I 
  like to handle it. Each character has a list of relationships including 
  anyone who is a recurring character. They may spend an Action 
  Point to have one of their relationships come in and change the 
  situation. The relationship may be saving the characters from im-
  mediate danger, providing them with a new lead when the trail 
  has gone cold or anything else as long as the arrival changes in a 
  big way what’s going on in the scene or between scenes. 
  Example: Big Chuck is about to be sacrificed on the stone 
  altar when a helicopter appears and his sometime nemesis Nala 
  jumps out, shooting the Celebrant in the head. She throws 
  Chuck over her shoulder and the helicopter whisks them both 
  away. Chuck is out of the frying pan, but everyone knows Nala 
  is not saving him out of the goodness of her heart. 
  Here’s the catch: it’s not always an ally who comes to save you and 
  you don’t always get to choose who it is. The player rolls a die. On 
  a 4-6, they choose which relationship arrives. On a 1-3, the GM 
  chooses. When the GM chooses, they may choose to add a new 
  relationship to the list if they want to use this opportunity to in-
  troduce a new character that has been waiting in the wings. It’s the 
  GM’s job to play NPCs, so regardless of who appears it’s always up 
  to the GM to decide the relationship’s motivation for coming into 
  the scene. If you’re lost, use the following guideline: if the player 
  got to choose who showed up, they should be mostly helpful. If 
  Items and the World
  Powerful and important items should be tied into the world. 
  Where did they come from? Who used them before? How did 
  they end up where they are now? What do the legends or rumors 
  say? What are the item’s secrets? The answers to these questions 
  not only make the item more interesting but also give the players 
  more insight into the world.
  Example: The Stooping Falcon was once owned by Garrad 
  the Slave Lord. The torture devices were turned into attractive 
  but transgressive furniture by its next owner, the dashing Erryn 
  Floll. Rumor has it that Erryn had a secret compartment full of 
  the best recreational pharmaceuticals money can buy. It is also 
  known that this is one of the few ships ever built that is capable 
  of mounting a full-size Baranese Phase-Slider. Too bad nobody 
  has built one of those in decades. What did Garrad do with his? 
  Legendary Artifacts
  Powerful items change those who wield them, but are themselves 
  changed by their wielders. An item of this sort may become more 
  powerful or may become better-suited to its owner’s needs, but 
  only if the owner changes their behavior to suit the item. This 
  process of attunement, of changing the character to suit the item, 
  is completely under the player’s control; the GM won’t force any 
  changes on the character. But the changes are not necessarily con-
  scious on the part of the character.
  Example: A shiny sword with a beautiful golden hilt owned 
  by a Titan-hunter. If the owner attunes herself to the sword by 
  improving her rather slovenly habits, wearing fancy clothes, 
  and making an effort to speak in a more civilized way, the 
  weapon might gain a bonus against Titans as it attunes to its 
  owner.
  Example: The Stooping Falcon has traits of both of its past 
  owners, the slaver and the dandy. Now that it’s in Smuggler Sal’s 
  hands, he can attune with it by treating his crew harshly or by 
  entertaining wealthy guests, or ideally both. In return, the ship’s 
  AI might become better at forging and misrepresenting cargo 
  manifests, it might reveal its secret compartments, or it might 
  get better at spinning up quickly for getaways.
  Although the character does not necessarily approve of or even 
  know of the influence the artifact is having, the player is always 
  on board. This is a fun option to offer a player who is interested in 
  having their character adapt in this way, not a burden to foist on a 
  player who isn’t interested.
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  31
  Factions as Relationships
  You might have a relationship with somebody who is unlikely to 
  make personal appearances—that’s okay, because you don’t need 
  them to physically show up. They might phone you or contact you 
  remotely or maybe you look around and realize that they were 
  here earlier and left you a hidden message. They might have an or-
  ganization behind them that they can use. So when you use your 
  relationship with Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents might show up 
  instead of him. That’s cool too. With this sort of relationship, pac-
  ing can be important—having S.H.I.E.L.D. agents show up a few 
  times first can make it all the cooler when Nick Fury shows up in 
  person, but one must be careful to give the player the full benefit 
  of their relationship.
  Going beyond this, it’s possible to have a faction as a relationship. 
  Maybe you have a relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of with 
  Nick Fury, or a hateful relationship with Romulans. Be creative 
  and feel free to play around with what a relationship means, but 
  try to make it more personal whenever you can. A relationship 
  with Nick Fury is cooler, more interesting and more versatile than 
  a relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick doesn’t always have to show 
  up himself. You use a faction relationship in situations where a 
  single person just doesn’t work.
  Quick Session Generation
  You can use relationships to generate session ideas that are rel-
  evant to your characters in the following very simple way. Each 
  character contributes two NPCs or factions with whom they have 
  a relationship and the GM contributes two NPCs or factions of 
  her choice that are not relationships. Insert one blank. Randomly 
  pick three from this pool. You could do this by drawing names 
  from a hat or rolling dice. Once you have your three selected, pick 
  two that are in conflict and figure out what that conflict is and 
  how the players might be involved. The third also has an interest 
  in the conflict or has a tangential interest that involves them in the 
  vicinity. If the blank token is picked, that indicates the birth of a 
  new faction or major NPC. The first two NPCs or factions are in 
  conflict, the players are involved, but partway through the session 
  this new force comes in and twists the scenario. Keep the unused 
  names for later in case you want a prompt for a Twist. If the con-
  flict is playing out predictably, bringing in somebody unexpected 
  may be just what is required.
  the GM got to choose, they should be helpful but with darker in-
  tentions (or at least intentions not so much in line with what the 
  character wanted). This is just a guideline, not a rule. If you have 
  a really good idea, don’t let the guideline get in your way. Use the 
  motivation that makes the most sense for the character.
  If you’re using these rules, you should be sure to include a good 
  mix of antagonists, allies, and everything in between as relation-
  ships. This section was inspired by The Dresden Files, in which 
  Harry Dresden is constantly being saved by his dog and his 
  friends, but also by his enemies and others who want to keep him 
  alive for their own purposes.
  Sometimes when a relationship arrives there’s a price. Nala may 
  save you, but she may also steal your notebook while she’s at it.
  I like this system for two reasons. First, it means you can make the 
  characters’ lives complicated, dangerous, and brutal. You can cap-
  ture people and threaten them with certain death, secure in the 
  knowledge that even if they fail to escape they can spend an Ac-
  tion Point to survive. Second, it helps make the plots more intri-
  cate and introduces new layers to the story in an improvisational 
  way. What might be initially a straightforward scheme to foil can 
  turn out to be more complicated when a relationship shows up 
  and you need to figure out what interest they have in the scheme. 
  Depending on the tone of your game, there are two variant ways 
  of handling this that might apply. If you want fewer twists and 
  turns, and you want the mechanic to be more of a “pay a point 
  to save your butt” rule, the player may always choose which re-
  lationship arrives. If you want more surprises and want there to 
  be greater consequences for players getting themselves into a bad 
  spot, the GM may always choose.
  There is a temptation to have a long list of relationships right away, 
  but in practice it can become hard to use if the lists are too long. 
  I’d advise starting with a short list: each character may start with 
  one ally, one enemy, and one relationship somewhere in between. 
  Further relationships are generated naturally through play. Play-
  ers make new friends, acquaintances, and enemies. Not every one 
  goes on the list—the rabid wolf may be an enemy, but it’s not ex-
  actly good relationship material. Characters should go on the list 
  when they spark enough interest that the group wants them to be 
  recurring. Some characters go on every player’s list (the Duke is 
  an antagonist to the whole group) or only on certain players’ lists 
  (Jody and Jon’s stepmother is a relationship for them, not for their 
  bodyguard SONY 5-L).
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  32
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  tage, you still receive the Action Points for succeeding when you 
  have both Advantage and Disadvantage. If you play your cards 
  right with Advantage and Helping, you can often make those rolls.
  Clarification: When a custom roll from any of these Advances 
  gets you a Bonus (e.g. when you roll a 6) and the custom roll does 
  not specify what a Bonus gets you, you may pick the Bonus as 
  usual.
  General Advances
  Expert
  (you may pick this more than once)
  Pick a specific task and Skill. When doing that task with that Skill, 
  you gain a Bonus on a roll of 4 or 5 (as though you had rolled a 6).
  Master
  (requires Expert; you may pick this more than once)
  When doing your chosen task with your chosen Skill, you gain a 
  Bonus on any roll, so long as your choice of Bonus does not con-
  tradict or invalidate the Twist.
  Special Communication
  You can communicate with something most people cannot (e.g. 
  animals, spirits, trees, doors). You have access to an appropriate 
  Restricted Skill. When you use this Skill to help another character, 
  you have Advantage on your helping roll.
  Note: Having access to a Restricted Skill means that you are al-
  lowed to roll it where others are not. You remain Unskilled, but if 
  you use it often, you’ll learn it soon enough by rolling a 6.
  Special Helpers
  (requires Special Communication)
  When you use your special communication Skill as a Linked Roll 
  and Succeed, in addition to getting Advantage on the next roll, 
  you also get a Helping roll.
  Emotional Power
  Work with the GM and your group to create an Emotional Power 
  as described on page 73.
  Favored Enemy
  Pick one specific type of foe, such as dragons, robots, or Yakuza. 
  You have Advantage on rolls to recall details about these foes and 
  their weaknesses. You may use Assess as a Free Action once per 
  combat when fighting them. 
  Reskinning Kits
  If you want to take a Kit and use its mechanics but modify some 
  of its descriptions, that is generally allowed. When you get to the 
  Tactical Combat section you will read more about reskinning 
  (page 98). While you will be encouraged to reskin your combat 
  Class and Role extensively, you have less freedom when it comes 
  to Kits. If you want to be a Knife-slinger instead of a Gunslinger, 
  go right ahead. But you can’t be a cocky hacker Computer-slinger 
  because most of the Gunslinger’s Advances make no sense in the 
  context of computer hacking. If you want to go beyond what you 
  can accompish with reskinning, you’ll need to look into making 
  your own Custom Advances (page 55).
  Kits
  These are Kits. Kits are an optional way to expand player choices. 
  They do not override the core Skills system, but rather are intend-
  ed as bonuses to it. The powers contained herein do not imply 
  that you can’t use basic Skills to achieve something that the Kit 
  makes easier. They are, after all, optional, and the game works just 
  fine without them. With that said, I think that you will be excited 
  by what you see here and I hope that they will help inspire cool 
  characters and roleplaying in your game.
  At level 1, pick a Kit. You get what it says under the heading and 
  you also pick an Advance. Get another Advance at every odd level. 
  When you get an Advance, it can be from your Kit or it can be a 
  general Advance, or it can be the base of another Kit if you want 
  to join a second. The one restriction is on “poaching.” Poaching is 
  where you take an Advance from another Kit without having the 
  base. You may only ever poach one Advance total.
  What if you look at these Kits and decide that none of them fit? 
  Well, you can get by just taking general Advances at first, or write 
  your own. If you don’t start with a Kit, just start with any two Ad-
  vances from the General Advances or Mini-Kits.
  Clarification: Recall that when you have both Advantage and Dis-
  advantage, they effectively cancel out, but that you are still consid-
  ered to have both, not neither. Thus, when an Advance gives you 
  Action Points for succeeding at something despite a Disadvan-
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  33
  7 Blurred Vision, Steady Hands
  You never have Disadvantage to your shooting for being Wind-
  ed, Exhausted, drunk, poisoned, or otherwise intoxicated. Major 
  Conditions do not affect your shooting.
  8 I Dare You
  In a duel, you can choose to let your opponent shoot first (me-
  chanically, give them Advantage). If you win the duel anyway, gain 
  two Action Points.
  9 Hold It Right There
  When you confront a villain in the process of doing wrong to oth-
  ers, they must choose:
  • 
  Focus on you, allowing the bystanders to get away.
  • 
  Continue with their plan, granting you Advantage.
  10 Use the Scenery
  When you use the environment as part of a Linked Roll to set up 
  your next move and succeed, roll three dice instead of two on the 
  target roll.
  Suggested Feat
  Steady Hands – This Feat simply extends the benefit of the Ad-
  vance to combat: you never suffer Disadvantage for being Winded 
  or Exhausted. Your attack rolls are not penalized for Major Con-
  ditions, although all other rolls still are (e.g. Saving Throws, Ini-
  tiative).
  The Gunslinger
  You are a gunslinger. That means that you are flashy, skillful, and 
  proud. When someone challenges you to a duel, you gain an Ac-
  tion Point if you accept. When you challenge someone else to a 
  duel, announcing their crimes to all, they must accept or else suf-
  fer Disadvantage on all social interactions until you pardon them 
  or they defeat you in some way.
  Reskinning: Of course, this kit works just fine for an archer with 
  a bit of reskinning. But it also works well for a swordslinger—a 
  samurai, for instance, or a musketeer, as long as you ignore the 
  “Long Shot” Advance.
  High Noon
  If you’re using the gunslinger kit, you might want some simple 
  Dueling rules, so here they are: Make an Opposed Roll. That’s it! 
  The rules for Opposed Rolls were made with just this sort of thing 
  in mind. Losing and choosing “it costs you less than you expect-
  ed” might mean that the shot went right through the muscle, leav-
  ing you ready for action. Choosing “it costs them more than they 
  expected” might mean that you shot them, too, even if they won.
  Advances
  1 Always Draw
  Always draw when someone else draws. Even if you can’t see them 
  or don’t know they’re there. If they are armed, so are you.
  2 Always carry a spare
  When you are disarmed, you have a backup. You always have extra 
  ammo, too.
  3 Trick Shot
  When you succeed at a trick shot despite having Disadvantage 
  based on that difficulty (e.g. shooting a chandelier at just the right 
  moment, or planning a ricochet), gain two Action Points. 
  4 Long Shot
  When you succeed at a long shot despite having Disadvantage be-
  cause of the incredible distance, gain two Action Points.
  5 Trash Talk
  When you trash talk an opponent you just embarrassed, the GM 
  must pick one of the following:
  • 
  They storm off and lose face.
  • 
  They talk back, revealing a secret.
  • 
  They get aggressive, making a blunder.
  6 On the Other Foot
  When an opponent has a gun to your head, and you manage to 
  turn the tables, gain two Action Points.
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  34
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  3 False Mind
  When a mind reader probes you, instead of rolling to resist, you 
  may make an Opposed Roll to deceive them using an appropriate 
  Skill. If you win by three or more, get all four of the following. If 
  you win by one or two, pick three. If you tie, pick two. If you lose 
  by one or two, pick one. If you lose by three or more, they read 
  everything and you are Exhausted.
  • 
  They believe their incursion went undetected, or that they 
  overcame your resistance.
  • 
  You choose what thoughts or false thoughts they read.
  • 
  You read their thoughts while they are inside your mind.
  • 
  You are not Exhausted.
  4 Hallucination
  When you create a hallucination in the minds of your target(s), 
  roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success, pick two. With a Bonus, pick three:
  • 
  You tune it to their vulnerabilities. You can impel them to 
  action (e.g. to run or to fight).
  • 
  You fix it in their mind. They will not forget a single detail.
  • 
  You make the unreal seem possible. The hallucination can 
  differ greatly from reality.
  • 
  You can maintain it for more than a minute, or through at-
  tempts to disprove it.
  On a Twist, pick one. Also, parts of the hallucination seep out and 
  affect everyone else around you.
  With a Cost, your hold on reality is weakened. You have Disad-
  vantage to all rolls as long as you maintain the illusion in the mind 
  of your target.
  5 Mind Rend
  When you create physical pain in the mind of your target, roll an 
  appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, you may cause as much pain as you 
  like for as long as you like, and if you so choose, when they recover 
  they might have lost some of their sanity.
  On a Success, the pain leaves them badly distracted and incapable 
  of sophisticated tasks.
  On a Twist, they experience a painful headache that they can work 
  through but have Disadvantage on Opposed Rolls.
  With a Cost, you suffer from a splitting headache yourself. This 
  counts as a Minor Condition that applies to any rolls where you 
  use your psychic powers.
  The Psychic
  You can sense the surface emotions of the people around you. You 
  can tell if somebody is being deceptive, although you won’t nec-
  essarily be able to distinguish when someone is lying and when 
  they are merely holding back. You can sense when a mind reader 
  is probing you and roll to resist their incursion. 
  Advances
  1 Reliable Telepath
  You can communicate with others mentally, sending thoughts and 
  reading those thoughts they permit. You can do so whenever you 
  can see the target, regardless of who they are. If you have commu-
  nicated mentally with them before, you can do so when you know 
  their approximate location. If you have a close bond with them 
  and have been in their head many times, you do not need to know 
  their location at all. If you do not meet these conditions, you must 
  roll your Skill normally to establish a connection.
  2 Mind Scan
  When you read someone’s mind, roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success with a Bonus, ask any three questions you like. They 
  must answer truthfully.
  On a Success, pick one of the following:
  • 
  You read all their surface thoughts. You know what they are 
  thinking of now.
  • 
  You probe for one particular thing. Ask one question.
  On a Twist, you find yourself vulnerable. Pick one:
  • 
  Probe aggressively. Same as a Success, but you reveal a secret 
  to your target. The GM will ask you a question and you must 
  answer truthfully.
  • 
  Probe defensively. You get a random impression. The GM will 
  tell you what.
  With a Cost, pick one:
  • 
  Probe unsubtly. They know you were reading them.
  • 
  Probe tentatively. There is a Flaw in what you get. The GM 
  will say what.
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  35
  10 Speak With Ghosts
  Using your telepathy, you can read the psychic residues and com-
  municate in a limited way with what impressions were left behind. 
  When you do, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, the residue is coherent. Ask away.
  On a Success, pick one: 
  • 
  The residue is fragile. You get one question. Make it count.
  • 
  The residue is partial. You may only ask questions relating to 
  their final moments
  • 
  The residue is incoherent. Ask away, but the answers will be 
  cryptic.
  On a Success with a Cost, the dead will ask a Favor of you in re-
  turn. If you fail to return the Favor, instead of getting a Bad Rep-
  utation, you will be Haunted. (Haunted is a Minor Condition. 
  Which tasks it affects and how you can be rid of it are up the the 
  GM to determine.)
  On a Twist with no Cost, the dead will answer only once you do 
  them a service. The GM will tell you what.
  On a Twist with a Cost, they react badly and psychically assault 
  you. You have the Haunted Condition until you leave the area. 
  They will drop a hint during the assault—the GM tells you what.
  11 Detect Minds
  You always know how many minds are in the room, even if you 
  can’t see everybody. If the number in the room is ever different 
  than what you can see, the GM must tell you.
  12 Memory Wipe
  When you erase your target’s memories, roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success with a Bonus, you wipe the memories permanently 
  and choose what replaces them.
  On a Success, you do a decent job, but cannot erase all evidence. 
  You may choose what replaces the memory in question, but the 
  old memories will resurface eventually. Or, you may erect a per-
  manent block—the target will know that they are missing some-
  thing, but will not be able to access it.
  On a Twist, you wipe their memory but make a mess. The target 
  will be able to put the pieces together soon.
  With a Cost, you have to give up one of your own memories 
  to make a connection. It has to be meaningful for you or else it 
  wouldn’t hold. What memory will you give up?
  6 Emotional Manipulation
  You may use your telepathy to attempt to change the emotional 
  state of those you are reading. When you do, roll an appropriate 
  Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, you pick their new emotion.
  On a Success, you may pick their new emotion, but it must be 
  “adjacent” to their original state. (E.g. you could turn jealousy into 
  rage, or go the other direction to grudging admiration).
  On a Twist, the target has an unexpected reaction to the emo-
  tion you just gave them. The GM decides the reaction. (E.g. you 
  expected the rage to incite them to violence, but instead it drove 
  them to run from the room in tears)
  With a Cost, you also pick one:
  • 
  You work hard: You are Exhausted.
  • 
  You slack off: The target gets the feeling they are being messed 
  with.
  7 Suggestion
   When you use your telepathy to implant a suggestion in an unsus-
  pecting target, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, your suggestion takes root and they 
  will defend their actions stubbornly, using rationalizations to ex-
  plain why it made sense at the time.
  On a Success, your suggestion takes hold, but pick one. On a Suc-
  cess with a Cost, get both:
  • 
  Go easy: They will think better of it in a minute.
  • 
  Be blatant: They become suspicious of you and will resist fu-
  ture attempts.
  On a Twist (with or without a Cost), the GM will pick one:
  • 
  Your suggestion is there, but they are fighting it. They are con-
  flicted and confused for a minute before their sense prevails.
  • 
  They carry out your suggestion in entirely the wrong way.
  8 Astral Projection
  Using your telepathy, you can go into a trance and send your mind 
  to another plane of existence. What you find there depends on the 
  setting. You are encouraged to work with your GM to come up 
  with a Custom Roll that works for your setting. 
  9 Speak With Animals
  Using your telepathy, you can always understand and communi-
  cate with animals at least as intelligent as a parrot or raven. This 
  does not require a roll.
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  36
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  The Wayfarer
  When you enter a civilized place, whether you’ve visited before or 
  not, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, pick three from the list below. On a 
  Success, pick two. You know… 
  • 
  A good place to get room and board free or cheap.
  • 
  A good place to hide.
  • 
  A friend who owes you a favor.
  • 
  Where to arrange for resupply and travel.
  • 
  Where to find a specialist service. (E.g. a Navbot repair shop 
  or an underground pixie-fighting ring)
  • 
  Where to go to hear rumors.
  On a Twist, you still pick one, but you’re in trouble here. Describe 
  who is here and how you pissed them off on one of your journeys.
  With a Cost, you run into an old acquaintance to whom you owe 
  a Favor.
  When you enter a dangerous place, whether you’ve visited before 
  or not, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, pick three from the list below. On a 
  Success, pick two. You know… 
  • 
  A secret entrance or path.
  • 
  A good place to hide, recover or lay in ambush.
  • 
  A place your enemies like to lurk.
  • 
  A resource inside that you could use.
  • 
  A person inside who isn’t your enemy.
  • 
  An escape route.
  On a Twist, you still pick one, but you’ve also heard that this place 
  has a hidden danger. What is it?
  With a Cost, your information has a Flaw. What is it?
  Advances
  1 Return Visit
  When you enter a place you’ve visited before, the GM will tell you 
  how things have changed since you were last here. Afterward, you 
  may tell the group one other thing that has changed.
  13 Mind Control 
  (requires Mind Reader and Suggestion)
  You may enslave people to your will. That’s really creepy! Roll an 
  appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, they become your slave completely for 
  as long as you can maintain attention on it.
  On a Success, you enslave them for a few minutes, but pick one. 
  With a Cost, pick two:
  • 
  You control them only until they leave your sight.
  • 
  It takes all your attention to control them. You have Disad-
  vantage at everything else until you free them.
  • 
  They are fighting back hard. They have Disadvantage at what-
  ever you force them to do.
  • 
  It works, but they are privy to your thoughts while you con-
  trol them.
  On a Twist with no Cost, the GM will pick one of the following:
  • 
  You enslave them, but fall unconscious from the effort. You 
  may control them, but your own fate is uncertain.
  • 
  They are deceiving you. They will play along, and then sabo-
  tage your plan.
  • 
  You enslave them, but they forge a secret connection with 
  you. Henceforth they will be privy to your thoughts and 
  might affect you in subtle ways. If you kill them, that piece 
  of them will live on inside your mind and continue to be a 
  nuisance.
  On a Twist with a Cost, you are evenly matched. They resist you 
  and you are Exhausted, but so are they.
  Note: Hey, you don’t need me to tell you that Mind Control is 
  terrifying and socially unacceptable. Even when you succeed with 
  this move, expect serious consequences if your actions are ever 
  found out. And since you can’t control your victims while you 
  sleep, it seems inevitable that you will be found out.
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  37
  12 More Stuff To Do
  When you enter a town, roll a die to see what you need to do here. 
  6
  Make an important delivery.
  5
  Solve a mystery.
  4
  Rescue someone.
  3
  Get revenge.
  2
  Protect someone.
  1
  Steal or recover an object or animal.
  Is someone hiring you? Did you stumble into a situation? Did you 
  come here specifically for this? You get to fill in the details about 
  what you need to do and for whom. Of course, there will be a re-
  ward if you complete the mission. That part is up to the GM. Your 
  opposition is also up to the GM.
  13 Scout
  When you go off on your own scouting to find what lies ahead, 
  roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, you find out what is there and return to your group, 
  but pick one. On a Success with a Bonus, pick two:
  • 
  Scout quietly. You don’t get noticed.
  • 
  Scout thoroughly. You find the best approach. Ask the GM 
  what it is. You and your group have Advantage if you use that 
  approach.
  • 
  Scout carefully. You avoid any traps or dangers along the way.
  On a Twist, you find what is ahead, but run into trouble. Pick one:
  • 
  You missed your chance. Your path back is blocked. The GM 
  will say why.
  • 
  You hurried back and missed something crucial. The GM will 
  decide what to leave out.
  With a Cost, pick one:
  • 
  You stayed out too long. You are Winded.
  • 
  You didn’t stay long enough. There was a Flaw in your info. 
  The GM will say what.
  14 Local Color
  Whenever you travel to a new place, you can tell the party one 
  local legend, and it will have some element of truth to it (GM de-
  cides which part is true). When you entertain the group like this, 
  gain an Action Point.
  15 Itinerant Artist
  When you make a real-life cool drawing (or song or poem) about 
  a place you visit, a person you encounter, or a scene from the 
  game, your character does the same and you gain an Action Point.
  2 Souvenirs
  When something you bought or picked up to remind you of one 
  place comes in handy in another place, gain an Action Point. You 
  may only gain this once per item, so you need to keep collecting.
  3 Go Local
  When you pretend to be from a place you’re not from and fool a 
  local despite the Disadvantage, gain two Action Points.
  4 Trader
  When you look for goods to sell elsewhere, roll an appropriate 
  Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, you find items at a Wealth rank of your 
  choosing that will sell in the city or market of your choosing at a 
  rank one higher than you paid.
  On a Success, you pick either the type of items you found or the 
  city where they are in demand. The GM will pick the other one. 
  On a Twist, the GM picks both. 
  With a Cost, you also owe a Favor to the person who gave you 
  the tip.
  5 Logistics
  You get Advantage on rolls to find or arrange travel or supplies 
  for a journey.
  6 Polyglot
  You know every normal language you need to know. Secret lan-
  guages or codes are not included.
  7 Backtrack
  The return journey always seems to fly past with ease. You know 
  how to get past all the hazards. When you go back the way you 
  came, as long as you didn’t collapse the tunnels behind you or 
  something, just skip ahead to your destination. If anything major 
  changed on the route, the GM can stop you at that point and tell 
  you what you see.
  8 Hardy
  You do not have to pay any Costs on rolls to endure long journeys. 
  If a pacing roll (see page 70) gives the group a Condition due to 
  the fatigue of travel, you personally are exempt.
  9 Pit Stop
  Once per session, while you are traveling, you know of a special 
  stopping place where you and the party can recuperate at relative 
  ease and in safety. If pacing rolls are being used, this place is ex-
  empt.
  10 Perfect Sense of Direction
  When finding your way, you never take Disadvantage for not hav-
  ing a map or compass.
  11 Cartographer
  When you make a real-life map to share with the group, your 
  character makes such a map and you gain an Action Point. 
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  38
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  3 Captain
  (You may take this Advance twice if you want both a ship and a 
  fleet to accompany it.)
  You are the captain of a ship or fleet. Perhaps a sailing ship, air-
  ship, land ship, or space ship. For a fleet, perhaps a biker gang, 
  fighter squadron, or kayak raiders. You get to make rolls for your 
  ship or fleet. Mostly those rolls will be Unskilled, but see below.
  Your ship or fleet is… (Pick 2)
  • 
  Huge.
  • 
  Well-armed.
  • 
  Fast.
  • 
  Tough.
  • 
  Cheap and fast to repair.
  • 
  Stealthy.
  Roll on the Skilled chart when one of the traits you picked applies. 
  It also has a Flaw—you pick what.
  4 Upgraded Ship 
  (Requires Captain)
  You’ve put a lot of time and effort into your ship or fleet. Pick two 
  more from the list of features under Captain, and upgrade one you 
  had as follows:
  • 
  Gigantic.
  • 
  Bristling with weapons.
  • 
  Fast as lightning.
  • 
  Nearly invulnerable.
  • 
  Self-repairing.
  • 
  Nigh undetectable.
  This acts as a Trick when appropriate. Once per session you may 
  use this Trick to Succeed with a Bonus without paying an Action 
  Point.
  5 Perfect Loyalty
  Your gang members are perfectly loyal to you. They will never 
  crack and will die for you and your cause. They expect you to be 
  just as loyal to them, however. Gain an Action Point when you 
  put yourself at risk for a member of your crew. This Advance does 
  not mean that they will follow your every order instantly, just that 
  they won’t betray you. When you roll a 1 and your gang splits, no-
  body tries to turn on you—some of them just refuse to do it and 
  maybe they leave.
  The Boss
  A handful of people follow you and help you. They have some use-
  ful Skills. Pick 2 appropriate Skills for them. They also are Flawed. 
  Pick 1 Flaw for them. It has to be a real solid Flaw, though. The 
  other players will tell you if it’s lame. At the start of each adven-
  ture, roll a die. On a 6, Profit and a Bonus. On a 5, Profit. On a 4, 
  Profit and Dissent. On a 2-3, Twist. On a 1, Dissent and Twist.
  Profit means your gang has been doing great and accomplishing 
  their goals, whether that’s bringing in money or religious conver-
  sions or whatever. Dissent means that your gang is at odds with 
  itself, whether that takes the form of fighting, excess, angering 
  the local authorities, or whatever. Your gang has Disadvantage at 
  whatever it attempts until you Profit. Twist means the usual thing: 
  the GM makes something up related to your gang and their activ-
  ities. Define your gang’s Profit when you create it, although they 
  may change over time. When your gang Profits when they were 
  not in Dissent, you get Advantage on your next roll to ask them to 
  do something risky.
  When your orders are safe and sensible, you don’t have to con-
  vince them. They attempt what you ask.
  When you ask your gang to do something that sounds risky, stu-
  pid, or unnecessary, roll an appropriate leadership Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, they attempt it with Advantage.
  On a Success, they attempt it.
  On a Success with a Cost, you also owe them a Favor collectively.
  On a Twist, they balk. Pick one:
  • 
  You ease up. They back down or run away.
  • 
  You crack down. They do it, but afterwards there is Dissent.
  On a Twist with a Cost, they split. Some of them try to do it, but 
  with Disadvantage. The rest turn on you. Once you reassert con-
  trol, there will be Dissent.
  Advances
  1 A Growing Concern
  (you may take this Advance up to three times)
  Your gang is getting larger and better. Pick a Trick for them related 
  to one of their current Skills, and pick another two Skills. Once 
  per session you may use the Trick without paying an Action Point.
  2 Lieutenant
  You have a top-notch second-in-command. Pick 2 Skills and a 
  Flaw for them.
  Zerginwan Hydraliskoff (order #7757887)
  
  39
  10 Informants
  When a member of your crew you sent into danger to gather in-
  formation returns, roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success, they got the information you wanted.
  With a Bonus, they got more info. You say what they found and 
  the GM will elaborate.
  On a Twist, something went wrong. The GM will pick one: 
  • 
  Their information is misleading or out of date.
  • 
  Their information is correct, but if you send them back they 
  will be captured.
  • 
  Their information is correct, but they are playing both sides 
  and giving away your secrets.
  With a Cost, they had some trouble along the way. Describe the 
  source of trouble and pick one:
  • 
  You owe them a Favor. If you fail to pay back the Favor, the 
  gang will have Dissent.
  • 
  You need to reimburse them. You are Short.
  • 
  They can’t or won’t go out spying anymore.
  • 
  They can’t tell you all of it. The information has a Flaw.
  11 Specialized Help
  Pick a Skill you know. When your gang helps you with that Skill, 
  they have Advantage on the helping roll.
  12 Sugar Mama/Daddy
  When you spend your own wealth helping your people, gain an 
  Action Point.
  Suggested Feat
  Gang – In combat, you fight with your gang. Increase your size by 
  2 (e.g. from 1x1 to 3x3). You can occupy the same space as other 
  creatures and can move into their squares without granting Op-
  portunities. Your ranged attacks do not grant Opportunities to en-
  emies occupying your space. Once per round when you make an 
  attack, each enemy whose space you occupy takes 1 damage. Your 
  gang relies on you for leadership, so most Statuses are unchanged. 
  For example, your gang cannot move while you are Immobilized, 
  nor will they leave you when you are Grabbed, nor fight when you 
  are Stunned.
  6 Territory
  You are the protector of a people. A town, a shelter, a space station. 
  You are their leader. You have responsibilities. 
  At the start of each adventure, roll a die before you roll for your 
  gang.
  On a 6, things are great. You can even skim a little off the top. Get 
  a level 1 cash parcel.
  On a 5, there is political strife. Someone doesn’t like the way you’ve 
  been doing things, has support, and is ready to make a change.
  On a 4, the place is in need. The GM will say how. What you need 
  will take a level 2 Wealth roll or an appropriate Skill Roll.
  On a 3, a bad sort comes to town. Maybe a swindler, or a dealer of 
  illicit substances, or maybe a child with a strange illness.
  On a 2, there is trouble between your gang and the civilians. In-
  stead of rolling a die for your gang, it automatically gets Dissent. 
  The civilians are pissed off, too.
  On a 1, the place is under attack!
  Your place is… (Pick two)
  • 
  Easily defensible. (Advantage when defending the place from 
  attack.)
  • 
  Favoring your gang. (When there is trouble between your 
  gang and the civilians, instead of automatically getting Dis-
  sent, you make the usual roll but with Disadvantage.)
  • 
  Honest and open. (When a bad sort comes to town, you find 
  out before the rot takes root.)
  • 
  Self-sufficient. (When the place is in need, it only takes a level 
  1 Wealth Roll).
  • 
  Ideologically united. (When there is political trouble, it 
  doesn’t turn to violence.)
  • 
  Producing or extracting valuable goods. (The cash parcels 
  you can skim are level 2.)
  7 Home Improvements
  (requires Territory)
  Pick two more from the list in the Territory Advance. 
  8 Home Field Advantage
  (requires Territory)
  You have Advantage on any social rolls with outsiders when you 
  are on your own turf.
  9 You Can’t Hide
  When you find that somebody or something is hiding in your 
  gang (or in your Territory if you took that Advance), and you ask 
  for it to be brought out, it will be.
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  40
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  7 Invention
  When you attempt to implement your theory in reality, spend two 
  Insight Tokens for Advantage, or four for an automatic Success.
  8 Experiment
  When you make a scientific prediction as a Linked Roll and suc-
  ceed, you roll three dice and take the best instead of two. If you 
  were wrong, gain an Insight Token.
  9 Teaching Is Learning
  When you help someone with an Unskilled Roll and they get a 6 
  on the roll (whether or not your help mattered), gain an Action 
  Point and an Insight Token.
  10 Academic Colleagues
  When you fail to find knowledge and consult your mentor or col-
  leagues, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, they can tell you what you were missing.
  On a Twist, they don’t know, but you do learn something else in-
  teresting or useful, and you also learn where you could find the 
  information you seek.
  With a Bonus, you get an Insight Token along with whatever Bo-
  nus you choose.
  With a Cost, they are a bit reluctant. Pick one:
  • 
  You owe them a Favor.
  • 
  They won’t tell everything. The information has a Flaw. The 
  GM picks what.
  The Scholar
  When you discover something strange or inexplicable, gain an 
  Insight Token and write down the strangeness. You may spend 
  three Insight Tokens to have a eureka moment about one of the 
  things on your list. This is a sudden stroke of insight, equivalent to 
  rolling a 6 on a knowledge roll. And yes, this can be used to learn 
  knowledge Skills.
  Advances
  1 Polymath
  When you make an Unskilled knowledge roll, you may roll using 
  the Skilled table. If you do, and you roll a Bonus, you must choose 
  to learn the Skill.
  2 Broad Expertise
  Pick a fairly broad area of knowledge, such as History, Finance, 
  or Biology. You are an expert in that field. When researching or 
  recalling information in that field, you gain a Bonus on a roll of 4 
  or 5 (as though you had rolled a 6). 
  Note: You may take “Master” General Advances (page 32) using 
  this to meet the prerequisite, but they must be as specific as usual. 
  For example, you might pick European History Master based on 
  History Expertise or Botany Master based on Biology Expertise.
  3 Hands On Knowledge
  When you succeed at a roll to identify an object or its origin by 
  touch, smell, or taste, gain an Action Point.
  4 Library
  You have a large collection of knowledge available to you. When 
  you access it looking for information, ask the GM three related 
  questions and then roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, The GM will answer two of them.
  On a Twist, the GM will answer just one of the questions.
  With a Bonus, you may ask one follow-up question based on those 
  answers. Your follow-up cannot be a question the GM did not an-
  swer.
  With a Cost, one of the answers will have a Flaw. The GM will tell 
  you what it is.
  5 Bestiary
  You have Advantage on rolls to recall details about monsters and 
  their weaknesses. You may use Assess as a Free Action once per 
  combat when fighting monsters. This is essentially a broader ver-
  sion of Favored Enemy.
  6 Specialist
  Pick a specific topic. Eureka moments about that topic only cost 
  2 Insight Tokens.
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  41
  3 My Hero
  (requires Bumbling)
  When an ally saves you from danger despite the Disadvantage of 
  your bumbling around, they get an Action Point.
  4 Adventurous
  You don’t start off with the same kinds of amazing powers others 
  have, but you’re willing to throw in and try anyway. When you 
  succeed on an Unskilled Roll despite a Disadvantage, gain two 
  Action Points.
  5 Why Me?
  Once per session, when you roll a Cost, you can pick an ally to 
  bear that Cost for you.
  6 Destined for Greatness
  You can try any Restricted Skill once. If you roll a Twist, you can-
  not try again—it is Restricted for you. If you succeed, it is not 
  Restricted.
  7 Fish out of Water
  When you ask an NPC to explain how the part of the world works, 
  allowing the GM a chance to exposit, take a Learning Token. You 
  may spend three such tokens to automatically succeed at a knowl-
  edge Skill Roll.
  8 Do the Right Thing
  When you take a Disadvantage for moral reasons and succeed 
  anyway, gain two Action Points.
  9 Talisman
  A wise figure gives you an item of ambiguous significance. You 
  may use this item to get an automatic Success on any appropriate 
  roll once per adventure. The Talisman is important to the adven-
  ture and you can use it in any way that makes sense. Next adven-
  ture, you acquire a new Talisman. The old one is not gone, but you 
  won’t be able to get automatic Success from it anymore.
  10 Death Wish
  When throwing yourself into certain death to achieve a goal, roll 
  an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success, you succeed at your aim.
  On a Twist, you fail at your aim. The GM will say how. 
  With a Cost, you die. Without a Cost, you miraculously survive. 
  With a Bonus, you are somehow unscathed, too!
  When you die, your new character will start with one extra Ad-
  vance or Trick on top of what they would normally have.
  11 Heart of the Team
  When one of your party members wants to turn back or give up 
  and you remind them of what you are fighting for and convince 
  them to press on, they get an Action Point. When the other par-
  ty members are bickering and you solve the problem, whoever 
  agreed to compromise or give in gets an Action Point. Limit one 
  Action Point from this Advance per session per player.
  The Protagonist
  You’re just a regular person in a crazy crew of wizards and war-
  riors, astronauts and aliens, or spies and superheroes. Start with 
  either Hero’s Journey or Bumbling from the list below. (Since you 
  get a base move and an Advance at level 1, you could start with 
  both. I recommend doing that.)
  Advances
  1 Hero’s Journey
  You represent the archetypical hero. When you take each step on 
  the classic hero’s journey, gain an Action Point. You may skip steps 
  or change the order. When you get an Action Point for a step, 
  cross it off the list.
  • 
  Refusing the call to adventure, and then accepting.
  • 
  Meeting the mentor.
  • 
  Leaving your state of comfort, being unable to return.
  • 
  First trial.
  • 
  Second trial.
  • 
  Third trial.
  • 
  Finding your love.
  • 
  Temptation.
  • 
  Confronting or reconciling with the one whose respect you 
  crave.
  • 
  Self-sacrifice.
  • 
  Capturing the reward.
  • 
  Escaping with the reward.
  • 
  Being rescued by friends you made along the way.
  • 
  Returning home or refusing to return home.
  Once you have completed “returning home or refusing to return 
  home,” if you wish to keep adventuring, you must swap this for 
  another Advance.
  2 Bumbling
  When you make an Unskilled Roll and get a Twist, take an Oaf 
  Token. You may spend three Oaf Tokens to automatically succeed 
  at any Unskilled Roll, with the caveat that you must narrate how 
  you screwed up in just the right way to inadvertently solve the 
  problem.
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  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  The Tinker
  When you break down an item for scrap, talk shop with another 
  expert, spend time preparing supplies, or gather a new tool or in-
  gredient, gain a Supply Token. When you succeed at creating an 
  item, you can spend three Supply Tokens to pick from the follow-
  ing list of special properties.
  • 
  It is superior quality and using it gives Advantage.
  • 
  It has protection. The first time the GM tries to take it away or 
  break it on a Twist, you negate that Twist and tell them what 
  modifications you made to prevent such an occurrence. (e.g. 
  “Actually, it is biometrically locked, so it electrocutes that girl 
  when she tries to pick it up.”)
  • 
  It is idiot-proof. It counts as a Trick for whoever is using it. 
  (This means that anyone using it can roll on the Skilled chart 
  without needing any other Skill, or can spend an Action Point 
  to automatically succeed.)
  • 
  Add some cool detail or effect to it like you would with a Bo-
  nus.
  Tinkers’ Toys
  GMs, the Tinker has spent resources on being able to create cool 
  stuff. Respect that expenditure by letting their stuff work! How-
  ever, they also have the ability to replace or repair stuff they lose, 
  so don’t hesitate to break or steal their stuff on a Twist or give it 
  Flaws on a Cost even when they are rolling unrelated Skills. (e.g. 
  “Oops, you fell out of the treehouse! Luckily you’re not hurt. Your 
  coconut radio broke your fall.”) Breaking and stealing their stuff 
  just gives them more reason to use their cool powers. Of course, 
  moderation is important – if that was the only Twist you ever 
  used, that would be both dull and frustrating for the player.
  Advances
  1 Workshop
  When you spend time working in a place and getting set up, you 
  can make it your workshop. Save one Supply Token per item when 
  you make it in your workshop. Only one place at a time can be 
  designated your workshop and give you this benefit: it’s where you 
  keep all your best tools and supplies. Your enemies might find and 
  compromise your workshop, but you can always fix it up or set up 
  a new one just by spending the time. Pick one of the following for 
  your workshop.
  • 
  Well-stocked: save one Supply Token per property added in-
  stead of per item (e.g. adding two special properties costs 2+2 
  instead of 2+3).
  • 
  Secret: it is hidden and immune from tampering.
  • 
  Portable: you can carry it with you.
  12 Underestimated
  When you and your allies have fallen into the clutches of the ene-
  my, you personally will be held with insufficient security.
  13 Bluster
  When you manage to convince an NPC of your notable qualities, 
  despite lacking such qualities, gain an Action Point.
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  8 Coconut Radio
  When you succeed at making something despite lacking appro-
  priate materials, gain two Action Points.
  9 Miniaturization
  You love to create tiny things. Whenever you successfully make an 
  item smaller than seems possible, conceal an item inside a larger 
  item, or fit multiple modalities on the same item despite a Disad-
  vantage for that difficulty, gain two Action Points.
  10 Macro-construction
  Your creations are huge! Whenever you successfully make an item 
  bigger, taller, heavier, or more breathtaking than seems possible 
  despite a Disadvantage for that difficulty, gain two Action Points.
  11 Recycling
  When you take apart an item you spent Supply Tokens on, even if 
  it’s broken, gain three Supply Tokens instead of the usual one for 
  scrapping an item.
  2 Assistants
  (requires Workshop)
  You don’t have to be around for the actual fabrication process of 
  items you design. You just give the instructions and your assistants 
  carry it out, saving you the time. You still make the roll, however.
  3 Mr. or Ms. Fix-it
  When you need to repair an item you made or a mundane item, 
  simply spend two Supply Tokens and an appropriate amount of 
  time and it’ll be good as new. If you don’t want to spend from 
  your supply, you are naturally free to roll your Skills as usual. This 
  can’t be used to eliminate Flaws in construction, but can eliminate 
  Flaws the item picked up after being produced.
  4 Specialist
  (can select this multiple times)
  Pick a fabrication Skill and a particular type of item. When you 
  use that Skill to create that type of item, you have Advantage.
  Note: The type of item must be more specific than the Skill. If 
  you choose to be a Specialist in swordsmithing, you cannot pick 
  swords as the type of item. Sabers would be an appropriate choice.
  5 Sufficiently Advanced
  (requires Specialist)
  Your Skills are so good that they are incomprehensible to anyone 
  else. You may stretch your specialist Skill to add powers to your 
  items that your Skill could not normally achieve.
  6 Reverse Engineer
  You may spend two Supply Tokens to research an item you found 
  that you previously did not understand.
  7 Monstrous Fabrication
  When you use parts of a monster to create equipment, name the 
  properties of the monster you want the gear to have. Roll an ap-
  propriate Skill.
  On a Success, it gets those properties. 
  On a Twist, pick one:
  • 
  You can’t do it with your current supplies. You make a per-
  fectly nice mundane item, but the monstrous properties are 
  lost.
  • 
  You push too hard. You get what you want, but the item is 
  “cursed.” This doesn’t necessarily mean a literal curse—it 
  means there is something wrong with it that you don’t know 
  about it yet. The GM will pick, but they don’t have to tell you 
  what they picked.
  • 
  There was some contamination. You gain some properties of 
  the monster. The GM will say which.
  With a Cost, the object also gets an unwanted property of the 
  monster. The GM will say what.
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  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  6 Who Can Help
  When you need help with a specific task, you may cast your wishes 
  into the world. You receive back a vision. The GM describes a per-
  son who can help you, although the nature of their help will not 
  necessarily be apparent. This person may or may not be known 
  to you. If they are unknown, then later that session (or possibly 
  the next, if time is short) you will meet a person matching the 
  description.
  7 Sacrifice
  You may spend the time to make a sacrifice to get advantage on 
  any Sight Skill Roll. The sacrifice could be literal or figurative. You 
  often need to spend time or money acquiring an appropriate sac-
  rifice, unless you already have something appropriate.
  8 Major Sacrifice
  (requires Sacrifice)
  When you spend the time to sacrifice something you hold very 
  dear, you automatically succeed at a Sight Skill Roll with a Bonus.
  9 Bad News
  When you make a prediction about trouble the GM has planned 
  that is not obvious, and the GM tells you that you’re right, gain an 
  Action Point. This works both in and out of character.
  10 Saw That One Coming
  Once per session, you may negate a Disadvantage. Describe how 
  you prepared for it.
  11 Hindsight
  When you peer into a location’s past, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, you find exactly what you were look-
  ing for with perfect clarity.
  On a Success, you see the time you were looking for, but hazily. 
  Pick one:
  • 
  The sound is garbled, but the picture is clear.
  • 
  The picture is blurry but the sounds and voices are clear.
  On a Success with a Cost, you see the time you are looking for, but 
  only fragments come through clearly. This is essentially a Flaw in 
  the information you receive.
  On a Twist (with or without a Cost), you see something useful 
  from a different time. The GM decides what.
  The Seer
  Once per session, you may foresee the results of an action before 
  you or another player rolls. Announce that you are using this abil-
  ity, make the roll in question and let the GM describe the results, 
  including any resulting Twist. Then you may decide whether to 
  go through with the roll and the outcome you foresaw, or to try 
  something different. 
  This kit will refer to your “Sight Skill”—this could be fortunetell-
  ing, augury, astrology, Sympathetic Predictive Emotional Mod-
  eling, or whatever you like. You may be Skilled or Unskilled, al-
  though you are likely to become Skilled in a short time by using it.
  Advances
  1 True Dreaming
  Whenever you sleep, the GM reveals a dark future: some evil out-
  come or villainous plot that you might change.
  2 Intuition
  Once per session you may ask the GM for advice about the imme-
  diate situation. You have Advantage when you follow this advice.
  3 Find the Pivot
  You can see where the winds of change are blowing and find the 
  weakest point in the house of cards that is the status quo. Perhaps 
  you wish to buttress it, or perhaps to hasten its fall. Once per ses-
  sion, you may ask the GM where that weak point is and they must 
  answer honestly. (E.g. “Hey, tensions have been running pretty 
  high. What would need to happen to turn these protests into a 
  full-on riot?”)
  4 Omens
  When you ascribe symbolism to something the GM described, 
  explain your interpretation and roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, you correctly interpret the omen. Explain what it 
  means - you can get Advantage (or give it to an ally) on one related 
  future roll. 
  On a Twist, you have misinterpreted the omen. The GM will se-
  cretly re-interpret it and reveal what it meant later.
  With a Cost, you have seen a Bad Omen: It’s a minor Condition 
  that applies to all rolls you make relating to your interpretation of 
  the omen, and to all Sight Skill Rolls. You will stop being fearful 
  when you roll a Twist on one of your rolls relating to your inter-
  pretation—the bad omen has come to pass, the GM will describe 
  how, and you no longer need to fear it.
  5 Danger Sense
  Always get a funny feeling when danger is imminent. The GM will 
  tell you. In Combat: you may use an extra Move Action or Role 
  Action at the start of each combat before Initiative is rolled.
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  6 Tailing
  When you tail somebody on your turf, you have Advantage. When 
  you’re on their turf, you do not take Disadvantage for that dispari-
  ty. Additionally, once per Chase conflict when you are the Chaser, 
  the GM has to tell you the opponent’s choice of action before you 
  make your prediction.
  7 Tailed
  When you try to shake a tail, roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, you lose them completely and effi-
  ciently.
  On a Success, you get away and pick two:
  • 
  Your vehicle is undamaged. If on foot, your clothes are un-
  ruffled.
  • 
  The chase doesn’t cause collateral damage.
  • 
  You pick where you end up.
  On a Success with a Cost, you are also Winded or Angry.
  On a Twist with no Cost, you get away, but pick none from the list.
  On a Twist with a Cost, your vehicle is wrecked, your outfit is 
  ruined, you are Winded, and you are cornered.
  8 Escape Artist
  When you want to get out, describe your route and roll an appro-
  priate Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, you’re out and maybe you changed 
  something, picked up something extra or left behind a little sur-
  prise. You pick.
  On a Success with no Cost, you get out no problem.
  On a Success with a Cost, you get out, but pick one:
  • 
  You had help. You owe somebody a Favor. The GM picks who.
  • 
  You had to hustle. You get a Minor Condition. GM picks 
  which.
  • 
  You had to leave something behind. The GM picks what.
  On a Twist with no Cost, the GM will name the price. You can pay 
  the price and get out, or stay.
  On a Twist with a Cost, pick one:
  • 
  You’re cornered and Winded.
  • 
  You surrender and are Angry.
  • 
  You are lost and Afraid.
  The Spy
  You are a Spy. Your job is to gather information without being 
  noticed. When you ask around for information on your enemies, 
  roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, pick two:
  • 
  Learn a vulnerability of your enemy.
  • 
  Learn something your enemy needs to continue their plan.
  • 
  Learn somebody who is working for your enemy.
  • 
  Learn where your enemy is headquartered.
  On a Twist, pick two, but the GM will lie to you about one of them.
  With a Bonus, you meet someone who shares your enmity and 
  will provide material support.
  With a Cost, pick one:
  • 
  You were too loose. Your enemy gets word about your asking 
  questions. You’ll be at a Disadvantage on one later roll of the 
  GM’s choosing.
  • 
  You agreed to too much. You owe somebody a Favor.
  • 
  You were too tight. You didn’t get the whole story. One of the 
  pieces of info has a Flaw.
  Advances
  1 Always On
  You always have a concealed recording device on you. Even if the 
  mafia just threw your wire in the river, you’ve got a backup some-
  where.
  2 Charming
  You have Advantage when trying to use your seductive looks to 
  get information.
  3 Charmed
  When you totally fall for a person’s ploy because of their looks, 
  gain an Action Point. 
  4 Fearless
  You know how to keep your cool. When you go into a violent 
  situation despite Disadvantage, and you succeed, gain an Action 
  Point.
  5 Expensive Tastes
  When you end up Short or Broke because you tried to buy some-
  thing you really didn’t need, gain an Action Point.
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  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  The Flame
  The Burning Flame is mysterious, dangerous, and screwed up. 
  Pick a weakness from the list below or make up your own.
  • 
  Men, women, or both.
  • 
  Drugs and alcohol.
  • 
  Obsessive behavior.
  • 
  Divided loyalty.
  When you take Disadvantage or suffer a negative consequence 
  because of your weakness, get a Broken Token. When a teammate 
  helps you out with your problem or helps you overcome it, you 
  may spend three Broken Tokens to give them an Action Point.
  Sidebar: Generally speaking, letting your team down outside of 
  combat is interesting and speaks to your character’s bad situation. 
  Intentionally performing badly in Tactical Combat or even in a 
  Team Conflict is potentially much more frustrating for your team-
  mates. The fun of those subsystems is in working together against 
  a common foe, so be considerate and do your part to make sure 
  everybody has fun. Similarly, if you let your team down every sin-
  gle time they call on you, it doesn’t make sense that they would 
  keep you around at all. Save it for when it really means something. 
  If the group feels you are being disruptive, listen to them and ad-
  just your play.
  Advances
  1 Moths to the Flame
  When you draw another into your weakness and thereby cause 
  them hardship, gain an Action Point. 
  Note: You can’t claim points repeatedly for the same person. Only 
  once they have recovered can you draw them in again.
  2 Dysfunctional
  Once per session, when you let the whole team down because you 
  are indulging in your weakness, gain an Action Point. 
  3 Double Dysfunction
  Pick a second weakness in addition to your first.
  4 On the Wagon
  Whenever you take Disadvantage because of abstaining from 
  your weakness, gain a Strength Token. Spend three to change one 
  Advance from this Kit to an Advance from a different Kit and gain 
  an Action Point. If you ever indulge in your weakness, gain an 
  Action Point but lose all your progress: your Advances go back to 
  what they were. When you have no more Advances to change ex-
  cept this one, spend three Strength Tokens to change change Kits 
  completely: you’re a new person.
  9 Turn
  When you confront your enemy’s henchperson or lieutenant 
  about their involvement with this evil plan, roll an appropriate 
  Skill.
  On a Success with a Bonus, they betray their employer utterly at 
  an opportune moment.
  On a Success, choose one:
  • 
  Appeal to their morals. They show mercy to you, your friends, 
  or innocent bystanders.
  • 
  Appeal to their pride. They demand more from their employ-
  er. More money, more influence, more information.
  • 
  Appeal to their suspicion. They secretly make plans to have 
  something to hold over their employer if things go crooked.
  • 
  Appeal to their greed. They will leave their employer for the 
  price of a level 3 Wealth roll.
  On a Success with a Cost, the GM will also pick one:
  • 
  They make a show of treating you badly. You are Winded.
  • 
  They’re doing this for you. You owe them a Favor.
  On a Twist, they spit in your face and disdain your hypocritical 
  worldview, but you have sown the seeds of doubt. Once they have 
  seen evidence that what you said was true, you can try again with 
  Advantage. With a Cost, they get violent with you and leave you 
  with a Condition of the GM’s choice.
  10 The Bureau
  You have the power of an organization behind you. Once per ses-
  sion, whenever you choose, you have backup waiting: a vehicle, a 
  weapon, a tool, or an ally.
  11 Gadgets
  (requires The Bureau)
  At the start of each adventure, or when you have time to get back 
  to your handlers, they will present you a new gadget. You pick 
  what it does and the GM will fill in the mechanical details.
  12 License to Kill 
  (requires The Bureau)
  When you’re not in enemy territory, you are not subject to legal 
  consequences for any crimes committed in the course of your du-
  ties. This generally covers your accomplices, too.
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  9 Sixth Sense for Trouble
  You have the uncanny ability to always know where to find your 
  weakness. Whenever it’s around, even if it’s hidden, the GM must 
  tell you.
  10 Strange Attractees
  You are very attractive to the outcasts of the world. Your weakness 
  is part of your allure, as is your power. They want to be like you or 
  be with you. When you ask for help from someone on the fringes 
  of society, you have Advantage.
  11 Bad Relations
  When you manage to turn an ally into an enemy, gain an Action 
  Point.
  12 Payback
  Name the people you hold responsible for you turning out this 
  way. You have Advantage when trying to exact revenge on them.
  13 Race to the Bottom
  Whenever you do something from this list in pursuit of your 
  weakness, check off a box. If it is as far down the list as you have 
  ever been, get a Broken Token. If it is farther down, gain an ad-
  ditional Broken Token for each spot below your previous best. 
  When you hit bottom, you must swap this for a different Advance. 
  You may only check the same box at most three times—further 
  offenses don’t rate. 
  • 
  Deceit or omission
  • 
  Outright lying or oathbreaking
  • 
  Theft
  • 
  Allowing another to come to harm
  • 
  Selling out yourself and your principles
  • 
  Ruining another’s livelihood
  • 
  Violence
  • 
  Allowing another to die
  • 
  Killing in cold blood
  When you take this Advance you may re-arrange the order of 
  items on the list, or even swap out for something else to reflect 
  your character’s priorities. But once they are set, they are set in 
  stone, even as your morals disintegrate.
  5 Superpower
  (you may pick this more than once)
  Indulging your weakness gives you a special power. Pick a specif-
  ic Skill or type of roll. You may spend two Broken Tokens to get 
  Advantage on a roll of that sort, or four to automatically succeed. 
  (e.g. a vampire can spend tokens to move super-fast.) Note: you 
  cannot apply this to attack rolls in Combat.
  6 Withdrawal
  When you are forced to go too long without your weakness, you 
  have Advantage on things that get you closer to your fix, but Dis-
  advantage on things that take you farther from it.
  7 Kindred Spirit
  When you talk with someone and make a connection, you can see 
  their obsessions and weaknesses. Roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success ask two of the following questions. With a Bonus, 
  ask one more. On a Twist, ask one:
  • 
  What do they hate most about themselves?
  • 
  What do they want badly enough to betray their friends?
  • 
  What is their greatest fear?
  • 
  What do they hate most about another?
  • 
  What do they have hidden that you would want?
  With a Cost, they get to ask two of you and you must answer hon-
  estly.
  8 I Must Have It
  When you see something that appeals to your weakness that you 
  need but can’t have, you may roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, you keep your cool. Ask the GM what the best way 
  is to get it. The GM will tell you what you need to pay, who you 
  need to trick, what you need to do, or who you need to fight. You 
  have Advantage while you follow that advice.
  On a Twist, you just gotta go for it. Everyone can see your naked 
  desire.
  With a Cost, you are Obsessed. You have Disadvantage to do any-
  thing other than try to get it while you are in its presence. The 
  only way to recover from this Condition is to possess the object 
  of your desire.
  With a Bonus, the GM will also tell you one of the following. You 
  pick:
  • 
  Who would like to help you, for free.
  • 
  How to keep it safe and hidden once you have it.
  • 
  Who else also wants to take it, and how to make it look like 
  they did.
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  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  4 Soothing
  When you talk someone down from a rash course, roll an appro-
  priate Skill. 
  On a Success, they reconsider and find a better way to express 
  themselves. 
  On a Twist, pick one:
  • 
  They turn on you instead.
  • 
  They hesitate, then reconsider, but decide to take the same 
  course, albeit with more caution.
  With a Cost, they are only altering their course as a Favor to you.
  5 Popular Charity
  Your kindness is attractive to the wealthy and aspiring. They want 
  to possess and control you, to feel that they are good like you, and 
  to benefit from association with you. When you ask for help from 
  one in the upper class, you have Advantage, but they will believe 
  that you owe them a Favor.
  6 See the Best in Everyone
  When you talk with someone and make a connection, you can see 
  their obsessions and weaknesses. Roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success ask two of the following questions. With a Bonus, 
  ask one more. On a Twist, ask one:
  • 
  What do they love most about themselves?
  • 
  What do they want badly enough to change for the better?
  • 
  What is their greatest hope?
  • 
  What do they love most about another?
  • 
  What do they have hidden that they would rather share?
  With a Cost, they get to ask two of you and you must answer hon-
  estly.
  7 Pity the Enemy
  When you help someone for no personal gain despite their enmi-
  ty, disdain, or disgust for you, gain an Action Point.
  8 What Goes Around
  When you give a gift unbidden and it is accepted, gain a Charity 
  Token and write down the name of the recipient. 
  9 Righteous Power
  (can pick this multiple times)
  Helping the needy gives you a special power. Pick a specific Skill 
  or type of roll. You may spend two Charity Tokens to get Advan-
  tage on a roll of that sort, or four to automatically succeed. (e.g. a 
  priest who can spend tokens to get aid from the heavens.) Note: 
  you cannot apply this to attack rolls in Combat.
  The Fountain
  You are driven to selflessly help others. Pick a group you are driv-
  en to protect from this list or invent your own.
  • 
  The poor.
  • 
  Outsiders.
  • 
  The violent and desperate.
  • 
  Children.
  • 
  The physically or mentally ill.
  When you take a Disadvantage or suffer a negative result because 
  of your drive, gain a Charity Token and write down the names of 
  those you helped. You may spend three Charity Tokens when you 
  are in trouble to get somebody you helped in the past to return 
  the favor and help you now (if no one on your list is present, an 
  appropriate one will show up).
  Advances
  1 One Unique Item
  You have in your control a thing of skill and beauty that is un-
  rivaled in all the world. An article of clothing, a piece of art or 
  craftsmanship, a song, or a recipe. When you share it with others, 
  roll an appropriate Skill.
  On a Success, they are in your debt. Gain a Charity Token and 
  write down their name.
  On a Twist, they crave what you have. They will try to take it from 
  you, either now or later.
  With a Bonus, pick one:
  • 
  They tell you a secret.
  • 
  They will keep your unique thing a secret.
  • 
  They will evangelize and tell the world about your unique 
  thing.
  With a Cost, they grow jealous of you. You have Disadvantage 
  when you ask them for help or when you try to help them until 
  they get over it.
  2 Universal Currency
  When you return a Favor, gain a Charity Token.
  3 Doubly Driven
  Pick another drive, another group to help.
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  49
  The Brute
  You are a paragon of physical accomplishment. When you roll a 
  Twist on a task of athleticism, speed, strength, or appetite, you 
  may gain the Winded Condition to re-roll. 
  Advances
  1 The Alexandrian Solution
  When you use brute force to solve a puzzle that seemed to call for 
  intellect or delicacy, gain an Action Point.
  2 Brush It Off
  You may spend an Action Point to ignore one Condition for the 
  duration of one conflict (that is, one Combat, Team Conflict, or 
  Chase, or one scene of regular rolls).
  3 Unstoppable 
  (requires Brush It Off)
  You may spend an Action Point to ignore all Conditions for the 
  duration of one conflict (that is, one Combat, Team Conflict, or 
  Chase, or one scene of regular rolls).
  4 Iron Stomach
  You can eat anything without getting sick or suffering any un-
  wanted effects, much to the amazement of onlookers or would-be 
  poisoners.
  5 Endure Elements
  You do not have to pay any Costs on rolls to endure cold, hot, wet, 
  or wind. If a pacing roll (see page 70) gives the group a Condi-
  tion due to the weather, you personally are exempt.
  6 Break Stuff
  When you smash something, roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success with a Bonus, pick two. On a Success, pick one:
  • 
  You can fix it later.
  • 
  Nobody can fix it ever.
  • 
  You break it in eerie silence.
  • 
  You smash it in a fearsome rage, terrifying onlookers.
  On a Twist, you just break it. It’s not quiet, but not too frightening. 
  Somebody might fix it later, but you don’t have what you need for 
  that right now.
  With a Cost, pick one:
  • 
  You are Winded.
  • 
  You break something else in your haste. The GM will give a 
  Flaw to a nearby object.
  10 Easy Mark
  When you know you are being deceived, but allow the deception 
  to succeed out of charity, pity, or naiveté, gain an Action Point.
  11 Good Relations
  When you manage to turn an enemy into an ally, gain an Action 
  Point.
  12 High Road
  When you convince a teammate to take a non-violent path instead 
  of the violent one they were set on, they get an Action Point. Limit 
  one per teammate per session.
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  50
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
  The Sorcerer
  (by Yuri Kavalerchik)
  Pick three of your trained Skills that represent using magic (or 
  divinity, the internet, or some other esoteric force) to some spe-
  cific end, such as attack, travel, or information gathering. These 
  are your Sorcerous Skills, and can be enhanced by Power Tokens. 
  Spend one Power Token to give yourself Advantage on a Sorcer-
  ous Skill Check, or to fuel an appropriate Trick. If you choose, the 
  results can’t be undone by mundane means.
  When you replenish or prepare your sorcery by whatever means 
  you establish when you take the Kit, reset your Power Tokens to 2. 
  If you draw on an appropriate place of power to do so, reset your 
  Power Tokens to 3.
  Advances
  1 Widened Expertise
  You learn two new Skills representing the use of magic, and can 
  now designate a total of five of your magical Skills as Sorcerous. 
  When you reset Power Tokens, you can change which of your 
  magical skills are Sorcerous.
  2 Sorcerous Sanctum
  You can set up a personal workspace in tune with your magic: 
  when you replenish your sorcery at your sanctum, you get one 
  additional Power Token. You can use your magical Tricks for free 
  while in your sanctum. 
  3 Puissance
  You can spend a Power Token to magnify the volume or number 
  of targets a Sorcerous Skill Roll would normally affect, or the sheer 
  force it would exert; a roomful of people rather than one person, 
  an entire floor rather than a single room, a freight truck rather 
  than a passenger car, etc. Multiple Tokens buy more scope.
  4 Celerity
  You can spend a Power Token to use magic much faster than 
  normal. Do in seconds what should take minutes, minutes what 
  should take hours, or hours what should take days. As well, such 
  effects last longer than they normally would.
  5 Reach
   You can spend a Power Token to use your sorcerous Skills at in-
  credible range - at least an order of magnitude greater than what’s 
  normally possible with what you have on hand. If an object or in-
  formation (e.g. a blood sample or IP address) is required for long-
  range targeting, you can ignore one Flaw in whatever you’re using.
  6 Sorcerous Backing
  Pick some cause, patron, or institution. Once between resets, 
  when you advance or defend the interests of your backer, gain a 
  Power Token. When you are out of Power Tokens, you may bor-
  row one, but the GM will tell you what you need to do to repay.
  7 My Body, My Weapon, My Tool
  When you have Disadvantage for being unarmed or insufficiently 
  armed compared to your opponents, or for trying to force some-
  thing that ought to require a tool, and you succeed on the roll 
  anyway, gain two Action Points.
  8 And Look Good Doing It
  Your body is strong and impressive, and you are admired by men 
  and women alike. When you roll to impress, seduce, or intimidate 
  someone while they can see your physique, flip a coin. Heads, they 
  like what they see and you have Advantage. Tails, they don’t really 
  care about your body—no effect.
  9 No Hunger
  You can go as long as you like without food or water, and hold 
  your breath for as long as you like.
  10 Feats of Strength
  When you show yourself to be the best, the champion, peerless, or 
  the first ever to perform some feat of athleticism, speed, strength 
  or appetite, gain an Action Point.
  11 The Other Part of Valor
  When you stand up to or try to withstand something obviously 
  dangerous and get a Condition from it, gain an Action Point.
  12 No Prison Can Hold Me
  When you try to break your bonds, roll an appropriate Skill. 
  On a Success, pick one: 
  • 
  You do it silently.
  • 
  You do it with terrifying swiftness.
  On a Twist, you break them loudly and your foes have time to steel 
  themselves.
  With a Cost, pick one: 
  • 
  You are Winded.
  • 
  You are still partially entangled and have Disadvantage until 
  you fight free.
  • 
  You break something. Pick a Flaw for one piece of your 
  equipment.
  13 Rub Some Salt On It
  When you succeed at something despite a relevant Condition, 
  gain a Toughness Token. You may spend two such tokens to re-
  move a Minor Condition or three to remove a Major Condition.
  14 David and Goliath
  You are not only incredibly strong and fast, but you know how to 
  use your gifts well. If you have Disadvantage for being too small, 
  weak, or slow, and you succeed anyway, gain two Action Points.
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  51
  Mini-Kits
  With these Mini-kits, there is no “base” Advance, just a list of Ad-
  vances. You can take any Advance from these without it being 
  considered “poaching.”
  Spellbreaker
  This Mini-kit is for a character who is resis-
  tant to a supernatural power or specialized 
  in combating its users. The Kit is worded to 
  counter magic, but could be easily re-skinned to counter telepathy 
  or any other specialized use of power. The Mule, the White Rose, 
  and Ty Lee are examples of this archetype.
  Note: All the benefits in this Mini-kit are valid only outside of Tac-
  tical Combat. See the suggested Feats below if you want to carry 
  these benefits into Tactical Combat.
  Advances
  Spellbreak
  You know a technique to block the flow of magical energy. When 
  you manage to get up close to the magic user and use this tech-
  nique (typically by succeeding at an appropriate Skill Roll), they 
  cannot cast spells for a few moments. Repeated applications may 
  render them helpless for longer. 
  Resist Spells
  Spells have a reduced effect on you and you can break spells with 
  a touch.
  Immune
  (requires Resist Spells)
  Spells have no effect on you.
  Area Null
  (requires Immune)
  Spells have no effect in a small area around you and reduced effect 
  nearby.
  Suggested Feats
  Spellbreak – When you hit a magic user with an attack, they must 
  pass a saving throw in order to cast a spell on their next turn.
  Combat Resist (requires group and GM approval) – Resist 1 dam-
  age from magic spells and when a spell hits you with an Effect, you 
  may make a saving throw to avoid it.
  Note: If you are taking Combat Resist, you need to check with 
  the GM and group about the intentions for the game. This Feat 
  is inappropriate for a campaign where all or most of the enemies 
  wield magic against you, and the group or GM will let you know. 
  The same goes double for the two Feats below.
  Area Resist (Requires Combat Resist) – Extend the effects of your 
  Resist Spells Feat to any creatures within 3 squares of you.
  Combat Immune (Requires Combat Resist) – You are immune to 
  all spells in combat. 
  7 Surge
  When you roll a 6 on a Sorcerous Skill Check, gain a Power Token.
  8 Augmentation
  Pick a mundane Skill; it’s Sorcerous for the purpose of this Kit. 
  The first time you succeed in using it after a Power Token reset, 
  you get an additional Power Token. 
  9 Exertion
  Twice between Power Token resets, you can become Winded 
  to gain the benefit of spending a Power Token without actually 
  spending one. You do not need to have any Power Tokens to use 
  this ability.
  10 Blood Sorcery
  When you get the Injured Condition, gain a Power Token. The 
  Injured Condition gives +1 to your Sorcerous Skills instead of –1.
  11 Sorcerous Patron
  You can spend Power Tokens you don’t have. The first one after 
  each reset is free, the next means you owe 1 Token, the next means 
  you owe 2 more Tokens for a total of 3, and so on. If you can’t 
  pay off your Debt on your next reset (or just after an appropriate 
  amount of time, if you avoid a reset), you’re Cursed.
  12 Kit Expansion
  You gain the base advance of some other Kit, and can learn more 
  in the future without “poaching.” That Kit represents an elabora-
  tion on your sorcerous powers rather than a completely separate 
  skill set: the Brute helps you use magic to destroy things or fortify 
  your body, the Gunslinger to win arcane duels, and so on. You can 
  use your Power Tokens in place of any Tokens that Kit uses. When 
  an Advance from that Kit gives you Action Points, you may take 
  Power Tokens instead.
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  52
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
   
   
     Who?
  This Mini-kit is for a character who is easy to 
  forget, overlook, or underestimate.
  Advances
  Underestimated
  When you make an Opposed Roll with Disadvantage and win 
  anyway, win as though you won by 3 or more, even if you didn’t.
  Overlooked
  Even when you are in plain sight, you may attempt to do some-
  thing sneaky. If you succeed at this subterfuge despite the Disad-
  vantage of being in plain sight, gain an Action Point.
  Forgotten
  Whenever the party collectively suffers at the hands of enemies 
  from a Twist, Concession, or loss, you get to slip away unnoticed 
  and avoid sharing their fate.
  Example: If you lose a fight and the GM says that you are all 
  thrown in the brig, you can say that you clung to the side of the 
  ship and were written off as having fallen overboard while your 
  friends were hauled away.
  Doctor
  This Mini-kit is for a character who can treat 
  wounds, physical and mental.
  Advances
  First Aid
  After each combat, you may reduce one ally’s Strikes by one for 
  the purposes of calculating Conditions (not Concessions).
  Healer
  (requires First Aid)
  Once per session you may reduce an ally’s Major Condition to a 
  Minor Condition.
  Panacea
  (requires Healer)
  Once per session you may eliminate an ally’s Major or Minor 
  Condition.
   
   
     Impostor
  This Mini-kit is for a character that is imper-
  sonating another. That other will typically be 
  referred to as “the target.” The Skinthief Ad-
  vance allows for you to steal not just their identity but their body.
  Advances
  Identity Thief
  Whenever you talk to someone close to the target about the tar-
  get’s past, roll an appropriate social Skill. 
  On a Success, they tell you useful information about the target. 
  Gain an Identity Token.
  On Twist, they give you information (gain an Identity Token), but 
  they also get suspicious about you.
  With a Cost, they are not eager to go into details. Pick one:
  • 
  You press them for details. You owe them a Favor.
  • 
  You let them miss the details. The information has a Flaw. 
  Lose an Identity Token.
  When you are confronted by a suspicious person about your iden-
  tity, you may spend one Identity Token to allay their suspicions 
  temporarily, two to prevent their suspicion from spreading to any 
  onlookers, or three to set aside their suspicions forever.
  Perfect Impression
  When you succeed at fooling someone with your impersonation 
  despite having the Disadvantage that they knew the target very 
  well, gain two Action Points.
  Skinthief
  When you have successfully maneuvered a person into a position 
  where you can steal their body, roll your Skinthief Skill.
  On a Success, you take it over completely.
  On a Twist, you take it over, but there is still a piece of them in 
  there fighting you.
  With a Bonus, you also get their memories.
  With a Cost, the GM will pick one: 
  • 
  You are Exhausted.
  • 
  They had a habit or addiction that you need to feed to keep 
  in control.
  • 
  There is something missing. An ability or Skill that you 
  sought to gain did not make it. 
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  53
   
   
     Investigator
  This Mini-kit is for a character who is expert 
  at investigation.
  Advances
  A Clue!
  Wherever you go, in every scene, you can find one small clue that 
  everyone else missed. Ask the GM what it is. Don’t expect a big 
  giveaway that breaks the case wide open: you have to use your 
  Skills for that! These will be things that can help you build your 
  case like “a curly blond hair on her cuff” or “a skidmark indicating 
  that a motorcycle peeled out in a rush.” Red herrings are part of 
  the genre, so the GM is allowed to throw in an occasional mislead-
  ing clue here, although most of them will not be. 
  Elementary, My Dear
  When you use a deduction or investigation Skill to solve a puzzle 
  despite Disadvantage for not having all the information yet, gain 
  two Action Points.
  Investigations
  An investigation is composed of scenes. Each scene is a little puz-
  zle in its own right, and the solution to each puzzle contributes 
  to the solution of the larger puzzle. An investigator cannot use a 
  Skill like investigation or deduction to solve the whole case, but 
  they can use those Skills to solve a singular puzzle or scene.
  Sleep On It
  (requires A Clue!)
  When you go to sleep thinking about the case and have at least 
  three clues, roll a die. When you wake up:
  6
  You have a flash of insight. You know the crux of the 
  issue. The GM will tell you.
  5
  You made a connection. The GM will tell you some-
  thing that links two clues.
  4
  You have a visitor. They are there to confess or threaten.
  3
  Someone left you a message. A note, email or whatever.
  2
  Something bad happened and it made the news.
  1
  You are under attack!
   
   
     Collector
  This Mini-kit is for a character who has a vast 
  collection of a certain sort of object. Choose 
  what sort of thing you collect when you take 
  an Advance. Your collection is a boon, but also at times a burden.
  Advances
  I Have One Somewhere
  When you search in your collection, roll your collecting Skill. 
  On a Success, you have just the thing.
  On a Twist, pick one (the GM will fill in the details):
  • 
  You don’t have it, but you know exactly who does.
  • 
  You don’t have it, but you have something that might substi-
  tute for it reasonably.
  • 
  You have it, but it’s unusable until you complete another task.
  With a Cost, using your items instead of hoarding them means 
  that you owe your collection a Favor. You’ll suffer Disadvantage 
  on future rolls of this sort until you add something cool to the 
  collection, as you become loath to risk what you’ve got. The GM 
  will tell you what item you desire so strongly for your collection.
  I Must Have It
  (requires I Have One Somewhere)
  See the Advance of the same name in The Flame (page 47), but 
  replace “weakness” with “collection.”
  Sixth Sense
  When there is an item suitable for your collection nearby, you can 
  feel it. The GM must tell you when there is something appropriate 
  nearby, although they need not tell you what or where exactly it is.
  Driver
  This Mini-kit is for a character who is great 
  at driving. They could drive cars, speedboats, 
  starfighters, or chariots.
  Advances
  King of the Chase
  Your opponents never get Advantage in a Chase for having a supe-
  rior vehicle. Your skill is such that even if you’re riding a horse and 
  they are in a helicopter, the playing field is even.
  Shoot and Drive
  When using the Chase rules, you may shoot and drive at the same 
  time without Disadvantage for either.
  I’m Just Borrowing It!
  There is always a vehicle nearby when you need one. It may not be 
  easy, safe, or legal for you to take it, but it’ll be there.
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  54
  c r e a T i n g  Y o u r  c h a r a c T e r
   
   
      Moneybags
  This Mini-kit is for a character whose love of 
  money and financial acumen is unrivaled.
  Advances
  Big Spender
  When you succeed at buying something valued above your Wealth 
  score without Advantage, gain an Action Point. 
  Money Sense
  You always know who the richest person in the room is, and what 
  the most valuable object in the room is. When you ask, the GM 
  must tell you honestly.
  Cash is Confidence
  When you are carrying with you a cash parcel of size equal to 
  or greater than your Wealth score, you can ignore Minor Mental 
  Conditions such as Angry or Afraid. If you are ever without any 
  cash whatsoever, you automatically suffer a Minor Mental Condi-
  tion until you rectify the situation.
  Greed
  This is an Emotional Power based on your greed (see page 73 
  for more on Emotional Powers). This is for a character whose lust 
  for wealth goes beyond the natural. Your Greed rating starts at 1.
  When you use your Wealth and roll less than or equal to your 
  Greed rating, you may reroll the dice and take the better result. 
  When given a choice involving your Greed, to resist the emotion’s 
  urging you must roll a die and get a result higher than your Greed 
  rating. For example, if you see a chance to get rich and your Greed 
  is 3, you must roll a 4 or higher to do anything but take the chance.
  Whenever your Greed grants you a reroll on Wealth and that re-
  roll is better than your first result, put a check next to your Greed 
  on your sheet. When you resist your Greed and lose, mark a 
  check. When you have checks equal to your current Greed rating, 
  increase it by one.
  When you reach a rating of 6 you are losing either your fortune or 
  your character: you must find an appropriate moment within this 
  session or the next to let go. Your character automatically succeeds 
  at whatever they intend and then you must choose: either they 
  are lost to Greed forever, going mad with lust for money, or they 
  overcome the emotion forever by reducing their Wealth to zero 
  and giving up all their cash. For instance, you might sacrifice your 
  entire fortune to save the town and forever give up your Greed. 
  When you give up your Greed like this, pick a different Advance. 
   
   
     Face
  This Mini-kit is for a character with a silver 
  tongue.
  Advances
  Smooth Patter
  When you talk someone into something despite having Disadvan-
  tage for their poor disposition toward you, gain two Action Points.
  Famous
  Gain an extra community Reputation (see page 55).
  Outrageous Liar
  When you succeed in a lie despite Disadvantage for the lie being 
  very hard to believe, gain two Action Points.
  Cold Reading
  When you talk to someone and use Cold Reading to gain infor-
  mation about a target with the intention of later using your Skills 
  to convince them of something, roll Cold Reading or another ap-
  propriate Skill. (This functions essentially like a Linked Roll.)
  On a Success, you get the information you want and get Advan-
  tage when you try to convince them.
  With a Bonus, your information lets you get into their trust so 
  completely that you can move the person to the right by one col-
  umn on the “Disposition to Players” chart permanently. (See So-
  cial Situations on page 68).
  On a Success with a Cost, the GM will give you the information 
  with a Flaw: using it reminds the target of something that you 
  don’t want them reminded of. Use it or not at your discretion.
  On a Twist, pick one:
  • 
  You get good information and can use it once, but the target 
  will later realize what you did and will permanently move one 
  column to the left on the “Disposition to Players” chart.
  • 
  You get some information, but not enough to gain their trust.
  On a Twist with a Cost, the target catches on and moves one col-
  umn to the left on the “Disposition to Players” chart. 
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  55
  Reputations
  When you reach level 2, you gain a Reputation around the things 
  you do. You are known in a particular community. The commu-
  nity might be a location, a group you are a part of, or a group you 
  have fought against. Your Reputation affects how people see you. 
  When you use these rules, you should also be using the following 
  chart, which is described in more detail on page 68.
  Disposition to Players
  Hateful
  Opposed Neutral
  Aligned
  Adoring
  Anti
  Imposs.
  Imposs.
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  Indif.
  Imposs.
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  Auto.
  Pro
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  Auto.
  Auto.
   You must pick one of the following for your Reputation:
  • 
  Famous – People affected by your Reputation who would 
  otherwise be neutral to you instead treat you as though they 
  were aligned.
  • 
  Admired – People affected by your Reputation who would 
  otherwise be aligned with you instead treat you as though 
  they were adoring.
  • 
  Feared – People affected by your Reputation who would oth-
  erwise be opposed to you instead treat you as though they 
  were neutral.
  Examples: Boss Johnny wants to be known as the king of 
  the town. He takes a Reputation “Famous in New Boston.” 
  Scholar Sheila wants her work recovering the Lost Diadem of 
  Nicomedia to be known to other scholars of antiquity and takes 
  a Reputation “Admired amongst antiquarians.” Gunslinger Par-
  nell wants to be feared by his enemies, so he takes a Reputation 
  “Feared by the Red Palm Gang.”
  How big is local? 
  It depends on your game. If your game will always be taking place 
  in and around New York City, then a Local Reputation might be 
  just in Harlem. If your game is a world-spanning globetrotting 
  adventure, then your Reputation might be all of the New York 
  metropolitan area.
  Leveling Up Reputations
  At each even level, you may either take a new community Reputa-
  tion, or you may expand the scope of one of your existing Reputa-
  tions. A local Reputation might become regional or even national, 
  depending on the scope of the game. An organizational Reputa-
  tion might expand to an entire field.
  Examples: Boss Johnny increases his sphere of influence to 
  cover all of New England. Scholar Sheila expands her Reputa-
  tion to include any journalists, businesspeople, or politicians 
  who have interests in the Near East. Gunslinger Parnell chooses 
  to be known and feared by all occult criminals.
  Custom Advances
  You can make up your own Advances with approval from the 
  group. As always with customization, you will do a better job at 
  it if you get some play experience under your belt first. Most Ad-
  vances fall into one of the following categories.
  Custom Roll
  These must be better than a regular Skill Roll in some way. Most of 
  them succeed with downsides even on a Twist.
  Info source
  This comes in a few varieties. You can ask the GM for information 
  you normally don’t have access to. You can declare information. 
  You can ask the GM for advice and get Advantage when you fol-
  low it. Note that the GM’s advice does not need to be something 
  the players will be happy to follow, but the GM should not make a 
  habit of giving impossible or unwelcome advice.
  Always True
  This is something that is always true when your character is 
  around. You always have something available—knives, a vehicle, 
  whatever. Just watch out with these that you’re not writing a Trick. 
  The difference is that these Advances are typically things that ar-
  en’t about how skilled you are at something and thus aren’t used in 
  place of rolling a Skill Roll.
  Gaining or Spending Action Points
  New ways to gain and new ways to spend. Just watch out that you 
  don’t make it too easy to gain a lot. Succeeding despite Disadvan-
  tage is a good one.
  Gaining or Spending Tokens
  This is what you should use if you want to make a move that gives 
  spendable bonuses but where an Action Point would be too much. 
  Making the move give tokens instead and giving a way to spend 
  three (or any other number) of them for some effect is great. Being 
  able to limit how they are spent ties them more firmly to the Kit.
  Conditional Advantage
  This is pretty self-explanatory. Advantage under certain thematic 
  conditions.
  Rule Breaker
  This is a broad category including things that manipulate the re-
  sults on the dice or remove Conditions. Places where the mechan-
  ics work differently for your character.
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  56
  T h e  r o l e  o f  T h e  g M
  Use the characters and events you portray to reinforce the game’s 
  tone. Often this means playing them as if they were real human 
  beings, but it could mean playing them as if they were cackling 
  supervillains or inscrutable aliens. The characters in the world 
  should have goals and interests, relationships with one another 
  and with the player characters. 
  If you want to make the world seem real to the players, you must 
  listen carefully and try to see things from their perspective. If the 
  players object to something in your roleplaying on the grounds 
  that it’s nonsense, hear them out and strongly consider revising 
  your play to make the world seem real. Failing that, you should 
  make sure that they understand why the characters are acting the 
  way they are. The players shouldn’t come out of the discussion still 
  thinking that it’s nonsense. Don’t Demand Nonsense applies to you 
  too. Don’t be afraid to stick to your guns when you’re right and to 
  change your mind when you’re wrong.
  Making the world seem real also means making sure that the out-
  comes match the expectations you set with your descriptions. If 
  you describe a terrifying sheer drop into a murky abyss, but then 
  have a player fall in and simply assign them the Winded Condi-
  tion, you’ve just undermined your own description. This applies 
  in combat, too. You want to make the mechanical effects of the 
  The Role of the GM
  Read this section if you plan to be the GM or if you want to have 
  more insight into the workings behind the rules. The section is 
  written for the GM but is not off-limits to players.
  Once the initial situation is decided, it’s up to you as the GM to 
  play all the characters that aren’t the players’. You are required to 
  come up with Twists and Costs when the players roll them. When 
  you use the Tactical Combat rules, you also need to choose or 
  create the enemies the players face in combat and the terrain on 
  which they face them. Last, you must come up with rulings to 
  decide what happens in situations where the rules don’t fit neatly. 
  So you have four responsibilities, examined in detail below. It’s a 
  harder job than the players have, but requires less work than in 
  many other games. Much design work has gone into making the 
  GM’s job easier.
  Playing the World
  Your first responsibility is your roleplaying. You play all the char-
  acters in the world that aren’t the player characters. You have four 
  agendas in this respect: reinforce the game’s tone, make the world 
  seem as real as the tone of your game requires, give players hard 
  and important choices, and make rolling meaningful.
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  57
  Before the Roll
  It is the GM’s job to determine when a player’s intent and task line 
  up, and when a roll is appropriate. You can certainly tell a player 
  that they are not in a position to perform a certain task, but you 
  must tell them before they roll or else you make their Success feel 
  like a failure. For example, you might tell them before they roll, 
  “This is an extremely sophisticated vault and you’re an amateur. If 
  you like, you could spend the time trying to figure out what tools 
  and information you need to crack it later.” 
  The flip side of this is the rule “If you do the right thing, it 
  works.” That is to say that if a player has a great idea that incorpo-
  rates the facts you have collectively established, it should probably 
  just work with no roll required. 
  Example: June remembers that last time she met with the 
  accountant, Akayla, she was eating a strong cheese and seemed 
  very vain. June decides to go to the cheese shop to buy Akay-
  la an expensive gift and flatter her. For her good memory and 
  quick thinking, June is rewarded: she has the accountant eating 
  out of the palm of her hand.
  I’m going to state a rule here and then immediately contradict it. 
  But it’s still a rule. The rule is Say Yes or Roll Dice. When a player 
  wants to do something, either you just “say yes” and they do it, or 
  they have to roll and see what happens. The immediate response 
  that springs to mind is “Well what if they want to invent nuclear 
  fission or jump to the moon or convince the king to marry his 
  daughter to the town drunk?” Okay, settle down. Here’s the trick—
  it’s always the GM’s call whether a task and intent pair are appro-
  priate. Getting to the moon is a valid intent, and jumping is a val-
  id task for some intents, but together they are inappropriate. You 
  can’t get to the moon by jumping. There is no roll. You can jump 
  as high as you like, but you’ll never jump to the moon. It is inap-
  propriate. Trying to get the king to give his daughter to the town 
  drunk is a reasonable intent, but you could never achieve it by 
  simply arguing with him no matter how much of a smooth-talker 
  you are. It is inappropriate. Don’t demand nonsense!
  So what if the player comes back next session and wants to invent 
  and build a rocket to get to the moon? That’s actually a reasonable 
  task and intent, but it’s too big for one roll. You’d have to start by 
  learning chemistry, then spend months or years on experiments 
  to make explosives, then find blacksmiths who can make you 
  what you need to test simple explosive projectiles, etc. The player 
  doesn’t get to just make one roll for it because it is too complex. 
  That’s an extreme example, but similar requests occur all the time. 
  As GM, the phrase you want to have ready for this is “Okay, but 
  first you would need to….”
  What if the player wants to shoot an archery butt two hundred 
  yards away? That’s not inappropriate: it’s possible, and it’s not too 
  complex—just extremely unlikely. It’s difficult. And so you have 
  to say yes or let them roll. You can give them Disadvantage be-
  cause of the extreme difficulty if that’s what the tone of your set-
  ting demands, but then they get to roll. When they try something 
  so difficult, look at what’s at stake and give them a nice big Twist 
  if they fail—risk vs. reward again. If nothing is at stake, and they 
  monsters, traps, and terrain line up with your description of them. 
  If the darts are tipped with “deadly poison,” a little bit of damage 
  is not going to cut it. Give a Condition that requires immediate 
  treatment—back up your scary description with scary mechanics.
  Do not forget to show the players what is happening when they 
  are not around. Each time they return to an area they previously 
  visited, they notice what has changed. Things change over time 
  and that is why time matters! Every day the players delay is a day 
  when their opponents have been up to something: reinforcements 
  have arrived, traps have been set, vulnerable targets have been se-
  cured, or worse. Show the players that time is not on their side by 
  showing them increasingly worrying clues and portents as time 
  goes on.
  Hanging threads
  I like to always have more plots on the go than the players can 
  get to. It’s tempting to always make things worse when the players 
  don’t handle something, but that can make it feel as though you 
  are punishing them. Instead, you can pick from this list (or roll 
  to decide randomly) what happens to a plot thread the players 
  ignored or didn’t have time to get to.
  • 
  Someone else solved it and reaped the rewards.
  • 
  It escalated. Now it’s more dangerous and harder to solve.
  • 
  It got personal for one of the players.
  • 
  It got more lucrative to solve.
  • 
  It got mixed up with another problem.
  • It created a new enemy for the players.
  To make the players’ choices feel important, you must focus on the 
  things that the players care about. Focus on the things in the world 
  that are relevant to the player characters. A character you made 
  might have a detailed backstory, but you shouldn’t give the play-
  ers the character’s entire life’s story. Keep it relevant. The rest can 
  come up naturally over time. There are rules you have to follow 
  in playing the game, but some things are left to your discretion. 
  That means that if something is really important to the players, 
  it shouldn’t be free. By the same token, if nobody cares about the 
  outcome of a task, don’t bother rolling the dice. 
  To make rolling meaningful, it’s vital that you show the players the 
  consequences of their actions, so that usually—but not always—
  they can foresee the likely consequences before they commit to 
  their action. Players should know that any time they pick up the 
  dice, Success will look different than a Twist. When players roll a 
  Cost, don’t just forget about it—bring it back around later.
  You establish the consequences in the context of a player making 
  a roll, but this does not preclude “saying yes” to their action and 
  giving them the consequence without a roll. “You know that your 
  cup is poisoned but you want to drink anyway? Okay, you spend 
  the next week critically ill while Marcel takes over the business. 
  After that week you’ll still have the Sick Condition until you can 
  recover.” 
  Make your decisions as fairly as possible and stick to your agen-
  das.
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  58
  T h e  r o l e  o f  T h e  g M
  The Roll Itself
  The first thing to decide is whether to use an Opposed Roll or a 
  standard Skill Roll. If the opposition is another player character, 
  you have to use an Opposed Roll. If the opposition is an NPC who 
  has his own motivations and intents beyond simply opposing the 
  player, then it should be an Opposed Roll. If it’s just some mook 
  guard that the player wants to sneak past, make it a standard Skill 
  Roll.
  Players can ask for Linked Rolls when they want to prepare for a 
  future action, but you can also demand Linked Rolls if you feel 
  that an action requires preparation. “Sure you can build a bridge 
  over the chasm out of scraps using carpentry, but the quality de-
  pends on your materials, so somebody needs to roll scavenging 
  first.”
  Multiple Helpers
  If multiple players are helping, they each must roll and then pro-
  ceed from lowest roll to highest. If their roll exceeds the current 
  total, then they add one to it.
  Too many cooks spoil the broth
  You must limit the number of helpers on any roll as seems appro-
  priate. For instance, if the characters want to break down a small 
  door, simple geometry means that they aren’t all going to be able 
  to add their strength unless they improvise some kind of battering 
  ram. A player suggests: “Well what if we just take turns? He tries 
  then I try?” Then he’s going first, so he rolls. If he succeeds, they 
  are through. If he fails, the Twist isn’t going to be as bland as “He 
  doesn’t do it. Your turn.” A Twist has to change the situation and 
  precludes rolling again immediately.
  Advantages
  In an Opposed Roll, if both sides have the same Advantage or Dis-
  advantage from the same source, ignore it. If both sides want to 
  catch a football in the rain or if two characters are fighting with 
  hands tied behind their backs, it is silly to give them both Disad-
  vantage. Neither side has Advantage or Disadvantage.
  Don’t feel obligated to give characters an Advantage just 
  because the players ask for it. Players have their own ways 
  of generating Advantage without your input (see Helping, 
  Linked Rolls, and Action Points). So you are free to give out 
  Advantage and Disadvantage as the situation demands.
  Group Rolls
  Sometimes the players are in a situation where everybody 
  has to perform the same task, succeeding and failing as a 
  group. Common examples are sneaking, avoiding offending 
  the host, spotting an ambush, or passing off disguises. The 
  way rolling works in this game means that mixed results can 
  be confusing. If Jo gets Success with a Cost and Bob gets a 
  Twist, the whole group has to deal with the Twist, but Jo also 
  has a Condition on top of that? That hardly seems fair, and 
  Jo’s Success is pretty meaningless.
  just want to shoot the archery butt for no reason, just for its own 
  sake, then there’s not much you can do in the way of giving them 
  a Twist. So there’s no roll. They shoot it, but who cares? They are 
  awesome. Player characters are allowed to be awesome. Always 
  remember that difficulty is dependent on the tone of the game. A 
  high-fantasy heroic game might have archers who can easily hit a 
  target at that range and the only question is how many they can 
  hit in ten seconds.
  In summary, if the task is inappropriate to the intent, or if the task 
  is too complex for one roll, there is no roll until those problems 
  are corrected. If the task is very difficult, you have to Say Yes or 
  Roll Dice.
  My player wants to roll and show off a cool new Skill but there 
  are no interesting stakes. I have to “say yes,” but it feels like I’m 
  saying no. What should I do?
  Set up a situation where that player gets to use that cool new Skill 
  with real tension. Do not roll when nothing is at stake. Just “say yes” 
  and let the player describe their success for now. Be sure to give them 
  their chance later in the session.
  I wasn’t ready!
  If fairness is impossible because a player got overeager and rolled 
  the dice before you decided what the roll actually meant, they 
  have to roll again once you’ve worked it out. Once you’ve decided 
  the outcomes, you’re as bound by the dice as anybody else.
  Describe everything!
  Make sure players describe what they are doing before they roll. A 
  good description from a player will help you come up with good 
  Twists, help you adjudicate any Advantages or Disadvantages, and 
  make the world come alive for the whole table. If a player says “I 
  want to use my Thaumoscopy Skill to detect magic,” you should 
  respond by asking “Cool! What, specifically, are you doing?”
  As GM, you are in a position to lead the way when it comes to de-
  scriptions. When you describe the situation with more cool little 
  details, it gives players things to hang their own descriptions on.
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  59
  If the character’s action involves an NPC, you should consider 
  asking them to owe that NPC a Favor. A Favor is not something 
  that has to be delivered immediately. A Twist looks like: “I might 
  help you, but only after you help me with my problem.” A Favor 
  looks like: “I’ll help you, but only if you’ll help me with my prob-
  lem when you’re free,” or perhaps “I’ll help you, but you owe me 
  one.” Always keep track of who the players owe Favors and in par-
  ticular Favors that have been owed for some time. Having one of 
  their creditors track them down in the middle of something im-
  portant is a great Twist. If they turn him down now, they’ll get a 
  Bad Reputation.
  Note that players do not always have to explicitly agree to owe a 
  Favor. It is enough that the character in question believes that they 
  are owed. Even so, it is often a good idea to offer them that choice 
  with some alternative bad result implicit if they refuse to agree.
  Divine Favor
  In a setting where Gods are real, a Favor is an appropriate Cost 
  for just about any roll. The hand of the divine reached out to 
  change their fate. They loose the arrow and see it tailing to the 
  left, missing the mark. Then miraculously it slides back to the 
  right and enters the bullseye! The fingerprints of the divine are all 
  over, but what Favor do they owe and to which God or Goddess?
  Just because a divine Favor would fit any roll doesn’t mean you 
  should use it all the time. Think about how often you want divine 
  intervention to occur before you go using it every session. Pre-
  sumably players with strongly religious characters would be more 
  interested in this sort of Cost.
  Flaws are great Costs, but you always have to be careful of the line 
  between Cost and Twist. When gathering information a Flaw is 
  not: “Oh he tells you what you want to hear all right. And you eat 
  it up hook, line and sinker.” A Flaw is more like: “He’s telling you 
  the truth, mostly. But he’s leaving something out when he talks 
  about the security system. You’ve got good intel and you won’t 
  get anything else out of him without burning bridges, but your 
  information is Flawed when it comes to the lab’s passwords and 
  biometrics.” The same applies to physical objects, too. A Flaw is 
  not something that prevents the object from being used normally, 
  nor is it a nasty surprise to spring later—those are both Twists. A 
  Flaw is a known problem that restricts or hinders its use in certain 
  cases.
  If a player makes a roll to find or create an item, or to gather or 
  recall information and they succeed without a Cost, then you 
  cannot give the item or information a Flaw. That would be taking 
  away their success. If they simply find an object or come across 
  information that you have put in their path without them trying 
  to roll for it, though… those items can of course have Flaws, nasty 
  surprises, or worse.
  Conditions
  Feel free to come up with custom Conditions, Major or Minor, 
  to fit your situation. If you get a result of Success with a Cost but 
  wrack your brains and simply cannot think of a reasonable Favor, 
  Flaw, or Condition for the character, you can tell the player “You 
  succeed, but you are Angry. What made you Angry just now?” 
  Even experienced GMs get stumped—it’s okay to ask for help.
  The solution is the group roll. Simply, you decide who gets to roll 
  for the group. Sometimes there is one character who is clearly the 
  primary actor—then that character rolls. Sometimes the character 
  with the greatest chance of Success may roll—spotting an ambush, 
  for example. Only one character needs to spot the ambush to fore-
  warn the rest. Sometimes the character with the worst chance of 
  Success must roll—passing off a disguise, for example. One char-
  acter’s mistake spoils the act. If there’s a tie, pick the character who 
  has the most personally at stake or for whom you can think of a 
  very personal Twist. Personal Twists are usually more interesting 
  than abstract ones.
  Although there is only one roll for the group, the other charac-
  ters’ involvement is still narrated and can be represented using the 
  rules for Helping or Linked Rolls if appropriate. When looking for 
  the ambush along a wide road, everybody can help. In a cramped 
  hallway, only the character at the front of the group might have 
  any chance and nobody can help. When using Acting to pass off a 
  disguise at a guard post, the weakest Actor must roll but another 
  character can help out by doing most of the talking. At a grand 
  soirée, the characters spending their time babysitting the weakest 
  actor would be a giveaway and so they may not help. They may 
  do Linked Rolls—using bluffs to convince the partygoers that the 
  poor actor has sworn a vow of silence, perhaps—but in the end 
  that character has to stand on their own acting abilities. 
  Orthogonal Actions
  Okay, but what if Arvind wants to activate his doomsday device 
  while Jamal is trying to pull the plug, while at the same time 
  Shayan is trying to shoot Jamal to stop him from pulling the plug 
  and Gudrun is tackling Shayan to throw off her aim? How the 
  heck do you resolve that? Well, there’s not necessarily one right 
  answer for all situations, but generally you can resolve the actions 
  focused on interfering with other actions first. You can break this 
  one down as follows: Gudrun against Shayan is clearly an Op-
  posed Roll. If Gudrun wins, Shayan misses the shot. In that case, 
  Jamal against Arvind is a simple Opposed Roll. If Shayan wins 
  by three or more, she shoots Jamal badly and he can’t continue; 
  Arvind presses the button unopposed. If Shayan only wins by one 
  or two, then Gudrun might choose “It costs you less than you ex-
  pected,” and as a result Jamal is only grazed and can still go for the 
  plug, albeit with Disadvantage. He and Arvind make an Opposed 
  Roll. You might sort it out differently and that’s okay. It’s the GM’s 
  job to make these calls.
  The Results
  Success is easy. Just give the players their intent. You are allowed to 
  add on to the Success by saying “yes, but…” only if the “but” does 
  not take away from their intent. If their intent is problematic, you 
  should catch that before the roll.
  Costs
  When the player rolls a Cost, it’s your job to figure out what that 
  ought to be. Costs can be Conditions, Flaws, or Favors, but the key 
  thing to remember is that they are all temporary Disadvantages. If 
  you have an idea that doesn’t fall neatly into one of those catego-
  ries but is still a temporary Disadvantage, go ahead and use it. If 
  anyone asks, it’s a new Condition you made up.
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  60
  T h e  r o l e  o f  T h e  g M
  Twists
  One of your most important tasks is to come up with appropriate 
  Twists. Twists can do a number of things with regards to the play-
  ers’ goals. For Twists, think narrative, not mechanical. Costs are 
  more mechanical than Twists.
  A Twist means that the player did not get their intent or that they 
  got their intent but something went seriously wrong or even that 
  something really good happened that changed the whole scene. 
  The character may or may not succeed in their task—either one 
  is okay. A Twist can be beneficial, but it must look different than 
  Success. The key thing to note here is that a Twist MUST change 
  the situation. If you present your Twist and the end result is that 
  the characters are in the same place, they’re going to wonder why 
  they can’t just try again or try a different angle. They’ll want to 
  make the same rolls over again to get what they want. Boring! Re-
  member, Fun Once…. 
  Speaking of which, can a player roll with a different task but the 
  same intent? Can a different player roll with the same task and in-
  tent after one has failed? Technically yes, but a good Twist would 
  usually preclude that, at least in the short run. If they fail to con-
  vince the king by means of diplomacy, the Twist isn’t going to leave 
  them there still in the throne room ready to try a different angle. 
  Change the situation! If things are bogging down, a Twist is a 
  great opportunity for you to make a new, more interesting scene.
  You’ll want to use some Twists that are really harsh and some 
  Twists that are pretty tame and even some Twists that are fortu-
  nate. It’s important to get a variety and it’s important to hit both 
  ends of the spectrum. Every roll being a life-or-death situation is 
  exhausting and frustrating for the players because they are going 
  to fail a good proportion of the time. On the other hand, giving 
  your players nothing but mild and beneficial Twists sucks the ten-
  sion out of rolling. As a guideline, players that aim for bigger goals 
  make themselves vulnerable to worse setbacks, including harsher 
  Twists. Try to keep some balance between risk and reward, but at 
  the same time make sure you’re not picking on a player—constant-
  ly giving nasty Twists makes players reluctant to try cool things.
  A brief word on pacing
  GMs, it doesn’t do to spring nastiness on your player characters 
  without warning. For that reason, you should build the tension 
  and pull your punches until one of two things happens: the play-
  ers choose to ignore the obvious danger, or a player rolls and gets 
  a Twist. Then it’s game on.
  On the broader scale, for every threat the players are facing, you 
  should have a timeline: an idea of what happens if the players do 
  nothing. You should have events to show the players that these 
  timelines are progressing. When they wake up in the morning, 
  there is ominous graffiti. The next morning, someone is missing. 
  The next, a body is found. And so on.
  If a situation arises where a player expects to get a Condition with-
  out involving a roll, you may just give them one. If their character 
  jumps down a mineshaft to escape, knowing that doing so will 
  mean injury, they get the Injured Condition. You must warn them 
  of the outcome first. 
  The Conditions that occur when a player rolls Twist with a Cost 
  can be worse than when they roll Success with a Cost, but they 
  need not be.
  Example: Iowa James is climbing a sheer cliff to escape the 
  KGB. If he succeeds, he’s up. If he succeeds with a Cost, he’s up 
  but he’s Winded. If he rolls a 2 and gets a Twist, it could be that 
  the KGB are already waiting for him at the top of the cliff. On 
  a 1, you might say that not only are the KGB waiting, but he’s 
  Winded too. On the other hand, you might say that he slips and 
  falls, ends up Injured and unconscious in the river, left to wash 
  up who knows where.
  Managing Rests and Durations
  When the players have Conditions, don’t be afraid to press them. 
  Sometimes enemies won’t allow players ten minutes to rest, and 
  sometimes players can’t allow their enemies ten minutes to act. 
  Fighting while Winded is not bad, and they can afford to be 
  Winded a couple of times before they need to rest. Exhaustion is 
  another story, as it punishes every Skill Roll. A good night’s sleep 
  in a safe spot is difficult to get while in a dungeon. It would require 
  some Skill Rolls to secure an area and stand watch to allow for this 
  to occur. Again, don’t be afraid to press them—the whole point 
  of these Conditions is to wear the characters down and force the 
  players into hard choices. You don’t need to baby the players. Los-
  ing a fight is not the end of the world in this game.
  Heroes Overcome
  Player characters sometimes make heroic decisions, and some-
  times not. Part of your job is to make them heroic by giving them 
  adversity to overcome. Even the most cowardly and unheroic 
  character will have incredible tales to tell if it took all they could 
  muster just to escape with their life. So don’t be afraid to give 
  them Conditions. Yes, it’s tough, but that’s the fun of the game.
  If a character gets Winded, they will likely want to rest. Either 
  they are doing something pressing and really don’t have the time 
  or they are not. If what they are doing is not pressing, then spend-
  ing ten minutes to rest is perfectly reasonable. When they are Ex-
  hausted, on the other hand, it isn’t very reasonable for them to go 
  to bed at noon. Make sure players know that events are progress-
  ing without them and that things will keep getting worse if they 
  sleep through the day. See “A Brief Word on Pacing” below. Con-
  ditions like Winded usually last only until the end of the scene or 
  for a little longer if there is pressure. Conditions like Exhausted 
  are expected to last several scenes, since it is harder to find time to 
  recover. Injured can last across sessions at worst.
  Wandering threats
  In some old-school games players were deterred from resting by 
  wandering monsters: if they didn’t take steps to secure the area, 
  every ten minutes there was a chance of an interesting event. If 
  you want to use that technique, see pacing rolls on page 70.
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  61
  The Twist list
  Here is a list of Twists. It’s not comprehensive and you don’t have 
  to use it, but if you’re not sure what to do you can look here for 
  ideas. I always keep this handy when I am the GM.
  • 
  Put them into combat.
  • 
  Damage or take away their stuff.
  • 
  They get what they want, but with a nasty hidden surprise.
  • 
  They fail, but find a clue.
  • 
  Hurt or take their friends.
  • 
  Damage or twist their relationships or reputations.
  • 
  Change the environment.
  • 
  Threaten them with something really nasty…
  • 
  …then follow through if they fail again.
  • 
  Someone shows up with bad intentions or gets in the way.
  • 
  An enemy benefits from their actions.
  • 
  Now there’s more work (or a new quest) to do.
  • 
  They get split up (or captured).
  • 
  They take much longer than they expected or hoped.
  • 
  They can do it, but not right now.
  • 
  Injure or maim them.
  • 
  Give them a hard choice and don’t let them off easy.
  • 
  Time-delay any of the above—let them know that the con-
  sequences of their failure (or of their apparent success) will 
  be revealed later. They’ll be antsy all session long waiting for 
  their just desserts.
  How can you injure them? That’s surely a Condition, not a Twist.
  Three ways. First, you can make the injury something with immedi-
  ate effects but no lasting penalty. Thus, no Condition. For example, 
  you may say that they are knocked out, and then skip ahead and tell 
  them what they see when they come to.
  Second, you may use the injury to force immediate action. You could 
  say that they are bleeding out and need to get treatment right away, 
  or that they are poisoned and will die in six hours if they don’t get 
  the antidote.
  Third, you can give them a hard choice with a Condition as one 
  of the choices. For instance “You’re cornered. You can surrender to 
  your pursuers or you can jump off the balcony and get Injured.” 
  Tied Opposed Rolls
  When an Opposed Roll results in a draw, neither side gets their in-
  tent. Try to think of something that makes both sides wince. We’ve 
  been taught from a young age about the importance of compro-
  mise, so our first instinct is to try to come up with a way that ev-
  eryone can go away happy. That’s great for real life, but in a game 
  compromise tends to reduce the tension whereas both characters 
  remaining unsatisfied tends to ratchet up the tension. Of course, 
  there are times when it does not make sense for neither side to 
  get their way, and then you can fall back on compromise, but that 
  should be your last recourse.
  Types of Twists
  A Twist can divert players from their goal, put obstacles in the 
  way of their goal, make the player characters pay, or raise the 
  stakes. A Twist can also be your chance to follow through on the 
  brutal consequences you set up when you raised the stakes earlier. 
  If you always divert players from their goal, they’ll get nothing 
  done and get frustrated, but if you never divert them then they’ll 
  always achieve their goal in the end and raising the stakes loses 
  its purpose. Putting obstacles in the players’ path is about pacing: 
  too many and the game slows down; too few and things are won 
  and lost too easily. Making the players pay is when you take some-
  thing from their characters while allowing them to progress to 
  their goal. Raising the stakes allows them to get closer to their goal 
  while revealing a worse possible future if the players fail in their 
  task. You can only make the players pay so often before you’ve tak-
  en everything they care about, and the stakes can only get so high 
  before raising them higher becomes meaningless. So the conclu-
  sion here is that you need to do each of those four things without 
  leaning too much on any one. If you need a default, lean towards 
  putting obstacles in their path.
  Twists don’t have to be all in your hands—it’s often best if your 
  Twists give players hard choices. You can make them choose 
  whether to pay some kind of price to avoid an obstacle, or wheth-
  er they’d rather give up now or else face much higher stakes later. 
  You can give them ethical choices or practical ones. The choices 
  should always be given through their character’s eyes. 
  More positive Twists can introduce new characters, give infor-
  mation, provide help from a surprising direction, or reveal a 
  shortcut to the goal. You can mix negatives and positives, too. 
  Denying players their intent but rewarding them with informa-
  tion they need to continue their investigation is a great play. Rais-
  ing the stakes while giving players an escape route or shortcut 
  gives them a tough choice about how much they want to risk. 
  Your agenda here can be summed up by the following: Don’t give 
  the players everything they want, but do give them everything 
  they deserve. Make life for the characters interesting and use your 
  Twists to reinforce the tone of the game. Keep the story moving, 
  keep the tension building, and follow through on your threats. 
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  • 
  If a player rolls a connections Skill and rolls a Cost, then by 
  default the person they connect with is already owed a Favor. 
  This can make dealing with them difficult.
  • 
  If a player rolls a connections Skill and gets a Twist, the de-
  fault Twist is enmity. Either the person they connect with is 
  their enemy or is in contact with their enemies, or their ene-
  mies are also present. The result of this could be that the con-
  tact won’t help you, that they’ll help you only at great expense, 
  or that they confront you. It is up to the GM if the Twist is a 
  minor inconvenience or if the Twist ends with Lando saying 
  “I had no choice. They arrived right before you did. I’m sorry.”
  I have one of those, right?
  If a player thinks their character would already have an item, you 
  can say yes or they can roll an appropriate Skill to see whether they 
  have it. For example, a blacksmith might think they would have a 
  suit of armor lying around. This type of roll cannot be made Un-
  skilled. By default, a Cost means that the item has a Flaw, while 
  a Twist means not only that they don’t have it, but that they don’t 
  have it for a reason—a reason that prevents them from just rolling 
  the same Skill again to make the dang armor! Maybe the reason is a 
  simple lack of time. Either way, rolling the same thing twice in a row 
  with the same intent breaks the “Fun Once” rule.
  Tricks and Complications
  You should be familiar with each characters’ Complications and 
  Tricks, and put a bit of thought at the start of each session into 
  coming up with a few places where those aspects of their charac-
  ter might come into play. If you do not make an effort to push on 
  those elements and remind the players, it is likely that they will 
  not see much use. You don’t need to see every element of every 
  character in every session, but if you notice something that is on 
  their character sheet and is not getting used, you should make an 
  effort to put the player in a situation to use it. If you can’t think of 
  how to do that, you should have a quick talk with the player and 
  ask them how they see that element coming up in play.
  Example: Ahn has a Trick relating to escaping from piles of 
  rubble or collapsed structures. This is the sort of thing that will 
  not come up in play until the GM collapses a building onto the 
  party. So it’s up to the GM to do that every once in a while; for 
  instance, when someone rolls a Twist with explosives.
  If a player has a relevant Trick but elects not to use it and gets a 
  Twist, either let them succeed with a downside or ask them to 
  describe why their character didn’t manage it this time.
  Skills
  Keep in mind that players don’t spend resources on improving 
  Skills and there is very little complexity added by having more 
  Skills on their sheet. They also learn Skills very quickly by using 
  them. Having specific Skills can also help when they are roleplay-
  ing. If they decide they are using “Religion” to convince the priest 
  of something, that’s pretty vague. If they have “Catholic Doctrine” 
  and “Preaching” as options on their sheet, it makes them think 
  about how their character would approach the situation. For all 
  these reasons, I recommend that you keep Skills specific. 
  End of Session Results
  It’s that time of the night. The session is winding down. Everyone 
  is feeling tired and ready to go home. Your friend rolls a Twist, 
  and you want something that will wrap things up nicely. In my 
  experience, finding the right Twist is especially difficult at the end 
  of a session. A Twist that prolongs the scene is inappropriate. You 
  want to have some measure of resolution, even if you’re going to 
  leave it on a cliffhanger. With that in mind, if you’re stuck for 
  ideas, here are some tried and true session endings.
  • 
  Victory! You save the kid and defeat the kidnapper. (Success)
  • 
  Tune In Next Week! You save the day, but then see the drag-
  on coming over the horizon. (Success or Twist, depending 
  on context)
  • 
  Misdirect. The prince was in another castle. (Twist)
  • 
  Captured! Now your plucky sidekick needs to save you. 
  (Twist)
  • 
  The Big Reveal. The butler was the vampire all along! (Suc-
  cess or Twist depending on context)
  • 
  Saved! Your prospects look grim until the masked miracle 
  swoops in to save you! (Success or Twist depending on con-
  text. With a Cost: you owe a Favor)
  • 
  Sacrifice. You save the day, but at what price? (Twist, or Suc-
  cess with a Cost)
  Making, Finding, and Connecting
  Certain uses of Skills can stump you trying to think of good Twists 
  and Costs if you’re not ready for them. So here I provide you with 
  some defaults. That is, you are free to ignore these results if you 
  have something better, more dramatic or more appropriate in 
  mind. You should keep these in mind whenever players use any 
  Skills to make something, find something, or contact somebody.
  • 
  If a player rolls a Skill to make or find an item and gets a Cost, 
  then by default the item gets a Flaw. The Flaw may or may not 
  be temporary.
  • 
  If a player rolls a Skill to make an item and gets a Twist, then 
  by default the Twist is that they are missing a key ingredi-
  ent or tool. If they are under time pressure then you can give 
  them a choice: spend time that they do not have to make it 
  right, or put it together with duct tape and prayers. If they opt 
  to do a shoddy job, then the result is very likely to fall apart 
  after a single use. That is to say, it will fall apart after a single 
  use unless you have a better, nastier idea. If they are not un-
  der time pressure, then the missing link should be something 
  very difficult to find—a brief side-quest, really. Note that if 
  the character is not under time pressure, has the Skill, has all 
  the appropriate tools and is making something routine like a 
  blacksmith making a sword, then you should simply “say yes.”
  • 
  If a player rolls a Skill to find an item or information and gets 
  a Twist, then by default the Twist is either that their enemies 
  have found them first, or that their enemies have found the 
  item they are looking for first. What the enemies do is up to 
  the GM. They may confront the party or surveil them. They 
  may take the item, destroy the item, compromise the item, or 
  ransom the item back to the party.
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  Creation). To learn a Restricted Skill, you have to make it a goal 
  and use your other Skills to achieve that in play.
  Example: Only People of the Wind may use Spellsinging. 
  They may use it trained or untrained.
  Example: Rahman Field Modulation controls shields from per-
  sonal bubbles up to city protection domes. It is very advanced 
  and requires training before the Skill can be learned.
  Example: The Gift is Restricted. It can never be learned. You 
  were born with it and bear its marks or you were not.
  Wealth and Cash
  As described in the Wealth section (see page 12), the default 
  Twist for Wealth is that the player can either “break the bank” and 
  get what they want, or they can do without the item. You may offer 
  a third option: Barter. The seller wants something the players have 
  or can do, but would be loath to part with. It has to be a tough 
  choice.
  Cash Parcels
  When players get monetary rewards, find treasure, or otherwise 
  come into money, the way to handle it is cash parcels. Most of 
  the Cash rules are in the players’ section (see page 13) but a 
  couple of edge cases are listed here because they are available at 
  your discretion. 
  Cash parcels can be combined and split. Five level X cash parcels 
  are equal to one level X + 1 cash parcel. Buying in bulk works 
  similarly. Buying four items is generally the same as buying one 
  in terms of tiers, but buying five to twenty such items is one tier 
  higher. 
  There is no default list of Skills. If you make a list of Skills, you 
  are dictating what actions can be rolled for in your game. Any-
  thing outside that list is also outside the purview of mechanics. If 
  that’s what you want in your game, then please do work with your 
  group to make your own custom Skill list. Making a Skill list takes 
  a bunch of effort for what is usually not much gain. Don’t do it 
  unless you have a good reason. If you decide to use a Skill list and 
  intend long-term play, you may run into the problem of a char-
  acter knowing all the Skills. To avoid this, you may also decide 
  on a cap on the number of Skills characters can learn. Once they 
  reach this cap, if they want to learn a new Skill they must drop an 
  unused one.
  Learning
  Typically, characters gain Skills by trying them. Because a charac-
  ter always has a chance to learn any Skill they roll, players making 
  Unskilled rolls should be sure to pick Skills they might reasonably 
  learn. If the character can’t possibly know metallurgy, and surely 
  cannot learn it in one attempt, then that shouldn’t be the Skill they 
  roll. What exactly is the character doing? You’re sure they don’t 
  know metallurgy so they must be doing something else. If they are 
  trying to identify a metal, perhaps appraisal is more suitable to the 
  character. Tell them to roll that Skill instead.
  Skills may also be Restricted. Sometimes a Restricted Skill cannot 
  be used untrained and cannot be learned through practice. An 
  example might be Cantrips—you can’t make an illusion with the 
  power of your mind just by grunting and screwing up your face. 
  The Skill may only be available to those who have unlocked their 
  magical ability or received specialized training from a wizard. 
  Restricted Skills need not be supernatural—they could simply be 
  specialized knowledge, such as metallurgy in the example above. 
  Restricted Skills may be limited to certain Origins (see Character 
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  T h e  r o l e  o f  T h e  g M
  drama or challenging the players? How much do the players ex-
  pect to contribute to the world-building or the story? You can play 
  in any combination, so long as everyone is on board. Buy-in is the 
  most important thing.
  Conflicts and Themes
  Conflicts and themes are very important for reinforcing the tone. 
  If you want a serious, dramatic game, you need to pick serious, 
  dramatic themes like loyalty and sacrifice. For a goofy game, 
  themes are less important, but it can still help to have them. Mis-
  taken identity is a common comedic theme, as is jealousy. 
  Choosing conflicts at this point, when there are no factions yet, 
  essentially means drawing the big-picture strokes. Is this a game 
  where the player characters are exploring a new frontier, coming 
  in conflict with nature and the unknown? Is the game taking place 
  during a war or a rebellion? Is the game about criminals facing 
  off against agents of justice? Is it about survival in an unforgiving 
  land? Whichever you choose, having that central conflict helps 
  you build up factions around that conflict. The factions have their 
  own minor conflicts with one another reflecting the main conflict. 
  You can talk about those now, or flesh them out later.
  Factions and Locations
  Once the themes, conflicts, and tone are established, get out some 
  paper and sketch a rough map. Note down the places that have 
  already been mentioned. Everyone can add a location and say 
  something about it. Note down any factions or NPCs that are 
  mentioned and add factions as desired. Not all factions are equal-
  ly important. Ten factions is a good number for a very long game, 
  while just a few are needed for a game that will only run a session 
  or three. Make sure each faction has a location, adding locations 
  as necessary. Usually you want a location where factions border 
  one another as well, whether it be a meeting place or a battlefield. 
  NPCs and Events
  Now flesh out the NPCs, giving them all names. Each faction 
  needs at least one, often the leader. Fill in any obvious blanks: 
  if there is an Inquisition, surely there is a High Inquisitor. Make 
  sure you have a few NPCs that operate at the level of the player 
  characters. If the players are playing local investigators, you want 
  to know something about the local Sheriff, not just the national 
  Minister of Justice. Finally, events are major things that happened 
  in the past that are relevant to the current conflicts. Most events 
  should be associated with a location.
  Secrets
  As the GM, you are responsible for secrets. Create lots of them. 
  Most locations, factions and NPCs have secrets, as do some con-
  flicts and events. Just write a bunch down and make use of the best 
  ones; if the others turn out useful later, you can use them then. If 
  you like, you could tell each player that their character knows just 
  one of these secrets. Another way to handle secrets is through ru-
  mors. Rumors require you to create false secrets, half-truths and 
  conflicting information as well. Then when it comes time to tell 
  the players what their characters know about a person or place, 
  you can give them the facts and an assortment of rumors, some 
  true and some false.
  Players can sell items for Cash Parcels or even use their Wealth to 
  generate them directly. Cash parcels can only be created one at a 
  time, never in bulk. All generation of cash and all bulk purchas-
  es are at your discretion. When players invest their money, the 
  amount of time before they can use their new Wealth is also at 
  your discretion, primarily to prevent players from exploiting the 
  system to make nonsense happen. 
  Caveat emptor
  The intent of these rules is to speed play and to obviate the need 
  to track every penny. The abstraction speeds play, but is not a 
  perfect simulation, so do not let players abuse these rules. The 
  obvious ploy is to spend a level two cash parcel to buy a set of four 
  items each valued at level 2, then to sell just one of those items 
  for a level 2 cash parcel. Hey, now they’re up three items without 
  spending anything! That’s cheating. Only allow bulk buying when 
  the players actually need to buy in bulk. Use your discretion when 
  players generate, split or merge cash parcels. If players aren’t try-
  ing to game the system, the rules hold up fine.
   
  Loans can be made. Loaning someone cash just means rolling to 
  create the cash parcel and then giving it away. If interest is expect-
  ed, a cash parcel one tier lower must be paid back in addition to 
  the original amount. This is roughly five percent interest.
  Adventuring Absenteeism
  Rather than trying to track and pay for every meal, a character’s 
  lifestyle can be paid for in aggregate after a matter of months. If 
  a character is working all or most of the time and only having 
  occasional short adventures, then they can live according to their 
  Wealth. If they are away from work for months on end adven-
  turing, or if they try to live above their means, they need to roll 
  to keep up their lifestyle. Living like a person of Wealth tier X 
  requires a roll to pay for a level X + 1 item every six months.
  Example: For a Poor [1] person to live like a Rich [2] per-
  son while off adventuring for six months, their upkeep roll 
  would be level 3. Unless their adventuring proves lucrative, this 
  is obviously impossible. There’s a reason we can’t just quit our 
  jobs and fly around Europe staying at fancy hotels for a year.
  Creating Settings
  Creating a setting in which to play is a fun thing to do, and I be-
  lieve that it’s even better with friends. So the first piece of advice 
  here is to get your fellow players to contribute ideas to the setting. 
  Once you are ready to create, decide things in the following or-
  der: Genre and Tone, Conflicts and Themes, Factions and Loca-
  tions, NPCs and Events. Often something you create on a lower 
  level will cause you to go back and add to a higher level—an NPC 
  might inspire a faction which could drive a conflict, for instance—
  so don’t think of this as a one-way procedure.
  Genre and Tone
  You probably know well enough what your friends are interested 
  in, but if you don’t, or if you’re playing with people you don’t know 
  so well, it’s time to get on the same page. What sort of setting can 
  you all agree on? Sci-fi, fantasy, historical, or modern? Adapting 
  an existing franchise or setting, or coming up with something 
  new? Do you want a tone that is goofy or serious? Focusing on 
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  A classic sort of Custom Roll is the random monster table. When 
  players go through a certain area, they may encounter different 
  monsters with different probabilities. You may prefer not to roll 
  on such tables, instead simply picking an interesting result with-
  out any randomness. I use both methods depending on whether 
  I want to be surprised along with the players or whether I have a 
  great idea in mind already or even whether I just want to try out a 
  new monster. Only use encounters during travel if the travel is the 
  focus of the game—if the characters are on a quest, say. If the focus 
  is on what happens at the other side, simply skip over the travel 
  portion and get to the good stuff.
  Example: If you get a Twist when crossing the Great Erg 
  and the GM tells you that you are attacked, roll a die. On a 1 the 
  great Roc comes down and tries to steal your horses. On a 2-3 
  you come across the Necromancer’s patrols. On a 4 you are at-
  tacked by Antfolk bandits. On a 5 you blunder into the territory 
  of a Wind-Whale. On a 6 you are ambushed by a Desert Angler.
  Adventuring regions
  Locations are great. Locations are places where cool things hap-
  pened and where everything connects. They do not exist in a vac-
  uum, however. The trips between locations can be dangerous, too. 
  The following is how I like to organize things for adventures in 
  dangerous worlds, but different tones or genres require modifi-
  cations. 
  I like to break things into three sections: Wilds, Points of Light, 
  and Dungeons. Points of Light are small or large areas of relative 
  safety and security in the midst of the dangerous Wilds. Dun-
  geons are locations within the Wilds that have their own unique 
  guardians and dangers but also contain secrets or treasure. Wilds 
  are everything else around.
  The Wilds are the container for all the potential adventures you 
  can imagine. They are any region that is full of dangers but with 
  spaces of safety within. They contain Points of Light, Dungeons, 
  and realms of weird neutrals amidst their inherent dangers. Weird 
  neutrals are groups that are foreign and do not trust the player 
  characters but will not immediately reject them. Depending on 
  the actions of the players, they may become friends or foes. If they 
  turn into foes, the areas they control will no longer be Points of 
  Light. 
  Examples of Wilds include deserts, jungles, mountains, forests, 
  the ocean (if you’re on a ship), the sky (if you’re on an airship), 
  outer space (if you’re on a spaceship), a moon, occupied territo-
  ries, a great network of tunnels beneath the earth, a realm of por-
  tals and keys, or a city of evil. 
  When creating Wilds, consider the following questions and sketch 
  a rough map as you do so. You don’t have to answer every ques-
  tion. What are the environmental dangers? What are the factions 
  that control or have an interest in the Wilds? Where are the con-
  flicts and boundaries? Where are the Points of Light? Where are 
  the Dungeons? What are the landmarks that will help the play-
  ers navigate? If the players get lost, what enemies might they run 
  into? What might they run into that would surprise them? What 
  are the secrets and where are they held?
  Fill the world with questions
  Ask questions throughout this process, and do not answer all of 
  them. Every faction, location, NPC, or event can benefit from 
  having some unanswered questions for the players to discover 
  and answer. Some of your secrets can be unanswered questions, 
  too. Perhaps the Deputy Prime Minister is secretly disloyal to her 
  country: to whom does she owe her true allegiance?
  When creating a setting by yourself you follow the same order 
  but have to do everything yourself. Personally, I find that going it 
  alone is harder because I get paralyzed by choice when there’s no-
  body to push back on any of my ideas, and without people ques-
  tioning me I have fewer explanations for my creations. If you are 
  creating a setting by yourself then it is absolutely vital that your 
  players buy into the genre and tone of the game.
  Custom Rolls
  Custom Rolls are a great way to flesh out a setting. Sometimes 
  you want to have randomness inherent in the world that does not 
  come as a result of player character’s Skills. In this case, you can 
  design a Custom Roll. Each number represents a different out-
  come. Use Skill Rolls as guidelines. The idea is that these represent 
  situations that recur over and over. They ought to be something 
  the players can expect and plan around, engaging with them con-
  fidently, but their randomness introduces an element of risk and 
  keeps things fresh. 
  In a game about cosmic horrors, you might make a Custom Roll 
  for coming into contact with such horror. To flesh out your world 
  you might make a Custom Roll about using certain kinds of tech-
  nology or interacting with certain beings.
  Example: When you gaze into the Orb of Kerm, you roll 
  a die. On a 1, you black out. When you come around, you are 
  haunted by inchoate images of unspeakable horror. On a 2, 
  you relive the most traumatic event of your life (describe this 
  scene, preferably without gory details). On a 3, you see a vision 
  of some distant event of great personal import but come away 
  Exhausted. On a 4, you enter the dreams of someone (GM’s 
  choice) acquainted with you and may have a brief discussion. 
  You remember the details of the discussion, but the dreamer 
  forgets. On a 5, you may see through the eyes of another for a 
  few minutes. On a 6, you may see through the eyes of another 
  for a few minutes, and may regain this connection at will for 
  the next several days.
  Example: When you camp in the Twisted Wood, roll a die. On 
  a 1 Disaster! By magic or flood or marauding Snarks your camp 
  is destroyed. On a 2 you are interrupted by a wandering crea-
  ture, patrol, or event. On a 3 you are inconvenienced or short 
  on supplies. On a 4-5, the camp is safe for the night. On a 6, you 
  catch a break: a friendly face stumbles in or you find one of the 
  wood’s secret springs or groves.
  Example: If your players stumble into an unplanned fight, their 
  opponents might have something of value. Since the fight was 
  unplanned, obviously you didn’t work out in advance what they 
  would have. So roll a die. On a 1-2 they just have junk. On a 3 
  they have equipment or minor valuables. On a 4 they have in-
  formation to pull the players in: a clue, secret, mystery, or story 
  hook. On a 5 they have the sort of item or information that 
  allows players to bypass dangers: passcodes, keys, or a map. On 
  a 6 they have riches or magic or new and powerful tech.
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  Six dungeon examples
  • A dungeon containing swarms of fiery insects guarding a fiery 
  queen. Or expand this to multiple smaller dungeons with differ-
  ent sorts of fiery arthropods and queens leading to a larger dun-
  geon containing the fiery empress of them all. Mechanically, the 
  swarms use the Mob trait and all have fire-based powers.
  • A forest of twisting paths containing plant monsters. Mechani-
  cally, each plant monster can take root instead of moving in order 
  to regain health. The plants also have aura effects as a result of 
  their intoxicating scents.
  • A starbase controlled by militaristic androids. Mechanically, 
  they all resist damage, move quickly, and use explosive attacks.
  • Within the fetid swamp lies a fungal den of twisted people. 
  The mind-altering fungus has given them time-altering powers at 
  the price of their sanity and humanity. Mechanically, these poor 
  creatures have triggered abilities giving them “do-overs.” For ex-
  ample, once per combat when a player hits one, the player must 
  reroll the attack with Disadvantage. Once per combat, when they 
  miss an attack they may instead reroll the attack against a dif-
  ferent target.
  • A realm of towers without bridges populated by flying crea-
  tures. Doors simply open into the empty sky and crossings must 
  be made with ropes and grapnels. Being attacked during such a 
  crossing would surely be disastrous.
  • An abandoned shopping mall full of shambling undead con-
  trolled by a mad scientist. Mechanically, the monsters may revive 
  after being Taken Out unless players take a turn to sever the head 
  after it’s been downed.
  Creating NPCs
  In order to play the world, you need to roleplay all the myriad 
  characters in the world that your players come across. I won’t bur-
  den you with unnecessary mechanics for how to do this, but I will 
  outline the things you should consider to enrich your NPCs. 
  First: What notable Skills, if any, do they have? You don’t have to 
  list them all—just focus on the ones likely to come up in play. If 
  the NPC ends up in an Opposed Roll against a player character, 
  you’ll need to decide whether they are Skilled or not. 
  Second: Where are they strong and where are they weak? If they 
  have a particular strength, this can have a quasi-mechanical im-
  pact. If you try to arm-wrestle the Troll, you will lose (unless you 
  cheat). If you try to upstage the showman, he will embarrass you 
  (unless you’ve outsmarted him). This isn’t the same thing as say-
  ing “no” to your players. You say “Yes, you armwrestle the troll, 
  but once the match has started it becomes immediately obvious 
  that you can’t beat her fairly. She’s just too strong. What do you 
  do?”
  Similarly, weaknesses can give players a way to get what they want 
  without needing to roll. If the players come up with a good idea to 
  take advantage of the Bosun’s reckless ambition to spark a mutiny, 
  they don’t need to roll to convince him. He’s already convinced 
  that he should be captain. Other times the NPC might have Dis-
  advantage on a roll due to, say, fear of heights.
  Points of Light are sources of aid, rest, information, and rumors. 
  They are the setting for festivals and events. Examples include vil-
  lages, cities, monasteries, temples, oases, forts, castles, towers, and 
  outposts. They could also be mobile: nomadic camps or patrols by 
  the authorities. They will be friendly or weird neutrals.
  When creating Points of Light, you should think about the follow-
  ing questions. What defenses do they have against the dangers of 
  the Wilds? How do they get the necessities of life? What is their 
  purpose? (E.g. A trading hub, a source of resources, a diaspora, a 
  desperate band.) Who is the leader and is there internal conflict? 
  How do they relate to nearby groups? (E.g. rivals, friends, lords.) 
  What are the landmarks, unique traits, and secrets?
  Dungeons are almost the reverse of Points of Light. They are places 
  of concentrated danger for the players. They are sources of secrets, 
  treasures, information, and unobtainable resources. They are ene-
  mies’ lairs and places of strength. They are places that the players 
  would never want to go, but must because of what lies within.
  Examples of Dungeons include caves, towers, castles, woods, in-
  dustrial complexes, banks, casinos, military bases, cruise ships, 
  slums, tent cities, occupied towns, space stations, giant living crea-
  tures, magical living landscapes, or—of course—literal dungeons.
  When creating Dungeons, draw out a map. Unlike the rough and 
  wide open Wilds map, a Dungeon map usually has only limited 
  paths to connect from one location to the next. In drawing your 
  map, consider the following questions: is there one group of en-
  emies here or more than one? Are there conflicts between them? 
  Are there any weird neutrals? Are there traps or environmental 
  dangers? Are there places of safety—miniature Points of Light—
  within the Dungeon? Where is the players’ goal? What other trea-
  sure or secrets might they find aside from their goal?
  Dungeons always contain groups of themed recurring enemies. 
  Wilds often do too, but Wilds can also be more diverse. When 
  designing your dungeon, create a group (or more than one group) 
  of diverse enemies linked by a common theme and common me-
  chanics. 
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  Pick three
  For planning a given session, it can help to think of three real-
  ly cool things you want to include. You could pick fights, Team 
  Conflicts, chases, or just plain cool scenes. Tonight, I want to see 
  a fight with an assassin on top of the bridge connecting the Petro-
  nas Towers, a motorcycle chase through Kuala Lumpur traffic, 
  and an ambush in the alley by Nur and her goons. I sketch out a 
  quick map for each fight, pull out or modify the monster stats I 
  need for Nur and the gunmen she travels with, as well as for the 
  assassin, Sukarno. Last, I think about one way these pieces might 
  connect together, and I think about what cool stuff could happen 
  if these scenes don’t end up going the players’ way. If the assassin 
  escapes, he might leap off the bridge revealing a wingsuit. If the 
  players can’t catch the bike messenger in traffic during the chase, 
  they might end up right where I want them for the ambush. Even 
  if they catch the messenger, I just have to wait for them to roll a 
  Twist out on the streets and then it’s ambush time. If they lose 
  the fight in the ambush, Nur gets to haul them up in front of 
  her mother, Nurul. The odds of the session actually going exactly 
  the way I just imagined it are slim, but I can probably work in 
  some variation on each of these scenes with a bit of re-skinning 
  to reflect the players’ choices and the Twists that happened. With 
  those three scenes ready to go, I’m confident we’re going to have 
  a great night.
  Useful Practices
  In this section, I’ll provide some additional tools to help with set-
  ting scenes, exploration and travel, social situations, and magic. 
  Experience has taught me that some of these can be contentious 
  issues, so the most important thing is just to do what works for 
  you. If your group already has a way of handling these situations 
  that works well for you, don’t change it. If you are running into 
  problems or arguments, these tips might help. 
  Setting the Scene
  A part of your role is setting scenes. The basic technique of 
  scene-framing is starting with the scene already in motion: skip 
  the boring parts and get to the good parts. Once you’re comfort-
  able with this, try to bring players’ Complications into the scene 
  framing. For example, you could tell the player that the scene be-
  gins with her character getting in trouble for her “Loudmouth” 
  Complication and giving away their plan to the villain. If she’s 
  okay with this, she’ll get an Action Point for her trouble. If she’s 
  not okay, she’ll tell you and you need to reframe things. How far 
  you can take this very much depends on your players; I’ve had 
  players who would not be into this at all and others who would 
  happily take the Action Point and elaborate on how their char-
  acter screwed up. Sometimes players set their own scenes. That’s 
  great, but feel free to twist the situation if you think you can make 
  it more interesting or challenging without invalidating the player’s 
  idea. 
  When you set scenes, the first minute or two should be about es-
  tablishing the conflict. There should be some clear conflict, wheth-
  er between characters in the scene or from the environment, oth-
  erwise it is easy to have a scene that never really gets going. If 
  that happens, don’t worry. You can never predict what the other 
  players are going to do and sometimes that means that they won’t 
  respond to a scene the way you envisaged. No problem. If there is 
  no conflict, just wrap it up and move on to the next interesting bit.
  Next: What interesting connections does the character have? Ob-
  viously the Lieutenant is close to the Colonel and has the respect 
  of his underlings. No surprises there. But perhaps he was also 
  childhood friends with a rebel general. Perhaps he is an addict 
  and in the pocket of the Triads. Perhaps he has a burning envious 
  hatred of the Marshal.
  Finally and perhaps most importantly: What do they want? Ev-
  erybody wants something and some people want more than one 
  thing. These wants should be informed by the character’s connec-
  tions.
  Each of these categories help you roleplay your character in a 
  convincing way. Wants, connections and weaknesses guide their 
  overall course, while Skills and strengths determine how they go 
  about achieving their goals.
  Now you know what your character will do and say, there’s one 
  last little trick to help your players remember who they are. Give 
  each character a cue: a single descriptor that you use every time 
  the character appears. Usually visual, like wavy blonde hair or a 
  jagged scar, a cue could also use other senses, like a high coarse 
  voice, a sour scent, or an indescribable sense of danger.
  For more on creating villains specifically, see page 185.
  Planning the Session
  A major advantage of Strike! is that it requires little preparation. 
  You don’t need to plan all the things that will happen in the ses-
  sion. When you use the Twist List, cool and unexpected things 
  happen in the normal course of play. That doesn’t mean that you 
  have to abandon all notion of planning, though. You might come 
  to the table each session with a Twist that would suit each charac-
  ter, then wait for them to roll a Twist at an appropriate moment. 
  You might simply have the idea that you want to bring in an en-
  emy faction at some point. You won’t always get to use all your 
  ideas, and in fact if play goes in an unexpected direction you may 
  not get to use any of them. Don’t worry, just write them down and 
  you might be able to use one another day.
  Most of your prep time is picking and modifying monsters for the 
  players to fight. So see the Team Monster chapter on page 140 for 
  all the details on this part of your role as GM. Your agenda here 
  is to make the fights exciting and not to go easy on your players.
  If you are spoiled for choice, you can use random generators to 
  help narrow things down and combine elements of your setting to 
  come up with a quest for a session. One such method is described 
  under the heading “Quick Session Generation” on page 31.
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  Third, if there is nothing of interest to be found in an area, players 
  do not roll the dice. If they search, they spend the time but no roll 
  is required. This means that when they do roll the dice and fail, 
  they’ll know that there was something there and will want to try 
  again and again. So your Twists need to be better than “You don’t 
  find anything.” Remember, a Twist needs to change the situation. 
  If they get to a point where they can try again later, that’s cool but 
  the stakes should be higher or you should “say yes.”
  Fourth, if the thing the players were looking for was plot-critical, 
  usually it makes sense that they should find it even if they roll 
  a Twist. The Twist should just give them some other obstacle or 
  setback to deal with. 
  How do players know to do the right thing? There must be some 
  hint in your description that players can latch on to and inves-
  tigate. When players first discover an altar with a mystical tome, 
  they won’t know at first whether reading it will summon a name-
  less horror or give them important insight to the milieu, but there 
  must be some way they can tell the difference with proper inves-
  tigation. The other side of this coin is that when your description 
  is very sparse and plain, the players know that there is nothing to 
  investigate and won’t obsessively check each flagstone with a ten 
  foot pole. It is the GM’s job to inform players of important details, 
  but the players’ job to react to those details. Attentive and cautious 
  players can get by with a smaller number of rolls than hasty or 
  inattentive players, but overcautious players slow things down for 
  everyone. The classic disincentive to slow play is to have “wander-
  ing monsters” or unfortunate events happen at regular intervals, 
  but don’t be afraid to simply speak up and make it clear to the 
  players that they are barking up the wrong tree.
  With regards to traps, the procedure above generally works well. 
  A typical Twist on a roll to find traps is setting off said trap. An-
  other option is to occasionally have the trap partially triggered. 
  You end up clinging to the edge of the pit rather than falling in, or 
  you find yourself with your foot on a pressure plate, knowing that 
  the trap will fire once you lift your foot.
  On the other hand, if you found some conflict then you’re faced 
  with a choice. Your first option is to let the players try to resolve it 
  and see what the dice say. They might resolve it quickly and pain-
  lessly, or else they might get a Twist and get in a worse spot. The 
  dice come up Twist often enough that you’ll have plenty of scenes 
  going differently than you or the players envisaged. These are usu-
  ally the most memorable scenes. If you know in advance that you 
  want to make a scene important and memorable, then you have 
  a second option: set up a nasty surprise for the players. You put 
  them in a conflict, then you make their situation worse, and only 
  then do you let them try to work their way out of it.
  Example: The group enters the boardroom to talk to Yutaka 
  about the cyberware shipment. They say what they want, he 
  says what he wants in return, and the players agree to a deal. 
  That’s that. No conflict, no roll, no problem.
  Example: Yutaka says what he wants, the players say “no way” 
  and try to convince him to accept better terms. They roll and 
  succeed.
  Example: Same as before, but they roll and get a Twist. Now 
  Yutaka makes a gesture and Scotty O. comes in with his arm 
  around Little Mike’s neck and a gun to his head. Things just 
  got real.
  Example: You want to make sure you make an impression. Yu-
  taka says what he wants, the players say “no way” and start to 
  argue for better terms. He cuts them off and makes a gesture. In 
  comes Scotty O. with Little Mike. They don’t get to roll until the 
  situation has already gotten worse. 
  Exploration
  First, if there is a trap or a secret with a particular trigger and a 
  player takes an action that would certainly find it, then they suc-
  ceed. Remember, “If you do the right thing, it works.” 
  Second, players can also generally search an area and rely on their 
  character’s Skills to find secrets. If they do this, it takes time and 
  they must roll an appropriate Skill. They don’t have to tell you all 
  the various things they try—you can assume their character is try-
  ing all sorts of things depending on how the roll turns out.
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  Preparedness and Difficult Regions
  If you tried to cross the Sahara wearing what you are wearing right 
  now, carrying only what you have in front of you, you would be at 
  a Disadvantage in every single thing you tried to do. It is the same 
  in the game—there are some regions that are so inhospitable that 
  characters going there unready have Disadvantage on every roll 
  and will not get far. You can use regions like this for places you 
  don’t think the player characters should be able to go (yet). 
  Example: You can see the shimmering spires of Ardena 
  from the smelly little village of Scut, but between lies the Forest 
  of the Five Perils.
  Even doing this, your players may ignore your cues and spend all 
  their resources preparing for such a journey. Let them prepare and 
  let them negate the penalties if their preparations are sufficient. 
  But also make sure they see the consequences of focusing on that 
  instead of on whatever else is happening.
  Example: The players spend a week gathering supplies and 
  hiring a guide to cross the Great Erg. A Twist means that high 
  winds delay their departure another week. Now well-provi-
  sioned, they are able to attempt the crossing without having 
  Disadvantage. But in the meantime, the Slavers’ coastal raids 
  have gone unchecked, carrying off scores of people including 
  some friends of the player characters.
  You can also effectively gate off regions without needing to give 
  players Disadvantage on many tests—just put one insurmount-
  able obstacle in their path instead. However, don’t be surprised 
  if the players out-think you and find a clever way to surmount it.
  Example: Your nemesis operates out of Voy Torashi space-
  port, but the space around Torash is enveloped by a blockade. 
  You’ll never get through aboard the Stooping Kestrel.
  What if you want an area to seem dangerous and be dangerous 
  without discouraging players from attempting it? The primary 
  tool you have here is consequences: the area is dangerous because 
  the consequences for failure are greater. 
  Example: The spiders of Nur’Zal were one thing. Their ven-
  om might leave you heaving and retching for a week. But the 
  arachnanthropes of Ardash il Falza are another story entirely. 
  One bite and you’ll be on an inescapable path to eight-legs.
  So as long as the players are succeeding, the area is no different 
  from any other, but the moment they fail you must hit them hard. 
  Your second tool is much more situational: in areas the characters 
  are unfamiliar with, you may deny them the use of certain Skills. 
  Example: The survivalist’s Skills have until now been used 
  only in a forest context. Foraging in a desert environment is 
  not the same as in a forest and the survivalist may have to roll 
  Desert Foraging Unskilled instead of being able to use their 
  Foraging Skill. 
  Social Situations
  Some players want to use their own social skills to avoid having to 
  roll the dice. Other players want to immediately pick a Skill and 
  roll the dice without getting into a conversation. Both of these are 
  to be avoided.
  First, require details. “I want to bluff him into thinking that the 
  President wants him dead” is a good intent, but as a GM you need 
  to press the player for more details on what exactly his character is 
  saying. Those details are crucial for knowing how an NPC might 
  respond positively or negatively. Without those details, you’re rel-
  egated to saying essentially “he believes you” or “he doubts you.” 
  With the details, you can explain how or why he does one of those 
  things. 
  Second, as soon as you have all the details you need, either say 
  yes (remember, “If you do the right thing, it works”) or tell the 
  player to roll the appropriate Skill. The appropriate Skill is based 
  on those details, not just on the player’s intent. He may want to 
  use his Bluff Skill, but if his bluff primarily relied on establishing 
  credibility based on his knowledge of the CIA, there might be a 
  more appropriate choice. If a player wants to roll a particular Skill, 
  their words and actions must align with that Skill.
  That is enough for most groups, but if you want more mechanical 
  weight, you can use the following chart. Use this chart when a 
  player wants to convince a character to take a particular action. 
  The odds of success depend on the NPC’s disposition towards the 
  characters and to what degree the action is in the NPC’s inter-
  est. Cross-reference these to find out whether or not to roll and 
  whether the players have Advantage or Disadvantage or neither.
  Most NPCs fall in the middle three disposition categories. Notice 
  that a hateful character is so set against the players that they are 
  unlikely even to help themselves if it would help the players, while 
  an adoring character is likely to go out of their way to risk their 
  own interests to help the players. These are extreme positions. 
  Players can take actions to improve an NPC’s disposition towards 
  them, but only by one step. To build trust by more than that re-
  quires more than words or gifts: it takes time and deeds. On the 
  other hand, it can be easy to move in the opposite direction, even 
  by accident. Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. 
  Disposition to Players
  Hateful
  Opposed Neutral
  Aligned
  Adoring
  Anti
  Imposs.
  Imposs.
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  Indif.
  Imposs.
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  Auto.
  Pro
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  Auto.
  Auto.
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  time-based. Roll once per hour or once per day while traveling. 
  In an enclosed place where more is happening, roll once every ten 
  minutes. If you don’t keep close track of time, use Skill Rolls to 
  pace it instead: make a pacing roll once every four Skill Rolls the 
  players make. If you find that too fast or too slow, adjust. In either 
  case, you should make a pacing roll whenever the group tries to 
  rest or make camp, but ignore the environment rating. Resting is 
  not taxing, but you may still be interrupted by people or monsters.
  Example: The Aluk Expanse is a sparsely populated part of 
  the galaxy, home primarily to pirates and fugitives, but also the 
  occasional hermit or commune that can’t abide the Autarchy’s 
  way of life. It is used as a hiding place because the Farhan debris 
  obscures the Extremely Massive Objects, making FTL travel a 
  risky proposition. The population and environment ratings are 
  each 1. On a pacing roll of 1, the players run afoul of pirates or 
  come across a hermit in distress. On a roll of 2, they get Grav-
  ity Sickness (a Minor Condition) or their vessel gets a Flaw, 
  perhaps Gravimetric Compressor Malfunction, giving them 
  Disadvantage on rolls involving their ship’s maneuverability or 
  speed. On a roll of 3 to 6, their travels are blissfully uneventful.
  Randomness and Emergence
  I like things like pacing rolls, wandering monsters, and random 
  tables because I like the way unexpected connections arise out 
  of them. When something unexpected yet totally appropriate to 
  the situation comes up on the dice, that is very satisfying. When 
  something out of place comes up, that is interesting because there 
  must be some explanation—the players might come up with one 
  on their own. The unexpected changes up the story.
  The point of random tables is that the GM can be surprised by 
  the world and have the feeling of playing in a living world that 
  isn’t fully predictable. That’s the feeling that the GM instills in the 
  players, so it’s no wonder that some GMs also want to have that 
  feeling. Others don’t care. It’s just a matter of taste.
  On the other hand, random fights in Tactical Combat are inher-
  ently less interesting than set-piece fights where you create inter-
  esting terrain beforehand. Some groups eschew random encoun-
  ters for this reason. Others resolve random encounters with Skill 
  Rolls instead of Tactical Combat. Many encounters can be solved 
  without fighting and the basic rules can be used for fights too.
  Pacing Rolls
  There is another technique I like to use sometimes and that is 
  called the “Pacing Roll.” Each region is rated from 1 – 3 in terms 
  of population and 0 – 2 in terms of how taxing or dangerous the 
  environment is. A population of 1 represents sparse occupation, 
  2 represents a populous region and 3 represents a crowded re-
  gion. An environment rating of 0 represents normal terrain, 1 
  represents a very difficult region, such as a snowy mountainside, 
  2 represents the harshest places in the world: the Himalayas in a 
  storm or Death Valley under the summer sun. 
  The population rating indicates how likely you are to have a run-in 
  with monsters or people, while the environment rating indicates 
  how quickly you gain Conditions. A pacing roll is a simple roll of a 
  die. If the roll comes up equal to or lower than the population rat-
  ing, the party has an unexpected run-in with people or monsters. 
  The encounter need not be dangerous, but it interrupts the party’s 
  plans. If the roll is higher than that, but equal to or lower than the 
  sum of the population rating and the environment rating, the par-
  ty gains a Condition or Flaw related to their surroundings instead. 
  Roll
  Result
  P or less
  Encounter with inhabitant.
  P + T or less, but above P Condition based on environment.
  Above P + T
  No problems.
  For instance, if the population rating is 2 and the environment 
  rating is 1, then when you roll a pacing roll, the party has an un-
  expected run-in on a 1 or 2, and the party gains a Condition on 
  a 3. You ought not have the two ratings add up to more than 3 
  except in some strange circumstances. Is Death Valley populous? 
  Are mountain peaks crowded? No.
  Hungry, Winded, and Exhausted are useful Conditions that can 
  affect a whole group while traveling. In a location harsh enough to 
  give such Conditions, finding food or safe places to rest probably 
  requires a roll. Alternatively, give the traveling gear a Flaw. For in-
  stance, the carriage has a poorly repaired axle or the grain got wet.
  Okay, so when do you make a pacing roll? Well, some GMs like 
  to keep close track of time. If that describes you, then make it 
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  Optional Rules and Variants
  Here are a few rules variants that you might consider using. They 
  ended up here either because I prefer what I put in the main text 
  over these, or because they add a layer of complexity that should 
  be optional. Many of these give alternatives that better suit certain 
  types of player or certain types of game. Some of them I use regu-
  larly, but would not recommend to beginners.
  Lower and Higher Skill Tiers
  The basic system of Skilled vs Unskilled gives even Unskilled 
  characters a decent chance of getting what they want. To allow 
  for more variation, you can include another tier below these. This 
  bottom tier is called No Skill. To avoid confusion, you might re-
  name the existing tiers Novice and Expert, using the Unskilled 
  and Skilled charts respectively.
  If you want to open things up on the other end, you can create 
  a Skill tier above them all. This tier is always called Heroic, and 
  allows for hyper-competence in a Skill. Moving from Skilled to 
  Heroic needs more than just rolling a 6. Heroic Skills indicate a 
  supernatural level of Skill and so something supernatural needs to 
  be happening to go up to that level. Hence, you advance when the 
  plot demands it. The new tiers look like this:
  Heroic
  6
  Success with two Bonuses
  5
  Success with a Bonus
  4
  Success
  3
  Success with a Cost
  2
  Twist with a Silver Lining
  1
  Twist 
  No Skill
  6
  Success and learn the Skill OR a Bonus
  5
  Success with a Cost
  4
  Twist with a Silver Lining
  3
  Twist 
  2
  Twist with a Cost
  1
  Something Awful
  They should be pretty self-explanatory. A Silver Lining is just a 
  Bonus but happens alongside a Twist—the player gets to pick the 
  Silver Lining after the GM picks the Twist. What about Something 
  Awful? When you get a Twist, something awful might happen or it 
  might just be an inconvenience or a mixed result, and that is up to 
  the GM. When you roll a 1 with No Skill, something truly awful is 
  guaranteed. If you roll a 6 with a Heroic Skill, you get two Bonus-
  es, but you may combine them into one especially good Bonus.
  You have to figure out what starting Skills look like if you use these 
  tiers. I’d suggest for a low-powered game that one Skill from your 
  Background and the Skill you pick with your free choice start at 
  Expert, with the rest starting at Novice. For a high-powered game, 
  do the same but up one tier, so you start with two Heroic Skills.
  Magic and Supernatural Abilities
  If a player wants to play a wizard or psychic or any character with 
  supernatural powers, they are interested in using those powers to 
  mess with the game’s world. Depending on the tone of the game, 
  starting magical characters may only able to access relatively mi-
  nor magical effects. If they want to access more powerful effects, 
  they can do this by taking appropriate actions in-game to acquire 
  knowledge. Players mostly break down into two types: those who 
  want a defined list of effects they can generate reliably, and those 
  who want to make it up on the fly. Regardless of which type of 
  player they are, when they use magic they have to roll an applica-
  ble Skill (Evocation? Summoning?) and see what happens. 
  The first type of player may want to have a list of spells that they 
  can pick from. I won’t write out such a list in this book because 
  it’s beyond our scope, but you can make up your own such list 
  based on your chosen setting or you can borrow from whatever 
  game you fancy. Some players won’t want a list but simply know 
  what spells they want their character to have. The only limitations 
  required are those demanded by the tone and setting of the game. 
  The second type is more likely to want to have the ability to say 
  “Ah well, it’s fortunate that I prepared a spell for just such an occa-
  sion…” and proceed to describe how they attempt to magic their 
  way out of whatever problem. Working this way, there should be 
  a firm agreement on the scale and precision of the actions the 
  magical character can accomplish. Can they move small objects? 
  Heavy boulders? Mountains? Rewire a circuit?
  Magic is another good place for Custom Rolls. With non-magical 
  tasks, everyone knows more or less what the expected outcomes 
  are. Magic is something we have no experience with, so for players 
  to engage with it confidently they need to know its rules. Laying 
  out unique Twists and Costs that arise from spellcasting can help 
  it feel unique, too. A special rule I like for Wizards is that if they 
  roll a 2, the Twist is a mundane one but if they roll a 1 then they 
  miscast and the spell doesn’t do what’s intended. Maybe they just 
  summoned a demon into downtown Manhattan, or maybe they 
  accidentally turned their hair bright green. Feel free to be really 
  mean with these miscasts—magic is high risk and high reward.
  Are wizards special that they get these things and others don’t? 
  In one way, yes: Wizards are able to affect the world in ways that 
  other characters cannot. That’s the whole point of magic. In another 
  way, no: the Wizard’s player gets a mechanical benefit from their 
  magic via their Skills and Tricks, while the other characters get ben-
  efits pertaining to their own special talents, whether they are super-
  natural or not. A Librarian might not have a magic spell prepared, 
  but could instead announce “Aha! I was just reading about these the 
  other day!” and use her Trick to save the day.
  In Tactical Combat, players use Reskinning (see page 98) to 
  translate their Class and Role powers into the magical abilities 
  their character uses. They can use non-combat magic in clever 
  ways during combat too using the rules for Skill Rolls in combat.
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  to hit (they hit on a 3 or higher). However, the only reason they 
  would undertake such an action is if killing that character was the 
  monsters’ objective in the combat, or if the monster is designed 
  around gaining combat advantages by killing characters. Such cir-
  cumstances are rare. In desperation, a monster may also verbally 
  threaten to finish off a downed combatant, preparing an action to 
  kill the Taken Out character. In this case, the rest of the characters 
  must decide whether to negotiate, to try to kill the monster before 
  it can carry out its threat (or push it so that it is no longer adja-
  cent), or to simply fight on.
  2d6 Skill Rolls
  This variant replaces the usual one die Skill Roll with a version 
  using two dice. The purpose of the following rules is to take the 
  general format of an Apocalypse World move and translate it into 
  a very general implementation of Strike! Skills. You can see in this 
  move some evidence of the influence that Apocalypse World had 
  on Strike!
  Roll 2 dice and add them together (add 2 to the result if Skilled)
  • 
  On a 12+, Success and a Bonus.
  • 
  On a 10-11, Success (and you may learn the Skill if Unskilled).
  • 
  On a 7-9, Twist or Success with a Cost. (GM’s choice, but the 
  GM should give this choice back to the player as an in-char-
  acter decision if possible).
  • 
  On a 6–, Twist.
  Advantage means you roll 3d6 and drop the lowest. Disadvantage 
  means you roll 3d6 and drop the highest. A -1, as from a Major 
  Condition, is simply a -1 still. Helping works the same way as be-
  fore: the helper rolls, and if their roll is higher than the primary 
  roll, you add 1 to it. Opposed Rolls are still 1d6 vs 1d6, following 
  the usual rules. 
  Linked Rolls go as follows:
  • 
  On a 12+, Success and the target roll has Advantage, plus a 
  Bonus.
  • 
  On a 10-11, Success and the target roll has Advantage.
  • 
  On a 7-9, Twist or Success with a Cost. (GM’s choice, but the 
  GM should give this choice back to the player as an in-char-
  acter decision if possible. Success with a Cost means that the 
  target roll has Advantage, but the player pays some other 
  Cost. Twist does not affect the target roll.)
  • 
  On a 6–, Twist and the target roll has Disadvantage.
  Simpler Learning
  Instead of learning by trying Unskilled rolls, characters learn one 
  new Skill per level, or per session. The Skill must be one they used 
  during that session.
  Openings
  When you roll a 5 on a Skilled Roll, you get an Opening. An 
  Opening is a choice. You may take your basic success, or you can 
  improve on it by picking a Bonus, but at the price of a Cost. Costs 
  can be pretty bad for you, so you won’t want to do this every time, 
  and in general it is not a great deal, but sometimes you just have a 
  great idea for a Bonus that is too good to resist. 
  You can apply this to combat, too: when you roll a 5 on an attack, 
  you can treat it as a 6 if you take a Strike. Again, Strikes are rough 
  and this isn’t the kind of deal you’ll want to take unless you have 
  a good reason.
  I really like this rule, but it’s best used with experienced players 
  who have a good idea of the value of Costs, damage, and Bonuses.
  Hindering
  Barclay is attempting to hack the SayuraTech accounts database 
  while Jevins is trying to distract her, but he is unwilling to oppose 
  her directly. Rather than use an Opposed Roll, you might simply 
  reverse the helping rules. Barclay makes her roll and Jevins rolls 
  too. If Jevins rolls higher than Barclay, she must subtract one from 
  her result.
  Grittier Injuries
  Characters can have multiple injuries. The penalty doesn’t stack, 
  but each injury must be recovered from separately. You can write 
  it as Injured (Chest), Injured (Right Leg), etc. If a character gets a 
  Twist on a roll to recover, they may end up with long-term penal-
  ties from their wound. For example, -1 to speed, -1 to HP, or mod-
  el their frailty by having them begin each fight with one Strike 
  already, making them more likely to get re-Injured. A penalty like 
  that could last through a whole adventure or longer, and should 
  always come with an attached Complication so that the player can 
  play up their injury outside of combat. So they might have “Com-
  plication: Sprained Knee (-1 speed).”
  Lethality
  Say you want character death to be on the table, but leaving it up 
  to your judgment exclusively is unpalatable. Then use any or all of 
  these rules: once a character has the Injured Condition, they are 
  at risk. On any roll they make while Injured where it makes sense 
  that they might possibly die in their chosen course of action, you 
  may say that their life is on the line, announcing that fact clearly. 
  If they roll a 1, then their character has died. 
  If a character has the Sick Condition and they undertake some-
  thing that could severely worsen that sickness, give them the same 
  warning. If they roll a 1, then they are overcome by their illness 
  and incapacitated. They will die unless they can get prompt medi-
  cal attention, and even then there is a risk that the doctor may not 
  be able to save them.
  In Tactical Combat, anyone with the Injured Condition who is 
  Taken Out with 5 or more Strikes is dead. Anyone who is Taken 
  Out with 7 or more Strikes is dead regardless of their Conditions. 
  Additionally, monsters may expend an Attack Action to kill an 
  adjacent Taken Out character. They may also do so with a ranged 
  or melee reach attack as well, but in that case they must still roll 
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  73
  Fourth, when you reach a rating of 6 you are losing your charac-
  ter: you must find an appropriate moment within this session or 
  the next to let go. Your character automatically succeeds at what-
  ever they intend and then are lost to the emotion forever. For in-
  stance, you use your Faith 6 to freeze the river of magma, cleanse 
  the air of poison, and save the vale, at which point your character 
  is called bodily to heaven and becomes a saint and a legend. At 
  your option, and if it makes sense in the fiction, you may choose 
  to lose the emotional power forever instead of your character. For 
  example, you perform your last miracle and feel your power leave 
  you as you realize that you have served your purpose as God’s ves-
  sel. Think hard, because you might well prefer to let the character 
  move on out of your control rather than continuing to play the 
  character in their lessened state.
  Occasionally you may lose access to your emotional power as the 
  result of a Twist. If your God fails to give you the miracle you need 
  when you are most desperate, you may lose your Faith until you 
  take whatever measures are necessary to regain it. If your Berserk-
  er Rage causes harm to your loved ones, you may be unable to 
  attain that state until you have worked through your grief.
  Advancement: Whenever your emotional power grants you a re-
  roll and that reroll is better than your first result, put a check next 
  to it on your sheet. When you resist your emotion and lose, mark 
  a check. When you have checks equal to its current rating, the 
  rating increases by one. 
  Examples: Humanity in a transhumanist setting, Corrup-
  tion in a setting where magic leads to such, Pride, Fealty, Hon-
  or, Berserker Rage. 
  Whatever you pick, make sure both you and your GM know ex-
  actly what your emotion demands of you and agree on it, because 
  your GM will enforce that on you by giving your character hard 
  choices and you might not always get to decide what your char-
  acter chooses. This rule requires trust that the GM and player are 
  both going to be fair. Powergamers and control-freak GMs should 
  take a pass here.
  A Positive Condition
  If the characters are particularly well-rested, they may get the 
  Fresh Condition: they start each combat with an extra 2 HP. In 
  Team Conflict, if you are Fresh you get Advantage on your Pre-
  paratory action if you take one. If you did not have time to take a 
  Preparatory action, then your Fresh Condition allows you to make 
  a roll as though you had time (without Advantage). The Fresh 
  Condition is lost as soon as you gain any other Condition.
  Redshirts
  Players have a character that they play most of the time, but 
  also have the ability to call in expendable forces to go into the 
  most dangerous situations. Play officers on a starship and send 
  the grunts into battle. Play spies and investigators and call in the 
  tactical squad when things get hot. These characters are always 
  expendable and death is, for them, a common Twist. They should 
  have one or two Skills and if you’re using them for Tactical Com-
  bat, use the rules for “Simplified Classes.”
  Action Point Options
  The rules suggest each player starts with at least one Action Point 
  at the start of each session and one that they must give away to 
  another player. This is deliberately neutral, not encouraging any 
  particular kind of behavior. You could take away those “freebies” 
  and instead add in another way to get Action Points. Borrow from 
  Burning Wheel’s Beliefs to encourage driven characters in a story 
  centered on those drives. Borrow from Dungeon World’s align-
  ments or The Shadow of Yesterday’s keys to give different player 
  types their own ways to gain points, encouraging them in pursuit 
  of their own style of play. Make up a rule suited to your setting to 
  encourage whatever behavior you want to see in play. The expec-
  tation with whatever system you come up with is that it should be 
  easy to get two points per session if you are at all trying, but very 
  difficult or impossible to get more than five.
  Teamwork Tokens
  When a player character helps yours or does something special for 
  your character, you give them a Teamwork Token. These Tokens 
  can be spent in two ways. First, when you roll to help that player 
  or they roll to help you, they may spend the Teamwork Token to 
  make the help more potent: if the helping die exceeds the result, 
  add 2 to the result instead of just 1. (Spend before the roll.) Sec-
  ond, they may spend the Teamwork Token in combat during your 
  turn in order to go immediately after you. This does not change 
  their position in the Initiative order and they miss their next turn: 
  they just get to go earlier in the round, not get an extra turn.
  You may only ever have one Teamwork Token from any given 
  player. You may only spend one Teamwork Token per round in 
  combat.
  Emotional Power
  Players may choose to give their character a special emotional 
  power. These powers are rated from 1–6. These powers allow char-
  acters to exceed their normal boundaries, but can also take con-
  trol away from the player. As they grow in emotional power, the 
  benefits are larger but the loss of control is greater too. Let’s take 
  as an example Faith. (For another example, see the Greed advance 
  in the Moneybags Mini-kit on page 54).
  First, certain Skills gain additional significance. Faith might trans-
  form the Prayer Skill into something capable of performing mir-
  acles. The higher the Faith rating the more powerful the miracle.
  Second, certain Skills become more reliable. When you use such a 
  Skill and roll less than or equal to your rating, you may reroll the 
  dice and take the better result. For example, Faith might make the 
  Preaching Skill more reliable. If you have a Faith 4 and you roll a 
  3 on your Preaching, you can reroll. If you roll a 2 on your reroll, 
  you’re stuck with the 3.
  Third, your character might lose control to their emotions. When 
  given a choice involving that emotion, to resist the emotion’s urg-
  ing you must roll a die and get a result higher than the rating. For 
  example, if your Faith 2 demands that you pray at dawn, but you 
  are supposed to go on a raid at dawn you must roll a die: you need 
  to get a 3 or higher to go on the raid without stopping to pray. 
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  74
  T h e  r o l e  o f  T h e  g M
  Aptitudes
  Use this rule if you want to slow down Skill advancement or if you 
  want to model a character being a quicker study in some areas. 
  Each character has different aptitudes: they may need just one 6 
  to learn a social Skill, but two to learn a mental Skill and three to 
  learn a physical Skill. This adds bookkeeping, as you need to keep 
  track of not only Skills you have learned, but also which aptitudes 
  you have points saved in.
  Example: Zenobia has a physical aptitude of 2. She rolls a 
  6 for her Sprinting roll and chooses instead of a Bonus to put a 
  point towards learning a physical Skill. The next session when 
  she rolls a 6 for Climbing Unskilled, she can spend that point 
  to learn Climbing and write it on her sheet. If her physical apti-
  tude had been 3, she would have needed one more point before 
  she could learn a new physical Skill.
  Playing without a GM
  Making this work with the Tactical Combat rules would require a 
  lot of hacking, so just stick to the basic rules. (Or you could make 
  one player take on the responsibilities of the GM for combat pur-
  poses and play a character that is not capable in combat.) Players 
  agree on a situation before play and create involved NPCs. Each 
  important NPC needs a set of descriptors. Play your characters as 
  usual. When there is an NPC that needs to be played, any player 
  whose character is not involved in the scene can step in and play 
  them. If all the player characters are in the scene, one must volun-
  teer to play the NPC and have their character take a bit of a back 
  seat. If the NPC is new, each player comes up with a descriptor 
  except for the player who will be playing that character. They must 
  play according to the descriptors the others give them.
  When anyone rolls a Twist, the player to their left rolls two dice, 
  consults the following chart, and comes up with Twists that fit 
  the descriptions. If it’s possible to give the player an in-character 
  choice between the two outcomes, do so. If not, just pick one of 
  the two results.
  1: Harm. Damage the character directly. If physical damage is in-
  appropriate, damage a relationship or their reputation instead.
  2: Steal. Damage or take away something or someone the charac-
  ter values. 
  3: Obstacle. Some unforeseen challenge lies between the character 
  and their goal.
  4: Escalate. Increase the stakes. Threaten something really truly 
  nasty. Next time the character rolls a Twist, if the threat is still 
  relevant, it comes to pass.
  5: Misdirect. The character receives or received bad information 
  or misinterpreted something or ends up in the wrong place. 
  6: Yes, but. The character succeeds at their task, but… they get split 
  up, they take too long doing it, they end up helping or informing 
  an adversary, they get caught. This category is basically a catch-all.
  Example: Diego is climbing the snowy mountain to save 
  the baby bird! He rolls his Climbing Skill but gets a Twist. The 
  player to his left rolls a 2 and a 3. She decides that Diego slips 
  and his backpack falls in a crevasse. Now he must choose be-
  tween going on without it (Steal) or having to go into the cre-
  vasse after it (Obstacle).
  Example: Agent York has infiltrated MUCK headquarters and 
  is trying to put a virus into their network. He rolls a Twist. The 
  player on his left rolls a 5 and a 6. Misdirects are often hard to 
  work into in-character choices, but sometimes you can do it. 
  In this case, the player on his left tells him that while on the 
  MUCK network, he found files that seem to imply that Agent 
  Neville is working for them! She’s a double agent! York can dig 
  deeper to try to confirm or disprove this suspicion, but he hears 
  footsteps and taking too long will get him captured (Yes, but), 
  or he can leave now and go confront his fellow agent (Misdi-
  rect, since he’s not sure if it’s true).
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  75
  Team Conflict
  These rules can be used whenever you want to go into greater de-
  tail than using a few basic rolls to resolve a situation. They are par-
  ticularly good for situations where each player character is con-
  tributing something to a group effort. Play is broken into rounds. 
  Each round, each player contributes something to the team effort. 
  The conflict can be essentially anything—a journey, a battle, a 
  small fight, a debate, hacking a computer system, or planning and 
  executing a heist, just to name a few of the myriad possibilities. 
  As the name implies, this system is designed for use with multiple 
  players on a team. The rules work with just one, but it really hits 
  its sweet spot around three to five players. 
  Team Conflict Overview
  In Team Conflict, two sides face off over a series of rounds. Each 
  side has an Advance score and a Defense score for the round, 
  which can depend on what the characters did that round, and on 
  how the dice fell. Each team’s Advance score is then compared to 
  the opponent’s Defense score. If the same team wins both com-
  parisons, they win the Team Conflict. If each team wins one, the 
  Team Conflict continues. Depending on how things go, the con-
  flict could be over in a single round or it could take several.
  Each round proceeds in two phases: choosing actions, then res-
  olution.
  Detailed Subsystems
  Strike! has three additional subsystems on top of the basic rules: 
  Team Conflict, Chase, and Tactical Combat. Team Conflict pres-
  ents a system for bringing a bit more detail and tactical choice to 
  conflicts of all kinds. After that comes Chase— Chase is not nearly 
  as in-depth as Team Conflict or Tactical Combat, and it resolves 
  very quickly. Finally, we come to Tactical Combat, fulfilling the 
  promise on the book’s cover. Why go through the trouble to learn 
  these more complicated sub-games? Because they are a lot of fun. 
  Intentions
  The goal of these rules is to add depth and granularity to things 
  that would otherwise be quickly dealt with. If you find that they 
  instead feel like they reduce good roleplaying situations into a 
  mechanical exercise, don’t use them. You can do everything you 
  need with the basic rules.
  How Long Will It Take?
  A Team Conflict usually takes about ten minutes or so, but it could 
  also be over much faster if that’s how the dice fall. A Tactical Com-
  bat usually takes between twenty and thirty minutes. Chase is very 
  fast: a Chase will usually be over in under five minutes.
  All of these times assume that the players have some experience with 
  the systems. If it’s your first time, be prepared for things to take about 
  twice as long for rules explanations and questions.
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  76
  D e T a i l e D  s u B s Y s T e M s
  If you scout an opposing roll, when the next round starts you get 
  to pick one of Advance or Defense and the GM must make that 
  roll before you pick actions. Knowing a roll in advance like this 
  makes planning your actions much easier.
  The Opposition
  The opposition to the players typically has far fewer choices to 
  make in a conflict than the players do. Instead of choosing several 
  actions, the opposition is simply represented by an Advance and 
  a Defense score, to which they add their die rolls. Typically, the 
  opposition has Advance and Defense scores equal to the number 
  of players. On top of this, it has traits that amount to special abil-
  ities or restrictions. See “Customizing the Opposition” below for 
  more on this.
  Intelligent opponents subtract one from each of Advance and De-
  fense, but in recompense they may choose one action per round 
  using their Skills the same way players do. This action is chosen 
  at the start of the round, but kept secret until the players have all 
  chosen. Optionally, you may use this technique even when the 
  opposition is not intelligent.
  Phase 2: Resolution
  Once everyone has chosen an action, add up your team’s Advance 
  modifiers and add a die. Do the same with the opponent’s De-
  fense. If your Advance is higher than their Defense, your Advance 
  is successful. If it is lower, it fails. Then repeat with the opponent’s 
  Advance against your Defense and see the possible results below.
  • 
  One Advance succeeds, the other fails: Conflict ends. See 
  “Winning and Losing.”
  Note: If you lose, you may spend an Action Point not to lose. 
  If you do, your team takes one Hit, the Opponent removes one 
  Strike or recovers one trait, and the conflict continues.
  • 
  Both Advances fail: a Draw. The conflict continues. 
  • 
  Both Advances are successful: a Push. Both sides take a Hit. 
  The conflict continues. 
  • 
  One Advance ties, the other succeeds: a Push. As above.
  • 
  One Advance ties, the other fails: a Draw. As above.
  • 
  Both Advances tie: the conflict ends because of outside forces. 
  Neither side wins. See “Double Tie.”
  Example: After adding things up, the players had an Ad-
  vance score of 5 and a Defense score of 7. The opposition had 
  an Advance score of 7 and a Defense score of 6. The players’ 
  Advance was less than the opposition’s Defense, so it fails. The 
  opposition’s Advance tied the players’ Defense. Since one Ad-
  vance failed and the other was tied, the result is a Draw. The 
  conflict continues and they play another round.
  After a round, one or both teams might take a Hit. When you 
  take a Hit, the opposing team gets a choice: they can deactivate 
  one of your traits for the duration of the fight, or they may assign 
  Intent
  At the start of the conflict, each side chooses an Intent, the same 
  way they would if you were using an Opposed Roll. You don’t 
  need to specify your task, though—one of the primary reasons 
  to use this system is that, unlike a simple Opposed Roll, you have 
  multiple tasks coming together in the conflict. 
  Inanimate opposition
  For the GM, the opposition need not be other people; these rules 
  work very well for describing a journey or some other struggle 
  against uncaring opposition. When you decide that the intent for 
  the Dark Marshes is for the players to become lost in their depths, 
  it doesn’t mean that the marsh has such a desire, but rather that 
  you, the GM, want to see that come to pass if the players fail.
  Phase 1: Select Actions
  Actions are what determine the players’ Advance and Defense 
  scores. The opposition’s scores are fixed numbers. Each round, 
  players choose actions (from the list below) and describe what 
  they are doing and what Skill they are using. If they have the Skill 
  in question, they have the entire range of actions available. If they 
  do not have the appropriate Skill for their task, they must use one 
  of the four basic actions. At most 2 players on a team may choose 
  the same action in the same round, except basic actions. Each ac-
  tion gives a bonus to Advance (A), Defense (D), or both, and most 
  have an additional effect. The effect of the action you pick must 
  match what you describe your character doing and the Skill you 
  intend to use, but they need not match the name of the action. The 
  names are there to inspire, not to limit you. How the actions you 
  choose are interpreted may vary greatly depending on the sort of 
  conflict. Generally Advancing actions take you closer to your goal 
  while Defensive actions keep the opposition from gaining theirs.
  Basic Actions
  Progress
  +2A.
  Reckless Effort
  +3A and take a Hit.
  Block
  +2D.
  Take One for the 
  Team
  +3D and owe a personal Concession 
  (usable once per player per conflict).
  Advancing Actions
  All-Out Effort
  +3A –1D.
  Calculated Risk
  +3A but take an extra Hit if you Draw.
  Win At All Costs
  +4A and take an additional Strike that 
  cannot be recovered.
  Targeted Effort
  +2A and the enemy takes a Hit if you 
  Draw.
  Defensive Actions
  Total Defense
  +3D –1A.
  Prepare
  +2D –1A now and +1A next round.
  Observe
  +1D +1A and scout one opposing roll 
  next round.
  Recover
  +1D and remove one Strike or regain a 
  Trait.
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  77
  If the players lose and the Opponent has at least one Strike, then 
  the Opponent gets what they wanted, but the players choose one:
  • 
  The Opponent’s hold on it is insecure.
  • 
  It costs the Opponent more than they expected.
  • 
  It costs the players less than they expected.
  • 
  The players get something extra too. Maybe part of their 
  stakes, maybe something else.
  Whatever the players pick, the GM interprets.
  If there are player characters on both sides, use the “If the players 
  lose” list instead of Concessions. Both sides gain Conditions based 
  on number of Strikes as above. For more details on player vs. play-
  er conflicts, see page 81.
  Game over?
  Losing a Conflict is something that is going to happen once in 
  a while. It’s not the end of the world. In fact, it’s no worse than 
  losing an Opposed Roll: you can even pick from the same list. The 
  philosophy of Twists applies here, too: if you don’t get what you 
  want, you still get to see something interesting happen. Does it 
  put your character in a tough spot? Now you get to show everyone 
  how you get out of it!
  Conceding
  At the start of any round (but after you see any of your opponents’ 
  rolls you scouted), you may concede. Conceding must be a unan-
  imous team decision. When a team concedes, they lose imme-
  diately but reduce their Strikes by two, reducing the Conditions 
  they take on a loss. If the players’ team concedes and can use a 
  Complication to explain their loss, the player with the Complica-
  tion gains an Action Point. By using a Complication you also get 
  the more subtle advantage of determining the way in which you 
  fail. Conceding does not mean that your characters necessarily 
  concede or surrender—simply that they lose; how they lose is still 
  up for interpretation depending on what has been decided so far.
  Withdrawing
  Any player can at any time choose to withdraw their character 
  from the conflict and choose no more actions. They are still bound 
  by the results of the contest and suffer any Concessions or losses 
  the team earns. They take Conditions as determined by the num-
  ber of team Strikes at the time they withdrew. Thus withdrawing 
  has very little mechanical benefit and doing so is likely to be sim-
  ply for character reasons. When you withdraw, you have to say 
  how your character is withdrawing. Sometimes that’s as simple 
  as saying that your character won’t be doing anything, but oth-
  er times it is harder to extricate your character. In some conflicts 
  the GM might determine that withdrawal is impossible, or that 
  withdrawal means certain death. If the team is escaping from a 
  burning building and you choose to withdraw from the effort, the 
  logical outcome is that you burn to death. Withdrawal is perma-
  nent. If all you want to do is refrain from choosing actions for a 
  round or two, you can do that without withdrawing.
  you a Strike. Strikes serve to mitigate your success if you win the 
  conflict. The process is essentially identical when you deal your 
  opponent a Hit—you can decide to deactivate one of their traits or 
  to give them a Strike. Except in cases of alternative win conditions 
  (explained below), players have little incentive to put more than 
  one Strike on their opponents. For the GM, the more Strikes they 
  can put on the players the better.
  After a round, if the conflict continues, play another round.
  A Special Case
  If either your Advance or Defense values are less than or equal to 
  zero after you’ve added the roll and all applicable bonuses, you 
  lose the conflict. It is exactly as though your Opponent’s Advance 
  succeeded and yours failed (regardless of the actual outcomes). 
  You may spend an Action Point to continue as described above. 
  This inelegant rule is necessary to curb a degenerate tactic by en-
  suring that there is some level of risk involved when you sacrifice 
  Advance all the way into the negatives in favor of Defense or vice 
  versa. As long as your Advance and Defense are above zero after 
  you roll, you have nothing to fear from this rule.
  Order of Operations
  Roll scouted rolls, play actions, play bonuses, roll Advance and 
  Defense, play bonuses after the roll, compare and resolve, resolve 
  action effects. 
  Opponents always play their bonuses before players do.
  Winning and Losing
  The conflict could end after any round. When it ends, the players 
  may have achieved their goals. If they did, they might owe a Con-
  cession—something negative for them that does not negate their 
  success. 
  Whether the players win or lose, if they have 2 or 3 Strikes, they 
  each take a Minor Condition. If they have 4 or more Strikes they 
  each take a Major Condition.
  If the players win, they get what they want but also owe Con-
  cessions based on how many Strikes they have as a group. If they 
  have 1 or 2 Strikes, they owe a Minor Concession. If they have 3 
  or 4 Strikes, they owe a Major Concession. If they have 5 or more 
  Strikes, they owe both a Major Concession and a Minor Conces-
  sion
  Concessions are narrative effects that are discussed by the group. 
  A Minor Concession indicates that while you’ve achieved your 
  goal, not everything went your way. Perhaps you were seen and 
  word reaches the ears of your enemies. A Major Concession might 
  mean that you got your goal but something happened that bodes 
  very ill for the future, or it might mean that you achieved most of 
  your goal but its completion is still one step away. Everyone can 
  throw out ideas, but the final decision is in the hands of the GM. 
  The GM’s priorities are to make the result appropriate to the level 
  of Concession, and to pick something that makes sense to both 
  them and the other players.
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  78
  D e T a i l e D  s u B s Y s T e M s
  Stock Up
  5-6
  +1 to be spent in any round after the rolls.
  3-4
  +1 to be spent in any round before the rolls.
  1-2
  –1A in round 1.
  Scout
  5-6
  Scout both the enemy’s rolls at the start of 
  round 1.
  3-4
  Scout one enemy roll of your choice at the 
  start of round 1.
  1-2
  –1A in round 1.
  Fortify
  5-6
  +1D each round until you Lose or Push.
  3-4
  +1D in round 1.
  1-2
  –1A in round 1.
  Seize the Advantage
  5-6
  Deal one Hit.
  3-4
  +1A in round 1.
  1-2
  –1A in round 1.
  Inspire
  5-6
  You and each ally may each ignore one Con-
  dition for the duration of the Conflict.
  3-4
  You or one ally may ignore one Condition 
  for the duration of the Conflict.
  1-2
  –1A in round 1.
  Play the Long Game
  5-6
  +1A in round 2, +2A in rounds 3 and 4.
  3-4
  +1A in rounds 3 and 4.
  1-2
  –1A in round 1.
  Note: If two or more players choose the same preparatory action, 
  each rolls and the one with the best result stands.
  Conditions in Team Conflict
  Your team has Disadvantage for a number of rolls equal to the 
  number of relevant Minor Conditions on all participants. The pe-
  nalized team gets to choose which of their Advance or Defense 
  has Disadvantage, as long as it makes sense for that Condition.
  Example: One player has one Minor Condition, so one of 
  the team’s rolls has Disadvantage in the first round. 
  Example: Two players have one Minor Condition each and one 
  player has two Minor Conditions. So the team’s rolls have Dis-
  advantage for the first two rounds (four Conditions, four rolls).
  Relevant Flaws in gear or information count as Minor Conditions.
  Double Tie
  When both comparisons are tied at the end of a round, the con-
  flict is over. Roll a die and consult the following table to see how 
  it ended:
  Double-Tie Outcomes
  6
  Love
  5
  An Astounding Discovery
  4
  A Third Power Enters the Fray (or Is Born)
  3
  A Natural Disaster
  2
  A Horrifying Act of Evil
  1
  Death
  Double-tie alternatives
  Depending on the tone of your game, you might swap out any of 
  the above with any of the following (or come up with your own): 
  A Foolish Mistake, A Miracle or Supernatural Event, A Selfless 
  Act of Sacrifice, Betrayal.
  Do your best to use the result you get, interpreting it literally if 
  possible, metaphorically if not. If you are truly at an impasse and 
  have spent at least a couple of minutes thinking and discussing 
  with no luck, roll again.
  Death in Team Conflict
  What happens when Death comes up? Often a player charac-
  ter death won’t make sense, but sometimes a player character’s 
  death is the only death that makes much sense. Discuss when 
  you start your first Conflict whether Death can mean a player 
  character’s death or not. You can use whatever system you like, 
  but I’ve found the following three to be very stable ones: “Death 
  is never at stake in a conflict,” “Death is always a possibility in 
  a conflict,” or “Death is only at stake when it’s announced at the 
  beginning of the conflict.”
  Secondary Goals
  Sometimes in the course of a conflict, a character will want to take 
  time to achieve something outside the scope of the conflict. Per-
  haps they want to slip into the necromancer’s dungeon on the way 
  past during the journey through the forest, assassinate the Chan-
  cellor during a pitched battle, or swap out a fake artifact for the 
  real one during a fight. When they do this, they spend their action 
  to make a Skill Roll, following the basic rules to resolve the action. 
  So that their absence isn’t a huge penalty to their team, they still 
  provide +1A or +1D (Player’s choice).
  Preparatory Actions
  Before a conflict starts, at the GM’s discretion, players might have 
  a chance to take preparatory actions. These can be governed by 
  the basic Skill rules or they can fall into one of the following cat-
  egories and be resolved as follows. Describe what your character 
  is doing. You and the GM will work together to pick which of the 
  following options fits your description. If you are Unskilled, roll 
  with Disadvantage.
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  The Trait List
  You can always make up your own traits to suit your situation, 
  but here are some to get you started. Traits with “Superior” in the 
  name count for two traits. 
  Aggressive: +1A.
  Defensive: +1D.
  Attrition: Opponent takes an extra Hit when you Draw.
  Dangerous: Opponent takes an extra Hit when you Push.
  Crafty: On a Draw, give your opponent -1D in the next round.
  Superior Crafty: On a Draw, your opponent’s Defense is reduced 
  next round by the amount by which your Defense beat the oppo-
  nent’s Advance.
  Penetrating: On a Push, give your opponent -1D in the next round.
  Superior Penetrating: On a Push, your opponent’s Defense is re-
  duced next round by the amount by which your Advance beat the 
  opponent’s Defense.
  Ablating: When you score a Hit, instead of giving your opponent 
  a Strike or removing a trait, you may choose to give them -2D in 
  the next round.
  Draining: When you score a Hit, you may instead recover one trait 
  or remove one Strike. This trait cannot be removed unless you 
  have at least one Strike.
  Superior Draining: When you score a Hit, you may additionally re-
  cover one trait or remove one Strike. This trait cannot be removed 
  unless you have at least one Strike.
  Recovery: On a Draw, you may recover one trait or remove one 
  Strike. This trait cannot be removed unless you have at least one 
  Strike.
  Superior Recovery: Recover from one Hit at the end of each round, 
  not including any Hits taken that same round. This trait cannot be 
  removed unless you have at least one Strike.
  Final: Your opponent’s Strikes are irremovable while this trait is 
  active.
  Consequential: If the players win, they owe a Minor Concession 
  on top of whatever they already owe.
  Versatility: Assign an extra +1 to either Advance or Defense before 
  the rolls.
  Superior Versatility: Assign an extra +1 to either Advance or De-
  fense after the rolls.
  Fortified: Once per Conflict, ignore one Hit.
  If you have one Major Condition, you give your team a -1 to Ad-
  vance whenever you choose an Advancing Action, or -1 to Defense 
  whenever you choose a Defensive Action. If you have two Major 
  Conditions, you give the team a -1 to both Advance and Defense 
  each round. If you have three Major Conditions, you give your 
  team the penalties for both two and one Major Conditions. If you 
  somehow manage to get four or more Major Conditions, simply 
  continue in this vein: every two Major Conditions gives a -1 to 
  both Advance and Defense, and any odd number of Major Condi-
  tions gives a penalty based on what action you choose. 
  So if you have one Major Condition you’ll still be very beneficial 
  to your team. Ignoring items or traits, you’ll be operating at about 
  60% of normal. If you have two Major Conditions, you’ll be of 
  marginal benefit (about 20% of normal), but your team is still bet-
  ter off with you than without you. If you have three or more Major 
  Conditions, unless you have some beneficial items or traits, you 
  are actively hurting your team. When you have that many Condi-
  tions, you’re better off spending your time recovering if you can. If 
  the Team Conflict is escaping from a burning building, you don’t 
  have the option of sitting out and your teammates must shoulder 
  the burden of helping you get out alive. 
  Customizing the Opposition
  If N is the number of player characters in the conflict, a fair fight 
  has an Advance score of N, a Defense score of N and has about 
  half of N traits. To be perfectly clear, when I say a fair fight I mean 
  one in which, if the players use optimal tactics, they are more like-
  ly to win than to lose but with losing being a strong possibility, 
  and in which the players still have a reasonable chance of victory 
  even if they botch their tactics a bit.
  If an opponent ought to be better at Advance than Defense or vice 
  versa, simply move points from one to the other—this does not 
  greatly affect the difficulty. If an opponent ought to be more or 
  less difficult than “a fair fight,” you may simply add or subtract 
  points or traits. Be judicious in your addition and subtraction—it 
  doesn’t take many points in either direction to tip the balances 
  pretty severely.
  The opposition’s traits modify the rules and its scores. You will 
  find a list of traits immediately below. Changing your selection 
  of traits has an influence on the difficulty as well—it is clear as 
  you read the list that these traits are not all equally strong. For an 
  easy conflict, give the opposition penalties to counterbalance their 
  positive traits. You could give them no traits at all, but that would 
  be boring. For a hard conflict, where the opposition is favored, 
  give the opposition N traits. If it makes sense for the opposition 
  to have more than N traits, simply give them what they need, but 
  consider counterbalancing them with some negative traits or by 
  giving the players positive ones.
  If, in the course of play, you find that these guidelines result in 
  challenges that are either too difficult or too easy for your players, 
  change them to suit your needs. Maybe one of your players is a 
  tactical genius and you need to increase the difficulty. Maybe your 
  players are not good at coordinating their actions—tone it down 
  a bit.
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  80
  D e T a i l e D  s u B s Y s T e M s
  have a way to figure them out. Once the players “win” and you tell 
  them it’s not over, they need to know, if not the condition itself, 
  then at the very least what Skill to roll to discover the new win 
  condition. 
  Changing the win conditions does not count against the trait 
  count for the opposition, except at the GM’s discretion if the con-
  ditions are particularly difficult to achieve.
  Ending the Conflict early
  Round Limit
  If you want to have a cap on the number of rounds to prevent the 
  conflict from dragging on, you may do so. If there is no victor after 
  the set number of rounds (5 is a reasonable limit), the winner is 
  the team with fewer Strikes. If both teams have equal Strikes, nei-
  ther side wins: roll on the Double-Tie Outcomes table.
  So… I guess we’re done?
  It might happen that in the course of a conflict you reach a point 
  where it doesn’t make sense narratively to continue, but it also 
  doesn’t make sense for either side to simply concede. If this hap-
  pens to you, it means you (as a group) missed something. Maybe 
  you screwed up the pacing or maybe you have found that the two 
  sides’ intents weren’t truly opposed after all or maybe there wasn’t 
  enough depth for this system and you should have stuck with an 
  Opposed Roll. Whatever the reason, simply stop; don’t just go 
  through the motions! Stop the conflict and move on. Just continue 
  play using the basic rules, whatever situation you find yourselves 
  in. Later, in a break or at the end of the session perhaps, try figure 
  out as a group what happened and how to avoid that problem in 
  the future.
  Action Points in Team Conflict
  You may spend an Action Point when you have a Related Skill 
  (not the Skill you are using for your chosen action) to add 2 to ei-
  ther Advance or Defense before your team rolls. Only one Action 
  Point can be spent in this way per team per round.
  As stated above, you may spend an Action Point not to lose. If you 
  do, your team takes one Hit, the Opponent removes one Strike 
  or recovers one trait, and the conflict continues. You also get to 
  narrate how you just saved everyone’s butts.
  Also as mentioned above, you gain an Action Point if you use a 
  Complication to concede.
  Learning New Skills in Conflicts
  Keep track of any Basic Actions you take when you do not have 
  the Skill on your sheet. Make a list. At the end of the conflict, roll 
  one die for each such Skill. For each 6 you roll, pick one Skill from 
  the list and write it on your sheet. Only roll one die per Skill re-
  gardless of how many times you used it.
  Putting Traits at Risk
  When you (player or GM) use a trait in a conflict, you put it at 
  risk. If the conflict ends with that trait disabled, it becomes fair 
  game for the opponent to demand its permanent removal as a 
  Concession if you owe one. This always must make sense in the 
  story! It doesn’t make sense for the Lizard King to lose his mag-
  Costly: Opponent takes one Strike when they win.
  Invulnerability: Cannot lose while this is active. Instead of losing, 
  take a Hit.
  Superior Invulnerability: As above, but this cannot be deactivated 
  while other traits are active.
  Increasing Power: Advance score increases by 1 at the end of each 
  round.
  Increasing Defense: Defense score increases by 1 at the end of each 
  round.
  Fated: All tied rolls go in your favor.
  Note: Making a trait irremovable costs one additional trait. Con-
  ditionally irremovable traits may or may not cost extra—your call 
  based on how hard it is to remove. An example of a Conditionally 
  irremovable trait is one that cannot be removed until its owner’s 
  team has taken at least 2 Strikes, or until an opponent achieves a 
  specific secondary objective.
  Environmental traits
  Sometimes the situation has traits that apply to one or both sides 
  without belonging to either side. It’s up to the GM to decide on 
  these traits and to decide whether they may be removed or altered 
  by Skill Rolls using the Improvise action and whether a team may 
  assign a Hit to removing the environmental trait instead of one of 
  their opponents’ traits.
  Example: Maintaining the Balance of Power—when either 
  side would lose, add 2 to their Defense score.
  Example: Dark Tunnels—The darkness makes it harder for the 
  searchers to find their prey, but also for their prey to escape. 
  Both sides have -2A while in the tunnels.
  Alternate or supplemental win conditions
  The GM may decide on alternative or supplemental win condi-
  tions. The simplest examples are ones based on Skill Rolls or on 
  accruing enough Strikes. 
  Example: You win immediately if you succeed at a Hacking 
  roll to bypass the security, but you only get one shot, and if you 
  fail then the opponents get +2D until the end of the conflict as 
  they are on high alert.
  Examples: You cannot win until your opponent has taken at 
  least 3 Strikes. This is a supplemental condition.
  You win immediately once your opponent has taken 3 Strikes. 
  This is an alternative condition.
  You cannot win normally. Instead, you win once your opponent 
  has taken at least 3 Strikes. This is a replacement condition.
  Alternative win conditions can be secret—back doors that clever 
  players might find. They need not be, however, and most times it 
  makes sense for the players to know about them. You’ll find that 
  secret alternatives tend not to get taken. Supplemental or replace-
  ment win conditions can also be secret, but the players need to 
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  Examples: Artillery – The enemy army has Disadvantage 
  on its Defense rolls in large-scale combats when any player 
  chooses an Attack action.
  The Local Guide – A local guide gives +2A in every round of 
  a journey Team Conflict. This is very strong. Hope you don’t 
  lose him!
  Translator – A translator is vital when you engage in a social 
  Team Conflict in Orezk. Without one, your team would suffer 
  -1A each round. A top-notch one gets you +1D each round 
  instead.
  Note: Traits don’t need to be positive. Use negative traits sparingly. 
  If you give your players a whole bunch of penalties, they will sim-
  ply lose very quickly, and that’s no fun. 
  Examples: The Subversive Local Guide – This local guide 
  gives +2A in the first round of a journey Team Conflict. Then 
  he gives -2A in the next two rounds as he leads you astray and 
  betrays you.
  Poor Leadership – During a large-scale combat Team Conflict, 
  your general’s bad orders cost you -1A and -1D each round. 
  What a loser.
  Unarmed – You can only pick Basic and Defense actions until 
  you get your weapon back.
  Roleplaying and Choices
  Sometimes playing your character demands that you choose com-
  binations that are tactically inferior, and it’s totally okay (in fact it’s 
  recommended) that you make those inferior choices when they 
  are called for. It’s part of the game and if anyone gives you crap 
  about it, tell them to reread this page. With that said, if you are 
  constantly going against the grain and screwing over your friends, 
  you can reasonably expect there to be some hostility in character 
  or even out of character. Make dramatic choices and make inter-
  esting choices, but don’t make it your policy to consistently make 
  stupid choices.
  On a related note, if the difficulty of challenges is high, it can put 
  pressure on players to choose the tactically optimal choices. If you 
  find that this is hurting your group’s roleplaying, a good course of 
  action is to lower the difficulty of the challenges across the board 
  and encourage roleplaying within these mechanics. Once good 
  habits are established, you can fiddle with the difficulty to your 
  heart’s content. 
  Don’t demand nonsense!
  If you find your fellow players having their characters performing 
  nonsense just so they can use the Skills on their sheet, don’t let 
  them get away with it. No stretching! No, Bronan can’t do push-
  ups to impress the King. The King is not impressed. Okay, fine, 
  he’s impressed but it’s got nothing to do with your trial and you 
  don’t get a bonus!
  Materials
  You can find cards you can print or copy and cut out to use in 
  Team Conflicts online. See page 203 for more.
  nificent vermilion frill at the end of an argument about the ethical 
  treatment of voles. Don’t Demand Nonsense. Similarly, if you lose 
  the conflict in such a way that the fiction demands the remov-
  al of your trait, then you lose your trait for whatever duration is 
  appropriate. When it comes to this, the story is king and the GM 
  typically has the last word. If you don’t want to put a trait at risk, 
  don’t use it. This whole paragraph applies equally to both players 
  and GM. 
  Player vs Player conflicts
  My advice is that generally an Opposed Roll between two players 
  is good enough and you don’t need to bother with a full-on Con-
  flict. But if you want to use these conflict rules, for instance when 
  more is at stake, go ahead. Both sides choose actions in secret. If 
  the size of the teams is uneven, it is not a fair fight. (Obviously. But 
  you need to make sure that everyone knows that). If one team has 
  help from NPCs or some other advantage, you can recognize that 
  with an environmental trait as described on page 80. Usually a 
  simple boost to Advance or Defense is all that’s needed.
  One special rule is needed in any player vs player Team Conflict: 
  each side may only choose the Scout action once per round. The 
  key thing is to make sure that a player team isn’t rolling both their 
  dice at the beginning of the round—you should always have at 
  least one unknown factor to consider.
  Custom Traits for Players
  Giving Traits to player characters as items or intangible rewards is 
  a good idea if you use these Team Conflict rules often. But there 
  are a couple of potential pitfalls to look out for. Beware of granting 
  actions that are better than those listed here and of improving just 
  one of the actions listed here without cost: if you do that, you take 
  away the player’s effective choices as they will always (or nearly 
  always) simply choose the action they are best at. Giving such ex-
  tra actions or benefits but requiring the expenditure of an Action 
  Point is a much better plan as the player still has an incentive to 
  pick other things. You could refund the Action Points if certain 
  conditions are met. 
  Examples: Power Shield – +1D whenever you choose a De-
  fense action in a combat Conflict.
  Armor of the Master Smith – +1D in each round in small-
  group combats. It takes 2 Hits to take out this Trait, but once it 
  is taken out of play in a Conflict it cannot be used again until 
  repaired.
  High-quality map – When you choose the Observe action in a 
  journey Conflict in the region, you may spend an Action Point 
  to get an extra +1D and know one of the opponent’s rolls in the 
  round after next. That is, you scout two rounds ahead in addi-
  tion to the usual one.
  Traits can be held by an individual player, by the group as a whole, 
  or granted as part of the scenario (see also the section on Environ-
  mental Traits above).
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  D e T a i l e D  s u B s Y s T e M s
  Quinn: Purl, you find great deals on both Firefox fur and Coarse-
  hair Shagbeast wool. You get a plus-one to be spent any time you 
  like, after the rolls.
  Akayla: Can I have a baby Coarsehair Shagbeast? Pleeeeease?
  Sumit: Shagbeasts seem like great pets when they’re little, but 
  when they grow up you’ll just have to give it to an overcrowded 
  and underfunded Primate Sanctuary.
  Quinn: Okay, round 1! Ranbeer, which roll do you want to scout?
  Sumit: Well I’d kind of prefer to see their Defense, but the weather 
  seems more like the journey’s Advance.
  Quinn: I could see the weather affecting how fast you can cross 
  the terrain, too. Pick whichever you like.
  Sumit: Okay, Defense.
  Karen: Okay, so we have to beat 8. If we put a +6 into Advance 
  then we’re likely to come out okay, especially with Purl’s plus-one 
  as insurance.
  Sumit: Ranbeer doesn’t have much in the way of traveling Skills 
  other than Stormsight. He can keep scouting or he can do basic 
  actions Unskilled.
  Karen: Scouting seems really strong. Keep it up! Karen will shout 
  at everyone to push on and keep marching late into the evening. 
  She’s using her Mom-voice Skill to boss everyone around. That’s 
  All Out Effort. “Come on! If I can do this while carrying the big-
  gest pack and my three-year-old, you better not even think of 
  complaining.”
  Akayla: Defense seems like a lost cause this round, and a Push will 
  get us closer to our goal, so I guess Purl will use her Spell-knotting 
  Skill and some of the Shagbeast fiber to knit together an endur-
  ance spell. That should allow us to press on and get past the forest, 
  eh? Targeted Effort?
  Quinn: A Push. I take a Hit and so do you. Your team takes a 
  Strike. How do you assign your Hit? Disable a trait or give a Strike?
  Quinn hands Akayla a card so she doesn’t forget her +1.
  Quinn rolls the opposition’s Defense die and gets a 5. The op-
  position has a Defense score of 3, so their total is 8.
  Quinn nods. Karen grabs up two dice and rolls one for Ad-
  vance, a four, and one for Defense, a two. Adding up the scores, 
  the team has an Advance of 9: 4(die) +3(Karen) +2(Akayla) 
  +1(Ranbeer) -1(Karen’s failed prep). They have a Defense of 2: 
  2(die) +1(Ranbeer) -1(Karen’s action). 
  Quinn rolls a 4 for the opposition Advance, and adds 3. The op-
  position’s Advance is thus 7 (4+3), which easily beats the team’s 
  Defense of 2. The team’s Advance is a 9, which beats the opposi-
  tion’s Defense of 8. The result is a Push.
  Team Conflict Example of Play
  Sumit is playing as Ranbeer the Weather Knight. Karen is playing 
  as Karen the Barbarian Mom. Akayla is playing as Purl, the Wiz-
  ard of Fiber. The group is preparing for a journey to Hömfry, on 
  the shore of Sayfin Sound. To get there, they must travel through 
  the Forgetful Forest and over the Major Mounds. Quinn is the 
  pun-loving GM, and wants to run this as a Team Conflict. He 
  picks a few traits for the journey: The Forgetful Forest and Major 
  Mounds must be overcome, so each provides Invulnerability—the 
  players’ team cannot win until they have deactivated those traits. 
  Because supplies will be limited on this journey, the GM also 
  chooses the trait Attrition—the players will take an extra Hit on a 
  Draw. None of this is supposed to be a surprise, so Quinn tells the 
  players which traits were chosen. He tells them that the Journey’s 
  goal is for the group to get lost or stranded. The opposition’s Ad-
  vance and Defense scores are each 3.
  The players chat a bit and decide that an aggressive strategy is nec-
  essary to take out the Invulnerable traits quickly while avoiding 
  being worn down by Attrition.
  Sumit: We’ve got lots of time to prep, right? We can do some pre-
  paratory Actions?
  Quinn: Yep!
  Sumit: Great. Ranbeer is going to use his Stormsight Skill to pre-
  dict what the weather will be like. That’s Scout.
  Quinn: Okay, but don’t roll until we hear from the girls.
  Karen: If Karen heard you call her a “girl” she’d beat you with one 
  arm while using the other to cover Lola’s eyes. Anyway, Karen will 
  use her Wild Homemaking Skill to cook up a whole bunch of ra-
  tions. That’s Fortify.
  Akayla: Purl will go find some Roving to spin for spells on the 
  trip. Thinking about the mountains, she’ll focus on warming and 
  endurance. She’ll use her Fiberfinder Skill.
  Quinn: Stocking Up, right? Okay, everybody roll.
  Quinn: Okay, Ranbeer, you know how rough the first part of the 
  trip is likely to be. We’ll find out when we start round one. You’ll 
  get to see one roll in advance.
  Sumit: Cool.
  Quinn: Karen, you make some great food! Little do you know that 
  your compatriots will find your Murican cuisine to be both dis-
  gusting and nutritionally poor. You’ll be minus one Advance in 
  round one as everyone but you feels rather ill.
  Karen: Snobs.
  Sumit rolls a 3, Karen rolls a 1, and Akayla rolls a 6.
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  83
  Karen: Well I’m outvoted anyway, so I guess that’s what we do.
  Quinn: No, conceding has to be unanimous. If Barbarian Karen 
  wants to press on, then you’re not lost yet.
  Karen: Nah, it’s okay. We can get lost. It could even be my fault: 
  I’ll use my “The Kid’s a Runner” Complication. Lola runs off after 
  some pretty bird and we lose the trail while we chase her down.
  Sumit: Woah, you get an Action Point, too. Conceding is sweet!
  Quinn: Yeah it is! Karen, mark down an Action Point. I’ll put a lit-
  tle Twist on your idea. Lola is found by the bird-folk. They are only 
  about 3 feet tall, but they work well together and when you come 
  stumbling into their glade you see Lola up high in the branches, 
  carried there by the birds. You’re all Winded from the run, and 
  that takes care of your 2 Strikes. What did you want to pick from 
  the list?
  Akayla: Well either it costs us less than we expected, or we get 
  something extra out of it.
  Karen: Maybe if it costs us less than we expected, you’d get to keep 
  a bunch of firefox and shagbeast fur and I could have extra rations.
  Sumit: Maybe Ranbeer could stumble on an artifact as he runs. 
  Something precious to the bird-folk. Something they had lost. 
  That’d be “get something extra” or a bit like “it costs them more 
  than they expected” if we consider the bird-folk part of the jour-
  ney.
  Karen: Sure. That’s a cool idea. That’ll come in handy now I’m 
  sure.
  Quinn: Okay, cool. But Ranbeer doesn’t know it belongs to the 
  birds. All he knows is that it’s a bronze amulet with an image of the 
  rising sun. Anyway, when you enter the clearing one of the bird-
  folk comes down from the branches. Another bird squawks loud-
  ly, but the one in front of you scoffs and says to Karen “Ignore him. 
  He’s just a bad egg. Always raven and crowin’. His grousing is too 
  much to swallow. He was warning me about your axe. Well I’m not 
  chicken, and I’m swift enough not to get gulled. I’ll duck any blow. 
  Well, Human? Your tern. Do you wish us fair or fowl? Are you 
  here to hawk your wares or have you come here on a lark?
  Sumit: Guys, we shouldn’t have conceded. He’s got a whole page 
  of those puns printed out.
  Karen: You’re telling me he’s not winging it? Toucan play that 
  game.
  Quinn: Hey! The puns are supposed to be my thing!
  Karen: I egret nothing!
  Groans all around. Quinn grins broadly.
  Sumit: Definitely disable a trait! Let’s get past the forest.
  Akayla: Well, we could disable the Attrition and then we’d be able 
  to take a more defensive approach.
  Karen: Nah, let’s just go for it. One more round to get past the 
  mountains and then the next round we can win!
  Sumit: Okay. So I scouted, and I’d like to see the opposition’s De-
  fense again. Let’s see what the weather is like on the mountains.
  Quinn: Ouch! Bad weather ahead. Not good for your progress.
  Akayla: Let’s go more defensive, and aim for a Draw this time. We 
  can use Targeted Effort to generate a Hit to get past the mountains.
  Quinn: A Draw by the skin of your teeth! Well, the Attrition gets 
  you and you take another Strike from the harsh weather and bad 
  food. You also get to assign another Hit from Targeted Effort.
  Karen: Obviously we make it over the mountain pass!
  Quinn: Okay, well the Major Mounds are behind you and it’s all 
  downhill until you get to Khost.
  Sumit: Crap! Four Strikes would be a Major Condition for each of 
  us. That’s really harsh!
  Akayla: We should consider conceding. We’ll be lost in the Morn-
  ing Vale, which doesn’t sound too awful. We’ll only have 2 Strikes, 
  so we’ll get away with just a Minor Condition each. And we’ll get 
  to pick something from the loser’s list because we did give them a 
  Strike. We’ll get something extra for our troubles.
  Sumit: That does sound better than dragging our butts into Höm-
  fry and needing to spend a week in bed recovering from acute 
  Murican food overdose. Karen?
  Quinn rolls the opposition’s defense die. It comes up a 6.
  Ranbeer Scouts yet again, Karen bosses everyone to push on 
  to the top of the mountains for Targeted Effort, and Purl knits 
  them magical firefoxfur toques for Total Defense. They roll a pair 
  of 2s. So they end up with an Advance of 4: 2(roll) +2(Karen) 
  +1(Ranbeer) -1(Akayla). Their Defense is 6: 2(roll) +1(Ranbeer) 
  +3(Akayla).
  The opposition’s Defense was 9, which easily stops the team’s Ad-
  vance. Unfortunately for them, Quinn rolls a 4 for an Advance of 
  7, one higher than their Defense! Luckily, Akayla still has her +1 
  card, and she uses it now to bring her team’s Defense even with 
  the opposition’s Advance. Since the players’ Advance failed, the 
  result is a Draw.
  Skipping ahead, the next round ends in a Push, giving the 
  players another Strike, but putting an end to the Attrition as the 
  team finds plentiful forage in the Morning Vale below the Mourn-
  ing Veil Falls. In Round 4, despite the team’s best efforts, Quinn 
  rolls high again in round 4, leading to another Push. Now the 
  players have 4 Strikes and the Opposition has just 1.
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  84
  D e T a i l e D  s u B s Y s T e M s
  At the same time, the Chasers attempt to predict what the op-
  ponents will do. They write down their prediction in secret. This 
  prediction comes with a downside—an action that they are un-
  prepared for. If they think the Runners will keep Fleeing, they can-
  not be prepared for them to Double Back or Hide and vice versa. 
  If they think the Runners are just going to Set Up, they won’t be 
  prepared for them to take a Risk and vice versa. If the Chasers 
  guessed correctly, they have Advantage on the upcoming roll. If 
  the Runners chose the action the Chasers are unprepared for, the 
  Chasers have Disadvantage instead.
  After prediction, Chasers have… 
              Chasers
  Runners
  Flee
  Hide
  Double 
  Back
  Set Up
  Risk
  Flee
  Adv.
  Disad.
  Disad.
  —
  —
  Hide
  Disad.
  Adv.
  —
  —
  —
  Double Back
  Disad.
  —
  Adv.
  —
  —
  Set Up
  —
  —
  —
  Adv.
  Disad.
  Risk
  —
  —
  —
  Disad.
  Adv.
  Step 2: Resolving Actions
  The Runners’ action and Chasers’ prediction are revealed. The 
  Runners narrate how they are trying to achieve their chosen ac-
  tion. Both teams pick appropriate Skills for their tasks and roll an 
  Opposed Roll after deciding which character is rolling and who, if 
  anyone, is helping them. The result depends on the action taken.
  Chase
  Here’s a cool little system for chase scenes. It works best for car 
  chases, but you could use it without much modification for chases 
  on foot, in boats, on skis, in tanks, whatever. 
  Any chase has two teams: the Runners and the Chasers. In this 
  system, the Runners try to use tricks to outwit and escape the 
  Chasers. The Chasers try to seize the advantage by predicting 
  what the Runners will do next. Chases are very short. Using these 
  rules to resolve a chase only takes a couple of minutes.
  At the start of the chase, the GM decides what distance the teams 
  are from each other, Close, Medium, or Far. Usually teams start 
  at Medium Range—starting at either of the other two distances 
  can make for very short chases indeed. If the distance increases 
  beyond Far, the Chasers have lost their targets. If the distance gets 
  closer than Close, the Chasers have caught their targets or at least 
  run them off the road. 
  A chase proceeds in rounds. In each round, follow the two steps 
  below.
  Step 1: Choosing Actions
  In secret, the Runners pick an action and write it down. They may 
  Flee, make a hard turn and Double-back, Set Up their next action, 
  take a Risk, or give up the chase and attempt to Hide.
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  85
  Extra Stuff
  Now you’ve got all you need to run a cool chase. Here is some 
  other stuff that might come in handy to add more depth and com-
  plexity if that’s what you desire. All of these are optional, and you 
  may mix-and-match as you like. Before you dig in to all this extra 
  stuff, go play a Chase with the basic rules and get a feel for it.
  Danger Level
  The Danger Level of a chase starts at 0 unless the GM decides oth-
  erwise. It can never be higher than 2. It represents the likelihood 
  of a crash based on the conditions—if either team (or both) rolls 
  equal to or less than the Danger Level, they have crashed. This ap-
  plies only to the result on the dice: the Range Modifier does not 
  apply. For example, if the Range is close (Chasers get a –1) and the 
  Danger Level is 2 and the Chasers roll a 3, they do not crash even 
  though the –1 makes their roll a 2 when compared later. 
  Whichever side wins any roll in the chase may opt to move the 
  Danger Level up or down by 1 for the next roll. The Runners may 
  flee onto a back road or the Chasers might force them into busy 
  traffic.
  If you’re running a foot chase, the notion of Danger Level often 
  does not make sense and you ought not use this rule. On the other 
  hand, if it is a rooftop chase, then Danger Level makes perfect 
  sense. Use your judgment.
  Obstacles
  Whenever a chase roll ends in a tie, there is an unexpected obsta-
  cle. Obstacles are a chance for the GM to give the players a choice 
  and/or show off something about their opposition. The choices 
  can be moral or mechanical. 
  Examples of moral obstacles: “A wedding party has walked 
  out into the street ahead. You know your pursuers won’t hes-
  itate to run them down, but if you slow down to avoid them 
  you’ll lose ground and the range decreases by one. What do 
  you do?” Or turn it around: “You know the cops chasing you 
  will have to slow down either way – you could gain some dis-
  tance on them if you were to drive right through them. Is get-
  ting away worth risking innocent lives?” Or even “The women 
  you were chasing just ran over an old man. There’s nobody else 
  around and he’s obviously hurt very badly. Do you stop to help 
  or do you keep chasing them?”
  Examples of mechanical obstacles: “The road ahead is closed. 
  You can drive through the construction site with a Danger Lev-
  el of 2 for the next three rounds, or you can take the detour. The 
  detour is full of traffic and the Runners won’t be able to Double 
  Back until you’re out of it. Which way do you force them?”
  “The ringing bells tell you that a train is coming. You might be 
  able to beat it to the crossing and lose the pursuit, but if you fail 
  you’re likely to crash badly. If you want to try it, roll your driv-
  ing Skill. Success means you made it, but the Twist will be that 
  you get clipped by the train and send everyone to the hospital 
  for weeks. What do you do?”
  Range Modifier
  If the teams are in Close Range, the Chasers have a -1 to their rolls, 
  with a minimum of 1. If the teams are at Far Range, the Chasers 
  have a +1 to their rolls, with a maximum of 6. The in-game reason 
  for this is that the closer you are the less time you have to react to 
  your quarry’s actions. The out-of-game reason for this is to pro-
  mote longer and more tense chases.
  Flee
  Fleeing is the most basic action. If the Runners win the roll, the 
  Range increases by one step. If they lose, the Range decreases by 
  one step. If they tie, the Range is unchanged.
  Double Back
  The Runners attempt to perform a quick turn and double back 
  on the Chasers. If the Runners win, the Range is set to Far. If they 
  lose, the Range decreases by 1. If they tie at Close Range, the run-
  ners lose. If they tie at Medium Range, the Range is unchanged.
  Note: At Close Range, this is a big gamble. At Medium Range, this 
  action is functionally identical to Flee and simply gives the run-
  ners more options both in the narrative and in outsmarting the 
  Chasers. Double Back may not be used at Far Range—and why 
  would you want to?
  Set Up
  The Runners take some time to lull the chasers or to gain position 
  to set up their next move. If the Runners win, their next move has 
  Advantage. If they lose, the Range decreases by one but they still 
  gain Advantage. If they tie, the Range stays unchanged and they 
  do not gain Advantage.
  Risk
  The Runners jump the bridge, drive between the tankers, or slam 
  through the barrier. The Runners must roll before the Chasers 
  here. If the Runners roll a 3 or less, they crash and the Chasers 
  catch them. If the Runners roll a 4 or higher, the Chasers now have 
  the choice of whether or not to replicate that feat. If they decide 
  not to attempt it, the Range increases by two steps (and thus the 
  Runners escape if the Range was Medium or Far). If the Chasers 
  decide to go for it, they crash on a 3 or less (not including the 
  Range Modifier) and the runners escape. If they roll a 4 or higher, 
  then the rolls are compared just as though the Runners had cho-
  sen to Flee, including the Range Modifier.
  Hide
  The Runners decide to give up the chase and attempt to Hide in-
  stead. This action cannot be taken at Close Range—the Chasers 
  are right on your tail! The Runners get a +1 to their roll if they 
  are at Far Range instead of the Chasers: here the distance is work-
  ing in their favor. Once the Runners make this choice, the Chase 
  is effectively over. This is resolved exactly as an Opposed Roll as 
  described in the basic rules. If the roll comes up a tie, the Chasers 
  can’t find the Runners but the Runners are pinned down and can’t 
  move without being found.
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  D e T a i l e D  s u B s Y s T e M s
  Scenarios
  The regular rules assume that the Runners just run away until they 
  escape or the Chasers run them off the road. But sometimes, the 
  Chasers have a different goal.
  The Trap
  Sometimes the chasers are trying to force the Runners into a trap. 
  The Chasers must have set this trap up beforehand or have allies 
  who can set up the trap for them. The trap can be roadblocks, a 
  natural feature like a canyon, a dead-end, or anything else that 
  makes sense. The chase lasts for five rounds. After the fifth round, 
  there is one final all-or-nothing roll for the Runners to escape the 
  trap. The Range Modifier does not apply. It is simply an Opposed 
  Roll as described in the basic rules. In the case of a tie, the Run-
  ners don’t escape the trap but they aren’t caught either—most like-
  ly they are pinned down or hidden and unable to get out for fear 
  of being caught.
  If the Chasers have put much planning into their trap, they’ve 
  probably worked out a way to get Advantage and/or lots of help 
  with it. So the Runners would really like to escape before the end 
  of the fifth round. Without much planning, the trap is not much 
  threat.
  Home Free
  If the Runners are making for a safe haven where the Chasers dare 
  not catch them, they may lose the Chasers as usual, but also have 
  an alternative win condition. If they Flee a total of four times, 
  whether or not those actions are successful, then so long as the 
  Chasers have not caught them, they are home free at the end of 
  the fourth Flee round and arrive at their destination safely. If they 
  win in this way, the Chasers know where they are.
  Follow
  Sometimes the Chasers want to follow the Runners but not catch 
  them, and the Runners have no choice but to keep making for 
  their goal. In this scenario, the Chasers are not willing to win by 
  running their opponents off the road. If they would get closer than 
  Close Range, they simply stay at Close Range instead. If the Run-
  ners haven’t escaped by the end of the 7th round, the Chasers have 
  successfully followed them. 
  If they are chasing the Runners back to a secure hideout and are at 
  Close Range at the end of the 7th round, the Chasers may follow 
  the Runners into the hideout before the gate is shut. At Medium or 
  Far Ranges, the Chasers get their information but can’t just drive 
  in behind.
  Backup
  In some situations the Chasers (or the Runners) may have backup 
  coming after a specified number of rounds. The cops might have 
  a new car coming in every three rounds, and a helicopter on the 
  seventh round, for instance. The chase is likely to be over by then, 
  but if it isn’t, then the police will have a big Advantage.
  Shooting
  Any player can try to shoot the opponents instead of helping their 
  teammate. Shooting can reduce an opponent’s roll or even take 
  them out of the chase for good. The shooters roll their Shooting 
  Skill immediately after the opponent rolls. If any shooter rolls 
  higher than their opponent, the opponent must waste effort evad-
  ing and subtracts one from the result (this is not cumulative in the 
  case of multiple shooters). If a shooter rolls a 6, they have scored 
  a hit and one character of the opposing team’s choice is taken out 
  of the chase. If the driver is hit, they must either stop or crash and 
  are wounded either way—they get the Injured Condition, unless 
  the fiction demands otherwise.
  Even with multiple shooters, the opponent’s roll cannot be re-
  duced by more than one, although more shooters means more 
  chances to roll a 6.
  A driver may attempt to shoot and drive but will have Disadvan-
  tage on both. Similarly for shooting while running on foot or op-
  erating any sort of vehicle.
  Multiple Chasers and Runners
  If the Chasers have multiple vehicles, they can forgo helping one 
  another in order to hedge their bets. One vehicle can bet on Risk 
  while the other bets on Set Up, for instance. In this case the roll 
  is made by whichever vehicle had the most advantageous predic-
  tion. So being outnumbered by the Chasers is very bad news. 
  Luckily, if there are multiple Runners they can choose to split 
  up into two (or more) different chases. The Chasers then have to 
  choose to split up as well to keep track of all of them or to let one 
  group go.
  Vehicle Mismatch
  If one side has a clearly superior vehicle, such as a helicopter chas-
  ing a car, they get Advantage on all their driving rolls in the chase. 
  Some vehicles might have special powers too. The Batmobile has 
  several ways to get Advantage or damage vehicles trying to chase 
  it. An Apache helicopter can just blow up more or less whatever it 
  wants within the pilot’s ethical and professional restrictions.
  High Speed 
  In a high-speed chase you need to be thinking not just about what 
  you’re doing, but what you’ll be doing next. When you start the 
  Chase, the Runners must pick their first and second actions while 
  the Chasers make their first and second predictions. After resolv-
  ing the first action, they pick their third action and prediction. 
  After the second, pick the fourth. And so on. If the Runners pick 
  an action that becomes impossible to carry out (Hide at close 
  Range or Double Back at Far Range), they instead Flee with Dis-
  advantage.
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  87
  is more important. Once the goal has been decided, that’s what is 
  at stake: if the players defeat their enemies, they get their goal (al-
  most always—see the section Winning and Losing on page 92). 
  If they lose, the GM decides what happens and it probably won’t 
  be anything like what the players were hoping for.
  Bad goals
  Don’t overreach—your goal should be simple and obviously 
  achievable by defeating your enemies. Shaming them is good, 
  robbing them is good, getting past them is good, impressing 
  someone might be appropriate, but if you want your victory to 
  have more than the obvious impact you’ll need to use your Skills 
  to get there either during or after the combat.
  Inappropriate goals can be quashed by any player. “I want the 
  news of our victory here to give the CEO of Badcorp a fatal heart 
  attack” is not appropriate. Use your judgment.
  Risk and Honesty
  It’s best to be honest about your goal. Your goal is at risk, but any-
  thing not in your goals is at the whim of the GM, whose job it is 
  to provide you with challenges. When you make something your 
  goal and you win, the GM is not allowed to mess with that.
  The Grid
  Combat takes place on a grid. Each square represents whatever 
  distance you want and makes sense for your game. For swords 
  and bows and stuff, one yard or meter per square makes the most 
  sense. In a modern game with assault rifles, a square might be 
  five meters. If you are modeling spaceships, squares might be ki-
  lometers across. For games with longer-range weaponry, expand 
  the size as appropriate—a typical maximum range in the heat of 
  battle is 10 squares, with some specialized characters getting dou-
  ble that.
  Tactical Combat
  So you’re in a fight! Time to break out the combat rules! Well, not 
  necessarily. Use these rules if the fight is interesting, if you have 
  time (making a Skill Roll or two takes a few minutes; these rules 
  might take half an hour), and if the whole party is involved (rare 
  is the time when you want to leave anybody out). 
  Overview
  In combat, combatants take turns. On your turn, you typically do 
  three things in any order you like: move, use a power to attack, 
  and use power from your Role. When you attack, you usually have 
  to roll to see if you hit and how well you hit. Your attack can deal 
  damage, have another effect, or both, depending on how well you 
  roll. Every attack roll uses the same chart to tell you how well you 
  did. Role powers are even simpler, since you don’t have to roll for 
  them: they just happen. Once you have done your three things, 
  your turn is done and the next character goes. 
  Every character has Hit Points. Enemies are out of the fight when 
  they reach 0, while players are out when they reach –5. When one 
  side has no one active, the fight is over and they have lost. That’s 
  the very high level view. Read on for the details.
  Goals
  Before you begin a fight, figure out what the players hope to get 
  out of this. Usually this is clear. Don’t get clever. Stick to the ob-
  vious. Even random encounters and fights with Stooges should 
  have goals. They can be complex, but are most often simple—kill 
  these goblins so we can get some rest; get through these monsters 
  so we can find the boss. The only restriction is that they need to 
  be something beyond “defeat these enemies.” Fighting is rarely an 
  end unto itself—it is almost always a means to an end. Having one 
  goal is usually the best idea, but you can have more than one goal 
  if you need to—for instance if two players can’t agree which goal 
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  speed is 6, you can move 3 squares, kill a monster (Attack Action), 
  move 2 squares, heal your friend (Role Action), then move 1 more 
  square. You can also spend a Move Action to shift 1 square—that 
  is, you can move 1 square without granting an Opportunity to 
  adjacent enemies (see below). You can also spend a Move Action 
  to stand up from being Prone or to attempt to escape from a Grab. 
  To escape a Grab, spend a Move Action to roll a Saving Throw 
  (i.e. you roll a die: 1 – 3 is a failure, 4 – 6 is a success), and if you 
  succeed you escape. The escape attempt consumes the Move Ac-
  tion whether successful or not. If you escape a grab or stand up in 
  a square you are unable to legally occupy or which would cause 
  you to fall or take damage, you may pick an adjacent legal square 
  instead. Crawling while prone reduces your speed to 2.
  Opportunity
  Certain actions cause you to grant your opponents an Opportu-
  nity. When you provoke an Opportunity, your opponent takes the 
  chance to strike at you, and you take damage. When you are grant-
  ed an Opportunity, you may deal 2 damage to the enemy who 
  granted it. This damage happens as an Interrupt, i.e. before the 
  triggering action is resolved. 
  • 
  When you make a ranged attack, you grant an Opportunity to 
  every adjacent enemy. (Note that using a ranged Role Action 
  does not grant an Opportunity.) 
  • 
  When you leave your square without shifting (see Movement, 
  above) you grant an Opportunity to every adjacent enemy. 
  • 
  Some characters have special abilities which let them use Op-
  portunities in a different way or gain Opportunities at differ-
  ent times. Such abilities are always explained in the specific 
  rules for that creature or character. 
  You may only take advantage of at most one Opportunity granted 
  to you by each creature per turn.
  How to Read a Power
  In this section you will find a few powers, with many more to 
  come in the Class sections that follow. They are formatted to be 
  fairly condensed while being fast to read and use in play. There are 
  a few things you should know about how they work. 
  Action Types
  First, the icon in the top-left corner tells you what type of action 
  they use. 
  • 
   indicates that it uses an Attack Action. You get one of these 
  per turn.
  • 
   indicates that it is triggered and does not use an action.
  • 
   indicates a Free Action that can be used any time on your 
  turn.
  • 
   indicates a Role Action. You also get one of these per 
  turn, but they are not attacks.
  • 
   indicates a Move Action.
  Initiative
  At the start of combat, we roll Initiative. Roll a die. That’s your 
  Initiative, and everyone takes turns from highest to lowest. In the 
  case of a tie monsters go before players, and tied players go in 
  whichever order they wish. Write it down so everyone can see—it 
  is public knowledge. Hidden monsters the players are unaware of 
  may be omitted.
  On Your Turn
  When you start your turn, the following happen in order.
  • 
  Resolve any effects that end or trigger at the start of this turn, 
  including taking Ongoing Damage (see the Glossary on page 
  95). You may resolve these in any order you choose.
  • 
  Take action. This is the bulk of your turn. The next heading 
  describes your actions in more detail.
  • 
  Roll Saving Throws. For each Status you have that is denoted 
  “save ends,” you roll a die. 1 – 3 is a failure, 4 – 6 is a success. 
  On a success, you end the Status. On a failure, it continues.
  • 
  Resolve any effects that end or trigger at the end of this turn. 
  You may resolve these in any order you choose.
  Action Economy
  On your turn you have an Attack Action, a Move Action, a Role 
  Action, and as many Free Actions as you need within the bounds 
  of common sense. You can trade your Attack Action for a second 
  Move Action. You cannot trade for a Role Action. 
  Many actions (closing a door, for instance) are Free. Free Actions 
  are only taken on your turn. Some things, like speaking, do not 
  cost an action at all and can be taken at any time. Attack Actions 
  are, unsurprisingly, mostly attacks—the way you damage and 
  apply effects to Team Monster. Most of your Attack Actions will 
  come from your Class, but some are common to all characters. 
  When a rule tells you to “make an attack,” it means that you can 
  use an Attack Action the same way you would if it was your turn. 
  Move Actions are how you move across the battlefield or do things 
  like stand up or escape being Grabbed. Role Actions are mostly 
  reserved for powers coming from your character’s Role, and help 
  you perform that Role—things like healing or putting down a 
  wall of blocking terrain. (For more on Classes and Roles, see page 
  98.) 
  Some powers are listed as Interrupts or Reactions. These can occur 
  at any time in response to a specific trigger. Interrupts are resolved 
  before the triggering event while Reactions are resolved after.
  No attack chains: If another character grants you an attack, you 
  may not use a power that grants another character an attack. This 
  rule mainly affects monsters and prevents infinite action chains.
  Movement
  You can spend a Move Action to gain squares of movement equal 
  to your speed. You can use these squares of movement before, 
  after or between (but not during) your other actions. So if your 
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  When you Miss, the GM gets the chance to narrate a small Twist. 
  Some enemies may have special abilities called Miss Triggers to 
  take advantage of your blunder, or the GM could make something 
  up.
  On the other hand, when you Miss all targets with an attack, you 
  take a Miss Token. You may spend any number of Miss Tokens 
  after any future attack roll in the same combat to get +1 to the roll 
  per token spent, so long as the roll was not a 1. If the roll was a 1 
  and you spend a Miss Token, you still take a Strike, but the first 
  token spent bumps the roll up to a 3: a Glancing Hit. Unused Miss 
  Tokens at the end of combat are gone.
  When you hit, you might get to do an Effect along with or instead 
  of dealing damage. To see what I mean by Effects, look at the ex-
  amples that follow or take a look at the section on Classes. There is 
  a lot of variety! The Glossary near the end of this chapter explains 
  any terms you don’t understand. 
  More Example Powers
   Phantasms
  At-Will              5         2
  Effect: The next ally to attack the target has Advantage.
   Life Drain
  Encounter                 2
  Effect: 2 damage and regain 3 Hit Points.
   The Perfect Chance
  Encounter   
  One ally in within 10 squares makes an attack with Advantage.
   Raise Ally
  Encounter         Free Action    
  Targets one ally within 5 squares that has been Taken Out or is at 
  or below 0 HP. The ally may re-enter the fight with 1 HP.
   Don’t Give Up
  Encounter      Interrupt
  Trigger: One ally within 5 squares drops to 0 HP or below.
  The ally instead stays standing with 1 Hit Point.
  In these examples, the 
   indicates that each of the first three pow-
  ers are Attack Actions, meaning you can use these on your turn 
  by spending your Attack Action, or when an ally’s power tells you 
  to “make an attack.” Raise Ally is a Free Action, as indicated by the 
   icon, and as noted in the top line. It can be used on your turn 
  without spending an action. Don’t Give Up is a Triggered power—
  you don’t spend an action, but you may only use it when the listed 
  “Trigger” occurs.
  If an attack has damage in the top line, indicated by a  followed 
  by a number, then it requires an Attack Roll and the next line 
  represents the Effect, indicated by the presence of “Effect:” in the 
  second line. In the examples, Phantasms and Life Drain require 
  Attack Rolls. For Phantasms, whether you get to give an ally Ad-
  vantage depends on your roll, as does whether or not you deal 2 
  damage. The final three powers do not require you to roll the dice. 
  For instance, when you use The Perfect Chance, one ally will get to 
  make an attack with Advantage. 
  Target
  The possible targets of an attack are indicated in the top row. 
  • 
   means ranged, targeting one enemy in that range.
  • 
   means melee, targeting one adjacent enemy.
  • 
   means Burst, and targets everyone except yourself within a 
  certain range. Area of effect powers like this make a separate 
  attack roll for each target. The power as a whole is only con-
  sidered a Miss if every attack roll was a Miss.
  Roll or No Roll
  • 
   in the top line and “Effect:” below means you make an At-
  tack Roll. The  tells you the damage while the “Effect:” tells 
  you the effect.
  • 
  No  means you do not need to roll. The power “just works.”
  Basic Attacks
  Every player character has two Basic Attacks. They look like this.
   Melee Basic Attack 
  At-Will                      2
  Effect: None.
   Ranged Basic Attack 
  At-Will              5         2
  Effect: None.
  So what does that mean? Well, they each cost your Attack Ac-
  tion to use. Melee Basic Attack attacks an adjacent target, while 
  Ranged Basic Attack attacks a target within 5 squares. Both have 
   2, so they can each do 2 damage and have no other effect, and 
  require an Attack Roll.
  GM’s Note: Monsters’ Ranged Basic Attacks have the same range 
  as their other ranged attacks, if they have any, or range 5 if they 
  have none.
  The Attack Roll
  Your Attack Action is often the core of your turn, and most Attack 
  Powers require an Attack Roll on the following table to see the re-
  sult.  means damage. For instance, you might have a power that 
  has  2 and Effect: Target is knocked Prone. The result of your 
  roll will tell you whether you dealt 2 damage, knocked the target 
  Prone, both, or neither.
  Attack Rolls
  6
  Critical Hit: Effect and 2 times 
  4-5
  Solid Hit:  and Effect
  3
  Glancing Hit:  or Effect (player’s choice)
  2
  Miss
  1
  Miss and you gain a Strike (see below)
  Whenever you get a Strike, make a note. You’ll be counting how 
  many you get, and at the end of the combat having a lot leads to 
  consequences for you personally and your team as a whole.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  Every player also has a Rally power, usable once per encounter to 
  allow them to regain some health or will to fight, as represented 
  by Hit Points (often abbreviated HP). It also allows them to regain 
  some of their offensive potential at the same time. It does cost an 
  Action Point to do so, though. It looks like this.
  Rally
  Encounter           No Action
  Special: You may only use this on your turn, but you may 
  use at any point in your turn, even while Incapacitated, 
  Dominated, or under any other Status.
  Spend an Action Point. Regain 4 Hit Points and regain 
  the use of one Encounter Power from your Class (i.e. not 
  a Role Action) you have expended. 
  Characters also have the ability to Assess situations or monsters. 
  This involves asking the GM questions which they must answer as 
  honestly and helpfully as possible.
   Assess 
  At-Will
  Roll a die and ask the GM that many questions from the 
  lists below.
  About an enemy: 
  • 
  How many Hit Points does it have?
  • 
  How would you summarize its powers?
  • 
  What are its special traits?
  • 
  Is it carrying anything strange or unique?
  About the encounter: 
  • 
  Who is really in charge?
  • 
  What can I use against the enemies?
  • 
  What can they use against me?
  • 
  Are there hidden doors or traps?
  • 
  Are there hidden enemies?
  Notice that this power is blue. That means you use it as a Role Ac-
  tion (the 
   icon also indicates this). You’ll often use this when 
  you have no compelling reason to use powers from your Role, or 
  when you suspect that there are hidden enemies. You might also 
  get a free use of it before combat if the GM deems it appropriate.
  Other Actions
  Sometimes players want to take other actions in combat—open 
  a door, jump over a pit, hide in the shadows, that sort of thing. 
  The GM decides the mechanics of unique situations, determining 
  what sort of action it is and whether it requires a roll. When roll-
  ing a Skill is required in combat, use the basic rules, but with the 
  difference that instead of a Cost, you get a Strike like you would if 
  you rolled a 1 on an attack. 
  Twists in combat don’t have to be as game-changing as Twists out 
  of combat: a simple failure might be Twist enough (“You try to 
  jump across the pit… but no. In you fall.”) but two other good 
  options are the partial success (“So close! You’re hanging from the 
  far side of the pit by your fingers, and here comes an orc with her 
  hobnail boots on…”) and the never-even-started (“You take the 
  run up, but you know you’ll never make it. You stumble to a halt 
  before you plunge over the edge.”). Sometimes wasting your ac-
  tion is Twist enough without adding injury to insult.
  Phantasms has  5, which indicates range 5. So it can attack any-
  one within 5 squares. A melee attack, such as Life Drain, is indi-
  cated by a . A  followed by a number indicates a Burst attack, 
  targeting every creature in that range.
  Later in the monsters section, you’ll see more variations. A  fol-
  lowed by a number is a simple reminder of a monster’s reach. A  
  and  together indicate a Burst attack centered on any square in 
  the indicated range. Generally, Burst attacks hit friends and foes 
  alike, unless indicated otherwise, or unless it wouldn’t make sense 
  in the fiction for that to be true. You grant Opportunities to adja-
  cent creatures when using an attack with a  and a  together just 
  as if it had only a .
  Color
  The color of the power indicates how often you can use it. Green 
  powers are At-Will and can be used without limit unless other-
  wise noted, while Encounter Powers are purple and each one can 
  only be used once per combat. Whether a power is Encounter or 
  At-Will is also noted in the top line. Some Classes have yellow 
  powers—these are neither Encounter nor At-Will, but follow their 
  own rules that depend on the Class. Role Actions have the same 
  At-Will/Encounter dichotomy, but their colors are blue and red.
  A brief note on durations 
  I love having a variety of Statuses in the game, but I don’t like 
  having to keep track of what ends when. In this game, the vast 
  majority of Statuses have one of three durations: until the end of 
  the target’s next turn, save ends, or until the end of the encounter. 
  So it’s simple—if you have an effect, either it ends when you’re 
  done your turn, you try to save against it when you end your 
  turn, or it doesn’t end. No problem!
  Improvising
  What if you want to improvise an attack in combat that isn’t on 
  your character sheet? You describe your action, and then the GM 
  assigns an appropriate effect. You can go back and forth a bit but 
  the GM has final say. The basic damage you get for trying some-
  thing cool is 3. The strength of the effect depends on what you’re 
  trying to do—the cooler it is, and the more appropriate to the en-
  emy, the stronger the effect. What if you want to improvise some-
  thing that’s not an attack? See the Other Actions heading below.
  It was cool the first time…
  Players shouldn’t be using the rules for improvising to create pow-
  ers that they can consistently use that are superior to those on 
  their character sheet. The first time they do something cool, give 
  them 3 damage and a good effect. The next time they try the same 
  trick, it’s 2 damage and a weaker effect. The whole point of these 
  rules is to empower players to try new tricks and cool stuff.
  Other Powers Everyone Has
  Characters can Charge into melee with an opponent. 
   Charge
  At-Will
  Move up to your speed to a square adjacent a creature 
  and make a Melee Basic Attack against it. Each square of 
  movement must bring you closer to the target. You can-
  not Charge through Difficult Terrain.
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  91
  When you are reduced to 0 HP or below, you are Incapacitated. 
  If you regain Hit Points while below zero, you first set your Hit 
  Points to zero and then regain the specified amount. While you 
  have 0 HP or fewer and are Incapacitated, each time you start your 
  turn you make a Comeback Roll: roll a die; on a 1 or 2 you lose 
  two Hit Points (this cannot be resisted or reduced), but on a 5 or 
  6 you regain one Hit Point (first setting your Hit Points to zero, as 
  described above). 
  When you are reduced to negative 5 HP, you are Taken Out. You’re 
  out of the combat for good, although you can come back to con-
  sciousness and regain your Hit Points after the combat just like 
  anyone else. 
  You can intentionally take yourself out of combat if you want to 
  escape: once you are 20 squares from any enemy, you are out of the 
  combat if you want to be. You could also take yourself out by other 
  means, such as surrender.
  I’m Taken Out—What Now?
  Well, being Taken Out isn’t going to happen every combat. It 
  should be fairly uncommon that it happens to you, and if it does 
  keep happening to you, consider whether you might want to 
  change your playstyle to something a bit more defensive or maybe 
  take some Feats that help your survivability (see page 137). But 
  in the short term, that doesn’t help, right? You’re out of combat 
  and wondering what to do with yourself. If you want to stay in-
  volved, ask the GM if he can give you a monster or two to control 
  and set yourself to taking out your erstwhile allies—misery loves 
  company, right? If that’s not your thing, then take a break, get a 
  drink, kibitz with the other players. Don’t distract them, though. If 
  it’s Billy’s turn and he’s not paying attention because you’re talking 
  to him about American Idol, that just slows things down for ev-
  eryone.
  Strikes
  When you are first Bloodied in a combat, you take a Strike. When 
  you are first reduced to 0HP or below, take two Strikes, and take 
  one Strike each time thereafter. If you are Taken Out, take a Strike. 
  When you roll a 1 on an attack, take a Strike. 
  After each combat, Strikes determine what Condition if any your 
  character gets: 
  Post-Combat Strikes
  0-1
  No Condition
  2-3
  Winded
  4
  Exhausted
  5+
  Injured
  Depending on the circumstances of the combat, at the GM’s dis-
  cretion you may receive different Conditions. For instance, if you 
  were fighting a mummy, the GM may tell you that instead of In-
  jured, you are Cursed. The mechanical effects are equivalent, but 
  recovery may require different Skills. 
  Always bear in mind the tone of the game when you’re working 
  out your intent: unless you’re some sort of demigod, jumping a pit 
  while wrestling the Hydra isn’t going to work. Likewise for sweet-
  talking someone whose arm you’ve just chopped off, or hiding in 
  a brightly lit room from someone who is standing three feet away 
  and staring directly at you. Don’t demand nonsense!
  Fiction Takes Precedence
  When any player, including the GM, uses a power or creates any 
  sort of mechanical effect, it’s incumbent on them to explain and 
  describe what their character just did. Sometimes this description 
  conflicts with what the mechanics prescribe. The rule here is that 
  the fiction takes precedence.
  Fiction takes precedence means that if a player’s explanation does 
  not make sense, or if it violates the tone of the game, then they 
  can’t do it even if the mechanics say they can. Remember, this ap-
  plies to the GM as well! This sort of conflict comes up a lot with 
  Flying creatures and areas of effect or terrain effects.
  With that said, always err on the side of permissiveness. If the 
  player comes up with a cool description for how their character 
  achieves something awesome or unexpected, in keeping with the 
  tone of the game, then there is no conflict. On top of that, always 
  give players a chance to revise their description when necessary. 
  If the player taking the action cannot think of a way for what the 
  mechanics are describing to occur, another player should offer up 
  an explanation. 
  Example: Alex describes her character doing a sweep kick 
  and tripping all the enemies around her in a Close 1, but she 
  has a bird-man adjacent that has already been described as be-
  ing above the ground, though not high enough to have the Fly-
  ing Status. Kwame points out that this doesn’t make sense. Even 
  though the mechanics of her power say that the bird-man takes 
  damage, that cannot happen unless Alex elaborates on her de-
  scription. Jamar suggest that following her sweep kick, Alex’s 
  Martial Artist could snatch a goat-man’s axe and hurl it at the 
  bird-man. That description fits perfectly with the mechanics 
  and works with their game’s gritty tone.
  This rule isn’t primarily about restrictions. When you get a cool 
  idea that isn’t necessarily supported by the mechanics, this rule 
  is there to back you up. The GM can make sensible rulings about 
  things that are outside the scope of the mechanics. Hey, doesn’t 
  it make sense that my flaming arrow would set off those powder 
  kegs? Why yes, it does—so they explode and do… whatever they 
  do in that situation. Hey, I’m holding a torch—can’t I burn these 
  webs off instead of struggling to escape? Sure! Use your Attack 
  Action to do it and then you don’t need to roll to escape.
  Hit Points and Taken Out
  You always start each combat with your maximum Hit Points (for 
  players, that is 10 by default). These go down as you take damage, 
  and can be restored by a variety of means depending on the genre. 
  They represent a combination of your will and ability to fight on.
  Your Bloodied value is equal to half your Hit Points (rounded 
  down). When you have this many HP or fewer, you are considered 
  Bloodied - which has special effects with certain powers.
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  92
  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  hatred like nothing else and players will go to great lengths to get 
  back their belongings.) Note that it’s not just intelligent enemies 
  who may leave characters alive, as even a hungry carnivore may be 
  content to shred their packs and eat all their rations once everyone 
  is unconscious.
  What about character death? Well, that depends on the tone and 
  setting of your campaign and also on the actions of the players. 
  You should agree before you play whether or not death is on the 
  table and under what circumstances, but here are some guidelines. 
  Most intelligent creatures can find something better to do with a 
  group of heroes than simply kill them. Even if they want to kill 
  them, they may screw it up. They may think that throwing Odys-
  seus into storm wracked seas is sure to kill him, when in fact he 
  wakes up washed ashore with a beautiful maiden peering at him. 
  What about mindless hungry creatures? Maybe the party manages 
  to escape but into a worse spot. Or maybe the mindless creature 
  eats one of the player characters and leaves the rest. 
  Personally, I think that killing one character is something that 
  should be on the table sometimes. It is a serious moment in the 
  game, but it shouldn’t be cause for anger in real life. The rest of 
  the party need to deal with the loss and its ramifications while the 
  player who lost their character gets to try something new. This is 
  also where players’ choices come into play. If the player charac-
  ters have been killing and slaughtering the soldiers of the Duke 
  instead of disarming, disabling, or capturing them, they will get 
  a reputation. This reputation can help them when they wish to be 
  feared, but it will not serve them well if they are defeated by the 
  Duke’s forces. One or more of the party may be killed and the rest 
  very badly treated as reprisal, even if the soldiers are under orders 
  to bring them in alive. Characters who have a reputation for hon-
  or are more likely to be treated with honor. 
  Depending on your group, character death can also give weight 
  to your descriptions—if you describe something as incredibly 
  deadly, the players will feel the import much more strongly if they 
  know that death is truly on the table as a possible consequence.
  What about the dreaded TPK (Total Party Kill)? Is that ever ap-
  propriate? I never say never, but to my mind there’s only one rea-
  son that makes sense: the group wants to end the campaign. If this 
  is your last session, then maybe it makes sense for the final fight to 
  be Do or Die. Do you slay the robot queen or do you die trying? 
  Advantage and Disadvantage
  If you and an ally are flanking a target, i.e. you are both adjacent 
  to the target and on opposite sides or opposite diagonals of the 
  target, you both have Advantage on melee attacks against it.
  Any melee attacks against a Prone target have Advantage.
  If you are Hidden from your target when you attack or Charge, 
  you have Advantage on that attack. 
  Conditions
  Winded and Exhausted give Disadvantage to attack rolls in the 
  first round. Exhausted also gives Disadvantage to all rolls other 
  than attack rolls. Major Conditions give –1 to all rolls. 
  Winning and Losing
  Is combat the solution to every problem? Is it Game Over if you 
  lose a combat? Will the GM fudge the rules to save you? No. Not 
  in this game. In this game you can win and not get all of what you 
  want, and losing doesn’t mean death. GMs don’t need to be afraid 
  of winning! If the GM wins a combat, they get to put the players in 
  a tight spot and the players get to be awesome in getting out of it. 
  When you win a combat—meaning that at least one of the player 
  characters is not Taken Out, and all enemies are Taken Out or 
  otherwise taken care of—you total up all the Strikes your team 
  has accrued. Let N be the number of players on your team and S 
  be the total Strikes. 
  • 
  If S is less than N, you have won a total victory.
  • 
  Else if S is less than 2 times N, you owe a Minor Concession.
  • 
  Else if S is less than 3 times N, you owe a Major Concession.
  • 
  Else if S is greater than that, you have won a Pyrrhic victory. 
  Your enemies are defeated, but you do not get your intent.
  Concessions
  Concessions are narrative effects that are discussed by the group. 
  A Minor Concession indicates that while you’ve achieved your 
  goal, not everything went your way. Perhaps you were seen and 
  word reaches the ears of your enemies. A Major Concession might 
  mean that you got your goal but something happened that bodes 
  very ill for the future, or it might mean that you achieved most of 
  your goal but its completion is still one step away. A Pyrrhic vic-
  tory indicates that you did not achieve your goal and it’s no longer 
  within your grasp. In a fight to stop and kill the evil Vizier, a Major 
  Concession might mean either that you killed him but his plan 
  is still in motion without him, or that you stopped his plan but 
  he managed to survive somehow. Perhaps he activated his ring of 
  escape and is simply gone, with his plan proceeding. The Conces-
  sion must always depend on what the players intended to achieve.
  So who decides? While everyone throws out ideas and discusses 
  their merits, the final outcome is decided by the GM exclusively. 
  GMs are instructed to listen to their players and give their ideas 
  a fair hearing. Players are encouraged to make their suggestions 
  appropriate to the level of Concession. If you owe a Major Conces-
  sion and all your suggestions are minor inconveniences at most, 
  the GM is obligated to ignore them and impose what they feel is 
  appropriate. The GM must take into account the players’ inten-
  tions in the fight and give them what they have won. If they came 
  to kill the Vizier and they owe only a Minor Concession, then the 
  Vizier is dead and the GM just has to deal with it. Luckily, GMs 
  always have ways to make life interesting for the players.
  Losing
  So you lost. You were all Taken Out. Now the GM gets to put you 
  in a bad spot. Likely you are captured. Maybe you wake up alone 
  and in a pitch black hole with a strange and unnerving scent. Per-
  haps you are stripped of your possessions and left for dead. (That’s 
  one of my favorites: being dumped naked in the river generates 
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  93
  Cover
  When you have cover, attacks against you have Disadvantage. Ter-
  rain that grants cover should be called out by the GM when the 
  map is brought out or when it is created. Cover always works how-
  ever the GM says it should—a portcullis works differently than a 
  tree or a wall. 
  Burst attacks judge cover from their center (unless the fiction de-
  mands otherwise). To get cover against a ranged attack, you need 
  to use terrain via the following rules.
  Take Cover
  When you are right up against an object, you can press up against 
  it to get more protection than you get from simply having the 
  object nearby (see Intervening Cover below). For these purposes 
  there are two kinds of cover, Low and Full. Low Cover represents 
  things like boxes, piles of sandbags, and chest-high walls. Full 
  Cover represents things you can stand behind and remain safe, 
  like large trees, pillars, and walls. The type of cover only matters 
  if you are right next to it—your character needs to get down and 
  press up against it to take advantage. When you aren’t adjacent, 
  use the rules for Intervening Cover below. Low Cover counts as 
  Difficult Terrain to move over.
  The diagram on the right explains how Low Cover works geomet-
  rically. If I were to write it out it would seem complicated, but 
  when you see it it’s absolutely simple. Taking cover against Low 
  Cover (this does not cost an action) grants you cover in a half-
  plane if you are non-diagonally adjacent. Taking cover diagonally 
  only grants you a quarter-plane of cover. 
  Full Cover grants you cover in the same region as Low Cover. On 
  top of that, Full Cover blocks line of sight, granting you full im-
  munity to attack from some squares. Taking cover against a pil-
  lar non-diagonally gives you one row or column of protection. 
  Taking cover diagonally gives you protection along that diagonal. 
  Standing behind a wall with two or more squares of Full Cov-
  er is more advantageous than standing behind a pillar: you get 
  protection not just along the row and diagonal but everything in 
  between too. 
  When you have taken cover, you may spend an Attack Action to 
  Hunker Down until the start of your next turn or until you leave 
  your square, whichever comes first. If you are hunkered down, 
  ranged attacks from which you have cover must roll an extra die 
  and take the worst result. I.e. they typically roll three dice since 
  they already have Disadvantage due to your cover. 
  Allies generally provide Intervening Cover against enemy attacks, 
  but typically you cannot take cover against other creatures. How-
  ever, relative size is important and the situation can change things. 
  If you take cover against the brachiosaur’s leg, then by all means 
  treat it as Full Cover.
  Cover and Large Creatures
  A creature large enough to occupy more than one square can only 
  take cover by standing next to an object large enough to block one 
  entire side of its body. 
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  Hidden you need not remain out of sight so long as you keep to 
  cover or concealment. If you want to dart from one piece of cover 
  to another without being seen, you must make a Skill Roll as you 
  move, and the GM is within their rights to disallow such an action 
  if your movement is directly where the enemy would be looking—
  right across a hallway, say.
  Some enemies have special senses and player characters can use a 
  Feat to get them as well. For instance, Tremorsense X means that 
  you can “see” using the vibrations in the ground. You can see the 
  area around you and all creatures in contact with the ground with-
  in X squares regardless of intervening terrain. This allows you to 
  ignore the restrictions for concealed creatures or those that cannot 
  be seen usually, as long as they cause vibrations on the ground. 
  Darkvision means that you can see in the dark. You ignore the 
  restrictions for concealed creatures or those that cannot be seen, 
  when those Statuses are caused by darkness. Most creatures with 
  Darkvision are sensitive to rapid changes in light. Sometimes your 
  attack is blocked by terrain, even when you can see your target. So 
  your Tremorsense does not mean you can make a ranged attack 
  through the wall even if you can see through it. Throwing a javelin 
  in a high arc over a big rock, though? Go for it, but you’ll have 
  Disadvantage. If you couldn’t see your target, you would not be 
  able to make that attack.
  Prepared actions and Delaying
  You can spend an Attack Action to prepare an Attack or Move Ac-
  tion. Say a specific trigger and say specifically what you are going 
  to do when that trigger occurs. When the trigger happens, you 
  take the action you described. If the trigger doesn’t happen before 
  your next turn, you’ve wasted your preparation.
  You may delay at the start of your turn. You take no actions and 
  make no Saving Throws. All beneficial Statuses that end on your 
  turn end now. Harmful Statuses do not end. After any creature’s 
  turn ends, you may choose to take your turn. Your Initiative 
  moves to this new point for future rounds. 
  Action Points
  You may spend an Action Point at any time to activate your Rally. 
  Additionally, your Role gives you a way to spend Action Points 
  in combat called an Action Trigger. You may not spend Action 
  Points to gain Advantage on attacks in combat, although you may 
  still spend them to get Advantage on any Skill Rolls you make.
  Order of Operations
  If multiple actions seem to resolve at the same time, the general 
  rule is that the user of the abilities may pick the order in which to 
  resolve them. If more than one character is involved, it should be 
  clear if there is an Interrupt or a Reaction at play. 
  Damaging Zones
  Damaging zones only deal damage once per round per target. 
  This includes wording such as “When a creature enters an adja-
  cent square it takes 1 damage”. It includes zones arising from ter-
  rain, powers, or anything. It is broad and any exceptions must be 
  specifically called out, such as “Creatures take 1 damage for each 
  adjacent square they enter”. It doesn’t injure you more to be waved 
  back and forth through a fire than it does to be held in the fire.
  Intervening Cover
  Intervening Cover is the set of rules you use to determine how an 
  object or piece of terrain might impair your shot against an enemy 
  if the enemy is not taking cover against it.
  • 
  If you can draw an unobstructed line from any point on your 
  square to the center of theirs, you have a clear shot.
  • 
  If you can’t do that, but you can draw a line from a point on 
  your square to a point on theirs, they have cover against you.
  • 
  If you can’t do either of the above, i.e. you cannot draw any 
  lines from your square to theirs, then you have no shot.
  Note: When drawing lines past cover, you may not “cut the cor-
  ner,” nor may your line run along an edge of the cover. Cover is 
  considered to block all its edges and corners.
  Low Cover does not count for Intervening Cover unless the GM 
  decides that the circumstances demand it.
  Concealment, Sight and Targeting
  When a target is concealed, all Ranged and Melee attacks against it 
  have Disadvantage. When a target cannot be seen, you cannot tar-
  get it with Ranged and Melee attacks. Targets that cannot be seen 
  always briefly reveal their position when they attack, even if they 
  remain Invisible. If you wish to attack such a creature, you must 
  ready an action (see the next heading) to attack it when it reveals 
  itself. Most times there are other ways to make Invisible creatures 
  visible, as well. Terrain or conditions that provide concealment 
  also exist at the GM’s discretion, and should be used sparingly—
  spending an entire fight with Disadvantage just because it’s night-
  time is frustrating. Save concealment for when it’s really dark. A 
  very dense fog might give concealment beyond 5 squares and take 
  away line of sight entirely after 10 or 15 squares.
  When an area is obscured, all creatures in the area are concealed. If 
  your only sight-lines to a creature pass through an obscured area, 
  that creature is concealed to you. This rule counts the square you 
  are in as part of your sight-lines. So in particular all creatures are 
  considered concealed to a character in an obscured square. When 
  an area is completely obscured, the above is all true except that you 
  may replace concealed with cannot be seen. 
  Hidden, on the other hand, simply means that your enemies do 
  not know where you are. They can’t target you and you have Ad-
  vantage on your attacks against them. If you take any action that 
  would reveal your position such as leaving cover or making an 
  attack, you are still considered Hidden until the action is fully re-
  solved. So you can Charge out of cover at an enemy and still have 
  Advantage on that attack, but if you move and then attack your 
  attack does not have Advantage. If you use a power that allows you 
  to make multiple attacks, you only have Advantage on the first. 
  To become Hidden you must be out of sight for a full round. You 
  must also be out of sight in a place where you could actually move 
  around while remaining out of sight. You can’t hide behind a tree 
  and expect the enemy to just forget where you are. Once you are 
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  Distracted – A Distracted creature may not use Miss Effects or 
  Role Actions or take advantage of Opportunities.
  Dominated – A Dominated creature may not take advantage of 
  Opportunities granted to it, nor use Miss Effects. When it starts its 
  turn, the creature dominating it gives it a very brief command. It 
  must attempt to follow those directions to the best of its abilities. 
  When a player character is Dominated, it is up to the player how 
  to go about achieving the GM’s command. They must make the at-
  tempt in good faith. Be a good sport. Movement while Dominated 
  does not grant Opportunities.
  Alternate (less fuzzy) version: A Dominated creature is Dazed. Its 
  one action is chosen and targeted by whoever is dominating it. 
  Only At-Will actions may be chosen.
  Elite – An Elite creature automatically succeeds on each Saving 
  Throw when it is not Bloodied. They take two consecutive turns 
  on their Initiative count when they are Bloodied. An Elite creature 
  usually counts for 2 other creatures when designing combats. See 
  page 141.
  Escape – Some Statuses are listed as “escape ends.” These can be 
  ended by attempting to escape, exactly as you would from being 
  Grabbed. That is, you must spend a Move Action to roll a Saving 
  Throw. If you succeed, the Status ends. You automatically escape 
  from any Grab or similar Status if the creature Grabbing you is 
  Incapacitated.
  Flanking – When you and an ally are both adjacent to the same 
  creature and on opposite sides or opposite diagonals of that crea-
  ture, then you are flanking it. You both have Advantage on melee 
  attacks against it.
  Flying – A Flying creature may not be the target of Melee attacks 
  except those used by other Flying creatures. A Flying creature may 
  not make melee attacks against non-Flying targets. Moving while 
  Flying does not grant Opportunities except to other Flying crea-
  tures. However, gaining the Flying Status does grant Opportuni-
  ties to any adjacent creatures as you take off. While Flying, you do 
  not gain Opportunities for non-Flying creatures’ movement. You 
  can choose to stop Flying at any time.
  Forced Movement – This includes throws, pushes, pulls, slides 
  and involuntary teleports. It does not grant Opportunities. When 
  using Forced Movement, you may elect move the target fewer 
  spaces than specified. If any Forced Movement would bring the 
  creature into damaging terrain or into a zone that deals damage 
  or applies a negative effect, it may elect to roll a Saving Throw to 
  roll to safety. If it succeeds, it falls Prone at the edge of the Zone. If 
  it fails, the Forced Movement continues but it falls Prone anyway.
  Glossary
  This is a list of terms that are used elsewhere. Whenever you see a 
  term that you don’t understand, look here. 
  Ally – An ally generally refers to your teammates, but not your-
  self. If you are Dominated, whoever is dominating you gets to de-
  termine who you consider an ally for the duration.
  Attack – An attack is any Attack Action or any power that would 
  normally cost an Attack Action, even if you are using it without 
  spending one. 
  When a power or ability tells you to “make an attack,” you may use 
  an Attack Action just as though you had spent one on your turn.
  Blinded – A Blinded creature cannot see clearly, but it has not 
  necessarily been rendered fully blind. Thus all of its attacks have 
  Disadvantage. All melee attacks against it are made with Advan-
  tage. A Blinded creature cannot take advantage of Opportunities 
  granted to it, nor use Miss Effects. 
  Bloodied – A Bloodied creature has fewer than half its Hit Points 
  remaining.
  Buffer Points – Buffer points are noted separately from Hit Points, 
  but act in the same way. When you take damage, remove any Buf-
  fer Points before removing Hit Points. Buffer points are not cu-
  mulative: if you have Buffer Points from multiple sources, instead 
  of adding them together, just take the highest value.
  Champion – A Champion automatically succeeds on each Sav-
  ing Throw. Champions have multiple turns per round and usual-
  ly count for 4 other creatures when designing combats. See page 
  141.
  Dazed – A Dazed creature does not get its full complement of 
  actions on its turn. It may only take one action: Attack, Move, or 
  Role. It may not take advantage of Opportunities granted to it, nor 
  use Miss Effects.
  Deafened – A Deafened creature cannot hear. It automatically 
  fails any rolls that require hearing and has Disadvantage on rolls 
  that use hearing but not exclusively.
  Difficult Terrain – Difficult Terrain takes 2 squares of movement 
  to enter. This applies to any form of movement, so if you are only 
  shifting 1 square, you may not shift into Difficult Terrain. Flying 
  creatures usually ignore Difficult Terrain, but it depends on the 
  nature of the terrain.
  Distance – The number of squares separating two characters, 
  counted by the shortest route, and ignoring terrain and obstacles. 
  For example, adjacent creatures are a distance of 1 apart.
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  Invisible – While Invisible, you cannot be seen. See page 94.
  Marked by X – If you make an attack that does not include X as 
  a target, you grant X an Opportunity (so long as you are with-
  in range of its longest-ranged attack). If you shift out of a square 
  within X’s reach (usually any adjacent square), you grant X an Op-
  portunity unless your shift moved you closer to X. If the creature 
  Marking you is incapacitated, the Mark ends.
  Ongoing Damage – When you have Ongoing X Damage, you 
  take X damage at the start of your turn. There is one exception: 
  if taking the damage would bring you down to 0 HP or less, you 
  may take one final action (of any sort) before taking the damage. 
  If that action removes the Status, you are saved and may continue 
  your turn. Multiple instances of Ongoing Damage are cumulative, 
  unless they are from the same source (the same power or trait).
  Panicked – When Panicked on your turn, roll a die. On a 1, it is 
  as though you were Dominated; on a 2, you must run away from 
  whatever Panicked you as directly as possible, while making a 
  Ranged Basic Attack against it with Disadvantage if it is within 
  range; on a 3 or 4 you must take cover from the source of your fear, 
  then make a Ranged Basic Attack against it if it is within range 
  (if you are already behind cover, you must still move at least one 
  square. If there is no cover within your speed, treat this as a 2); on 
  a 5-6 you may take your turn normally, but only use Basic Attacks. 
  After this roll and action have been resolved, you end your turn.
  Phasing – Phasing creatures can move through obstacles and ter-
  rain, but may not end their turn in an object.
  Pull – When you pull a creature, you move it the specified num-
  ber of squares. Each square must bring it closer to you (i.e. reduce 
  the distance between you). See Forced Movement.
  Prone – All melee attacks against you while you are Prone have 
  Advantage. You cannot take advantage of Opportunities nor Miss 
  Effects. You may not move nor shift normally. You must crawl or 
  stand up as a Move Action. When you crawl, you move as though 
  you were Slowed. Attacking while Prone grants Opportunities to 
  all adjacent creatures. While Prone, treat Low Cover as Full Cover.
  Push – When you push a creature, you move it the specified num-
  ber of squares. Each square must move it farther from you (i.e. 
  increase the distance between you). See Forced Movement.
  Reach N – When a creature has Reach N, it may make melee at-
  tacks against any creature within N squares. Leaving any square 
  within a creature’s reach without shifting grants it an Opportunity, 
  unless your movement brings you closer to it. You don’t give the 
  thug a chance when you approach, but you do when you run away.
  Reaction – A Reaction is an action that is triggered. It is resolved 
  after the triggering event.
  Frenzied – When Frenzied on your turn, roll a die. On a 1, it is 
  as though you were Dominated; on a 2, you must run towards 
  whatever Frenzied you as directly as possible, then make a Melee 
  Basic Attack against it with Disadvantage if it is within range; on a 
  3 or 4 you must Charge towards whatever Frenzied you if you are 
  in range, or move your speed towards it and make a Ranged Basic 
  Attack if you are not; on a 5-6 you may take your turn normally, 
  but only use Basic Attacks. After this roll and action have been 
  resolved, you end your turn. The roll counts as a “panic roll” and 
  this Status is an inversion of the more common Panicked Status
  Goon – Goons are more fragile than Standard Monsters. They 
  have an HP threshold, and if the first damage they take does more 
  than that value, they are Taken Out. Otherwise, they are consid-
  ered Bloodied and are Taken Out the next time they take damage 
  regardless of the amount. For the purposes of the Cleave Feat and 
  other abilities, a wounded Goon is considered to have 1 HP.
  Grabbed – A Grabbed creature is Immobilized and cannot take 
  advantage of Opportunities nor Miss Effects. To escape a Grab, 
  you must spend a Move Action to roll a Saving Throw and if you 
  succeed you escape. Most creatures cannot Grab more than two 
  other creatures at a time. You automatically escape from any Grab 
  if the creature Grabbing you is Incapacitated.
  While Grabbing an enemy, you may try to move, dragging it with 
  you. Spend a Move Action and make an Opposed Roll. If you have 
  multiple enemies Grabbed, you only make one Opposed Roll and 
  they use the Helping rules. If you win by 3 or more, move your 
  speed freely. If you win by 1 or 2, you may move as though Slowed, 
  or take 2 damage to move freely. If you tie, you move as though 
  Slowed and you and the Grabbed creature each take 2 damage. If 
  you lose by 1 or 2, you may move as though Slowed, or the enemy 
  may choose to take 2 damage to escape. If you lose by 3 or more, 
  the enemy escapes.
  Forced Movement that moves the Grabber out of reach from their 
  victim or that would move the Grabbed creature out of reach gives 
  the Grabbed creature a free escape attempt. If it succeeds, com-
  plete the Forced Movement, otherwise the Grabbed creature re-
  mains Grabbed and, if necessary, is dragged along by the Grabber.
  Guarded – When a creature is Guarded, attacks against the crea-
  ture that roll a 6 are treated as 5’s, and 4’s are treated as 3’s.
  Harried – A Harried creature has Disadvantage on all its Saving 
  Throws, rolls to escape, and panic rolls (see Panicked).
  Immobilized – An Immobilized creature cannot move except by 
  teleporting.
  Incapacitated – When you are Incapacitated, you fall Prone and 
  are Stunned. Marks, Grabs, and other Statuses you are actively 
  maintaining end.
  Interrupt – An Interrupt is an action that is triggered. It is re-
  solved before the triggering event.
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  Vulnerable X – A creature that has Vulnerable X damage totals all 
  the damage it receives at any one time and adds X before reducing 
  its Hit Points. So an attack that does damage on its damage line, 
  immediately as an effect, and because of a Class or Role feature 
  only has X added to the total once, not three times. By contrast, an 
  attack that does damage on its damage line and more damage later 
  as an effect does the extra damage on both occasions. Vulnerabil-
  ities from multiple sources are cumulative, but not those from the 
  same source. Usually creatures are only vulnerable to certain types 
  of attacks, such as a robot having Vulnerable 2 to electric attacks. 
  Weakened – When a Weakened creature attacks and does dam-
  age, it sums up all its damage resulting from its attack and halves 
  it, rounding down, before reducing its target’s Hit Points. 
  If you are Weakened and your victim is Vulnerable to or Resists 
  your damage, the Vulnerability or Resistance are added on after 
  halving the damage.
  Zone – A Zone is simply a region of the battlefield with an on-
  going effect. Zones apply their effect or damage to a given target 
  no more than once per round (i.e. once it has experienced the 
  effect, it cannot experience it again until the start of its next turn, 
  assuming it only has one turn per round). So moving in and out 
  and in again is no diferent than moving in once. If a creature is 
  forced into a Zone that deals damage or applies a negative effect, 
  it may elect to roll a Saving Throw to roll to safety. If it succeeds, it 
  falls Prone at the edge of the Zone. If it fails, the Forced Movement 
  continues but it falls Prone anyway.
  Recharge – When a spent Encounter Power is recharged, it no 
  longer counts as spent and can be used again.
  Regenerate X – A creature with this Status Regenerates X Hit 
  Points at the start of each of its turns. Regeneration generally does 
  not combine with things that add to or subtract from the effective-
  ness of healing or regaining HP.
  Resist X – A creature that resists X damage totals all the damage 
  it receives at any one time and subtracts X before reducing its Hit 
  Points. So an attack that does damage on its damage line, imme-
  diately as an effect, and because of a Class or Role feature only has 
  X subtracted from the total once, not three times. By contrast, an 
  attack that does damage on its damage line and more damage later 
  as an effect is resisted on both occasions. Resistances from mul-
  tiple sources are cumulative, but not those from the same source. 
  Restrained – A Restrained creature is Immobilized and has Dis-
  advantage on all its attacks. It may not take advantage of Oppor-
  tunities nor Miss Effects. 
  Saving Throw – Roll a die. On a 4-6 you succeed, on a 1-3 you fail. 
  Statuses that are denoted “save ends” mean that you get to roll a 
  Saving Throw at the end of your turn, but some powers or abilities 
  might grant you a Saving Throw earlier than that.
  Slide – When you slide a creature, you move it the specified num-
  ber of squares in any direction or combination of directions you 
  like. See Forced Movement.
  Slowed – A Slowed creature has its speed reduced to 2 and cannot 
  spend a Move Action to shift.
  Stooge – A Stooge has only 1 Hit Point and automatically fails all 
  Saving Throws.
  Stunned – A Stunned creature may not take actions except those 
  labeled “No Action” nor take advantage of Opportunities, nor use 
  Miss Effects. It cannot flank.
  Teleport – A Teleport counts as a Shift (if you do it) or a Slide (if 
  you do it to another creature) except that it ignores all interven-
  ing terrain and creatures. Teleporting never grants Opportunities. 
  Teleporting automatically escapes Grabs. Essentially, teleporting 
  allows you to ignore terrain and all the usual consequences of 
  leaving a square.
  Throw – Throw is identical to Push except that it ignores most ter-
  rain and creatures between the start and end of the Push. Depend-
  ing on the tone of your game, some monsters are likely immune to 
  being thrown because of their size. Give them a trait to represent 
  that or else your dragon will get suplexed.
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  Example: Johann is playing a Shapechanger reskinned 
  as a space commando in power armor. When he wants 
  to take flight in combat, he can activate his jetpack using  
  Hawk’s Transformation: 
   Hawk’s Transformation
  Encounter                   3
  Effect: Fly up into the sky. You cannot be seen nor targeted. 
  You gain the Flying Status. At the start of your next turn, you 
  may fly down to any square on the map. 
  This comes along with the text “While in this form, you may 
  gain the Flying Status as part of any Move Action.” The name 
  suggests that he ought to transform into a bird of prey, so Jo-
  hann never uses that name explicitly. Instead, he describes how 
  his commando smashes his foe with his fist and blasts off in a 
  cloud of exhaust.
  The Classes here define the mechanical way your character in-
  teracts in combat. They do not define who your character is or 
  even how your character achieves those effects. The Martial Artist 
  could be a martial artist using different styles, or it could be a me-
  dieval knight using different weapons to achieve different effects, 
  or it could be a Shapechanger changing from one form to another, 
  or it could be a gang of Smurfs whose attacks differ depending on 
  which Smurf takes the lead. You as a player are free to determine 
  what exactly your character is doing when you use the powers 
  provided by your Class.
  Reskinning and Tone
  Tone is important here. The gang of Smurfs idea may sound fun, 
  but it is a problem if the rest of your friends are hoping to play 
  with a serious tone. Any tone of game is acceptable, from silly to 
  pulp to serious to grindhouse gore as long as everyone involved 
  knows the tone that the group is going for and works towards that 
  tone. Don’t play a character that conflicts with the group’s desired 
  tone.
  If you want a gritty game with magic, make sure that the magical 
  effects are as gritty and limited as the hacking and slashing, al-
  though they ought to be limited in different ways. If the Magician 
  is effectively Green Lantern while the Martial Artist is effectively 
  Bruce Lee, you’ve got a tone mismatch: some players are playing 
  in a gritty and harsh world and some are playing superheroes. I’m 
  not here to tell you how to balance your game. I only ask that 
  you be transparent and ensure that everybody is on the same page 
  about balance and tone. 
  Reskinning and Setting
  Setting can also dictate across-the-board reskinning. You can play 
  this game in a modern or futuristic setting where melee attacks 
  represent medium-range guns, and range 20 represents sniper ri-
  fles at very long distances. You could use these rules to represent 
  naval combat. You can do just about anything with reskinning, so 
  setting concerns may require reskinnings before individual play-
  ers get to make their own. Here’s the caveat: the combat Classes 
  in this book may be made to work as ships for your naval combat 
  game, but they are not designed with that in mind. Reskinning 
  requires more and more rationalization and post-hoc justification 
  the further you stray from playing as individual fighters.
  Creating Your Character Part 2
  There are three more steps to creating a character if you want to 
  use the Tactical Combat rules. You can do these in more or less 
  any order, but I’ll list them in my favorite order.
  • 
  Choose your Class. Your Class defines the main way you in-
  teract in combat and most of your powers. 
  • 
  Choose your Role. Your Role determines what your job is in 
  combat: Do you protect your teammates? Heal and support 
  them? Do you spread your damage around or do you focus 
  on one target? Where your Class gives you your Attack Ac-
  tions, your Role gives you your Role Action powers. 
  • 
  Pick a Feat. Feats allow you to customize or personalize your 
  character. Pick any one Feat from the list on page 137. 
  Note: Unless contradicted or modified by your other choices, ev-
  ery character starts with 10 HP and a speed of 6.
  Reskinning
  Reskinning is the idea that you can use the mechanics as written 
  but change your narration of how those mechanics are enacted to 
  suit your character. Your Class and Role are the skeleton of your 
  character but you put on whatever skin you like. This is limited 
  to the combat portion of the character. Origins and Backgrounds 
  are simple enough to create and customize that you are expected 
  to change them to fit your character concept. Instead of trying to 
  create a Class that fits the way you want your character to fight 
  exactly, just pick the best fit from the ones provided below and 
  reskin them to match your character. It’s not a difficult process at 
  all—you just describe what it is your character is doing in combat. 
  See also the rules for improvised attacks on page 90.
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  Frankly, you can use just about any leveling system you like here. 
  If you want to give out old-fashioned experience points, that’s 
  fine. Leveling is not something that ties into the mechanical re-
  ward cycle of the game, and so you are free to use any leveling 
  system that encourages the kind of behavior you want to see in 
  your game. That means don’t give out experience exclusively or 
  mostly for killing monsters unless you want the game to be about 
  killing monsters. One of my favorite experience systems is Keys 
  from The Shadow of Yesterday—check it out and see what you 
  think. You could also check out Lady Blackbird, which is free, to 
  see Keys in action. The most important thing to remember is that 
  experience systems are not necessary, which is why the game has 
  none as a default. Introduce one only if you want to promote cer-
  tain behaviors.
  New Options and Retraining
  You aren’t stuck with the choices you make in character building. 
  If you don’t like a power or Feat you chose and want to choose 
  another one, go ahead and do it. The GM might tell you to wait 
  until this particular quest or session is over, or to wait until a con-
  venient moment to tie the change in with the story if such a mo-
  ment is coming up soon, but usually they will say to just go ahead 
  and do it now. 
  Replacing Characters (or Adding New Ones)
  There are many reasons why you might change your character. 
  Your previous one might have died or retired or been disabled or 
  settled down or went on vacation or disappeared into a screaming 
  vortex to the overworld. Or maybe you just got tired of her. At 
  any rate, simply create a new character and figure out with the 
  group how to introduce your new character into the game. All the 
  usual warnings apply: make a character that has an interest in the 
  situation and a reason to work with the others at least some of the 
  time; don’t make a character that is too close in mechanical terms 
  to another player’s character—variety is important and everybody 
  should have a niche or role in the group. 
  As far as your level goes, the default is to create your new charac-
  ter at the same level as the others (but see page 169 for another 
  option). Having the same level brings you up to speed with the 
  others in terms of everything but Skills and equipment. If you’ve 
  been playing for a while and everybody has lots of Skills—more 
  than ten each—then you may take two Backgrounds for Skills and 
  resources. You may still only pick one of the two Tricks available 
  (unless you get more by leveling up). You collaborate with the GM 
  to work out what gear, if any, you may start with.
  Of course, all this applies to introducing new players to an ongo-
  ing game too.
  Leveling Options and Variants
  Slower Advancement: Gain Class and Role-specific benefits at 
  odd levels, and spread out the benefits that all characters get (e.g. 
  Feats, Tricks, Kit advances) over the even levels. This extends the 
  game from ten levels to twenty or more without any “dead levels.”
  Reskinning and Balance
  So Joe is playing a widowed crazy old lady discovering that her 
  lifelong obsession with fortunetelling is actually rooted in psychic 
  abilities, while Chuma is playing a being of fire slinging fire sum-
  moned from the elemental plane of fire. Okay, so there’s a bit of a 
  mismatch here in how effective you would expect them to be in 
  combat. It’s up to you if that sort of disparity is okay in your game. 
  It may also indicate a mismatch in the tone of the game—maybe 
  Chuma needs to tone down the whole fire thing. But they could 
  both be cool characters and if they fit your intended tone, there’s 
  no problem at all. If you start them both at level 1, they are both 
  equally effective in combat. Maybe Chuma’s character ought to 
  be a Striker while Joe’s could be a Leader. Then the fire-thrower 
  would out-damage the psychic grandma but the psychic would be 
  better at helping the party keep up the will to fight.
  So you’ve decided to go ahead with those two characters and a few 
  sessions later they both get lassoed by their nemesis, The Mid-
  night Cowboy. Chuma argues (rightly) that since his body is made 
  of fire surely the rope would burn away within seconds, and the 
  fiction comes first. This seems a bit unfair to Joe, but it’s the right 
  call. As the game progresses, Chuma keeps using his flaming body 
  to insist on one thing after another, all completely reasonable and 
  legal. You start to realize that since he’s damaging people who grab 
  him, burning up the environment and destroying terrain, immune 
  to a number of effects, and gaining all sorts of advantages from his 
  reskinning, that maybe it should cost him something. The stuff he 
  does is awesome and cool, but some of the other players feel like 
  he’s cheating. A little foresight could have prevented this problem, 
  but it’s not too late to fix. The answer is that his flaming body pro-
  vides him with a range of immunities and special abilities that are 
  very useful in combat, and he should pay a Feat to access those 
  immunities and abilities. Depending on what level the players are, 
  there are a few ways to charge a player a Feat—you can simply 
  swap away one of their existing Feats, you can make them spend 
  their next Feat on it, or you can just give everyone else a bonus 
  Feat (since the one player has already managed to unintentional-
  ly sneak in a bonus Feat). Whichever method you choose, there 
  should be no further bitterness because Chuma gets to play his 
  ridiculous fire-dude and do all that cool stuff, while everyone else 
  gets to spend their Feat on something else to make their character 
  cool in whatever way they like.
  Leveling up
  As characters level up, their progress is determined by their Class 
  and Role. You can expect to get improvements to your Role at 
  even levels and to your Class at odd levels. 
  At levels 3, 5, 7 and 9, gain an extra Feat.
  When to level up
  By default, all characters level up at the same time when it is nar-
  ratively appropriate. This could be after finishing a great quest or 
  simply to represent having a long period of downtime in which 
  to improve their abilities. In particular, level 1 should be fast. As 
  soon as everyone is comfortable with the rules, you can move up 
  to level 2.
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  Now the Goop is Weakened and will do half damage on any at-
  tacks next turn. Using a ranged attack would grant an Opportu-
  nity to adjacent enemies like the Goop, but Sap Strength is a Role 
  Power, and not an attack. Role powers do not grant Opportunities. 
  She still has 3 squares of movement. If she moved, she would grant 
  the Goop an Opportunity and she would take 2 damage, but she’s 
  happy where she is. The Necromancer is done with her turn.
  A few minutes later, after Hippocampia has taken her turn, it’s the 
  Goop’s turn. The GM has been thinking about what to do during 
  Hippocampia’s turn. The Goop seems to have two reasonable 
  choices:
  The Goop could “trade down” its Attack Action for a Move Action 
  and use it to shift so that it is only next to the Necromancer and 
  not Hippocampia (shifts do not grant Opportunities), then spend 
  its Move Action to run away, granting the Necromancer an Op-
  portunity and taking 2 damage.
  The Goop could spend its Attack Action trying to attack the Nec-
  romancer or Hippocampia (doing half damage if he hits because 
  he is weakened), and then either stay put and take 3 damage from 
  Terrifying Visage or spend his Move Action to run away, granting 
  Opportunities to both players and taking a total of 4 damage.
  This was the Necromancer’s plan all along: instead of dealing 2 
  damage immediately, she put the enemy in a spot where it has 
  to choose between taking 3 or 4 damage or taking 2 damage but 
  giving up its Attack Action.
  Combat Example of Play
  The Necromancer uses her Move Action to gain her speed (6) in 
  squares of movement. She then moves 3 squares to end next to 
  the Goop. 
  Now that she is adjacent, she can attack. She spends her Attack 
  Action and uses this power: 
   Terrifying Visage
  At-Will                      2
  Effect: Target must use its Move Action on its turn to move its 
  speed away from you or take 3 damage.
  She rolls a 3, which means she could deal the enemy 2 damage or 
  apply the Effect. She chooses the Effect: the Goop is terrified of 
  her and must spend its move action to flee from her on its next 
  turn.
  Because she is a Controller, she has the following feature:
  “When you roll a 3 to 6 on an attack, you may choose to either 
  slow the target until the end of its next turn, or to slide the target 
  3 squares.”
  She elects to slide the Goop 2 squares, putting him directly be-
  tween her and her ally, Hippocampia. On Hippocampia’s turn, she 
  will have Advantage if she attacks the Goop because she and the 
  Necromancer are flanking. 
  She uses her Role Action to use the following power on the Goop:
   Sap Strength
  At-Will                   10
  Target is Weakened until the end of its next turn.
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  The Necromancer 
  What Goes Down Must Rise Up
  Necromancers really get going when the bodies start to hit the 
  floor. Necromancers command fallen enemies, revitalize fallen 
  friends, and strike fear into their opponents. Reskinning is en-
  couraged as always, and especially so for this Class. If you’re play-
  ing a game where you’re supposed to be the good guys and you 
  don’t want to kill everything in your path and defile their bod-
  ies with dark magic, you shold reskin (see page 98). You might 
  want to play this Class as someone who can get into the enemy’s 
  head through one means or another and bring them over to your 
  side after they are Taken Out. Between that and the fear-based 
  powers, this Class makes for a fantastic telepath.
  Mark of Death: The first time you hit each non-Stooge enemy 
  with an attack and deal damage, reduce the damage you deal by 
  one and give it the Mark of Death. When a creature with your 
  Mark of Death is Taken Out, you gain the benefit of your Gift. At 
  level 1, pick one of the following three Gifts:
  Lesser Gift of Undeath: When a creature with your Mark of 
  Death is Taken Out, it stands up on its next Initiative count under 
  your control as a Specter (see the statistics below). The Specter has 
  1 Hit Point and is Taken Out at the end of its first turn.
  Classes
  Your Class is your primary way of interacting with the combat 
  system. It gives you all your Attack Actions outside the basic ones, 
  and usually has a gimmick or two that makes it unique. No two 
  Classes should play anything like one another. 
  Remember what you read about reskinning on page 98. The 
  most obvious Class is not always the right Class for your concept. 
  If you want to play a shapeshifter who changes forms throughout 
  combat, you might naturally go to the Shapechanger Class. But 
  the Martial Artist Class with its many stances might actually be 
  closer to how you imagine your character fighting. If you want 
  to play a wizard whose spells mostly help their teammates, you 
  might find that the Warlord is a better fit than the Magician. You 
  pick the Class you want based on how you want the character to 
  play. How you describe your powers and your characters’ actions 
  is completely up to you.
  Ready to go? Without further ado, here they are. Starting with The 
  Necromancer.
  If you get confused about how these powers work, see How to 
  Read a Power on page 88 and the Glossary on page 95.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
   Raise Ally
  Encounter     Free Action
  Targets one ally within 5 squares that has been Taken Out or is at 
  or below 0 HP. The ally may re-enter the fight with 1 HP.
   Seed of Fear
  Encounter          5     3
  Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever the target ends 
  its turn within 5 squares of you, it is Harried and Distracted until 
  the end of its next turn.
  At Level 3, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Greater Mark of Death
  Encounter   or 5     3
  Effect: When the target is Taken Out, it stands up on its next 
  Initiative count under your control. It has 4 Hit Points and is 
  Dominated until the end of the encounter.
  Special: If you have the Gift of Undeath and the target had your 
  Mark of Death, then when this Dominated version of it is Taken 
  Out it stands up once more as undead, as per Gift of Undeath.
   Lich Pact
  Encounter          Reaction
  Trigger: You are Taken Out or you make a Comeback Roll. 
  You regain 4 Hit Points and stand up. You are Dazed until the 
  end of the encounter. 
   Health Swap
  Encounter      Free Action
  Transfer one negative Status from you to an enemy within 5 
  squares. If you have no negative Statuses, the target counts as 
  Bloodied instead until end of the encounter.
  At Level 5, replace your Gift with its upgraded version below. Also 
  increase the damage on your At-Wills and Basic Attacks to 3, and 
  increase the Ongoing Damage from Deadly Poison to 2 if you 
  chose it. Replace Terrifying Visage improves.
  Gift of Undeath: When a creature with your Mark of Death is 
  Taken Out, it stands up on its next Initiative count under your 
  control as a Crude Zombie (see the statistics below). The Crude 
  Zombie has 1 Hit Point and lasts until it is Taken Out.
  Gift of Terror: When a creature with your Mark of Death is Taken 
  Out, each enemy within 3 squares of it and each other creature 
  with your Mark of Death takes 2 damage and must make a Saving 
  Throw. If they fail, they are Dazed until the end of their next turn.
  Gift of Vampirism: In addition to the benefits of the Lesser Gift 
  of Vampirism, when a creature with your Mark of Death is Taken 
  Out, you may make a Saving Throw at the start of your next turn. 
  If you have no save ends Statuses, make the Saving Throw anyway, 
  and if you succeed, gain a Vitality Token. If this feature gives you 
  multiple Saving Throws on the same turn, roll each of them. If you 
  succeed on at least one, you gain a Vitality Token. But you cannot 
  gain more than one token from Saving Throws each turn.
  Note: So if you over-Regenerate and you succeed at a Saving Throw 
  without a Status for it to end, you might gain 2 vitality tokens. That 
  is the limit: you will never generate more than 2 in a turn.
  Lesser Gift of Terror: When a creature with your Mark of Death 
  is Taken Out, each enemy within 3 squares of it and each other 
  creature with your Mark of Death takes 1 damage and must make 
  a Saving Throw. If they fail, they are Distracted until the end of 
  their next turn.
  Lesser Gift of Vampirism: When a creature with your Mark of 
  Death is Taken Out, get the Regenerate 1 Status. That is, you Re-
  generate 1 HP at the start of each of your turns until the end of 
  the encounter. (Note: Multiple instances of Regeneration are cu-
  mulative.)
  If this feature causes you to Regenerate more than enough HP 
  to return you to your maximum, gain one Vitality Token (only 
  one per round, no matter how many points of Regeneration were 
  wasted). These can be spent to give you strength and speed.
  • 
  Strength: You may spend any number of Vitality Tokens 
  when you hit with an attack. The attack deals extra damage 
  equal to the number of tokens spent. 
  • 
  Speed: You may spend any number of Vitality Tokens when 
  you move or shift. The length of the move is increased by the 
  number of tokens spent if it is a shift, or by twice that number 
  otherwise.
  At Level 1, choose two At-Will Powers, gain the Command Un-
  dead Encounter Power, and choose one more Encounter Power.
   Deadly Poison
  At-Will          or 5     2
  Effect: 1 Ongoing Damage and the target cannot regain Hit 
  Points (save ends).
   Phantasms
  At-Will              5         2
  Effect: The next ally to attack the target has Advantage.
   Terrifying Visage
  At-Will                      2
  Effect: Target must use its Move Action on its turn to move its 
  speed away from you or take 3 damage. (At level 5, it must move 
  away before taking any other actions.
   Command Undead
  Encounter            10     
  Special: May only target undead creatures. If you reskin, put 
  some similar restriction on this. A telepath may only be able to 
  Command another telepath’s psychic thralls, for instance.
  The target makes a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Dominated until 
  the end of the encounter.
   Life Drain
  Encounter                 2
  Effect: 2 damage and regain 3 Hit Points.
   Corpse Explosion
  Encounter
  Targets one enemy within 10 squares that has been Taken Out. 
  All creatures adjacent to the target or in its square take 4 damage.
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  Undead Minions
  The following are the stats for your minions if you picked the Gift 
  of Undeath.
  Specter
   1 See Life Shape  
   6
  Phasing: The specter can move through physical objects, includ-
  ing other creatures.
  Life Shape: The specter has the same size and shape in death that 
  it did in life. It must move as it did in life. 
   Fright
  At-Will                      2
  Effect: Target is pushed 2 squares.
  Note: If you reskin, you might replace the Specter’s phasing with 
  some other special trait. Give it a special form of movement such 
  as burrowing, swimming, flying, or climbing, or make it a mob.
  Crude Zombie
   1 See Life Shape  
   6
  Life Shape: The zombie has the same size and shape in death that 
  it did in life. It must move as it did in life.
   Grab
  At-Will                      2
  Effect: Target is Grabbed.
   Devour
   At-Will
  Targets one Grabbed creature. Target takes 3 damage. When the 
  target is Taken Out, it becomes a Crude Zombie too.
  Advanced Zombie
   4 See Life Shape  
   6
  Life Shape: The zombie has the same size and shape in death that 
  it did in life. It must move as it did in life.
   Grab
  At-Will                      3
  Effect: Target is Restrained (escape ends).
   Devour
   At-Will
  Targets one Restrained creature. Target takes 3 damage and the 
  zombie gains 3 Buffer Points. When the target is Taken Out, it 
  becomes an Advanced Zombie too.
  At Level 7, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Crude Domination
  Encounter          5     4
  Effect: Slide the target up to its speed then knock it Prone. Each 
  enemy you slide it adjacent to must make a Saving Throw. If it 
  fails, it is knocked Prone. 
   Army of Specters
  Encounter          10     
  Targets only enemies that have been Taken Out. Each target 
  stands up on its next Initiative count under your control as a 
  Specter. Each Specter has 1 Hit Point and is Taken Out at the end 
  of its turn.
   Play Dice with Death
  Encounter
  Pick any number of enemies within 5 squares. Each makes a Sav-
  ing Throw. If it fails, it is immediately Taken Out. If it succeeds, 
  you take 4 damage.
   Terror
  Encounter   or 5     4
  Effect: Until the end of the encounter, each time the target starts 
  its turn it must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Panicked on 
  that turn.
  At Level 9, replace your Gift with an upgraded version. Command 
  Undead now targets two enemies within range.
  Greater Gift of Undeath: When a creature with your Mark of 
  Death is Taken Out, it stands up on its next Initiative count under 
  your control as an Advanced Zombie (see the statistics below). 
  The Advanced Zombie has 4 Hit Points and lasts until it is Taken 
  Out.
  Greater Gift of Terror: When a creature with your Mark of Death 
  is Taken Out, each enemy within 3 squares of it and each other 
  creature with your Mark of Death takes 3 damage and must make 
  a Saving Throw. If they fail, they are Panicked until the end of their 
  next turn.
  Greater Gift of Vampirism: When a creature with your Mark of 
  Death is Taken Out, Regenerate 1 HP and make one Saving Throw 
  at the start of each of your turns until the end of the encounter. 
  Receiving this gift multiple times means that multiple Saving 
  Throws may be made each turn. When you have no save ends Sta-
  tuses, these may be used to generate Vitality Tokens, as per the 
  level 5 feature.
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  Whenever you start your turn, the target of your Duel takes one 
  Focus. This represents that it needs to focus its attention on you 
  and the need increases over time. When you start your turn, for 
  each point of Focus the enemy has, pick one effect from the list be-
  low. It has all the Statuses you chose until the end of its next turn.
  • 
  Harried. 
  • 
  Cannot benefit from positive effects from its allies’ powers. 
  • 
  Cannot take advantage of Opportunities. 
  • 
  Cannot benefit from positive effects from its own powers. 
  • 
  Cannot use Interrupts or Reactions.
  The target may ignore your “Cannots” but it grants you an Oppor-
  tunity if it does.
  You can spend Focus in various ways depending on your chosen 
  Class Feature. When you spend a point of Focus, remove one of 
  the accumulated Statuses. 
  If you use Change Target to switch your Duel to another enemy, 
  the original target loses all points of Focus and associated Status-
  es. It does not transfer to the new target. If you are Incapacitated 
  (for instance, when you drop to 0 HP or below), you lose all your 
  Focus.
  At level 1, choose one of the following features.
  Find an opening: When you attack the target of your Duel, you 
  may spend any number of points of its Focus. If you hit, increase 
  your damage by one per point spent. 
  Throw off their aim: When the target of your Duel hits your ally 
  with an attack, you may spend any number of points of its Focus 
  to reduce the damage by one per point spent. 
  Force their position: When the target of your Duel ends its turn, 
  you may spend any number of points of its Focus to slide it one 
  square per point spent. 
  The Duelist
  Mano a Mano
  Meet the Duelist. The main idea behind playing a Duelist is that 
  you get to pick a target and pick on it, harry it, and destroy it. Then 
  you get to repeat. This is great if you want to focus fire with your 
  allies on one target, but also if you want to isolate your quarry 
  away from the rest of the fight and protect your allies as a Defend-
  er. This Class synergizes very well with the Controller, Striker, and 
  Defender Roles, but there are powers that work well for Leaders 
  and Blasters too.
  Gain the Duel and Change Target powers.
   Duel
  Encounter   Free Action
  Target one creature within 10 squares. Until the end of the en-
  counter, when you attack the target, any 2s on your dice are treat-
  ed as though they were 4s (6s at level 5).
  Special: This power recharges when its target is Taken Out.
   Change Target
  At-Will
  Make a Basic Attack against a creature. Then change the target of 
  Duel to that creature.
  Clarification: If you make this attack multiple times at once (for 
  instance, as a Blaster), you may choose which target to change 
  your Duel to after resolving the attacks. You may only ever have 
  one target of Duel.
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  105
  At Level 7, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   You Can’t Ignore Me
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Target cannot make attacks that do not include you as a 
  target (save ends).
   Let’s Take This Outside
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: You and the target are teleported to an empty 10x10 
  room. Neither of you can affect or be affected by any creatures 
  not in the room. You and the target remain there until either you 
  are Taken Out or you are the only creature in the room that is not 
  Taken Out. Then, all creatures in the room are teleported back to 
  their previous locations.
  Commentary: You probably shouldn’t take this power if you are 
  a Leader. I mean, that’s common sense, right? Your job is to buff 
  and help your friends and you want to disappear and leave them 
  to their own devices? They need you. Similarly, if you’re a Blast-
  er you should be wary of taking this—what does a Blaster want 
  with a 1-on-1? And if you drag along multiple enemies, are you 
  sure you can take them all?
   Where You Go, I Follow
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Until the end of the encounter, when the target leaves a 
  square adjacent to you, after it finishes its move, you may shift up 
  to your speed +4 to a square adjacent the target.
  At Level 9, deal 1 extra damage each time you hit the target of 
  your Duel with an attack. If an enemy ignores your “Cannots” and 
  you take the Opportunity, deal 2 extra damage instead of 1. Dou-
  ble the effect of points of Focus spent. For example, you can spend 
  2 points to slide the enemy 4 squares, to reduce its damage by 4, 
  or to deal 4 damage.
  At Level 1, choose two of the following At-Wills and one Encoun-
  ter Power.
   Get Over Here
  At-Will              5         2
  Effect: Target is pulled to an adjacent square.
   No Escape
  At-Will                       2
  Effect: Target is Slowed (save ends).
   Demand Attention
  At-Will          or 5     2
  Effect: Target takes 1 point of Focus if it’s the target of your Duel.
   Exploit Weakness
  At-Will                       2
  Effect: Target is Vulnerable 1 to all damage with you as the 
  source until the end of the encounter. Applying this effect more 
  than once is not cumulative.
   Guessing Game
  At-Will                       2
  Effect: Set up a die where the GM can’t see. If you set it to 1-3, the 
  target is Marked until the end of its next turn. If you set it to 4-6, 
  until the end of the target’s next turn you are guarded against its 
  attacks and if it attacks you it grants you an Opportunity. Reveal 
  the die when you need to prove what it was.
  Note: You can use a coin or playing cards instead of a die here.
   Ain’t No One Else Around
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: 3 damage if neither you nor the target have any other 
  creatures adjacent.
   Perfect Defense
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Target has Disadvantage to attack you. It makes a Saving 
  Throw against this Status each time it hits you with an attack.
  At Level 3, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Take the Opening
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Damage equal to the number of points of Focus the target 
  has.
   Stalker
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: While the target is the target of your Duel, it takes one 
  point of Focus whenever you end your turn adjacent to it.
  At Level 5, increase your Basic Attack and At-Will Powers’ dam-
  age to 3. If an enemy ignores your “Cannots” and you take the 
  Opportunity, deal 1 extra damage. Duel improves.
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  At Level 1, you have a range of 10 on your Ranged Basic Attack. 
  Start with the following four At-Wills. Four At-Will Powers seems 
  like a lot, but Aim and Flare are only useful in niche situations. 
  The other two are your go-to powers. Pick one Encounter Power. 
   Aim
  At-Will
  Instead of attacking, you pick any target you can see and aim at it. 
  Aiming grants adjacent enemies an Opportunity as though you 
  were making a ranged attack. If your next ranged attack targets 
  the same creature you aimed at, any range restriction is removed 
  and you have Advantage for the attack.
   Flare
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: The projectile attaches to the target and illuminates the 
  area like a torch. The target can’t hide. The projectile can be re-
  moved by the target as an Attack Action but otherwise lasts until 
  the end of the encounter.
   Pin Down
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: If the target moves more than 2 squares on its next turn 
  (if it moves at all at level 5), it takes 3 damage (5 damage at level 
  9). If the target had a prepared action, it loses it. If anyone was 
  Marked by the target, the Mark ends.
   Area Denial
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: Create a 3x3 (5x5 at level 5) zone centered on the target. 
  Until the end of your next turn, any enemy that takes any action 
  in the zone that doesn’t result in them leaving it, or that ends 
  their turn in the zone, takes 3 damage (5 damage at level 9). 
   Trick Arrow
  Encounter          10     3
  Effect: Choose one effect from the following list: 
  Explosive Arrow: An explosive attaches itself to the target. At the 
  start of the target’s next turn, it explodes, dealing 2 damage to the 
  target and all adjacent creatures.
  Alchemist’s Fire: Ongoing 2 Damage and any creature that starts 
  its turn adjacent or moves adjacent gains this same Status (save 
  ends).
  Smokescreen: Create a 3x3 zone centered on the target—the 
  zone is totally obscured: creatures in the zone can’t see out, crea-
  tures outside can’t see in.
  Entangling Bolt: Target is Immobilized until it spends an Attack 
  Action to end this Status.
  Tether Shot: Target is Immobilized, escape ends. While it is Im-
  mobilized, you can spend a Move Action to pull the target up to 
  5 squares.
  Special: When you roll a 2 on your Trick Arrow power, you must 
  treat it as though you rolled a 5, but you have run out of that 
  kind of ammo. Cross the effect off the list. (If you are making 
  this attack in an area, you do not run out of this ammunition 
  until all targets are resolved.) Finding the materials and crafting 
  these Trick Arrows is difficult, time-consuming and expensive. 
  You’ll have to find the downtime to make the Skill Rolls required 
  if you want that particular ability back. Use all the usual rules in 
  the Non-Combat section. This is a powerful ability, so the GM 
  should not let you off easy.
  The Archer 
  Deadly at Any Distance
  The Archer can be a basic ranged attacker and has great powers to 
  fit that archtype. It also has the Trick Arrow power taking inspira-
  tion from superheroes if you want something less vanilla. You can 
  of course reskin archery to any projectile you like, from javelins 
  to psychic blasts. When you reskin the Trick Arrow power, you 
  must reskin every part of it, but if you don’t like the trick shots 
  concept there are other powers you can take instead. In addition 
  to their trick shots, Archers specialize in soft control—instead of 
  preventing an enemy from doing something, an Archer simply 
  shoots any enemy that doesn’t behave as intended. At level 1, pick 
  a Class Feature.
  Sniper: Your range on all attacks is doubled. If you haven’t moved 
  on your turn before you attack, add 1 to the attack roll if it is a hit.
  Blitzer: When the target of your ranged attack is within 3 squares, 
  add 1 to the attack roll if it is a hit. You may spend your Attack 
  Action to move your speed and make a Ranged Basic Attack at 
  any point along your movement.
  Sentinel: On your turn, as a Free Action, you may designate one 
  character (or object, or patch of ground). Deal 2 damage to the 
  first enemy that willingly enters a square adjacent to the designat-
  ed character without shifting before your next turn. You cannot 
  deal this damage if you are prevented from taking Opportunities.
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  107
  At Level 7, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   You Can’t Hide
  Encounter
  Use the Aim At-Will and then make an attack against the same 
  target, ignoring cover.
   Super Trick Arrow
  Encounter          10     4
  Effect: Choose one effect from the following list: 
  Flash Arrow: Target is Blinded (save ends).
  Gas Arrow: All creatures within 2 squares of the target (includ-
  ing the target) take Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
  Glue Arrow: All creatures within 2 squares of the target (includ-
  ing the target) are Immobilized, escape ends.
  Boxing Glove Arrow: Target is Stunned until the end of its next 
  turn.
  Slow Poison Arrow: At the end of your second turn from now, 
  the target is Taken Out if it is a Stooge, Goon, or a Standard 
  Monster. An Elite takes 3 rounds, a Champion or Titan takes 5.
  Special: When you roll a 2 on your Super Trick Arrow power, 
  you must treat it as though you rolled a 5, but you have run out of 
  that kind of ammo. Cross the effect off the list. Finding the mate-
  rials and crafting these Trick Arrows is difficult, time-consuming 
  and expensive. You’ll have to find the downtime to make the Skill 
  Rolls required if you want that particular ability back. Use all the 
  usual rules in the Non-Combat section. This is a powerful ability, 
  so the GM should not let you off easy.
  At Level 9, Pin Down and Area Denial improve. Gain the ability 
  below corresponding to your Class Feature in addition to your 
  existing Class Features.
  Sharpshooting Sniper: If you haven’t moved on your turn before 
  you attack, you may spend your Move Action as part of that at-
  tack, but not move. If you do, then any hit on that attack is treated 
  as though you’d rolled a 6.
  Lightning Blitzer: You may spend a Move Action to make a 
  Ranged Basic Attack against a target within 3 squares. This attack 
  does not get your Role Boost, nor does it benefit from your usual 
  Blitzer or Bloody Blitzer bonuses. 
  Snapshot Sentinel: You may spend a Move Action to prepare a 
  Ranged Basic Attack to use against the first enemy that moves 
  within your range. This attack does not get your Role Boost. 
  Hint: To speed things up, pre-roll this attack as soon as you are 
  done your turn and then you can inform the GM of the result 
  when the enemy moves without making everyone wait for the roll.
  Variant Trick Arrow (optional)
  You don’t need to spend time out of combat to refill your ammo 
  when you run out. Instead, when you use your Rally you may 
  choose to refill an ammo type instead of regaining an Encounter 
  Power.
   Bullseye
  Encounter
  Use the Aim At-Will and then make an attack against the same 
  target.
  At Level 3, choose to have an additional use of Trick Arrow or 
  choose one power from the list below:
   Leg Shot
  Encounter          10     3
  Effect: The target is knocked Prone and takes Ongoing 2 Dam-
  age (save ends).
   Surprising Shot
  Encounter          10     3
  Effect: Target grants an Opportunity to all adjacent creatures.
   Split Their Arrow
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack.
  Make a Ranged Basic Attack against the enemy. If you hit, then 
  in addition to doing damage, the enemy’s attack misses.
  At Level 5, increase your Ranged Basic Attack and At-Will Power 
  damage to 3. Pin Down and Area Denial improve.
  Gain the ability below corresponding to your Class Feature in ad-
  dition to your existing Class Feature.
  Steady Sniper: If you haven’t moved on your turn before you at-
  tack, deal 1 extra damage on a hit. 
  Bloody Blitzer: When the target of your ranged attack is within 3 
  squares, deal 1 extra damage on a hit. 
  Sharp Sentinel: When you designate one character on your turn, 
  deal 3 damage to each enemy that willingly enters a square adja-
  cent to the designated character without shifting before your next 
  turn. You cannot deal this damage if you are prevented from tak-
  ing Opportunities.
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  At Level 1, you may pick three stances. Only the basic styles are 
  available at this stage, but you may use your Focused Attack power 
  to access the Greater Styles briefly. Further improvements become 
  accessible as you increase in levels. You may start any encounter 
  in any stance you have access to. Once per turn, you may spend 
  a Free Action to change stances. You may use only one stance at 
  a time. You also gain the Focused Attack power, usable once per 
  encounter.
  Martial Artist Basic Stances
  Stone Wall Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target has Disadvantage to attack you with melee 
  attacks on its next turn.
  While you are in this stance, each turn you may pick a cardinal 
  or intercardinal direction (e.g. North or Southwest). Until the 
  start of your next turn you Resist 1 against ranged attacks in that 
  half-plane. i.e. if you pick East, you resist damage against any 
  ranged attacks coming from anywhere to the right of you. Even 
  if the enemy is 1 square East and 10 squares North, it is still to 
  your East and you Resist 1.
  Weeping Willow Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Slide target 2 squares.
  While you are in this stance, you have Reach 2.
  Tempest Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Deal 2 damage to an enemy adjacent to the target.
  While you are in this stance, enemies that end their turn adjacent 
  to you take 1 damage.
  Python Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Grab the target.
  While you are in this stance, if an attack misses you while you 
  have an enemy Grabbed, the Grabbed enemy takes 2 damage.
  Scorpion Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target takes Ongoing 1 Damage (save ends).
  While you are in this stance, add 1 damage to your Opportuni-
  ties.
  Flickering Flame Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Shift 2 squares.
  While you are in this stance, you may Shift 2 squares as a Move 
  Action.
  Mandala Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target is Distracted (save ends).
  While you are in this stance, enemies adjacent to you cannot take 
  advantage of Opportunities granted by your allies.
  The Martial Artist 
  Master of the Arts of Warfare  
  and Violence
  When I say Martial Arts, you probably think Kung Fu, and while 
  this Class makes an excellent Kung Fu fighter, it also applies equal-
  ly well to the European knight, a master of many arms. In that 
  sense, this here is the Fighter Class, or as close as we come to it. 
  The Martial Artist uses stances to modify its powers and relies on 
  Basic Attacks for its At-Wills. Why not simply give it powers with 
  these effects? Two reasons. First, the idea of taking on a stance res-
  onates well with the flavor of Kung Fu, and also with the variety of 
  ways you might be done in by a knight, whether they skewer you 
  with a lance or smash you with an axe or present the nigh-impen-
  etrable defense of knightly armor and shield. Second, it opens up 
  synergies with Leaders, with charging, and with any other situa-
  tions that call for Basic Attacks. Martial Artists always have some-
  thing nasty up their sleeves, and they work very well together with 
  the next Class: the Warlord.
  Each stance has two benefits: an effect for your melee attacks and 
  a passive effect. The effect for melee attacks also applies to non-
  ranged Burst attacks if you are a Blaster. The passive effect ends if 
  you become Incapacitated.
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  Martial Artist Supreme Stances
  Supreme Stone Wall Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target’s melee attacks on its next turn automati-
  cally miss.
  While you are in this stance, you Resist 2 against ranged attacks.
  Supreme Weeping Willow Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Slide target 4 squares and knock it Prone.
  While you are in this stance, you have Reach 4.
  Supreme Tempest Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Deal 3 damage to each enemy adjacent to the tar-
  get and to each enemy adjacent to you aside from the target.
  While you are in this stance, enemies that begin their turn adja-
  cent to you or move adjacent take 2 damage.
  Supreme Python Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Grab the target and it is Restrained until it escapes.
  While you are in this stance, if an attack misses you while you 
  have an enemy Grabbed, the attack hits the Grabbed enemy as 
  though the attacker had rolled a 6.
  Supreme Scorpion Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target takes Ongoing 2 Damage until the end of 
  the encounter.
  While you are in this stance, add Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends) 
  to your Opportunities.
  Supreme Flickering Flame Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Teleport 5 squares and if you end in cover or con-
  cealment from all enemies, you are Hidden.
  While you are in this stance, you may Teleport your speed as a 
  Move Action.
  Supreme Mandala Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target is Dazed (save ends).
  While you are in this stance, enemies who can see you cannot 
  take advantage of Opportunities granted by your allies.
   Focused Attack
  Encounter   Free Action
  On your next attack, treat your stances as though they were one 
  tier higher for the effect and add one to the damage line of the 
  attack. Until the start of your next turn, treat all your stances as 
  though they were one tier higher for the passive effect. (e.g. treat 
  Python Style as Greater Python Style)
  Commentary: If you have multiple uses of Focused Attack, you 
  may use two of them simultaneously in order to further increase 
  your damage and to treat X Style as Supreme X Style.
  Martial Artist Greater Stances
  Greater Stone Wall Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target’s melee attacks against you on its next turn 
  automatically miss.
  While you are in this stance, each turn you may pick a cardinal 
  or intercardinal direction (e.g. North or Southwest). Until the 
  start of your next turn you Resist 2 against ranged attacks in that 
  half-plane. 
  Greater Weeping Willow Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Slide target 4 squares.
  While you are in this stance, you have Reach 3.
  Greater Tempest Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Deal 2 damage to each enemy adjacent to the tar-
  get.
  While you are in this stance, enemies that begin their turn adja-
  cent to you or move adjacent take 1 damage.
  Greater Python Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Grab the target. While Grabbed, it has Disadvan-
  tage to attack anyone other than you.
  While you are in this stance, if an attack misses you while you 
  have an enemy Grabbed, the attack hits the Grabbed enemy as 
  though the attacker had rolled a 4.
  Greater Scorpion Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target takes Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
  While you are in this stance, add Ongoing 1 Damage (save ends) 
  to your Opportunities.
  Greater Flickering Flame Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Teleport 3 squares.
  While you are in this stance, you may Teleport 3 squares as a 
  Move Action.
  Greater Mandala Style
  Stance
  While you are in this stance, add the following effect to all your 
  melee attacks: Target is Distracted and Slowed (save ends).
  While you are in this stance, enemies within three squares of you 
  cannot take advantage of Opportunities granted by your allies.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  At Level 3, choose between gaining an extra use of Focused Attack 
  each encounter, or pick an Encounter Power from the list below:
   Decapitation
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is immedi-
  ately Taken Out.
  Special: Only one target of this power may be subject to the 
  effect. Additional targets gained via the Blaster Role or by any 
  other means instead suffer an additional 3 damage as the effect 
  instead.
  The False Death
  Encounter            No Action
  When you are Taken Out or at or below 0 HP, on your next Ini-
  tiative count you may stand up and re-enter the fight with 1 HP.
  At Level 5, upgrade each of your stances to Greater Styles. Addi-
  tionally, your Basic Attack damage is increased to 3.
  At Level 7, choose between gaining an extra use of Focused At-
  tack each encounter, or pick an Encounter Power from the list be-
  low (or pick any of the level 3 powers):
   Martial Frenzy
  Encounter           Free Action
  You drop all stances and lose the ability to take on stances or to 
  use Focused Attack, but in exchange you have two Attack Ac-
  tions per round (save ends all).
  Special: The Saving Throw in this power cannot be manipulated 
  or modified in any way.
  At Level 9, when you take a stance, you may also take a second-
  ary stance you know at basic Style level. For instance, you may 
  be in Greater Python Style and basic Scorpion Style simultaneous-
  ly. When you spend your Free Action to change stance you may 
  change both.
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  Pick one of the following Class Features:
  Rousing: Spend a Support Token when an ally starts their 
  turn to give them 2 Buffer Points. You may not spend more 
  than one in this way on the same turn. Gain a Support Token 
  whenever a teammate within 5 squares of you takes a Strike or 
  fails a Saving Throw.
  Enabling: Spend a Support Token when an ally starts their 
  turn to give them an extra three squares of movement. These 
  squares are available regardless of how or if the ally uses their 
  Move Action (e.g. they could move three squares and attack 
  while Dazed, because the movement doesn’t come from a 
  Move Action). You may not spend more than one in this way 
  on the same turn. Gain a Support Token whenever you give 
  an ally Advantage on an attack by flanking the same target.
  Incisive: Spend a Support Token when an ally starts their 
  turn to give them extra damage on their next attack equal to 
  the attack’s damage line if they hit. You may not spend more 
  than one in this way on the same turn. Gain a Support Token 
  whenever you use the Assess power. You may spend a Move 
  Action to use the Assess power.
  At Level 1, choose two of the following At-Wills and one En-
  counter Power.
   Hit This Guy
  At-Will
  One willing ally within 10 squares makes a Melee or Ranged Ba-
  sic Attack. (At level 5, they deal 1 extra damage if they hit. 2 extra 
  damage at level 9.)
   Alley-Oop
  At-Will                      S
  Effect: Slide the target 1 square and a willing ally makes a Melee 
  Basic Attack against it. They do not get their Role Boosts on this 
  attack. (At level 5, they deal 1 extra damage if they hit. 2 extra 
  damage at level 9.)
   Morale-Boosting Punching Bag
  At-Will      or 5   S
  Effect: The next ally to hit the target regains 2 Hit Points. (At 
  level 5, they may choose to make a Saving Throw instead of re-
  gaining Hit Points. At level 9, they get both.)
   Enumerate its Weaknesses
  At-Will      or 5     2
  Effect: The next ally to attack the target with Advantage rolls 3 
  dice and takes the best. (At level 9, until the start of your next 
  turn, any ally that attacks the target with Advantage rolls 3 dice.)
   Knock Him Off Balance
  At-Will      or 5     2
  Effect: The next ally to attack the target has Advantage. (At level 
  9, they deal 1 extra damage if they hit.)
   Come Help Me With This Guy
  At-Will       
  One ally within 5 squares may shift 1 square. Then you make a 
  Melee Basic Attack against the target. (At level 5, you deal 1 extra 
  damage if you hit. 2 extra damage at level 9.)
  The Warlord
  The Brains and the Brawn
  If you want to make a warlord, you’re already fairly well covered 
  without the existence of this Class. Just put the Leader Role with a 
  Martial Artist or a Duelist or an Archer and you’re set. What you 
  can’t do is a pure support character. So here is the Class where 
  I provide support for people who want to play the pure support 
  role, taking inspiration from the lazy warlord and the pacifist cler-
  ic. To support this, the Class has to lean very strongly towards 
  Leader-like powers, but that doesn’t mean that you need to pick 
  the Leader Role to go with it. A Warlord/Leader is a very strong 
  support character, but any other Role combined with this Class 
  can almost give the party a two-for-one, getting the benefits of the 
  chosen Role along with some of the abilities of a Leader. The Class 
  is not purely pacifist either—there are pacifist options at each level 
  if you are interested in that, but you can also take regular attacks 
  too.
  Pure Support Powers: When you hit with a power that deals S, 
  you take a Support Token but deal no damage. When you roll a 
  6 on such a power, take an additional Support Token. When you 
  miss with any power, take a Support Token. Support Tokens can 
  be spent a number of ways depending on the Class Feature you 
  choose. At the end of each combat, extra Support Tokens may be 
  spent to reduce Strikes. You may spend up to one Support Token 
  per ally to reduce their personal Strikes by one. This does not re-
  duce the number of total Strikes for the team. So it helps avoid or 
  reduce Conditions, but not Concessions.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  At Level 7, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Bigger Punching Bag
  Encounter   or 5     S
  Effect: The next time each ally attacks the target, they have Ad-
  vantage and regain 2 Hit Points.
   Lead the Charge
  Encounter
  You and two allies make a Charge attack.
   Always in Position
  Encounter             4
  Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever the target starts 
  its turn each ally may shift 1 square.
   Ultimatum
  Encounter
  Targets one creature within 5 squares. The target must make a 
  Saving Throw. If it fails, it is immediately Taken Out. If it suc-
  ceeds, you may make an attack against it.
  At Level 9, start each combat with three Support Tokens. At the 
  end of combat, you may spend up to two Support Tokens to re-
  duce Team Strikes by one per token spent. Your At-Wills improve.
   You Hit Like My Grandmother
  Encounter          3
  Effect: Target is Weakened (save ends).
   The Perfect Chance
  Encounter
  One ally within 10 squares makes an attack with Advantage.
   Defensive Tactics
  Encounter
  One ally within 10 squares has Resist 2 damage until the end of 
  your next turn.
   Don’t Give Up
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: One ally within 5 squares drops to 0 HP or below.
  The ally instead stays standing with 1 Hit Point.
  At Level 3, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Never Surrender
  Encounter
  Targets one ally within 5 squares that has been Taken Out or is at 
  or below 0 HP. The ally may re-enter the fight with 5 Hit Points.
   Chance to Recover
  Encounter       Free Action
  You and each ally may make a Saving Throw.
   Leave Him Exposed
  Encounter   or 5     3
  Effect: If the next attack against the target hits, it deals an extra 
  5 damage.
  At Level 5, start each combat with one Support Token. Your At-
  Wills improve (except for Enumerate its Weaknesses and Knock 
  Him Off Balance). Gain the Battlecry below corresponding to your 
  Class Feature.
  Rousing Battlecry: Spend a Support Token when an ally gets a 1 
  on any roll to let them reroll it. 
  Enabling Battlecry: Spend two Support Tokens when an ally 
  makes an attack to give them Advantage.
  Incisive Battlecry: Spend a Support Token when an ally makes 
  any roll other than an attack to give them Advantage. (E.g. Saving 
  Throws, comeback rolls, Assess, Skill Rolls.)
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  counter Spells from one to three and roll a die to find which one 
  you have available for this encounter (1 or 2 means Power One, 3 
  or 4 means Power Two, 5 or 6 means Power Three). When you roll 
  a 6 on an attack, you get a Chaos Surge: you may choose to apply 
  an effect line from a randomly chosen Encounter Spell you don’t 
  know instead of doing extra damage. (To randomly choose a spell 
  you don’t know, select and number six such spells, then roll a die. 
  To save time, you should have this list ready before combat.)
  Blood Adept: At level one, choose two At-Will Spells and one En-
  counter Spell. You may not use any Encounter Spells until you 
  have taken damage. After choosing an attack, but before the roll, 
  you may self-inflict 2 damage to gain Potency. If you hit with your 
  attack, one target that was hit takes 2 extra damage from Potency. 
  If your attack power does not require a roll, deal just 1 extra dam-
  age instead.
  Clarification: Self-inflicted damage cannot be resisted or reduced.
  At Level 1, Increase the range of your Ranged Basic Attack to 10. 
  Also pick one Encounter Spell to be your “Reserve Spell”—this is 
  the power you gain whenever you use Rally and doesn’t fall under 
  the restrictions of each magical source.
  Magician At-Will Spells
   The Instant Repulsion
  At-Will                      2
  Effect: The target and each creature adjacent to you are pushed 
  3 squares.
   Liscato’s Bountiful Lubrication
  At-Will       10       2
  Effect: If the target attempts to move on its next turn, it must 
  make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it falls Prone.
   Margul’s Toxic Missile
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: Target takes 1 Ongoing Damage and loses one point of 
  Resistance if it has any. (save ends).
  (At level 5, on a failed save, the target is Vulnerable 1 until the 
  end of the encounter.)
   The Excellent Prismatic Spray
  At-Will           10   
  Deal 2 damage (3 damage at level 5) to the target with no attack 
  roll. 
  Special: For any Role, you may gain the benefit of your Boosts as 
  though you had rolled a 5 on an attack. e.g. Blasters may damage 
  extra targets and Leaders recharge Tactics.
  Magician Encounter Spells
   Word of Instant Friendship
  Encounter        10     3
  Effect: Pick one creature. The target cannot attack you or the des-
  ignated creature on its next turn.
   Momentary Encystment
  Encounter        10     3
  Effect: Target is removed from existence until the end of your 
  next turn. For the duration it does not take a turn and it may not 
  be targeted by any powers. It does not suffer nor benefit from any 
  effects.
  The Magician
  The Splendidly Attired Thaumaturge  
  of Perilous Mien
  (The Weirdo in the Dress)
  So here’s the Magician. I love Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth and I 
  love Wizards. I don’t love Wizards who can do everything, though. 
  This Wizard has a variety of effects at its disposal but it is not a 
  Summoner, nor a Necromancer, nor a Diviner, nor an Illusionist. 
  Wizards often have just the right trick up their sleeve, but never 
  use the same trick twice in a row. To represent this, the Star Mage 
  has access to powerful spells, but may only use any given one ev-
  ery third combat. Other varieties of mage have other limitations.
  At level 1, pick your magical source: the regular motions of the 
  stars, the unpredictable flows of chaos, or the fertile power of your 
  own blood.
  Star Adept: At level one, choose two At-Will Spells and three En-
  counter Spells. Each Encounter Spell, once used, may not be used 
  again in the two following combats. Said another way, each is us-
  able once every third combat. A Star Magician may use at most 2 
  Encounter Spells in any given combat. 
  Chaos Adept: At level one, choose two At-Will Spells and three 
  Encounter Spells. At the start of each combat, number your En-
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  At Level 5, add one damage to the damage line of each At-Will at-
  tack and your Ranged Basic Attack. The Excellent Prismatic Spray 
  and Margul’s Toxic Missile improve.
  Follow the directions for your magical source:
  Star Mage: Pick one Major Spell. Major Spells count as Encounter 
  Spells for all restrictions (but they cannot be used as your Reserve 
  Power).
  Chaos Mage: Pick one Major Spell. At the start of each combat, 
  when you number your Encounter Spells from 1 to 6 to see which 
  you may use, you may include your Major Spells in the list. When 
  you get a Chaos Surge, you do extra damage and apply the effect 
  line from one Encounter Spell you don’t know.
  Blood Mage: Your Potency damage is now 4 instead of 2 (2 in-
  stead of 1 if the attack doesn’t require a roll). Pick one Major Spell 
  to act as your Blood Curse. When you are Taken Out, you may 
  use your Blood Curse: this does not require an action and ignores 
  any negative Statuses you may have that would hinder the attack. 
  Magician Major Spells
   The Otherworldly Encasement
  Encounter    10   5
  Effect: Each time it starts its turn until the end of the encoun-
  ter, the target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails it is knocked 
  Prone and Restrained (escape ends). If it fails such a Saving 
  Throw while already Restrained by this effect, it takes 4 damage.
   Thanatin’s Malediction
  Encounter        10     5
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is immedi-
  ately Taken Out. If it succeeds it is Dazed (save ends).
   Fay Zu’s Lesser Subjugation
  Encounter    10   5
  Effect: Target is Dominated (save ends).
   The Dome of Many Colors
  Encounter    10   5
  Effect: A single sphere encloses you and all creatures adjacent to 
  you. All creatures inside are protected from attacks originating 
  outside the sphere. The shield may absorb 7 HP of damage before 
  it fails. Creatures may exit the sphere but may not re-enter it.
   Incantation of Vulnerability
  Encounter    10   5
  Effect: Until the end of the encounter, all attacks against the tar-
  get have Advantage.
   Renalai’s Slow Moment
  Encounter        10     5
  Effect: Immediately take a new turn. All other creatures are con-
  sidered Stunned during this turn.
  Special: If you use this spell on multiple targets, applying the 
  effect multiple times does not give extra turns.
   Furz’s Undeniable Command
  Encounter     10   3
  Effect: Immediately spend an Attack Action for the target. Only 
  At-Will Powers may be used.
   Soporific Decree
  Encounter        10     3
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is asleep 
  (Incapacitated) until it takes damage or until an ally spends an 
  Attack Action to wake it while adjacent.
   Parvel’s Total Constriction
  Encounter    10     3
  Effect: Target is Restrained (escape ends).
   Radiant Motes of the Overworld
  Encounter 10 3
  Effect: Target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
   Hura’s Hasty Ripening
  Encounter        10     3
  Effect: All of the target’s attacks have their damage reduced by 2 
  (save ends).
   Hozrul’s Efficacious Caltrop
  Encounter          3
  Effect: Teleport two squares, making note of the square you used 
  this power in. When any creature enters that square, it and all 
  creatures adjacent to the square take 4 damage.
   The Cant of Inexplicable Lust
  Encounter   10     3
  Effect: Pick a creature. If possible, the target must attempt to 
  move adjacent to the creature on its next turn.
   Practical Dome of Preservation
  Encounter    Reaction
  Use this power when a creature hits with an attack against you. 
  The creature instead misses.
   Mudge’s Localized Inferno
  Encounter
  Create a 7x7 zone centered within 10 squares. Each creature in 
  the zone takes 3 damage.
   Horwell’s Offensive Amalgam
  Encounter      10   
  Effect 1: 3 damage.
  Effect 2: Target is Immobilized (save ends).
  Effect 3: Target takes Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
  Effect 4: Target is Panicked on its next turn.
  Special: On a 3, the target is subject to one of the above four 
  lines. On a 4, the target is subject to two of the lines. On a 5, the 
  target is subject to three of the lines. On a 6, as a 5, plus 3 damage.
  At Level 3, follow the directions for your magical source:
  Star Warlock: Pick three more Encounter Spells. All the restric-
  tions from level 1 still apply, but having more available lets you use 
  two in each encounter instead of having to ration them.
  Chaos Warlock: Pick three more Encounter Spells. At the start of 
  each combat, number your Encounter Spells from 1 to 6 and roll 
  two dice to decide which two you have for this combat. If you roll 
  doubles, you get the power you rolled and a free choice. 
  Blood Warlock: Pick an additional Encounter Spell.
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  At Level 9, follow the directions for your magical source:
  Star Archmage: Pick one more Major Spell. Pick another Major 
  Spell to replace your Reserve Spell.
  Chaos Archmage: Pick one more Major Spell. When you get a 
  Chaos Surge, you do extra damage and apply the effect line from 
  one Major Spell you don’t know. (At this point there remain three 
  you don’t know. So 1 or 2 means Power One, 3 or 4 means Power 
  Two, 5 or 6 means Power Three.)
  Blood Archmage: Your Potency damage is 6 (3 if the attack 
  doesn’t require a roll).
  At Level 7, follow the directions for your magical source:
  Star Master-Mage: Pick one Major Spell and one Encounter Spell. 
  You may now use up to three Encounter Spells per combat.
  Chaos Master-Mage: Pick one more Major Spell. At the start of 
  each combat, after numbering your spells, roll three dice. Any re-
  peated numbers represent free choices.
  Blood Master-Mage: Pick one Major Spell. You may not use a 
  Major Spell until the sum of your self-inflicted damage and the 
  round of combat total 5.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  From the Glossary:
  Zone – A Zone is simply a region of the battlefield with an on-
  going effect. Zones apply their effect or damage to a given target 
  no more than once per round (i.e. once it has experienced the 
  effect, it cannot experience it again until the start of its next turn, 
  assuming it only has one turn per round). So moving in and out 
  and in again is no diferent than moving in once. If a creature is 
  forced into a Zone that deals damage or applies a negative effect, 
  it may elect to roll a Saving Throw to roll to safety. If it succeeds, it 
  falls Prone at the edge of the Zone. If it fails, the Forced Movement 
  continues but it falls Prone anyway.
  Misfire! When you roll a 1 on any attack, do not take a Strike. In-
  stead, take 2 damage and the zone your bomb creates is centered 
  on you. Misfires are always square-shaped.
  At level 1, pick one of the following three types of Bombardier:
  Lasting Blasting: If you so choose, your zones last one extra 
  round. You must make this choice when you fire.
  Slow Burn: Gain the following At-Will Power:
   Delayed Fuse
  At-Will              10         2
  Special: Choose a type of Ammo before you roll this attack. If 
  you choose an Encounter Ammo, increase the damage line to 3. 
  If you choose a Friendly Ammo, do not roll an attack—simply 
  apply its effect.
  Effect: Select and mark two squares within 10. They are essen-
  tially mines that can be detonated at your discretion, but they 
  take a moment to arm. After the start of your next turn, you may 
  elect at any time to use up one of your marked squares to create 
  a zone including it. This requires no action, happens as an Inter-
  rupt, and the zone lasts until the start of your following turn. Its 
  effects depend on the type of Ammo you chose. Decide on the 
  shape and precise placement of the zone when you detonate it.
  Bomberman: Gain the following At-Will Power:
   Bombing Run
  At-Will              10         2
  Special: Choose a type of Ammo before you roll this attack. If 
  you choose an encounter Ammo, increase the damage line to 3. 
  If you choose a Friendly Ammo, do not roll an attack—simply 
  apply its effect.
  Effect: Move your speed and drop a bomb within your reach at 
  any two points along your movement. At the end of your turn, 
  create two zones, each including one of those squares. The zones 
  last until the start of your following turn and have effects based 
  on the type of Ammo you chose.
   
  Clarification: How do Blasters’ Multitarget Boosts interact with 
  these powers? Well, turning the attack into an Burst attack allows 
  you to damage more enemies and have a greater chance of getting 
  the Effect line, not to use the Effect multiple times. Even if you 
  leave it as a Ranged attack and roll a 5 or 6, you may not choose 
  to apply the Effect line twice. Instead, Blasters always get larger 
  zones from their Ammo: they may combine any two shapes. For 
  instance, two cones could combine to make an hourglass, or a 
  square and a ring could make a larger square.
  The Bombardier
  A Danger to Herself and Others
  Bombardiers like to blow up the whole battlefield. They don’t get 
  effects that are as powerful as some other Classes, but they get to 
  spread it around a lot more. Bombardiers excel in situations where 
  they and their friends are outnumbered. Watch out, though—the 
  Bombardier’s attacks don’t differentiate friend from foe. Bombs 
  are risky business and a Bombardier’s allies soon learn to keep 
  their distance.
   Shaped Blasts: You can have blasts of different shapes. When you 
  create your character, pick two of the following: 
  • 
  Squares: a 3x3 square.
  • 
  Rings: A ring including all tiles exactly 1 away from the cen-
  ter,  or all tiles exactly 2 away from the center.
  • 
  Crosses: A cross or an X extending 2 squares in four direc-
  tions from the central square.
  • 
  Cones: Essentially one fourth of a 5x5 square, divided along 
  two diagonals (and including those dividing lines). In other 
  words, a pyramid of 1, 3, then 5 squares.
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  At Level 3, choose one of the following Encounter Ammos, or the 
  Getaway Bomb Encounter Power.
  Healing Bomb
  Encounter      Friendly Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it gain 2 Buf-
  fer Points.
  Icky Sticky Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it must make 
  a Saving Throw. If they fail, they are Immobilized (save ends). If 
  they succeed, they are Slowed (save ends).
  Weakening Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it are Vul-
  nerable 1 (save ends).
  Concussive Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it must make 
  a Saving Throw. If they fail, they are Dazed (save ends).
   Getaway Bomb
  Encounter           Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy enters a square adjacent to you. 
  Create a 5x5 zone centered on your original square. Shift to any 
  square adjacent to that area, then deal 2 damage to all creatures 
  in the area.
  At Level 5, increase the damage on your At-Wills and Ranged Ba-
  sic Attack to 3. Increase the size of your zones as follows: 
  • 
  Squares: a 5x5 square.
  • 
  Rings: A ring including all tiles exactly 3 away from the  
  central square.
  • 
  Crosses: A cross or an X extending 5 squares in 4 directions 
  from the central square.
  • 
  Cones: Essentially one fourth of a 9x9 square, divided along 
  two diagonals (and including those dividing lines). 
  When you don’t misfire, you may optionally shrink it to a smaller 
  zone like you had at Level 1.
   At Level 1, you get the Grenade At-Will Power in addition to your 
  Class Features above. Then, choose two At-Will ammunitions and 
  one Encounter Ammo from the options that follow.
   Grenade
  At-Will              10         2
  Special: Choose a type of Ammo before you roll this attack. If 
  you choose an encounter Ammo, increase the damage line to 3. 
  If you choose a Friendly Ammo, do not roll an attack—simply 
  apply its effect.
  Effect: Create a zone including your target based on the Ammo 
  you chose. The zone will last until the start of your following turn 
  and have effects based on the type of Ammo you chose. 
  Kaboom
  At-Will              Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it take 1 
  damage. 
  Sonic Bomb
  At-Will              Ammo
  All creatures in the zone are pushed 2 squares (pushed from the 
  bomb, not from you). Entering the zone costs 2 extra squares of 
  movement.
  Toxic Bomb
  At-Will              Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it must make 
  a Saving Throw. If they fail, they take Ongoing 2 Damage (save 
  ends).
  Slime Bomb
  At-Will              Ammo
  Leaving any square in the zone costs 3 squares of movement.
  Hot Bomb
  At-Will              Ammo
  Creatures must leave the zone as it burns. If they take any action 
  in the zone that doesn’t result in them leaving it, or if they end 
  their turn in the zone, they take 3 damage. 
  Energizing Bomb
  Encounter      Friendly Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it gain an 
  extra Move Action. 
  Smoke Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  The zone is totally obscured: creatures outside the zone can’t see 
  in, creatures inside can’t see anything. 
  Sticky Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it are Slowed 
  (save ends).
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  At Level 7, choose one of the following Encounter Ammos. When 
  you use one of these, increase the damage line by 2 instead of 1.
  Invigorating Bomb
  Encounter      Friendly Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it may make 
  a Basic Attack as a Free Action when they do so.
  Flattening Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it are 
  knocked Prone.
  Flash Bomb
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it have Dis-
  advantage on their attacks (save ends).
  Big Kaboom
  Encounter           Ammo
  Creatures starting their turn in the zone or entering it take 3 
  damage. 
  At Level 9, gain the ability below corresponding to your chosen 
  Class Feature:
  Longer Lasting Blasting: When you make an attack, you decide 
  how many rounds the zone will last.
  Spreading Slow Burn: When you use Delayed Fuse, you may 
  throw 3 bombs instead of 2.
  Super Bomberman: When you use Bombing Run, you may drop 
  3 bombs instead of 2.
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  One-Form Shifter
  Pick one Form only. When you Rally, you may choose to regain 
  your spent Transformation Power. When you use it for the second 
  time, instead of transforming again, you may add one of the fol-
  lowing traits to your transformed Form for the rest of the combat:
  • 
  Plus one size (e.g. 1x1 becomes 2x2).
  • 
  Plus 1 reach.
  • 
  Plus 4 speed.
  • 
  All your attacks become “  or  5” instead of 
  You may also sacrifice a level 3 or level 7 Encounter Power to gain 
  another use of your Transformation Power if you want to enhance 
  your Form without using Rally.
  Level 1 At-Wills
   Blurred Form
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Shift 2 squares.
   Primal Compulsion
  At-Will            10        2
  Effect: Slide the target 2 squares.
  For either variant, at Level 5, increase the damage line on all your 
  At-Wills and your Melee Basic Attack to 3.
  Form of the Tortoise
  At Level 1, while in this Form, gain the following Transformation 
  Power and two At-Wills. While in this Form you Resist 1 damage.
   Tortoise’s Transformation
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Target cannot target you with an attack on its next turn.
   Total Defense
  At-Will
  You have cover from all attacks until the start of your next turn.
   Shield
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Until the start of your next turn, you are Guarded.
  At Level 3, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Perfect Fortress
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: You Resist all damage until the start of your next turn.
  At Level 5, while in this Form, when an enemy deals damage to 
  you with a melee attack, it takes damage equal to the amount you 
  resist.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Shield For All
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Gain Resist 2 damage until the start of your next turn. 
  Allies also Resist 2 damage while adjacent to you until the start 
  of your next turn.
  At Level 9, while in this Form, when an enemy hits or misses you 
  with a melee attack, it takes damage equal to the amount you re-
  sist (or would have resisted, had they hit and dealt their damage), 
  plus 1.
  The Shapechanger
  Steer Today, Prawn Tomorrow
  The Shapechanger crushes the small foes, flies to the distant foes 
  and pins down the mobile foes. To be a shapeshifting combatant 
  who constantly switches Forms throughout a single fight, you’ll 
  want to look at reskinning the Martial Artist. This Class is about 
  taking on a Form that suits the fight and sticking with it. It’s almost 
  like having different Classes from one encounter to the next, so if 
  you’re the sort of player who likes variety this is a good fit for you. 
  At Level 1, gain the Blurred Form and Primal Compulsion At-Will 
  Powers. These are usable in your normal Form. All your other 
  powers come from additional Forms. Each combat you may use 
  one Transformation Power. Once you have used a Transformation 
  Power and taken a Form, you may spend a Move Action to change 
  back and forth to or from this Form only. Pick a kind of Shifter:
  Multi-Form Shifter
  Pick three Forms you know. When you use your Rally, you may 
  choose to regain a spent Encounter Power, or you may choose a 
  different Form you know and gain its Transformation Power in-
  stead.
  Regardless of whether you take on multiple Forms in the same 
  combat, you only get one level 3 Encounter Power and one level 
  7 in each combat. Once you have transformed into two or more 
  Forms, you may spend a Move Action to change between any of 
  the Forms you have taken on, for the rest of the combat.
  You may also sacrifice a level 3 or level 7 Encounter Power to 
  gain a use of another Transformation Power if you want to switch 
  Forms without Rallying.
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  Form of the Hawk
  At Level 1, gain the following Transformation Power and two At-
  Wills. While in this Form, you may gain the Flying Status as part 
  of any Move Action. 
   Hawk’s Transformation
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Fly up into the sky. You cannot be seen nor targeted. You 
  gain the Flying Status. At the start of your next turn, you may fly 
  down to any square on the map. 
   Fly
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Gain the Flying Status without granting an Opportunity 
  to adjacent creatures.
   Diving Feint
  At-Will                        2
  Special: You must have the Flying Status to use this power. When 
  you use this power, you lose that Status.
  Effect: The next attack against the target has Advantage.
  At Level 3, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Dust Bath
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
  At Level 5, while in this Form, whenever you gain the Flying 
  Status pick one creature. While you have the Flying Status, that 
  creature has Disadvantage to hit you with ranged attacks unless it 
  spends its Move Action to aim at you.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Live Bomb
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Grab the target and pick them up. Fly up to your speed, 
  then drop them. Gain the Flying Status. Dropping the enemy 
  deals 3 damage in typical circumstances (e.g. it falls onto neither 
  a spike pit nor a trampoline), and 3 damage to whomever the 
  enemy falls on.
  At Level 9, while in this Form, whenever you gain the Flying Sta-
  tus pick one creature. While you have the Flying Status, that crea-
  ture cannot hit you with ranged attacks unless it spends its Move 
  Action to aim at you. All other creatures have Disadvantage to hit 
  you with ranged attacks unless they spend their Move Action to 
  aim at you.
  Form of the Bull
  At Level 1, gain the following Transformation Power and two At-
  Wills. All of these powers except Nimble Charge may be used in 
  place of a Melee Basic Attack when Charging. While in this Form, 
  gain Resist 1 to damage taken from Opportunities granted by 
  movement as part of a Charge.
   Bull’s Transformation
  Encounter                 3
  Special: You must Charge at least 2 squares and make this attack 
  instead of a Melee Basic Attack.
  Effect: Target is knocked Prone and is Distracted until the end 
  of its next turn.
   Bull Rush
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Push the target a number of squares equal to the distance 
  you Charged to make this attack.
   Nimble Charge
  At-Will
  Shift 1 square and Charge in either order. Do not replace the 
  Melee Basic Attack with any other power.
  At Level 3, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Shove and Follow
  Encounter              
  Push the target 3 squares and knock it Prone, then Charge it.
  At Level 5, while in this Form, you may Charge through enemy 
  squares. Any enemy you charge through falls Prone unless it for-
  goes its Opportunity against you.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Crash Test
  Encounter                 4
  Special: Grab a creature within reach, then Charge another crea-
  ture, dragging that creature with you, and then make this attack 
  against the creature you charged instead of a Melee Basic Attack.
  Effect: 4 damage to the creature you have Grabbed.
  At Level 9, while in this Form, any enemy that does not forgo its 
  Opportunity against you while you are Charging takes 3 damage. 
  This is in addition to the level 5 benefit.
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  At Level 3, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Spit Poison
  Encounter           5     3
  Effect: Target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
  At Level 5, while in this Form, when you deal Opportunity dam-
  age, the recipient also takes Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends). This 
  replaces the equivalent level 1 benefit. Venom improves.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Inescapable Venom
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Incapac-
  itated and takes Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends). If it succeeds, it 
  takes Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
  At Level 9, while in this Form, when an enemy willingly enters a 
  square adjacent to you without shifting, it takes Ongoing 2 Dam-
  age (save ends).
  Form of the Kraken
  At Level 1, gain the following Transformation Power and two At-
  Wills. While in this Form, you may have any number of targets 
  Grabbed. When you have an enemy Grabbed, you are Guarded.
  Note: Your Encounter Powers have Statuses that worsen if the tar-
  get does not escape. If the target is suffering from a Status that 
  denies it any chance of escape (e.g. Stunned, Incapacitated, or 
  Dominated), it is given one Saving Throw on its turn to avoid the 
  worsening Status, although it is still stuck with the original Status.
   Kraken’s Transformation
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Target is Grabbed. If it does not escape on its next turn, it 
  is also Restrained until it escapes the Grab.
   Grab
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Target is Grabbed.
   Crush
  At-Will
  Deal 2 damage to each creature you have Grabbed.
  At Level 3, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Choke Out
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Target is Grabbed and Weakened while it remains 
  Grabbed. If it does not escape on its next turn, it is also Incapac-
  itated (save ends).
  At Level 5, creatures Grabbed by you take Ongoing 1 Damage.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Death Grip
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Target is Grabbed. If it does not escape on its next turn, it 
  is immediately Taken Out.
  At Level 9, creatures take Ongoing 3 Damage while they are 
  Grabbed by you. This replaces the level 5 benefit.
  Form of the Mammoth
  At Level 1, gain the following Transformation Power and two 
  At-Wills. If an enemy within your reach attempts to stand from 
  Prone, they grant you an Opportunity.
   Mammoth’s Transformation
  Encounter               3
  Special: Push all adjacent creatures one square. Increase your 
  size by one (e.g. from 1x1 to 2x2), then make this attack.
  Effect: Target is knocked Prone.
   Pushy
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Throw the target 2 squares (3 squares at level 5, 4 squares 
  at level 9). If an obstacle cuts short this movement, the target 
  falls Prone.
   Stompy
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: 2 additional damage if the target is Prone. (3 damage at 
  level 5, 4 damage at level 9.)
  At Level 3, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Fastball Special
  Encounter
  Throw one willing ally within reach 6 squares. One enemy ad-
  jacent to the destination takes 2 damage and is knocked Prone.
  At Level 5, when you are in this Form, increase your Reach by 1 
  (e.g. from 1 to 2). Pushy and Stompy improve.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power:
   Fastball Deluxe
  Encounter                 4
  Effect: Throw the target 6 squares and knock it Prone. Any en-
  emies adjacent to its destination take 2 damage and fall Prone.
  At Level 9, when you take this Form, you push adjacent creatures 
  2 squares and grow by two sizes. Pushy and Stompy improve.
  Form of the Viper
  At Level 1, gain the following Transformation Power and two At-
  Wills. While in this Form, when you deal Opportunity damage, 
  the recipient also takes Ongoing 1 Damage (save ends).
   Viper’s Transformation
  Encounter                 3
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends). At the end of each of the 
  target’s turns, if it fails its saving throw, the Ongoing Damage is 
  doubled. 
   Venom
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Ongoing 1 Damage (save ends). (Ongoing 2 damage at 
  level 5.)
   Enervation
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Target deals 1 less damage on its attacks until the end of 
  its next turn.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  through the summoned creatures. If you are a Defender, your 
  summoned creatures get the same Boosts as you on their Oppor-
  tunities. When a summoned creature reaches 0 HP, it is Taken Out 
  and you take one Strike. 
  Your At-Will Powers are conjurations—they must be conjured 
  in an unoccupied square, but other creatures may pass through 
  them. They have no Hit Points, no powers, and cannot be attacked.
  When you spend your Rally, you do not regain a spent power. 
  Instead, you may choose one of the following options: restore 5 
  Hit Points to one of your summoned creatures; change the Focus 
  of your Angel or Demon; or spend an Attack Action to resum-
  mon your Elemental or Fey creature to a new location, using that 
  Encounter Power again but without restoring the creature’s Hit 
  Points.
  How do Feats interact? If you take a Feat like Long Reach or Huge, 
  you may choose (at the time you select the Feat) for it to apply 
  to one category of your summoned creatures instead of you. For 
  instance, you may take the Huge Feat and decide that all your Fey 
  Creatures will be one size larger than usual and have an extra 3 
  HP. The one exception is that Feats cannot apply to summoned 
  creatures that come in groups (e.g. Feegles or The Mother’s Brats). 
  The Huge Feat is intended to add 3 HP and only 3 HP to the com-
  bat, not 30 extra HP spread over ten Feegles!
  At Level 1, pick one Ancestral Spirit and two Elementals or two 
  Fey Creatures.
  Ancestral Spirits
   Punisher
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: Conjure a spirit in a square adjacent to the target. It lasts 
  until the end of your next turn. You can take advantage of enemy 
  Opportunities as though you were in that square.
   Scout
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: Conjure a spirit in a square adjacent to the target. It lasts 
  until the end of your next turn. You can see as though you were 
  in the spirit’s square. Any ally that enters its square may teleport 
  4 squares.
   Trooper
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: Conjure a spirit in a square adjacent to the target. It lasts 
  until the end of your next turn. Any enemy that enters a square 
  adjacent to the spirit or the spirit’s square takes 3 damage.
   Shadow
  At-Will              10         2
  Effect: Conjure a spirit in a square adjacent to the target. It lasts 
  until the end of your next turn. Enemies may not occupy the 
  same square as the spirit. Allies that share the square are con-
  cealed.
  The Summoner
  BMX Bandit’s Partner in Crime
  Here is one of the most interesting Classes in the game for reskin-
  ning. It’s written up as a summoner of a variety of spirits, but the 
  most basic reskin simply changes what is summoned. A Diabolist 
  that summons only demons? Easy. But more than that, you could 
  play this as a monster trapper with trained monsters. You could 
  play it as a tech-guy with dangerous implements or automatons. 
  You could play it as a leader with followers that come in to help in 
  the fight. This last one especially works at any scale in any setting. 
  Cool stuff. It’s also a complex Class—lots of choices at character 
  creation and more in play. Be warned, and don’t play this Class 
  if you get analysis paralysis. If you’re like me though, you’ll love 
  having those choices. This Class is one of my favorites and I get 
  excited about playing it. I hope you do too.
  In each encounter you may summon one Elemental or Fey Crea-
  ture, one Angel or Daemon, and one Greater Being, regardless of 
  how many such powers you know. You may spend a Move Action 
  to command all your summoned creatures to take a Move Action. 
  When you summon a creature, you gain access to its associated 
  At-Will Power. When you use an At-Will Power associated with 
  a summoned creature, you treat that creature as the origin of the 
  power. Summoned creatures have Basic Attacks, count as allies, 
  and can take advantage of Opportunities. They are 1x1 unless 
  otherwise noted. You gain your Role Boosts when making attacks 
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   Summon Earth Elemental
  Encounter                3
  Special: Summon an Earth Elemental within 10 squares. Make 
  this attack using the Elemental as the source. 
  Effect: Knock the target Prone.
   Quake
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Target is Slowed (save ends).
  Earth Elemental
   5       1x1     
   6
  If a creature attempts to leave a square adjacent the Elemental 
  (up to 2 squares away at level 5, 3 squares at level 9), it must make 
  a Saving Throw. If it fails, it falls Prone.
  The Earth Elemental has Resist 1 damage.
  Fey Summons 
   Summon Nymph
  Encounter          5     3
  Special: Summon a Nymph within 10 squares. Make this attack 
  using the Nymph as the source.
  Effect: On its next turn, the target may not make any movements 
  that take it farther from the Nymph.
   Innocent Charm
  At-Will             10          2
  Effect: If the target attacks the Nymph on its next turn, it takes 
  3 damage.
  Nymph
   5       1x1     
   6
  At the end of your turn, pick one creature (two creatures at level 
  5, three at level 9) within 10 squares of the Nymph. That creature 
  is Marked by the Nymph until the end of its next turn.
   Summon Feegles
  Encounter                3
  Special: Summon ten Feegles within 10 squares. Make this at-
  tack using one Feegle as the source.
  Effect: Push each enemy a number of squares equal to the num-
  ber of adjacent Feegles. (For the purposes of direction, the source 
  of the Push must be any adjacent Feegle, not the source of this 
  attack.)
   Crivens!
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: 2 damage to each different enemy with at least four Fee-
  gles adjacent.
  Feegle
   1       1x1     
   6
  Feegles do not have Basic Attacks and cannot take advantage of 
  Opportunities. You don’t take a Strike when each Feegle is Taken 
  Out, only if all of them are. You may use your Rally to revive 5 
  fallen Feegles instead of restoring 5 HP.
  At the end of your turn, pick one creature (two creatures at level 
  5, three at level 9) adjacent to at least one Feegle. That creature 
  cannot shift and loses speed equal to the number of adjacent Fee-
  gles, until the end of its next turn.
  Elemental Summons
   Summon Fire Elemental
  Encounter                3
  Special: Summon a Fire Elemental within 10 squares. Make this 
  attack using the Elemental as the source. 
  Effect: 2 damage to each creature adjacent to the Elemental.
   Flare
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Ongoing 1 Damage (save ends).
  Fire Elemental
   5       1x1     
   6
  Any enemy that enters a square adjacent to the Elemental (up to 
  2 squares away at level 5, 3 squares at level 9) or that ends its turn 
  there takes 1 damage.
  Any creature within 5 squares of the Fire Elemental that deals 
  damage to it takes 1 damage.
   Summon Water Elemental
  Encounter                3
  Special: Summon a Water Elemental within 10 squares. Make 
  this attack using the Elemental as the source. 
  Effect: Target makes a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Incapacitated 
  until the end of its next turn.
   Drowning
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Target makes a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Dazed (save 
  ends).
  Water Elemental
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Elemental’s square and all adjacent squares (up to 2 squares 
  away at level 5, 3 squares at level 9) are obscured. The Elemental’s 
  attacks ignore the obscuring.
  If an attack misses the Elemental, it may shift one square.
   Summon Air Elemental
  Encounter                3
  Special: Summon an Air Elemental within 10 squares. Make this 
  attack using the Elemental as the source.
  Effect: Slide the target 6 squares.
   Whirlwind
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Pull each creature in Burst 2 to a square adjacent the El-
  emental.
  Air Elemental
   5       1x1     
   6
  All squares within 2 of the Air Elemental are Difficult Terrain, 
  even for Flying creatures, but not for the Elemental itself (within 
  3 squares at level 5, 4 squares at level 9).
  The Air Elemental is Invisible. Its location is only revealed when 
  it attacks.
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  At Level 3, pick one Angel or one Daemon. Angels and Daemons 
  do not get Opportunities. Instead, they follow around their Focus, 
  giving a bonus or penalty.
  Angelic Summons
   Summon Angel of Protection
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: You or an ally take damage.
  Summon an Angel of Protection adjacent to the triggering dam-
  aged character. That ally (or you) is called the Angel’s Focus. They 
  take no damage.
   Protective Smite
  At-Will      or 5     2
  Effect: Target has Disadvantage to attack the Focus (save ends).
  Angel of Protection
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Angel of Protection follows the Focus. When the Focus 
  moves, the Angel shifts to a square adjacent. While the Angel 
  is adjacent, the Focus has Resist 2 damage, but each time this 
  resistance is triggered, the Angel takes 1 damage.
   Summon Angel of Vengeance
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy damages you or an ally.
  Summon an Angel of Vengeance adjacent to the triggering dam-
  aged character. That ally (or you) is called the Angel’s Focus. The 
  triggering enemy takes 3 damage.
   Vengeful Smite
  At-Will      or 5     2
  Effect: Each time the target attacks the Focus, it takes 2 damage 
  (save ends).
  Angel of Vengeance
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Angel of Vengeance follows the Focus. When the Focus 
  moves, the Angel shifts to a square adjacent. While the Angel 
  is adjacent, whenever the Focus takes damage, the creature that 
  damaged them takes 2 damage.
   Summon Angel of Healing
  Encounter              Interrupt
  Trigger: You or an ally take damage.
  Summon an Angel of Healing adjacent to the triggering dam-
  aged character. That ally (or you) is called the Angel’s Focus. The 
  Focus gains 2 Buffer Points.
   Healing Smite
  At-Will      or 5     2
  Effect: The Focus regains 2 Hit Points.
  Angel of Healing
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Angel of Healing follows the Focus. When the Focus moves, 
  the Angel shifts to a square adjacent. While the Angel is adjacent, 
  whenever the Focus starts their turn they gain 2 Buffer Points.
   Summon Wisp
  Encounter          5     3
  Special: Summon a Wisp within 10 squares. Make this attack 
  using the Wisp as the source.
  Effect: Pick one ally within 10 squares. The target cannot see that 
  ally (save ends).
   Trick
  At-Will             5          2
  Effect: If the creature starts its next turn adjacent to the Wisp, it 
  takes 2 damage.
  Wisp
   5       1x1     
   6
  When the Wisp is hit by an attack, it teleports 6 squares as a 
  Reaction.
  At the end of your turn, pick one creature (two creatures at level 
  5, three at level 9) within 5 squares of the Wisp. Pull that creature 
  3 squares.
   Summon Red Cap
  Encounter                3
  Special: Summon a Red Cap within 10 squares. Make this attack 
  using the Red Cap as the source.
  Effect: When the target is Taken Out, the Red Cap deals 3 dam-
  age to each adjacent creature.
   Marked for Death
  At-Will      or 5     2
  Effect: When the target is Taken Out, increase the damage the 
  Red Cap does at the end of your turn by 1.
  Red Cap
   5       1x1     
   6
  When any enemy is Taken Out, it gains 2 Buffer Points.
  At the end of your turn, pick one creature (two creatures at level 
  5, three at level 9) within 10 squares of the Red Cap. That crea-
  ture takes 1 damage.
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  At Level 5, increase the damage on all your Ancestral Spirits Pow-
  ers and the At-Will Powers associated with your summoned crea-
  tures to 3. Increase the damage on your summoned creatures’ Ba-
  sic Attacks to 3, but not yours. Your Elementals and Fey Creatures 
  improve as noted in their descriptions. You may learn one more 
  Elemental or Fey Summons and one more Angelic or Daemonic 
  Summons. These must be the same types (Elemental/Fey, Angelic/
  Daemonic) as your Level 1 choices.
  At Level 7, you may learn one Greater Summons.
  Greater Summons
   Summon The Mother
  Encounter
  Special: Summon The Mother within 10 squares. She spawns 5 
  Brats in adjacent squares. You do not control the Brats as sum-
  moned creatures and they do not count as allies, but you may 
  determine how they use their ability at the end of each of your 
  turns.
   Spawn
  At-Will
  Spawn 3 Brats adjacent to the Mother.
  The Mother
   10       2x2     
   0
  At the end of your turn, The Mother spawns 2 Brats in an adja-
  cent square. They may use their ability immediately.
  Brat
   1       1x1     
   8
  At the end of your turn, the Brat moves up to its speed and at-
  tacks an adjacent enemy. It rolls a die. On a 3 to 6, it does 2 dam-
  age. On a 1-2 it takes 1 damage.
   Summon The Voice
  Encounter     Special     4
  Special: Summon The Voice. It does not occupy a space. Make 
  this attack against any enemy you can see using the Voice as the 
  source.
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it succeeds, it is 
  Dazed (save ends). If it fails, it is Dominated (save ends).
   Confusion
  At-Will    Any Creature     3
  Effect: If the target has a Role Action, you may choose how it uses 
  it on its next turn. You may choose how it uses its Miss Trigger. 
  If the Miss Trigger affects you or your allies, it may be redirected 
  onto enemies instead. It does not take Opportunities against its 
  enemies, but it does take them against its allies (save ends all).
  The Voice
  Special
  The Voice has no physical body and cannot be attacked. It is Tak-
  en Out when you are.
  At the end of your turn, pick one enemy. That enemy must make 
  a Basic Attack or a Charge against another enemy.
  Daemonic Summons
   Summon Daemon of Wrath
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy takes damage.
  Summon a Daemon of Wrath adjacent to the triggering enemy. 
  That enemy is called the Daemon’s Focus. The Focus takes an 
  additional 3 damage.
   Wrathful Claw
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: The next attack against the target has Advantage.
  Daemon of Wrath
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Daemon of Wrath follows the Focus. When the Focus moves, 
  the Daemon shifts to a square adjacent. While the Daemon is ad-
  jacent, the Focus has Vulnerable 1 damage. When the Focus is 
  Taken Out, you may choose a new Focus for the Daemon.
   Summon Daemon of Sloth
  Encounter              Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy moves.
  Summon a Daemon of Sloth adjacent to the triggering enemy. 
  That enemy is called the Daemon’s Focus. The Focus is Immobi-
  lized (save ends).
   Slothful Stupor
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: Target is Slowed (save ends).
  Daemon of Sloth
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Daemon of Sloth follows the Focus. When the Focus moves, 
  the Daemon shifts to a square adjacent. While the Daemon is 
  adjacent, the target’s Speed is halved (rounding down) and it may 
  not shift. When the Focus is Taken Out, you may choose a new 
  Focus for the Daemon.
   Summon Daemon of Pride
  Encounter              Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy makes an attack.
  Summon a Daemon of Pride adjacent to the triggering enemy. 
  That enemy is called the Daemon’s Focus. The Focus has Disad-
  vantage with the attack and grants an Opportunity to any adja-
  cent creatures.
   Prideful Arrogance
  At-Will                        2
  Effect: The target is Distracted until the end of its next turn.
  Daemon of Pride
   5       1x1     
   6
  The Daemon of Pride follows the Focus. When the Focus moves, 
  the Daemon shifts to a square adjacent. While the Daemon is 
  adjacent, the Focus’ attacks grant Opportunities to all adjacent 
  creatures. When the Focus is Taken Out, you may choose a new 
  Focus for the Daemon.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
   Summon The Strangler
  Encounter   (Reach 2)  4
  Special: Summon the Strangler within 10 squares. Make this at-
  tack using the Strangler as the source.
  Effect: Target is Grabbed and Restrained until it escapes.
   Constrict
  At-Will    (Reach 2)     3
  Effect: If the target is Grabbed by the Strangler, it takes 3 addi-
  tional damage and has Disadvantage on its next Saving Throw to 
  escape. Otherwise, the target is Grabbed.
  The Strangler
   10       1x1     
   4
  The Strangler has Reach 2 and no limit on the number of Grabs 
  it can maintain.
  At the end of your turn, the Strangler may Grab one creature 
  within its reach.
   Summon Contagion
  Encounter                4
  Special: Summon Contagion within 10 squares. Make this attack 
  using the Contagion as the source.
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Infected 
  until the end of the encounter. If it succeeds, it is Infected (save 
  ends). (See below for how Infected works.)
   Worsening Plague
  At-Will                        3
  Effect: The Ongoing Damage associated with your infection in-
  creases by 1.
  Contagion
   10       1x1     
   6
  When any enemy starts its turn adjacent to an Infected creature 
  or to the Contagion, it must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is 
  Infected (save ends). Infected creatures take Ongoing 2 Damage 
  and are Weakened. Creatures newly Infected by starting their 
  turn adjacent to another Infected creature do not take the Ongo-
  ing Damage immediately.
  At the end of your turn, the Contagion may Infect one adjacent 
  creature.
  At Level 9, your Elementals and Fey Creatures improve as noted 
  in their descriptions. You may learn one more Elemental or Fey 
  Summons and one more Angelic or Daemonic Summons. These 
  must be the same types (Elemental/Fey, Angelic/Daemonic) as 
  your Level 1 and Level 5 choices. You also learn one more Greater 
  Summons.
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  127
  When you Rally, you may choose for your Buddy to gain the 4 HP 
  instead of you. You may do this even if it was Taken Out when you 
  used Rally.
  Option (Super-Buddy): Your Buddy starts with 8 HP and you 
  start with a base of 5 HP instead. 
  Defender Buddies: When you pick the Super-Buddy option and 
  the Defender Role, you may decide that your Buddy will be the 
  source of your Role Actions instead of you. Defense and Stickiness 
  Boosts still apply to you, not your Buddy. This is a decision made 
  at character creation, not something you can change from round 
  to round or from combat to combat.
  Customizing your Buddy
  Your Buddy has Passive Effects, which are “always on,” and Active 
  Effects which it applies to foes when you use certain powers. It ap-
  plies Boosted Active Effects when you use your Encounter Power.
  Passive Effects (Pick 2 at level 1)
  • 
  Tough: When you take at least 3 damage, Resist 1.
  • 
  Fast: Speed 10.
  • 
  Long-Limbed: Reach 2.*
  • 
  Ranged: Range 5.*
  • 
  Aware: +1 damage to Opportunities.
  • 
  Brave: When you get hit and your Buddy is within 2, it can 
  shift adjacent and take the hit for you.
  • 
  Slippery: Ignore the first Opportunity for moving each turn.
  • 
  Flying: Can spend a Move Action to gain the Flying Status. 
  Can stop flying as part of any Move Action.
  • 
  Big: Buddy is 2x2, and counts as Full Cover for allies.
  *Reach/Range apply on all attacks that the Buddy makes and when-
  ever the Buddy applies an effect. Using Range while adjacent to an 
  enemy grants it an Opportunity.
  Active Effects (Pick 2 at level 1)
  Effects last until the end of the target’s next turn, unless noted.
  • 
  Pushy: Push 2.
  • 
  Enervating: Slowed.
  • 
  Focused: Marked.
  • 
  Scary: Harried.
  • 
  Dizzying: Distracted.
  • 
  Handsy: Grabbed, but automatically succeeds at escape roll. 
  The Buddies
  Two Heads are Better Than One
  There are many archetypes that put a pair of characters together 
  as a unit—a Hunter and her faithful dog, a set of prankster twins, 
  a knight and his squire, a wizard and her pet fighter, or even just 
  two good friends. To model this, you can choose any Class for 
  one character and simply use the rules for items or allies for the 
  other. A Wizard and her familiar could simply be a Magician with 
  a special item. This Class does the same thing a different way and 
  maybe it’s a better fit for your concept. By default, you and your 
  Buddy’s non-combat capabilities are held in common just like any 
  other character (but see the variant rules at the end of this Class).
  You control two characters on the map. One is called “you,” and 
  the other is called your Buddy. You control both. You and your 
  Buddy each get a Move Action. Your Buddy has 6 speed and starts 
  with 5 HP. It is Taken Out as soon as it is reduced to 0 HP. You only 
  start with a base of 8 HP instead of the usual 10. 
  Each time your Buddy is Taken Out, take one Strike. 
  Track Statuses separately for your Buddy.When your Buddy can-
  not take Attack Actions, you cannot use Encounter Powers or 
  your Buddy’s Active Effects. When you cannot take Attack Ac-
  tions, you can make Attack Rolls with your Buddy as the source, 
  doing 1 damage or one of your Buddy’s Active Effects on a hit.
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  128
  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
   Fight Back to Back
  Encounter              3   
  Special: You and your Buddy must be adjacent.
  Until you or your Buddy move or are no longer adjacent, all at-
  tacks against either of you have Disadvantage.
  At Level 5, add 1 to At-Will and Basic Attack damage. Boost one 
  Passive Effect per the following list, or pick another Passive Effect 
  from the original list.
  Boosted Passive Effects
  • 
  Tough: Resist 1.
  • 
  Fast: Speed 14.
  • 
  Long-Limbed: Reach 3.
  • 
  Aware: +2 damage to Opportunities.
  • 
  Brave: Take a hit for master when within 5.
  • 
  Slippery: Do not grant Opportunities for moving.
  • 
  Flying: Can spend a Move Action to gain the Flying Status 
  and then fly up to its speed. Can stop Flying as part of any 
  Move Action.
  • 
  Ranged: Range 20.
  • 
  Big: Buddy is 3x3, and counts as Full Cover for allies.
  At Level 7, gain the following Encounter Power.
   Super Buddy
  Encounter               4
  Special: This attack’s origin is your Buddy. Role Boosts apply.
  Effect: the Super Active Effect (see below) corresponding to one 
  of your chosen Active Effects.
  Super Active Effects
  • 
  Pushy: Throw 4 and Prone, and any enemies adjacent to 
  where the target was thrown are Prone, too.
  • 
  Enervating: Blinded.
  • 
  Focused: Marked and knocked Prone and standing up grants 
  an Opportunity to your Buddy.
  • 
  Scary: Target is Panicked. Next turn, it is Harried.
  • 
  Dizzying: Stunned.
  • 
  Handsy: Restrained (escape ends).
  At Level 9, boost one Passive Effect using the level 5 List and pick 
  another from the original list.
  At Level 1, start with Team Attack, Recall Buddy, Boosted Buddy, 
  and pick two more At-Wills from below.
   Team Attack
  At-Will          or 10        2
  Effect: One enemy within reach of your Buddy suffers 1 damage 
  or one of your chosen Active Effects. If this enemy is this power’s 
  target, you may do 1 damage AND one of your Active Effects.
   Recall Buddy
  At-Will        
  Your Buddy rejoins you (shifts to an adjacent square) and regains 
  2 HP, even if it was Taken Out.
   Coordinated Attack
  At-Will        
  Your Buddy shifts 1 before or after this. Make a Team Attack.
   We Are One
  At-Will        
  Transfer 2 HP from you to your Buddy or vice versa, then make 
  a Team Attack.
   Command Buddy
  At-Will                       2
  Special: This attack’s origin is your Buddy. Role Boosts apply.
  Effect: one of your chosen Active Effects.
   Boosted Buddy
  Encounter               3
  Special: This attack’s origin is your Buddy. Role Boosts apply.
  Effect: the Boosted Active Effect (see below) corresponding to 
  one of your chosen Active Effects.
  Boosted Active Effects
  • 
  Pushy: Push 2 and Prone.
  • 
  Enervating: Weakened and Slowed.
  • 
  Focused: Marked and if it grants an Opportunity while with-
  in reach, it is knocked Prone.
  • 
  Scary: Next time you hit it, it is Panicked on its next turn.
  • 
  Dizzying: Dazed.
  • 
  Handsy: Grabbed and Ongoing 2 Damage while Grabbed.
  At Level 3, choose one of the following Encounter Powers. 
   Wrestling Combo
  Encounter               3
  Special: Target must be within reach of your Buddy.
  Effect: Target is Restrained by you and Buddy. When it escapes 
  one, it remains Grabbed by other.
   Trip and Stab
  Encounter            
  Special: Target must be within reach of your Buddy.
  Knock Target Prone, then make a Melee Basic Attack against it.
   Hold Still
  Encounter           
  Special: Target must be within reach of your Buddy.
  Target is Grabbed by your Buddy, then make an Ranged Basic 
  Attack against it with Advantage.
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  129
  Simplified Classes 
  I Like My Toast Plain
  If all the above seems too complicated and you just want to smash 
  things until they stop fighting, here is a simple level progression 
  that uses only Basic Attacks and is well balanced. Playing using 
  these rules is very fast and emphasizes the importance of terrain, 
  as players have little opportunity to manipulate enemies. You still 
  have character differentiation through Roles and Feats. This is a 
  game with a more old-school feel in the speed and simplicity of 
  combat. It’s a lot of fun and even players comfortable with the 
  more complicated powers of standard Classes might enjoy it as a 
  change of pace.
  Be warned! I do not recommend mixing these simplified Class-
  es with the other Classes in one party. The balance should be 
  roughly appropriate, but you can run into a situation where the 
  players of the simplified Classes are bored while the players of the 
  regular Classes do all the cool stuff. At the same time, the players 
  of the regular Classes might be jealous that the players of the sim-
  plified Classes are getting equally strong results with less effort. 
  At Level 1, add “1 damage” to the Effect line of both Basic Attacks. 
  Your Ranged Basic Attack has range 10 instead of 5.
  At Level 3, change the Effect of your Basic Attacks to “2 damage.”
  At Level 5, increase the Damage line of your Basic Attacks to 3.
  At Level 7, change the Effect of your Basic Attacks to “3 damage.”
  At Level 9, increase the Damage line of your Basic Attacks to 4.
  Melee Specialist Option
  You may choose to ignore all of the above as it applies your Ranged 
  Basic Attack. In exchange, when you make a Melee Basic Attack, 
  any 2s on your dice are treated as though they were 5s.
  Ranged Specialist Option
  You may choose to ignore all of the above as it applies your Melee 
  Basic Attack. In exchange, your Ranged Basic Attack has range 20.
  That’s it! Simple! Now go pick a Role and some Feats.
  Old School Evolution
  You can use simplified Classes to approximate old-school D&D 
  Classes: a Fighter might be a Striker or Defender with the Melee 
  Specialist Option, a Cleric would be a Leader, a Wizard would be 
  a Controller or Blaster, a Ranger would be a Striker, and a Thief 
  would be a Striker with Feats based around stealth and move-
  ment and maybe the Melee Specialist Option.
  When appropriate, a character’s in-game actions might lead to 
  their gaining access to powers from other Classes. A Mage might 
  get access to a Magician spell once per day, a Ranger might get the 
  Duelist’s Duel power when facing her favored enemy, a Fighter 
  might get a Martial Artist stance, etc.
  Optional Variant: Two Distinct Buddies
  Maybe you want your Buddies to be two distinct characters out-
  side of combat. They always act as a unit in combat (that’s the 
  point of the Class), but you can track their non-combat capabili-
  ties separately. The main thing this changes is character creation. 
  You pick one Background for each character and each character 
  picks 2 Skills from their Background. Pick one Connections Skill 
  from each Background, or add one to Wealth instead if appropri-
  ate to the Background. Pick one Trick from each Background. You 
  can pick a different Origin for each character and each character 
  picks a single Complication and a single Skill from their Origin.
  Character Creation Summary
  If you choose to split your characters like this, each Buddy starts 
  with:
  • 
  2 Skills, 1 Connections Skill, and 1 Trick from their  
  Background.
  •   1 Complication and 1 Skill from their Origin.
  When you earn new Tricks or Fallbacks by leveling up, you choose 
  which character learns the Trick. The characters are tracked com-
  pletely separately in their Skills, Complications, and Tricks. Tacti-
  cal Combat abilities, Feats, Wealth, and Action Points are always 
  shared in common, not associated with either Buddy. Kits and 
  their Advances are also held in common, whether that is because 
  just one Buddy has a Kit or because they share in the single Kit. 
  Relationships can be held in common or split between Buddies 
  or shared any way you like, as long as each player starts with the 
  same number and kind of relationships. Future relationships de-
  velop naturally and may end up on either or both character’s list.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  You do not need to feel any pressure to pick certain Roles based 
  on what your friends are picking. More than one player can pick 
  the same Role, and there is no such thing as a must-have Role. So 
  pick whatever you like! Leaders heal, but anyone can spend an 
  Action Point to Rally and get back in the fight, so you can easily 
  play with no Leader. On the other hand, you could have a party of 
  all Leaders if you like and the game still works fine—you would be 
  a highly mobile team who shed Statuses like my cat sheds fur and 
  who are very difficult to put down for good. Moreover, since each 
  player has a different Class, characters feel very different even 
  when they share the same Role.
  One thing to keep in mind is that Blasters and Strikers speed up 
  combat by taking down enemies more quickly, Leaders and Con-
  trollers slow things down by helping the team stay alive longer, 
  and Defenders do a bit of both. So if your party is all or mostly 
  Leaders and Controllers, your fights are going to take longer than 
  if you were all playing Strikers and Blasters.
  Roles
  Your Role defines your place on the team and your goals in com-
  bat. Do you focus damage on one target, affect many enemies at 
  once, protect your allies and take hits, enable your allies, or lock 
  down the most dangerous foe? In this game, you pick your Role 
  separately from your Class. Some Classes lean towards some Roles 
  more than others, and certainly there are synergies to be found. 
  It is my goal that all Classes should be viable with almost every 
  Role. Perhaps the Duelist doesn’t make a great Blaster. That’s okay 
  though because it’s a great Striker, Controller, or Defender and 
  works just dandy as a Leader. There really are no bad combina-
  tions. 
  The Blaster spreads around damage and effects across the battle-
  field. The Controller makes it hard for enemies to attack effec-
  tively. The Defender takes the heat for the rest of the group. The 
  Leader helps keep everyone in fighting shape. The Striker focuses 
  on bringing down a single target.
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  131
  Precision Boost: Gain the Precision power:
   Precision
  At-Will
  Your next Burst attack may target one additional creature adja-
  cent to the zone, if that creature is within range 5. 
  (At level 4, you may instead exclude one creature in the zone. At 
  level 8, you may do both.)
  Terrain Boost: Gain the Terrain power:
   Terrain
  At-Will
  Pick one of the following three options, centered within range 5:
  • 
  Choose a 3x3 area (5x5 at level 4). The affected zone be-
  comes Difficult Terrain until the end of the encounter. You 
  may optionally remove any Low Cover in the area. (At level 
  8, your allies ignore this Difficult Terrain.)
  • 
  Choose a 3x3 area (5x5 at level 4). It becomes obscured (see 
  page 94) until the end of your next turn. (At level 8, your 
  allies ignore this obscuring.)
  • 
  Choose one square. It becomes Low Cover (Full Cover at 
  level 4). (At level 8, pick two squares within range.)
  Action Trigger:
   Consistent Attack
  Encounter             Interrupt
  Trigger: You miss an enemy with an attack.
  Spend an Action Point. Apply 2 damage and the attack’s Effect to 
  another enemy in range.
  At Level 2, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   That wasn’t there before
  Encounter
  Create a wall of 8 squares of blocking terrain within 10 (the en-
  tire wall must be within 10 of you). The wall must be contigu-
  ous (the squares must be vertically or horizontally adjacent) and 
  has height equal to the width of 2 squares. Anyone can break a 
  square of this wall by dealing 3 damage to it. Attacking the wall 
  always hits as though the attacker rolled a 5.
   Like moving through maple syrup 
  Encounter      10
  All enemies in the zone are Slowed until the end of their next 
  turns.
   The Friend Zone
  Encounter
  Create a 3x3 zone centered within 10 squares. Enemies are Vul-
  nerable 1 while inside. The zone lasts until the end of the combat.
   The Not-So-Friendly Zone
  Encounter
  Create a 5x5 zone centered within 10 squares. Any creature that 
  starts its turn or enters the zone takes 1 damage (increase to 2 
  damage at level 6). This zone lasts until the end of the encounter.
  Blaster
  The Blaster is about dealing damage to enemies across the map 
  and restricting what the enemies can do on the battlefield. A 
  Blaster can deal more total damage than any other Role and ruin 
  the day for many monsters at once. The Blaster’s joy comes from 
  taking out the boss’s Lieutenants while teammates kill the boss.
  The Blaster is the most complex Role to play. You can make your 
  attacks cover an area instead of just one target, but when you don’t 
  do that, you still get to do some extra damage to another target. 
  Certain Classes have some tricky interactions with this Role. They 
  are noted in the Class’ write-up. 
  At Level 1, gain the Multitarget Boost ability and choose one of 
  the Precision Boost or Terrain Boost abilities:
  Multitarget Boost: If you attack with a power with range X, you 
  may instead make it a Burst 1 centered within X targeting all crea-
  tures in the zone. This still grants Opportunities as though it was 
  range X. If it is a melee attack, you may make it a Burst 1 targeting 
  all creatures in the zone. You may move the center of the zone one 
  square for each square of reach you have. 
  If you forgo the option to make your power a zone, you get the 
  following benefit instead: When you roll a 3 or 4 on a ranged or 
  melee attack, deal 2 damage to one additional target within range. 
  When you roll a 5 or 6 on a ranged or melee attack, deal either the 
  power’s effect or 2 damage to one additional target within range. 
  Note: You never hit yourself with Burst attacks even though you 
  are often in their zone.
  Note: When a creature is included in the same effect multiple 
  times from the same power, it only suffers once.
  Special: Blasters using Melee attacks may use their existing 
  squares of movement during the resolution of the attack to ac-
  quire new targets using their Multitarget Boost when they forgo 
  the option to make their power a zone. 
  Note: When making a Burst attack, only the first attack roll may 
  generate a Strike or lead to a Miss Trigger. Because of this, when 
  attacking different kinds of enemies (e.g. two Elites and a Stooge) 
  you must roll the attack against the most powerful first.
  Example: A Blaster rolls a 3 on a melee attack, deals dam-
  age to the target, but has no other targets in range to deal bonus 
  damage to. They may move next to another enemy and then 
  deal the bonus damage to that foe, but this movement grants 
  Opportunities as usual.
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  At Level 10, replace one of your two Encounter Powers with an 
  improved version:
   Where did he come from?
  Encounter
  Create a wall of 8 squares within 10 (the entire wall must be with-
  in 10 of you). The wall is blocking terrain for enemies and ene-
  mies can’t see through it. Allies can ignore both these features—
  they can see through it, move through it, and attack through it. 
  The wall must be contiguous and has height equal to the width 
  of 2 squares. Anyone can break a square of this wall by dealing 5 
  damage to it. Attacking the wall always hits as though the attack-
  er rolled a 5.
   Like moving through concrete 
  Encounter       10
  All enemies in the zone are Immobilized until the end of their 
  next turns.
   The Friends With Benefits Zone
  Encounter
  Create a 5x5 zone centered within 10 squares. Enemies are Vul-
  nerable 1 while in this zone. Allies add 1 damage to the damage 
  line of all their attacks while they are in the zone. This zone lasts 
  until the end of the encounter.
   The Downright Unfriendly Zone
  Encounter
  Create a 7x7 zone centered within 10 squares. Any creature that 
  starts its turn or enters the zone takes 4 damage. This zone lasts 
  until the end of the encounter.
  At Level 4, replace your Level 1 Boosts with the following:
  Improved Multitarget Boost: If you attack with a power with 
  range X, you may instead make it a Burst 1 centered within X tar-
  geting all creatures in the zone. This still grants Opportunities as 
  though it was range X. If it is a melee attack, you may make it a 
  Burst 1 targeting all creatures in the zone. You may move the cen-
  ter of the zone one square for each square of reach you have. For 
  both the melee and ranged versions, you may extend the zone to 
  make it cover a 4x4 square. 
  If you forgo the option to make your power a zone, you get the fol-
  lowing benefit: When you roll a 3 or 4 on a ranged or melee attack, 
  deal 2 damage to two additional targets within range. When you 
  roll a 5 or 6 on a ranged or melee attack, deal the power’s effect to 
  one additional target or deal 2 damage to two additional targets 
  within range.
  Improved Precision Boost:  Precision improves.
  Improved Terrain Boost: Terrain improves.
  At Level 6, choose another of the Encounter Powers from the Lev-
  el 2 list above. Your Action Trigger improves:
   Dependable
  Encounter             Interrupt
  Trigger: You miss an enemy with an attack.
  Spend an Action Point. Apply 3 damage and the attack’s Effect to 
  another enemy within range or to the one you missed.
  At Level 8, replace your Level 4 Boosts with the following:
  Super Multitarget Boost: If you attack with a power with range X, 
  you may instead make it a Burst 2 or 1 centered within X targeting 
  all creatures in the zone. This still grants Opportunities as though 
  it was range X. If it is a melee attack, you may make it a Burst 2 or 
  1 targeting all creatures in the zone. You may move the center of 
  the zone one square for each square of reach you have.
  If you forgo the option to make your power a zone, you get the fol-
  lowing benefit: When you roll a 3 or 4 on a ranged or melee attack, 
  deal 2 damage to three additional targets within range. When you 
  roll a 5 or 6 on a ranged or melee attack, deal the power’s effect to 
  one additional target and deal 2 damage to three additional targets 
  within range.
  Super Precision Boost: Precision improves.
  Super Terrain Boost: Terrain improves.
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  At Level 6, choose another of the Encounter Powers from the Lev-
  el 2 list above. Your Action Trigger improves:
   Slide!
  Encounter             Reaction
  Trigger: An enemy moves. 
  Spend an Action Point. Replace the enemy where it started its 
  movement, then slide it its speed and knock it Prone. Its Move 
  Action is still expended.
  At Level 8, replace your Level 4 Boosts with the following:
  Super Control Boost: When you roll a 3 to 6 on an attack, you 
  may choose to either knock the target Prone and it cannot stand 
  up (save ends), or to slide the target 10 squares.
  Super Damage Reduction Boost: Sap Strength improves.
  At Level 10, replace one of your two Encounter Powers with an 
  improved version: 
   Save or die
  Encounter              10
  The target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is immediately 
  Taken Out. If it succeeds it is Dazed until the end of its next turn.
   All tied up
  Encounter              10
  The target is Restrained and Vulnerable 2 (save ends).
   Warzone repositioning
  Encounter              10
  Slide each creature in the zone 10 squares to another square in 
  the zone.
   Solarbeam
  Encounter              10
  The target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
  Controller
  The Controller is about locking down a single target with nasty 
  effects. A Controller can stack debilitating effects on a single tar-
  get better than any other Role. The Controller’s joy comes from 
  curtailing the boss’ ability to fight back while their teammates do 
  the damage.
  At Level 1, gain the following abilities:
  Control Boost: When you roll a 3 to 6 on an attack, you may 
  choose to either Slow the target until the end of its next turn, or to 
  slide the target 3 squares.
  Damage Reduction Boost: Gain the Sap Strength power:
   Sap Strength
  At-Will                   5
  Target is Weakened until the end of its next turn. 
  (At level 4, save ends. At level 8, Weaken two targets in range.)
  Action Trigger:
   Freeze!
  Encounter            Reaction
  Trigger: An enemy moves. 
  Spend an Action Point. Replace the enemy where it started its 
  movement. Its Move Action is still expended.
  At Level 2, choose one of the following Encounter Powers: 
   Save or suck
  Encounter              10
  The target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Stunned until 
  the end of its next turn. If it succeeds, it is Distracted instead.
   Stand still
  Encounter              10
  The target is Immobilized and Vulnerable 1 until the end of its 
  next turn.
   Battlefield repositioning
  Encounter              5
  Slide each enemy in the zone 5 squares to another square in the 
  zone.
   Flash
  Encounter              10
  The target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Blinded until 
  the end of its next turn. If it succeeds, it is Distracted instead.
  At Level 4, replace your Level 1 Boosts with the following:
  Improved Control Boost: When you roll a 3 to 6 on an attack, 
  you may choose to either knock the target Prone, or to slide the 
  target 6 squares.
  Improved Damage Reduction Boost: Sap Strength improves.
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  At Level 4, replace your Level 1 Boosts with the following:
  Improved Defense Boost: You Resist 1 all. When you roll a 3 to 6 
  on an attack, regain 1 Hit Point.
  Improved Stickiness Boost: When an enemy enters a square ad-
  jacent to you, it loses the rest of its squares of movement for that 
  action. When an enemy grants you an Opportunity, it takes 1 ad-
  ditional damage. Mark improves.
  At Level 6, choose another of the Encounter Powers from the Lev-
  el 2 list above. Your Action Trigger improves:
   THIS is a punch!
  Encounter             Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack. 
  Spend an Action Point. The attack misses and grants you an Op-
  portunity.
  At Level 8, replace your Level 4 Boosts with the following:
  Super Defense Boost: You Resist 1 all. When you roll a 3 to 6 on 
  an attack, regain 2 Hit Points.
  Super Stickiness Boost: When an enemy enters a square adjacent 
  to you, it loses the rest of its squares of movement for that action. 
  When an enemy grants you an Opportunity, it takes 2 additional 
  damage. Mark improves.
  At Level 10, replace one of your two Encounter Powers with an 
  improved version:
   I REALLY don’t think so!
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy grants you an Opportunity. In addition to 
  taking damage, the enemy loses the action that caused it to grant 
  you the Opportunity and must end its turn immediately. It grants 
  Advantage to attacks against it until the end of its next turn.
   Come and get seconds!
  Encounter              3
  Pull every enemy in the zone to a square adjacent to you. Then, 
  every enemy adjacent to you is Immobilized (save ends). Mark 
  any or all of them until the end of your next turn.
   You’re all mine!
  Encounter
  Every enemy has Disadvantage to any attack that doesn’t include 
  you as a target (save ends). You may exclude specific enemies. 
  This effect ends if you are Taken Out.
   I’ll Cover You All!
  Encounter
  All allies adjacent to you have cover from melee attacks while 
  adjacent to you until they fail to end their turn adjacent to you. 
  This effect ends if you are Incapacitated.
  Defender
  The Defender is about toughness and protecting his friends. A 
  Defender can take more punishment than any other Role. A De-
  fender should be able to give Team Monster the difficult choice 
  between attacking the toughest character or being less effective 
  in attacking others. The Defender’s joy comes from pinning down 
  the boss while allies destroy everything else. The Defender’s key 
  action is Marking. In this game, Marking simply gives the Defend-
  er more chances to hurt the monster in question. If they make an 
  attack that does not include you as a target, or if they shift out of 
  a square within your reach, then they grant you an Opportunity. 
  You don’t need to be up close to keep monsters Marked either. 
  You can deal Opportunity damage at range, provided that your 
  character has some in-fiction method of delivering that ranged 
  damage even if they are primarily a melee character. (See Fiction 
  Takes Precedence on page 91.) If you are Incapacitated, your 
  Marks end.
  At Level 1, gain the following abilities:
  Defense Boost: When you take 3 or more damage, Resist 1. When 
  you roll a 3 to 6 on an attack, regain 1 Hit Point.
  Stickiness Boost: When an enemy grants you an Opportunity, it 
  takes 1 additional damage. You gain the Mark power:
   Mark
  At-Will                   5
  Target is Marked by you until the end of its next turn.
  (At level 4, Mark two targets in range. At level 8, three targets.)
  Action Trigger:
   You call that a punch?
  Encounter             Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack. 
  Spend an Action Point. The attack misses instead.
  At Level 2, choose one of the following Encounter Powers: 
   I don’t think so!
  Encounter            Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy grants you an Opportunity.
  In addition to taking damage, the enemy loses the action that 
  caused it to grant you the Opportunity. If it was attempting to 
  move, it stops. If it was making an attack, the attack is not re-
  solved.
   Come and get it!
  Encounter              2
  You pull every enemy in the zone to a square adjacent to you. 
  Mark any or all of them until the end of your next turn.
   You’re mine!
  Encounter              5
  The target has Disadvantage to any attack that doesn’t include 
  you as a target (save ends). This effect ends if you are Taken Out.
   I’ll Cover You!
  Encounter
  One ally adjacent to you has cover from melee attacks while ad-
  jacent to you until they fail to end their turn adjacent to you. This 
  effect ends if you are Incapacitated.
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   Keep walking!
  Encounter          Reaction
  Trigger: You or an ally fail a Saving Throw. 
  Reroll it.
   Reveal Weakness
  Encounter
  Target one creature. All attacks against it have Advantage until 
  the end of its next turn.
  At Level 4, replace your Level 1 Boosts with the following:
  Improved Teamwork Boost: When you roll a 3 to 6 on an attack, 
  you regain the use of your Tactics power.
  Improved Healing Boost: You may use Heal twice per combat.
  At Level 6, choose another of the Encounter Powers from the Lev-
  el 2 list above. Your Action Trigger improves:
   Try harder!
  Encounter              Reaction
  Trigger: An ally makes an attack and dislikes the result. 
  Spend an Action Point. Attack hits as though the ally rolled a 6.
  At Level 8, replace your Level 4 Boosts with the following:
  Super Teamwork Boost: Tactics improves.
  Super Healing Boost: Heal improves.
  At Level 10, replace one of your two Encounter Powers with an 
  improved version:
   Hit him harder!
  Encounter
  Two allies may make attacks. They do not get the benefit of their 
  Roles’ Boosts.
   Walk it off harder!
  Encounter
  You or an ally may end one effect.
   Fresh Start
  Encounter
  Create a 5x5 zone centered within 10 squares. All creatures in 
  the zone regain HP equal to half their maximum (round down).
   You’re Fine!
  Encounter              Reaction
  Trigger: You or an ally fail a Saving Throw. 
  Saving Throw succeeds instead. You and any other ally suffering 
  from the same Status immediately roll a Saving Throw to end it.
   Reveal Weak Point
  Encounter
  Target one creature. All attacks against it have Advantage and 
  roll an extra die, taking the best result (save ends).
  Leader
  The Leader is about boosting allies and healing. Leaders are the 
  main source of in-combat healing in the game. A Leader enables 
  allies while doing cool stuff too. The Leader’s joy comes from giv-
  ing everyone the boosts they need to take out the boss in no time.
  At Level 1, gain the following abilities:
  Teamwork Boost: Gain the Tactics Encounter Power. When you 
  roll a 5 or 6 on an attack, you gain an additional use of this power:
   Tactics
  Encounter
  One ally of your choice may spend a Move Action immediately. 
  (At level 8, two allies.)
  Healing Boost: Gain the Heal Encounter Power:
   Heal
  Encounter              5
  Target may regain Hit Points equal to half its maximum (round 
  down). The target may pick one of the following options (at level 
  8, pick two options):
  If the target is Prone, they may stand up.
  If this brings the target to full health, they may have Advantage 
  on their next attack.
  Enemies have Disadvantage to attack the target until the end of 
  the target’s next turn.
  The target may make a Saving Throw against one Status that al-
  lows one or attempt to escape a Grab.
  (At level 8, add to the list this option: the target may remove one 
  Strike against them.)
  Action Trigger:
   Try again!
  Encounter            Reaction
  Trigger: An ally makes an attack and dislikes the result. 
  Spend an Action Point. The ally may reroll the attack.
  At Level 2, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Hit him!
  Encounter
  One ally may make an attack. They do not get the benefit of their 
  Role’s Boosts.
   Walk it off!
  Encounter
  You or an ally may make a Saving Throw against an effect, even 
  one that does not normally end on a save.
   Mass Heal
  Encounter
  Create a 3x3 zone centered within 10 squares. Each creature in 
  the zone regains 2 Hit Points.
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  T a c T i c a l  c o M B a T
  damage instead.
  Improved Mobility Boost: Your speed is increased by 4. The 
  Quick Shift power is unchanged.
  Improved Accuracy Boost: Draw a Bead improves.
   
  At Level 6, choose another of the Encounter Powers from the Lev-
  el 2 list above. Your Action Trigger improves:
   Dodge and strike back
  Encounter               Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack. 
  Spend an Action Point. The attack misses and you make an at-
  tack against the triggering enemy.
  At Level 8, replace your Level 4 Boosts with the following:
  Super Damage Boost: When you roll a 2 to 5 on an attack, deal 3 
  extra damage to the target. When you roll a 6, deal 6 extra damage 
  instead.
  Super Mobility Boost: Your speed remains increased by 4. Quick 
  Shift improves.
  Super Accuracy Boost: Draw a Bead improves.
   
  At Level 10, replace one of your two Encounter Powers with an 
  improved version:
   Lightning strikes twice
  Encounter
  Gain two Attack Actions and use them immediately, but do not 
  get your Damage Boost on them.
   Strike and run
  Encounter
  Deal 6 damage to each enemy adjacent to you and shift your 
  speed.
   Power up strike
  Encounter
  Deal 15 extra damage if you hit with your next attack.
   Persistent Weakness
  Encounter
  Pick two creatures. Your attacks against them have Advantage 
  and deal 2 extra damage until the end of the combat.
  Striker
  The Striker is about damage and mobility. A Striker can deal more 
  damage to one target than any other Role. A Striker should be able 
  to move around the battlefield to pick their targets. The Striker’s 
  joy comes from bloodying the boss in one round.
  At Level 1, gain Damage Boost and pick either Mobility Boost or 
  Accuracy Boost:
  Damage Boost: When you roll a 2 to 5 on an attack, deal 1 extra 
  damage to the target. When you roll a 6, deal 2 extra damage in-
  stead.
  Mobility Boost: Gain the Quick Shift power:
   Quick Shift
  At-Will
  You may shift 1 square. (2 squares at level 8.)
  Accuracy Boost: Gain the Draw a Bead power:
   Draw a Bead
  At-Will
  Pick one enemy within 5 squares you can attack. If you attack 
  that enemy this turn, you may ignore concealment or Low Cover 
  (at level 4, any Cover) on that attack. (At level 8, if the enemy is 
  Invisible, you are able to attack it.)
   
  Action Trigger: 
   Strike back
  Encounter             Reaction
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack. 
  Spend an Action Point. Make an attack against the triggering 
  enemy.
   
  At Level 2, choose one of the following Encounter Powers:
   Lightning strikes
  Encounter
  Gain an Attack Action and use it immediately, but do not get 
  your Damage Boost on it.
   Strike and dodge
  Encounter
  Deal 2 damage to each enemy adjacent to you and shift 1 square. 
  (Increase to 3 damage at level 6, 4 damage at level 10)
   Wind up strike
  Encounter
  Deal extra damage equal to half your level + 3 if you hit with 
  your next attack (round down). If your next attack hits multiple 
  targets, apply this damage only to one of them.
   Momentary Weakness
  Encounter
  Pick two creatures. Your next attack against each of them has 
  Advantage.
  At Level 4, replace your Level 1 Boosts with the following:
  Improved Damage Boost: When you roll a 2 to 5 on an attack, 
  deal 2 extra damage to the target. When you roll a 6, deal 4 extra 
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  Quickness
  Slippery – Any time you shift, you may shift 1 extra square. Ad-
  ditionally, you may move through enemy squares, although you 
  may not end your turn there. When you enter or leave an enemy’s 
  square, you do not grant that enemy an Opportunity.
  Sprinter – Increase your speed by 4. If you have unspent points of 
  movement after your turn, you may spend them to move when it 
  is not your turn. You may use this at any time, and if you use it in 
  response to another event, it resolves as a Reaction.
  Fast Reactions – Instead of rolling for Initiative, you always get a 
  7. You may use your Action Trigger twice per encounter. 
  Defenses
  Resilient – You may use Rally twice per encounter. Whenever you 
  Rally or are the target of a Leader’s Heal power, regain an addi-
  tional Hit Point. A 3 counts as a pass on your Saving Throws.
  Toughness – +3 to max HP. Attacks against you in the first round 
  have Disadvantage. You Resist 1 in the first round. 
  Nothing Fazes You – Make Saving Throws to end Statuses at 
  the start of your turn instead of the end. When subject to Forced 
  Movement, reduce its distance by 1. When Slowed, your speed is 
  3 instead of 2. When an enemy knocks you Prone, roll a Saving 
  Throw to try to stay upright.
  Special Abilities
  Flyer – You may gain the Flying Status as a Move Action. If you 
  become Bloodied while Flying, you fall to the ground Prone.
  Huge – +3 to max HP. Increase your size by one (e.g. from 1x1 to 
  2x2). Your allies may treat you as terrain granting Full Cover. 
  Clarification: See page 93 for how cover applies to creatures 
  larger than 1x1. If you change size through any other means, you 
  always stay one size bigger than you otherwise would be. 
  Wrestler – You have Advantage on escape rolls. Enemies have 
  Disadvantage on rolls to escape your Grabs. When granted an Op-
  portunity by an adjacent enemy, you may forgo dealing damage 
  and it is Grabbed instead.
  Long reach – +1 Reach. Once per encounter, when an enemy 
  moves adjacent to you, you may knock them prone.
  Feats
  Feats are a way of customizing your character’s combat capabili-
  ties. They are powerful bonuses that can allow you to change your 
  playstyle. If you like to get stuck in and take lots of hits, take Feats 
  that make you more durable. If you like to go all out in the first 
  round, take Feats like Fast Reactions.
  Advantages
  Lucky – Once per encounter you may force an enemy to reroll one 
  attack against you. Once per encounter you may reroll one Saving 
  Throw, escape attempt, or Panic Roll.
  Reliable – Whenever you miss with an Encounter Power, you do 
  not expend it. Attacks with multiple targets must miss all of them 
  or be expended.
  Note: This Feat does not work as-is for Summoners. See the Reli-
  able Summoner Feat below.
  Bread and Butter – Pick one At-Will attack power. Once per turn, 
  when any power or ability allows you to make a Basic Attack, you 
  may use this attack instead.
  Like a Bull – You may use any melee power while charging in-
  stead of a Basic Attack.
  Melee Shooter – Ranged attacks don’t grant Opportunities. Deal 
  1 extra damage when you hit an adjacent foe with a ranged attack.
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  Minor Role Feats
  These Feats enable you to take on some of the abilities of other 
  Roles. You cannot take a Minor Role Feat for your own Role.
  Minor Striker – Once per encounter, when you hit with an attack, 
  deal 2 extra damage (increase this to 3 damage at level 4 and 4 
  damage at level 8) instead of using your Role’s Boosts. Additional-
  ly, you gain the Striker’s Quick Shift power as an Encounter Power. 
  (Note that this power improves as you level).
  Minor Leader – Once per encounter, you may slide an ally 3 
  squares as a Free Action. Additionally, once per encounter you 
  may spend your Role Action to allow you or an ally to regain 2 HP 
  (increase this to 3 HP at level 4 and 4 HP at level 8).
  Minor Defender – You do an additional point of damage on Op-
  portunities. Additionally, you gain the Defender’s Mark power as 
  an Encounter Power. (Note that this power improves as you level).
  Minor Blaster – Once per encounter you may turn a melee attack 
  into a Burst 1, or a Range X attack into a Burst 1 centered within 
  X, targeting all creatures in the zone. You do not get your usual 
  Role’s Boosts on this attack. Additionally, you gain the Blaster’s 
  Terrain power as an Encounter Power. (Note that this power im-
  proves as you level). 
  Minor Controller – Once per encounter when you hit an enemy 
  with an attack, you may slide it 3 squares and it is Slowed until the 
  end of its next turn instead of your usual Role Boost. Additional-
  ly, you gain the Controller’s Sap Strength power as an Encounter 
  Power. (Note that this power improves as you level).
  Versatile Minor – You may use one At-Will Role power (or slide 
  an ally 3 squares for the Leader Role) from each Role once per 
  encounter. That is, you can Mark once, Sap Strength once, etc.
  Cleave – Do not halve your damage when melee attacking en-
  emies with the Mob trait. When you hit an enemy with a melee 
  attack and deal more damage to it than it has HP remaining, you 
  may apply the excess damage plus one to another enemy within 
  reach. 
  Stealthy – Enemies searching for you while you are Hidden have 
  Disadvantage. Also, gain the Hide power:
   Hide
  At-Will
  You must be out of sight when you use this power. Move up to 
  your speed, ending at least 2 squares away from your current 
  location. You must remain out of sight during the movement and 
  end in cover or concealment. You are Hidden.
  Superhuman – You get an extra sense and an extra movement 
  ability. For your extra sense, pick one of Tremorsense or Darkvi-
  sion (see page 94) or make up your own similar ability—echo-
  location, Wizard Sight, etc. These are all re-skinnings of “you can 
  see in the dark.” They allow you to ignore the Blinded Status from 
  some sources, depending on the description of the attack. For in-
  stance, the deafening and blinding sound and light from a flash-
  bang grenade would still affect someone with Darkvision or with 
  echolocation, but would not hamper tremorsense. On the other 
  hand, tremorsense is useless against flying foes.
  For your movement ability, choose one: 
  • 
  You can climb walls at your usual speed and fight while 
  climbing without penalty.
  • 
  You can swim at your usual speed and and fight while swim-
  ming without penalty. 
  • 
  You can leap up to your speed, ignoring Difficult Terrain 
  and only granting Opportunities for moving during the first 
  square of your movement.
  • 
  You can spend a Move Action to teleport up to your speed to 
  swap places with a willing creature you can see, or an Attack 
  Action if they are unwilling. 
  • 
  You may move through solid objects, walls, and creatures, but 
  must end your movement in an open square. When you enter 
  or leave an enemy’s square, you do not grant that enemy an 
  Opportunity.
  • 
  Make up your own similar ability by reskinning or slightly 
  modifying one of the above.
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  Role Specific Feats
  Beam Blaster – When making a Burst 1 attack, you may instead 
  make a “beam” attack 5 squares long. A beam starts in an adjacent 
  square and follows the same rules as a push: each square must 
  be further away from you than the last. At level 4 when you can 
  widen the zone to 4x4, you may widen your beam by 1 square. 
  At level 8, when making a Burst 2 attack, you may widen your 
  beam twice. Widening your beam means making it one square 
  thicker in an intuitive way. For instance, you could make a normal 
  5-square beam attack due East and then add a square one to the 
  North of each square in the beam to wind up with a 2x5 rectangle.
  Option: As a Blaster, you may sacrifice your ability to make Burst 
  attacks like usual, and only make Beams as described here. If you 
  do that, this doesn’t cost you a Feat.
  Boosted Blaster – You have both Blaster At-Will Role powers: 
  Terrain and Precision.
  Distant Defender – The range on any of your Ranged or Burst 
  Defender Role powers is increased by 3. When an enemy grants 
  you an Opportunity, you may choose to Slow them until the end 
  of their next turn instead of dealing damage.
  Savage Striker – When your attack reduces an enemy’s Hit Points 
  to one plus half your level or less (round up), they are Taken Out. 
  This does not apply to Goons or Stooges.
  Crafty Controller – Once per combat, when an enemy succeeds 
  on a Saving Throw, you may make them reroll. If they succeed 
  again, you may slide them 2 squares.
  Limber Leader – When you use your Tactics power, you may also 
  spend a free Move Action immediately.
  Class Specific Feats
  These Feats are for certain Classes only. Some replace existing 
  Feats that don’t quite work properly because of the details of how 
  the Class works. Others are extra abilities that would make great 
  Class Features but for Classes that already had all their features.
  Reliable Summoner – Whenever you miss with an Encounter 
  Power, you still summon the creature as usual, but do not expend 
  the power. (Attacks with multiple targets must miss all of them or 
  be expended.) Later in the combat, you may use that power with 
  the already-summoned creature as the source. Again, if you miss, 
  you still do not expend it. This does not allow you to re-summon a 
  creature. If the summoned creature in question is Taken Out, even 
  if the power is not expended, you will not be able to use it.
  Multi-Role Shapechanger – Each of your forms is associated with 
  a different Role, chosen when you choose that form. When you 
  start a combat, you have no Role. When you use a Transformation 
  Power, you take on the Role associated with that form. 
  Clarification: If you take on multiple Roles over the course of the 
  encounter, you must abide by the same limits to the number of 
  Encounter Powers you use as everybody else. For instance, if you 
  are level 2 then you may only use one of the level 2 Encounter 
  Powers in each combat, regardless of how many forms you take. 
  At level 6, you will be limited to two such Encounter Powers. And 
  so on.
  Bread and Butter for Shapechangers – Pick one At-Will attack 
  power from each of your forms. You may use that power when 
  any power or ability allows you to make a Basic Attack while in 
  that form.
  Fast Archer – Do not halve your damage when ranged attacking 
  enemies with the Mob trait. When you use an Attack Action on 
  your turn to attack an enemy with your Ranged Basic Attack and 
  the enemy is Taken Out, your Attack Action is refunded. Howev-
  er, further attacks do not benefit from your Role Boosts. 
  Clarification: This benefit only works when you spend your Attack 
  Action on your turn to make a Ranged Basic Attack alone. For in-
  stance, it does not combine with an ability that lets you move and 
  make a Ranged Basic Attack.
  Opportunistic Martial Artist – Apply the effects of your Style 
  when you deal Opportunity damage. One exception: if you are 
  in Python Style (at any tier), the enemy gets an immediate escape 
  attempt for free to avoid your Grab.
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  Allies: Relationships, Pets, and Retainers
  There are several ways to handle the players’ having allies in com-
  bat. The least intrusive is to have them act like an item—give a 
  passive bonus or grant an Encounter Power suitable to their pur-
  pose. A healing ally might have an Encounter Power (usable by 
  any of the players) that heals the player who uses it.
  The next level of complexity is to have a token on the board that 
  is controlled jointly by one or more of the players. It has Initia-
  tive and Hit Points and a single At-Will Power. If the players are 
  finding that they desperately need a certain Role filled, this can 
  help—the At-Will Power might be healing or damage or whatever 
  is required.
  The highest level of intrusiveness is to have a full-on character. 
  Do not use this to have a GM-controlled player character; all that 
  does is slow down combat and take away the focus from the other 
  players. As a GM, you have enough on your hands during combat 
  already. What this sort of character can be useful for is to fill out a 
  party with small numbers. If there are only two players, combat is 
  very unpredictable and luck-dependent, as a single bad round or 
  lucky critical hit can mean the difference between success and fail-
  ure. This is not necessarily a bad thing! It makes combat scary and 
  dangerous and fast, and that might be just what you were looking 
  for. However, if you desire more predictable outcomes, then each 
  player could also control a “Retainer.” A Retainer has a Class and 
  a Role and Feats, but lacks the out-of-combat Skills, Tricks, and 
  Complications of a full player character. Using Retainers certainly 
  helps make combat less “swingy,” but it comes at the expense of 
  speed—doubling the number of combatants nearly doubles com-
  bat length.
  Keywording Attacks
  It can be useful to give attacks (both the players’ and their ene-
  mies’) keywords, like “Loud” or “Explosive” or “Fire” for the pur-
  poses of figuring out what sorts of effects they have outside of the 
  listed mechanical effects. A “Loud” attack attracts attention, an 
  “Explosive” one destroys or reduces enemy cover but may also de-
  stroy valuable items, an attack with the “Fire” keyword sets the dry 
  forest alight where the same power with a different flavor would 
  not, and an attack with the “Psychic” keyword cannot work at all 
  against a mindless machine. These keywords depend entirely on 
  the trappings the players and GM assign to their powers and not at 
  all on the actual mechanics. It’s important to give these trappings 
  actual in-game effects so that players know that they can use these 
  same abilities out of combat or in creative ways in combat, and 
  keywords can help with that. See also the section on damage types 
  on page 170.
  Player chores
  As GM, you have more than enough to keep track of in combat, 
  so offload some of the work onto the more experienced players. 
  One player can be in charge of tracking Initiative and warning 
  people when their turn is coming up. Another player can be in 
  charge of tracking everyone’s Strikes—something new players of-
  ten lose track of.
   
  Team Monster
  The following section gives the GM what they need to adjudicate 
  common situations in combat not covered by the rules so far.
  Describing and Playing Team Monster
  How you play the monsters is as much a part of how they “feel” as 
  what abilities they have. If you are going to play them dumb, you 
  can afford to have a couple more of them or have them be more 
  powerful. The same thing applies if you intend for them to flee 
  or surrender easily. Think about how your monsters will behave 
  before the fight and be ready to follow through on that. 
  Ending early
  You can have monsters surrender or flee at your discretion when-
  ever it makes sense in the fiction. If the players have made the 
  monsters’ goal impossible, is it worth sticking around? If you 
  want your monsters only to surrender when they have been Tak-
  en Out, that’s fine. If not, are there conditions under which they 
  might surrender early? If their leader is taken hostage? What 
  might cause them to surrender late? If one alien just surrendered 
  and the players killed it, the other aliens will not surrender so 
  soon. Should this be represented by a couple of extra Hit Points? 
  Use your judgment. It’s your job to make the world seem real and 
  to make the players’ choices have consequences.
  How you describe monsters’ attacks is just as important as what 
  their attacks are. If you describe an alien’s psychic pressure bring-
  ing a character to her knees, it feels entirely different than if you 
  describe an ogre’s maul knocking her to the ground, even though 
  their mechanical effect may be the same. Ongoing Damage could 
  represent a bleeding wound, being on fire, poison, or any number 
  of things. An Immobilized character could be stuck because of 
  ice, fear, plants, stone, ropes, tasering, etc. You must describe the 
  enemy attacks so that the players understand what is happening 
  to their character. This makes things seem more real and inspires 
  cool improvisations.
  Fudging the Numbers
  If you made a calculation error or if a monster is actually broken—
  as in, the powers literally do not work or make no sense—then 
  you can change it in the middle of combat. If the monster is just a 
  bit too powerful or too weak, don’t try to fix it mid-combat. When 
  you use the rules for Winning and Losing (page 92) the game 
  progresses in interesting ways whether the characters win easily 
  or lose badly, so it’s not vital that you get the balance right every 
  single time. Don’t lie about a monster’s HP or about the dice rolls 
  to make things more dramatic—it takes away from the players’ 
  tactical choices if you try to force the combat to go a certain way. 
  If the combat is going on too long and you need to wrap up, but 
  the monsters have too much HP to finish up quickly, either come 
  up with some reason for the monsters to give up or run away, or be 
  honest and tell your players that you’ve had enough and you want 
  to wrap up. You can find rules for mopping up in the Options and 
  Variants section on page 169.
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  Example: “She deflects your blow, but in the process falls 
  against the control panel. You begin to hear a distant alarm 
  and a deep rumbling coming through the walls. What just hap-
  pened?”
  Example: “Your shot ricochets into the gas tank and the spray 
  connects with the small fire, causing the whole thing to rup-
  ture. All of these squares over here are now aflame.”
  Example: “The mech tears down the billboard and uses it to 
  block your attack before dropping it over here. This area is now 
  Difficult Terrain from the wreckage.”
  Example: “You hear footsteps running down the hall behind 
  you. Your prisoner must have gotten free of his ropes.”
  Example: “Your shot ricochets into the gas tank and the leak 
  starts seeping towards the small fire. If they connect, the whole 
  thing will blow and take the sealed files with it.”
  Terrain
  Terrain is a key part of fights in this game. It’s okay to have some 
  fights in an open field or an empty room, but it’s almost always the 
  case that having more interesting terrain makes for a more inter-
  esting fight. Terrain can be used to change the tactical situation, to 
  add danger to a fight, to add short-term objectives, and to increase 
  the potential for improvisation.
  The simplest kinds of terrain are things like walls and doors, pil-
  lars and cliffs—things that decide the shape of the battlefield and 
  where players can go. These can create choke points or multiple 
  routes, protect ranged units, block lines of sight, or give surprises 
  and places to hide. These are your basic building blocks when you 
  make your map. They may be humble, but don’t overlook them—
  how you use these pieces can vastly alter the course of a combat.
  Slightly more subtle than simple walls are those things classified 
  as Difficult Terrain—broken ground, piles of bones, chest-deep 
  water. Anything that slows down a character’s movement falls into 
  this category. Each square of Difficult Terrain takes two squares 
  (or more) of movement to enter. If you can only shift one square, 
  you can’t shift into Difficult Terrain unless you spend two actions 
  Combat and Monster Design
  These are basic guidelines that you can follow to get fun combats 
  and monsters. As you grow in experience you may find yourself 
  going outside these guidelines more often to come up with en-
  counters that feel very different. That is exactly as intended—this 
  section just gives you the baseline from which you may deviate.
  Combat Design
  A typical, fairly easy combat has 1 Standard Monster per player 
  up to 4 players (not including the GM). For 5 players, increase the 
  damage of all Encounter Powers by 1 and the GM gets one Action 
  Point to spend on any monster to give it one action of any kind on 
  its turn. For 6 players, increase all monster powers’ damage by 1 
  and the GM gets two Action Points.
  The time a combat takes is very nearly proportional to the total 
  amount of enemy HP the players need to eliminate. So to increase 
  difficulty over the baseline without increasing the time spent in 
  combat, give monsters more potent damage-boosting abilities, 
  more multi-attacks, or add more Stooges (see below) instead of 
  adding more monsters.
  Miss Triggers
  Before combat, think of a couple of cool scenario Miss Triggers to 
  use and note them down. You can use these when the players miss 
  an attack instead of using the target monster’s Miss Trigger. These 
  can be narrations to show future trouble, small or large changes to 
  the terrain of the combat, or new problems to deal with.
  Don’t plan on using Miss Triggers to bring in reinforcements. You 
  cannot predict when the players will miss. If you want reinforce-
  ments to be on the way, simply have them come in on a specific 
  round. You could, however, use a Miss Trigger in round 1 to in-
  form the players of the trouble arriving in round 3.
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  a magical vortex that randomly slides any character that gets too 
  close, then you’ve strayed into the Traps section which deals with 
  those sorts of terrain that have reactions.
  Falling
  How damaging a fall should be depends a lot on the tone and 
  setting of the game. You can judge heights on an ad-hoc basis, 
  but you should be consistent. You can use a simple system or a 
  complex one. A simple system is like “when you fall, take 1 dam-
  age for each meter over 3,” while a complex one might say “Divide 
  the number of feet fallen by 10, round down then square the re-
  sult. Roll a Saving Throw—if you fail, take double that number in 
  damage. If you succeed, just take that number without doubling.” 
  Regardless of system, if you take damage from falling then you 
  land Prone.
  Environment
  On a similar note, the environment can have a mechanical effect. 
  Fighting in a septic area might give the Sick Condition to any 
  character who gets Bloodied in combat. This differs from terrain 
  in that it affects the entire battlefield. You can also use this to rep-
  resent things like low light. If everybody is fighting under the trees 
  in the dim starlight then everyone is affected equally. Giving all 
  attacks Disadvantage would just slow the fight down. Instead, give 
  some advantage to actions that would benefit from the situation. 
  For example, you might decide that in order to Hide you simply 
  need to make a Skill Roll and end your turn in Full Cover from all 
  enemies because of the deep shadows.
  Traps
  When I talk about traps, I’m talking about anything dangerous 
  on the battlefield that is less than a monster but more than simple 
  damaging terrain. Traps are built and act a lot like monsters, with 
  some key restrictions. They don’t roll Initiative and they don’t take 
  a turn, nor do they make attacks. Typically, they have two types 
  of effects: regular attacks and triggered actions. Regular attacks 
  happen at the end of each round and can affect one creature, all 
  creatures in a certain area, or even everyone. Triggered actions 
  happen when certain conditions are met.
  While traps never make attacks, that doesn’t mean they always 
  hit their target: when appropriate, the target might get a Saving 
  Throw. This distinction ensures that the focus is on the player try-
  ing to dodge the trap, not on the inanimate object’s “attempt” to 
  hit. It allows the player dodging to have Advantage or Disadvan-
  tage. It also means that traps never get critical hits. If you want 
  your trap to be able to score critical hits, just double the damage 
  when the target rolls a 1 on their Saving Throw. For more exam-
  ples, see the Sample Monsters and Traps chapter.
  Example: A sentry gun shoots one intruder at the end of 
  each round. This is a regular attack.
  Example: A hidden pressure plate causes the room to start 
  flooding when anyone steps on it. This is a triggered action.
  Example: A magical orb causes two randomly selected crea-
  tures to switch places at the end of each round. This is a regular 
  attack.
  to shift twice. A few squares of Difficult Terrain scattered around 
  is pretty much useless, but a swath of it can force a player to take 
  an extra round to cross the space or spend a round out of cover 
  and vulnerable. Also consider enemies that are not limited by the 
  same terrain as the players. An ambush by frog-kin in the swamp 
  becomes much more dangerous when the players can’t simply leap 
  off the path into the bog at top speed and go frog-hunting.
  Slopes are like Difficult Terrain, but only in one direction. Mov-
  ing up the slope costs 2 squares (or more) of movement for each 
  square you move up, while requiring no extra effort to descend. A 
  particularly steep slope might require a Skill check to climb, might 
  be descended very quickly by sliding down, and anyone caught on 
  the slope has a hard time fighting (Disadvantage to attacks).
  Firmly unsubtle is damaging terrain. Fires, pools of water elec-
  trified by downed power lines, lava flows, cliffs, caltrops, or even 
  land mines are all examples of damaging terrain. Some are much 
  more damaging than others. They all act in generally the same 
  way, though. When you enter their square, you take some amount 
  of damage. If you are forced into their square by Forced Move-
  ment, you get a chance to avoid it. Make a Saving Throw. If you 
  succeed, you fall Prone in the last safe square before the damaging 
  terrain and the Forced Movement ends—you managed to cling to 
  something or kill your momentum with a slide. This simple rule 
  can be less simple to adjudicate in practice. What if your character 
  is Dominated and the player controlling your action decides that 
  you throw yourself off a cliff? That really depends on the nature 
  of the domination, but generally I would grant a Saving Throw 
  for anything that would result in more than 3 points of damage. It 
  requires a very strong form of domination to force somebody into 
  a clearly suicidal act. Do zones created by players’ powers count as 
  damaging terrain? You’re free to decide either way in your game, 
  but I say yes it counts: I see no reason why the fire created by an 
  incendiary grenade should be different from any other fire. 
  Last, there are dynamic pieces of terrain, things that players and/
  or monsters interact with. Locked doors, security cameras, magic 
  portals, explosives, and much more. One of the big advantages 
  of roleplaying games is that everything is interactive:. If a play-
  er wants to interact with the terrain in a way that the GM didn’t 
  plan for, it’s up to the GM to come up with a ruling on the spot 
  about how that interaction should work. Remember your agen-
  da as GM—make your decision based on fairness and fitting the 
  tone, without regard to either beating or going easy on the players. 
  With that in mind, it also makes sense while designing terrain 
  to pre-plan how some of it works. If the players need to reach a 
  certain point on the map but there’s a locked door in the way, just 
  give a few seconds thought to what it looks like. Can the players 
  kick it down, or is it reinforced? How strong is the lock? Now that 
  you’ve answered those basic questions, when it comes time to de-
  scribe the door to the players you can do so in a way that informs 
  them of everything you want them to know. If it’s reinforced, that 
  is likely immediately visible. The only limit on these types of ob-
  jects is your imagination and you should come up with whatever 
  suits you. High ground can give increased accuracy to shooters, 
  some terrain can be destroyed by certain types of attacks, a narrow 
  passage might give Advantage to attackers as there is nowhere to 
  dodge. As you start thinking of more complicated examples, like 
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  Level Gaps
  When you are new to the game, it is expected that you will put the 
  players against monsters of equal level. As you get more experi-
  enced, you might want to change things up and have the players 
  fight something really hard, and substantially higher level than 
  they are. Increasing the level gap does shift the probabilities, but 
  combats in Strike! are short enough that even with a big gap, a 
  string of bad rolls can easily sink either side’s chances. A combat 5 
  levels above the players is not necessarily going to be easy for the 
  bad guys. About 5% of the time, the enemies are going to roll so 
  badly in the first few rounds that the players are the ones who will 
  have an easy time of it! Doing large amounts of damage when you 
  hit doesn’t help if you consistently miss.
  Once you have some experience with combat, you are free to ex-
  periment, safe in the knowledge that even if you make a fight too 
  hard and the players lose badly, it just means that the story twists.
  Traps come in all shapes and sizes, from minor annoyances to 
  overwhelming threats. Outside of combat, traps don’t need any 
  special rules and there’s no reason to use the Tactical Combat 
  rules just to get around a trap. See exploration on page 68.
  Lairs
  You can design a small dungeon as one combat with multiple en-
  emy groups that can be faced separately—just give the players a 
  free use of Rally in between each group they encounter. The extra 
  Rallies can keep them going in terms of Hit Points and Encounter 
  Powers so they’ll be able to face multiple groups without resting 
  and without it becoming a slog with just their At-Wills. Obviously 
  an area with this sort of design takes longer than a single simple 
  combat would to play through, but it can be a good challenge and 
  a lot of fun if you’re into the Tactical Combat part of the game.
  Long Days and Short Days
  There are two ways to challenge your players. First, you can give 
  them hard fights with ample time to recover in between. Second, 
  you can give them moderately tough fights but put the pressure on 
  so that they have trouble recovering from Conditions, wearing 
  them down over time. When they don’t have the time or opportu-
  nity to recover, then even easy fights can be tense because bad rolls 
  or bad tactics can wind up making you Winded, making the next 
  fight harder and starting a snowball effect. Giving players a series 
  of hard fights with no recovery time will lead almost surely to 
  their defeat, while giving them easy fights and easy access to re-
  covery takes away any challenge.
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  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  For example, instead of using three Standard Monsters, you could 
  equivalently use one standard enemy, two Goons, and four Stoog-
  es. Or you could use six Goons or twelve Stooges. Would these 
  combinations be precisely equally difficult? No. Some player char-
  acters are better at dealing with Goons and Stooges than others. 
  Blasters thrive with large numbers of weaker enemies, for instance.
  Converting Up
  On the other hand, sometimes you want to increase the power of 
  a monster to represent a big bad tough thing. You want an Elite, or 
  maybe even a Champion. 
  Elites are worth two Standard Monsters. To convert any of the fol-
  lowing monsters to an Elite: 
  • 
  Give it all the traits and powers of a Standard Monster at dou-
  ble its level.
  • 
  Double its HP.
  • 
  Increase the damage on all of its attacks by one.
  • 
  Give it the following trait:
   
  Elite: While you are not Bloodied, you automatically  
   
  succeed on all Saving Throws. While Bloodied, you take  
   
  two consecutive turns on your Initiative count.
  Champions are worth four Standard Monsters and are the kind of 
  super-fast super-tough opponent that can take on a whole group 
  of players by themselves. To convert any of these monsters into a 
  Champion: 
  • 
  Give it all the traits and powers of a Standard Monster at dou-
  ble its level. 
  • 
  Quadruple its HP (triple if you only have three players)
  • 
  Increase the damage on all of its attacks by one
  • 
  Give it the following trait:
   
  Champion: You act on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3.  
   
  You automatically succeed at all Saving Throws. 
   
  Each of these Initiative counts is a full turn for you. So if a  
   
  Status terminates at the end of your next turn, you 
   
  only suffer on one of your Initiative counts.
  This method will give you Elites or Champions up to level 6. For 
  increasing their power beyond that level, see page 163 for more 
  traits and abilities you can add.
  Monster Strength is Public
  Whether a monster is a Stooge, Goon, Standard Monster, Elite, 
  or Champion is something you should tell the players when they 
  see it. That information carries important information that they 
  ought to know.
  Sample Monsters
  What follows is a list of sample monsters. They are made to be 
  used at any even-numbered level. The way to use them is as fol-
  lows: they are designed for a base of level 2, and any extra traits or 
  bonuses they get at higher levels are indicated. For example, the 
  Leader’s traits are “Inspirational Leader” and “(L4 or 8) Helpful 
  Leader,” so it has the Inspirational Leader trait when used at any 
  level and has the Helpful Leader trait when used at levels 4 or 8. 
  Some powers are only available at certain levels and some powers 
  change at higher levels. The HP is listed as “X” — it is 6 plus 2 
  times the monster’s level. All of these are made to be modified and 
  the levels are included as a guideline to creating a level-appropri-
  ate challenge. Not every challenge needs to be level-appropriate, 
  and using these examples you can come up with fights that are 
  harder or easier than that baseline.
  The monsters included here will let you make a challenge any-
  where from level 2 to 12 by putting in the fight an equal number 
  of monsters and play characters of roughly equal level. If you are 
  looking for an odd numbered level, you can use monsters of one 
  level above or below, or a mix of both: a one-level difference is not 
  very significant. For easier challenges, just let the players outnum-
  ber the monsters. For tougher, increase the level of the monsters 
  without increasing the number. Want the monsters to outnumber 
  the players? Keep reading.
  Converting Down
  You can convert the monsters that follow here into Goons or 
  Stooges if you want the monsters to outnumber the players with-
  out making the fights take forever or become impossible. 
  Goons are worth half of a Standard Monster each. Goons are in-
  tended to be run more simply than Standard Monsters and with 
  less to keep track of. Instead of tracking HP, they are simply Tak-
  en Out after any two hits, or after one strong hit. They have an 
  HP threshold, and if the first damage they take does more than 
  that value, they are Taken Out. Otherwise, they are considered 
  Bloodied and are Taken Out the next time they take damage re-
  gardless of the amount. To convert any of the following monsters 
  into Goons, simply eliminate their Encounter Powers and replace 
  their HP with a threshold of 4 for levels 1-4 or 5 at level 5 and up.
  Stooges are even simpler and more numerous than Goons. In 
  place of a Standard Monster, you can use four Stooges (increase to 
  five at level 4, or six at level 7). Any instance of damage is enough 
  to take them out. To convert any of the following monsters into 
  Stooges: 
  • 
  Reduce their HP to 1. They automatically fail all Saving 
  Throws.
  • 
  Eliminate their Encounter Powers.
  • 
  Eliminate their Miss Trigger.
  • 
  Reduce the damage by 1 on all their attacks. Also reduce any 
  damage in the effect line of any attack by 1.
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  Striker
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Slippery: Shift 2 extra squares whenever you shift.
  (L4 or 8) Dodge: Whenever you grant one or more Opportuni-
  ties, roll a Saving Throw to avoid the damage and effects of one 
  of them (you choose which).
   Striking Strike
  At-Will                    2
  Effect: 2 extra damage.
   Mobile Strike
  At-Will                   2          
  Special: No effect line, but you may shift 1 square before or after 
  the attack.
   Knockdown
  Encounter              3
  Effect: Target is knocked Prone and grants you an Opportunity 
  if it stands up during or before its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, you may shift 1 square.
  Sniper
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Slippery: Shift 2 extra squares whenever you shift.
   Shoot
  At-Will           10        2
  Effect: 2 extra damage.
   Pin Down
  At-Will           10        2          
  Effect: Target takes 3 damage if it moves before the end of its 
  next turn.
   Crack Shot
  Encounter
  Make an attack and ignore cover.
   Reflex Shot (L4 or 8)
  Encounter     Reaction
  Trigger: An enemy leaves cover.
  Make a Shoot attack against it.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, you have advantage on your next 
  attack against it before the end of your next turn.
  Defender
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Defender: Enemies are Marked whenever they are within reach.
  Opportunist: You may deal 1 extra damage (L4 or 8: 2 extra 
  damage) when you deal damage on an Opportunity.
  (L4 or 8) Reach: You have Reach 2.
   Interposition
  At-Will                     2
  Effect: One adjacent ally has cover from all attacks by the target 
  until the start of your next turn or until the ally moves away from 
  you.
   Watcher
  At-Will         /  5         2     
  Effect: Target is Marked until the end of its next turn.
   Stop Sign
  Encounter      Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy attempts to leave a square adjacent to you.
  It does not move and it loses the action it spent.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, you have cover against all attacks 
  until the start of your next turn.
  Generalists
  The first sample monsters are the Generalists. You can use any 
  number of these and with a little effort you can reskin them to 
  match any number of monsters. All of these gain the following 
  traits at level 6 and up:
  Extra Damage: +1 damage to all attacks.
  Recharge: When you roll a 5 or 6 on a single-target attack or a 6 
  on a multi-target attack, you recharge one Encounter Power.
  At levels 10 and 12, they are the same as levels 6 and 8, but replace 
  “Extra Damage” with the following:
  Super Damage: +2 damage to all attacks.
  Blaster
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Friendly Blaster: You may omit one ally from an area attack.
  Damage on a Miss: When you miss, the target takes 1 damage 
  anyway.
  (L4 or 8) Deadly Blaster: You may add one enemy to an area 
  attack if it is adjacent to the area.
   Blast
  At-Will         1  10        1
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
   Make Space
  At-Will                2           1          
  Effect: Push target 3 squares.
   Big Blast
  Encounter     3  10       2
  Effect: Target is knocked Prone and takes Ongoing 2 Damage 
  (save ends).
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, create a 3x3 zone including the en-
  emy, lasting until the end of your next turn. Any creature except 
  you that enters the zone or ends its turn there takes 1 damage.
  Crowd Control
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Precision Blaster: You may omit all allies from an area attack.
  Effect on a Miss (L4+): When you miss, apply the Effect line 
  anyway.
  (L8) Deadly Blaster: You may add one enemy to an area attack if 
  it is adjacent to the area.
   Slowdown
  At-Will         2  10        1
  Effect: Target is Immobilized until the end of its next turn. (L6+: 
  save ends).
   Self-Preservation
  At-Will               2        1          
  Effect: Target is Weakened until the end of its next turn. (L6+: 
  save ends).
   Flash
  Encounter     3  10       2
  Effect: Target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, create a 3x3 zone including the en-
  emy, lasting until the end of your next turn. Any creature that 
  enters the zone or ends its turn there is Slowed (save ends).
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  146
  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  Specialists
  These monsters are a bit more complex than the generalists, and 
  it usually doesn’t make sense to have a combat full of one kind. 
  More likely, you would have a combat with some generalists and 
  one or two specialists. At levels 10 and 12, all of these are the same 
  as their level 6 and 8 counterparts, but with the following traits:
  Extra Damage: +1 damage to all attacks.
  Recharge: When you roll a 5 or 6 on a single-target attack or a 6 
  on a multi-target attack, you recharge one Encounter Power.
  Drainer
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Leech: When you hit with an attack, regain HP equal to the dam-
  age you deal.
  (L4 or 8) Find Weakness: Once you have regained HP from an 
  enemy with Leech, you have Advantage on attacks against that 
  enemy.
  (L6+) Life Bond: When you roll a 5 or 6 on an attack and hit, the 
  target takes Ongoing 2 Damage until you are Taken Out. Each 
  time it takes this damage, you regain 2 HP.
   Draw in
  At-Will           10      2
  Effect: Target must immediately move its speed towards you or 
  become Dazed until the end of its next turn.
   Enervate
  At-Will                2
  Effect: Target is Weakened until the end of its next turn.
   Co-opt
  Encounter           3
  Effect: Target makes a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Dominated 
  until the end of its next turn. Succeed or fail, when it is Taken 
  Out, it stands up with 4 HP and is Dominated until the end of 
  the encounter.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, it takes a Strike.
  Controller
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  (L4 or 8) No Exit: When you hit with an attack, the target is 
  Harried until the end of its next turn.
   Entangle
  At-Will           10      2
  Effect: Target is Immobilized (L6+: Restrained) (save ends).  
   Reposition
  At-Will           10      2
  Effect: Slide the target 3 squares. Target is Slowed (L6+: Immobi-
  lized) until the end of its next turn.
   Stupefy
  Encounter      10      3
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Blinded 
  until the end of its next turn. If it succeeds, it is Dazed instead.
   No Dice (L4 or 8)
  Encounter       Reaction
  Trigger: an enemy succeeds at a Saving Throw.
  They must reroll it.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, it is Weakened until the end of its 
  next turn.
  Brawler
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Opportunist: You may deal 1 extra damage when you deal dam-
  age on an Opportunity.
  Sticky: When an enemy moves adjacent to you, it loses any re-
  maining squares of movement.
  (L4 or 8) Damaging aura: Any creature that starts its turn adja-
  cent to you takes 1 damage.
   Multi-attack
  At-Will           1      1
  Effect: 1 damage and target is Slowed until the end of its next 
  turn.
   Come Here
  At-Will           5        2          
  Effect: Pull target adjacent.
   Sweep-Kick
  Encounter    1      2
  Effect: Target is knocked Prone.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with a melee attack, deal it 2 damage.
  Leader
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Inspirational Leader: Each ally regains 1 HP when they start 
  their turns. 
  (L4 or 8) Helpful Leader: Allies have Advantage on their Saving 
  Throws.
   Inspiring Attack
  At-Will         /  5         2
  Effect: One ally regains 2 HP (or a damaged Goon recovers).
   Command
  At-Will           
  One ally makes an attack. 
   Revive
  Encounter      Free Action
  One ally that was Taken Out rejoins the fight with 1 HP.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, you or one ally may move your 
  speed or make a Saving Throw.
  Grappler
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Stable Footing: Whenever you would be knocked Prone, make a 
  Saving Throw to avoid it. Reduce Forced Movement by 1.
  Abductor: You may move normally while Grabbing enemies. 
  Drag them along with you.
  (L4 or 8) Wrestler: You have Advantage on escape rolls. Enemies 
  have Disadvantage on rolls to escape you.
   Grab
  At-Will                    2
  Effect: Target is Grabbed. (L6+: and Restrained.)
   Crush
  At-Will                   
  Deal 3 damage to each Grabbed enemy.
   Human Shield
  Encounter     Interrupt
  Trigger: You are hit by an attack.
  One creature you have Grabbed is hit instead.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, you may Grab it if it is adjacent, or 
  move your speed towards it if it is not.
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  147
  Sneak
    
   X      1x1       
  8
  Stealthy: You need not be out of sight for a full round to become 
  Hidden. It is enough that you take a Move Action in which you 
  begin and end the move out of sight. 
  (L6+) Feint Often: Your Feint power becomes At-Will.
  (L8) Knockout Blow: When your attack brings an enemy to 0 
  HP or below, it is Taken Out.
   Sneak Attack
  At-Will         /  5         2
  Effect: 3 damage if you were Hidden from the target at any time 
  during this turn.
   Slip Away
  At-Will                2 
  Effect: Move your speed without granting the target an Oppor-
  tunity.
   Feint 
  Encounter      Reaction
  Trigger: You miss with an attack.
  You have Advantage on your next attack against that target be-
  fore the end of your next turn.
   Shadow Walk (L4+)
  Encounter   
  Turn Invisible. You remain Invisible until the end of your next 
  turn or until you attack. 
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, you may move your speed without 
  granting that enemy an Opportunity.
  Heckler
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Opportunist: You may deal 1 extra damage (L6+: 2 extra dam-
  age) when you deal damage on an Opportunity.
  Aura of Rage: Any enemy that leaves a square adjacent to you 
  must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it loses all its actions for the 
  rest of its turn.
  (L4 or 8) Lead Foe: You have Advantage on attacks against ene-
  mies that are Slowed or Marked by you, or that Frenzied on their 
  last turn.
  (L6+) Can’t Let It Go: When you hit with an attack, your target 
  is Slowed until the end of its next turn.
   Enrage
  At-Will           5     2 
  Effect: Target must run its speed directly towards you immedi-
  ately. (L6+: and loses its Move Action on its next turn.)
   Shaky Legs
  At-Will           /  5       2
  Effect: Target is Slowed (save ends).
   Inspire Frenzy
  Encounter    5     2 
  Effect: Target is Frenzied on its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, whenever it attacks any creature 
  other than you in the future, it must succeed on a Saving Throw 
  or else lose its action. This effect ends once it succeeds at such a 
  roll.
  Brute
    
   X      2x2       
  6
  Strength: When you are Slowed, your speed is 4, not 2. When 
  you are Immobilized, ignore that effect but your speed is instead 
  2. When Grabbed, you can move freely, dragging the grabber 
  with you unless it chooses to let go.
  Heavy: You cannot be thrown, and you reduce Forced Move-
  ment by 1.
  (L4+) Massive: You are immune to Forced Movement including 
  pushes, pulls, slides, and throws.
  (L4 or 6) Protective Shell: Your attackers do not gain Advantage 
  by flanking you.
  (L8) Damage Resist: Resist 1.
   Bodyslam
  At-Will                    2
  Effect: Target is thrown 3 squares. (L6: and falls Prone).
   Grab
  At-Will                    2
  Effect: Target is Grabbed.
   Living Missile
  Encounter              3
  Effect: Target is thrown up to 5 squares into an enemy. Both 
  creatures take 2 damage. 
  Special: If target is Grabbed or is willing, you may forgo the at-
  tack and simply apply the damage and this effect.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, regain 2 HP.
  Charger
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Always Charging: You can use any melee attack at the end of a 
  Charge.
  Defensive Movement: Resist 1 damage from Opportunities.
  (L4 or 8) Unstoppable Charge: While Charging, you can move 
  through enemy spaces. They must choose to shift out of your way 
  or fall Prone.
  (L4 or 8) Swift Charge: Increase your speed by 4 while Charging.
  (L6+) En Passant: While Charging, deal 2 damage to any adja-
  cent enemy to which you grant an Opportunity. 
   Rush
  At-Will                2
  Effect: Deal damage equal to one third the number of squares 
  you Charged to make this attack (round up).
   Plow
  At-Will                2
  Effect: Push the target the number of squares you Charged to 
  make this attack, up to a maximum of 5. If you would exceed that 
  maximum, knock the target Prone as well.
   Bouncing Charge
  Encounter      
  Charge and make a Plow attack, then Charge and make a Rush 
  attack against a different target.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy within your speed misses you with a ranged 
  attack, Charge it. 
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  148
  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  Packmaster
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  (L4+) Pack Tactics: When you start your turn, two Stooges may 
  move.
  Summoner: When you start your turn, summon 2 Level 1 Stoog-
  es. They act immediately after your next turn (L6+: this turn).
  (L8)Pack Lord: Your Stooges’ attacks deal 1 extra damage.
   Inspiring Strike
  At-Will          /  5      2
  Effect: Two Stooges that were Taken Out revive and stand up.
   Cannon Fodder
  At-Will         /  5      2
  Effect: Take Out any number of Stooges within 5 squares of the 
  target. Deal 2 extra damage per Stooge sacrificed.
   Loyalty
  Encounter     Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack.
  The attack hits one of your adjacent Stooges instead.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, one of your Stooges may attack the 
  triggering enemy or move its speed towards it.
  Horror
    
   X      1x1       
  6
  Opportunist: You may deal 1 extra damage (L6+: 2 extra dam-
  age) when you deal damage on an Opportunity.
  Aura of Fear: Any enemy that enters a square adjacent to you 
  must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it loses all its actions for the 
  rest of its turn.
  (L4 or 8) Sense Fear: You have Advantage on attacks against en-
  emies that are Distracted or Harried, or that Panicked on their 
  last turn.
  (L6+) No Exit: When you hit with an attack, your target is Har-
  ried until the end of its next turn.
   Strike Fear
  At-Will                  2
  Effect: Target must run its speed directly away from you imme-
  diately. (L6+: and loses its Move Action on its next turn.)
   Gnawing Doubt
  At-Will           5     2 
  Effect: Target is Distracted (save ends).
   Inspire Panic
  Encounter    5     2 
  Effect: Target is Panicked on its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, whenever it attacks you in the fu-
  ture, it must succeed on a Saving Throw or else lose its action. 
  This effect ends once it succeeds at such a roll.
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  149
  Easy Reskinning
  Reskinning any of these monsters is mostly a matter of narra-
  tion, and maybe giving it an extra unique power, but there are 
  also some common traits that help make the reskinning work. You 
  can represent a swarm of small enemies using the mob trait. A 
  monster might be incorporeal or flying or have some other special 
  form of movement that can be represented by a trait. For a full 
  list of traits, see the Monsters From Scratch section on page 161.
  Mob: Any Burst or other area attack that can target multiple 
  squares of the mob does double its base damage. A mob can oc-
  cupy the same space as other creatures and can move into their 
  squares without provoking Opportunities. The mob makes an at-
  tack against any enemy starting its turn in the mob. Mobs also 
  ignore or resist many Statuses and Effects due to the rule Fiction 
  Takes Precedence (see page 91).
  Incorporeal: Ignore all terrain. You may move through objects.
  Flyer: You start the combat with the Flying Status and can gain 
  the Flying Status when you take any Move Action. When you are 
  Bloodied, you may no longer have the Flying Status.
  Climber: You can move up to your speed while climbing.
  Leaper: As a part of your movement you may leap in a straight 
  line over creatures and obstacles within reason. This allows you 
  to avoid granting Opportunities in the middle of your movement 
  but not when you leave the first square or land in the last.
  Burrower: Acts much like leap, but you are underground during 
  the movement and may also choose to stay underground to end 
  your move.
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  150
  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  Plague Thrower
  by Jim Jacobson
  The Plague Thrower’s plague requires players to move around in a 
  different way than usual. An encounter with one Plague Thrower 
  will likely see players fairly easily shrugging off the infection, so 
  multiple plague throwers are recommended for synergy.
  Plague Thrower, Level 2
    
   10      1x1       
  6
  Immune: The Plague Thrower counts as Infected (see the Plague 
  Toss power below), but does not suffer the penalty.
   Plague Toss
  At-Will         1  10        1
  Effect: Target is Infected.
  While Infected, you are Weakened and have Ongoing 1 Damage. 
  Each time you take the Ongoing Damage, its amount increases 
  by 1. Any creature that starts its turn next to an Infected creature 
  becomes Infected. Any Infected creature that starts its turn more 
  than 5 squares away from the nearest Infected creature loses the 
  Infected Status.
   Make Space
  At-Will                2           1          
  Effect: Target is Infected. Slide target 2 squares.
   Plague Blast
  Encounter     5       2
  Special: Targets only Infected creatures.
  Effect: 3 damage.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an Infected enemy misses you, it takes its Ongoing Dam-
  age immediately.
  Dr. Frankensteins’ Monsters
  These are monsters designed all or partially by Kickstarter back-
  ers. Some use typed damage as described on page 170.
  Necrotic Wasps
  by Bardakus Maximus
  These thumb-sized parasitic wasps climb inside their still-living 
  prey to lay eggs. As the eggs develop into wasp young, the poor 
  beast playing host is driven mad. If the young are allowed to ma-
  ture, then when the host body is killed or badly damaged, a swarm 
  of new wasps will emerge. Intense heat can also cause the swarm 
  to emerge early. This fight could begin with what seems to be a 
  pack of rabid stray dogs, but the rabies turns out to be infestation. 
  Take any Standard Monster and give it the following trait. Its new 
  level is equal to its old level plus one, with a minimum of three.
  Infested: When Bloodied, the creature is instead Taken Out and a 
  Necrotic Wasp Swarm emerges. When the creature takes fire type 
  damage, it must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is immediately 
  Taken Out and the wasps emerge.
  Necrotic Wasp Swarm, Level 2
    
   18      3x3       
  6
  Delayed Initiative: The Wasp Swarm acts on the same Initiative 
  count as when it emerged. It does not act immediately when it 
  emerges, but must wait one round.
  Mob: Any Burst or other area attack that can target multiple 
  squares of the mob does double its base damage. A mob can oc-
  cupy the same space as other creatures and can move into their 
  squares without provoking Opportunities. The mob makes an 
  attack against any enemy starting its turn in the mob. 
  Short Reach: You have Reach 0. That is, you must be in some-
  one’s space to attack.
  Natural Flyer: You start the combat with the Flying Status and 
  can gain the Flying Status when you take any Move Action.
   Sting
  At-Will           0      1
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends. No save while in the 
  swarm).
   Distraction
  At-Will        0        1
  Effect: Target is Distracted until it gets out of the swarm.
   Swarm the face
  Encounter    0        2
  Effect: Target is Blinded until it gets out of the swarm.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with a melee attack, it takes a Strike 
  and is Parasitized. This infestation has no ill effects at first, but 
  requires medical treatment within a week or else it is fatal.
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  151
  Sand Razor
  by Stubin Long
  Sand Razors are large, aggressive creatures perfectly adapted as 
  the apex predators of their desert homes. Classified as a form of 
  wingless earth dragon, Sand Razors have claws well suited to bur-
  rowing through the sand and loose dirt of their hunting grounds, 
  while remaining sharp enough to easily rend flesh and metal alike. 
  The wounds caused by them have been known to bleed profusely, 
  thereby further weakening their prey. 
  Sand Razors favor two primary tactics. The first is to use their 
  mobility and ability to burrow to quickly strike at and retreat from 
  isolated opponents and then let the blood loss weaken them be-
  fore moving in for the kill. Their second tactic is to burst from the 
  ground in the middle of a cluster of opponents, viciously striking 
  out with tooth, tail, and claw at all within reach. Sand Razors have 
  also been known to kick up sand and other debris in an attempt 
  to blind their prey so that they might press their advantage or, 
  more rarely, retreat. In the unlikely event a Sand Razor retreats, let 
  it go—when wounded, the creatures go into a blood frenzy that 
  greatly increases their attack speed.
  Sand Razor, Level 8 Champion
    
   88      1x1       
  10
  Champion: You act on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. You au-
  tomatically succeed at all Saving Throws. Each of these is a full 
  turn for you.
  Strong Defense: You cannot be flanked, cannot be thrown, and 
  reduce Forced Movement by 1.
  Burrowed Advantage: You may burrow under the ground when 
  you move. When you start your turn burrowed, you have Advan-
  tage on your first attack this turn.
  Bloodied Rage: When you are Bloodied, gain an extra Attack 
  Action on each of your turns.
  Long Reach: You have Reach 2.
   Bleeding Strike
  At-Will           2      3
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
   Bloody Dervish
  At-Will        2        2
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
   Sandstorm
  Encounter    2        3
  Effect: Target is Blinded (save ends).
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you, if you are not underground you 
  may burrow without granting Opportunities to the enemy who 
  missed you.
  Zohar the Red, Burning Skeletal Mage
  by PublicOpinion
  Zohar is a Leader, and his most dangerous ability is greatly en-
  hancing all the various other enemies in the fight. He is not just 
  resistant to fire but actively benefits from being attacked with fire. 
  When he dies, he spawns another squad of angry skeletons in 
  mourning for their beloved boss.
  Zohar the Red, Level 4 Elite
    
   28      1x1       
  6
  Elite: While you are not Bloodied, you automatically succeed 
  on all Saving Throws. While Bloodied, you take two consecutive 
  turns on your Initiative count.
  Mourning Skeletons: When you are Taken Out, a level 1 Goon 
  Mob of Skeletons rises up in mourning.
  Aggressive Leader: Each ally adds 1 to the damage line of their 
  attacks.
  Hot Blooded: You Resist 2 fire damage. When you take fire dam-
  age, even if you Resist it all, you gain an extra Attack Action on 
  your next turn.
   Flurry of Fiery Fists
  At-Will           1      2
  Effect: 3 fire damage.
   Command
  At-Will         
  Two allies make Basic Attacks.
   Fiery Burst
  Encounter    1      3
  Effect: Ongoing 3 Fire Damage (save ends) and shift 2 squares.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, one of your allies 
  may make a Basic Attack against it.
  Mob of Skeletons, Level 1 Goon
    
   4 (Goon)     1x1       
  6
  Mob: Any Burst or other area attack that can target multiple 
  squares of the mob does double its base damage. A mob can oc-
  cupy the same space as other creatures and can move into their 
  squares without provoking Opportunities. The mob makes an 
  attack against any enemy starting its turn in the mob. 
  Skeletal Strength: No non-area attack can Take Out the mob un-
  less it was already Bloodied.
   Multi-attack
  At-Will           1      1
  Effect: 1 damage and target is Slowed until the end of its next 
  turn.
   Chattering Charge
  At-Will           5        2          
  Effect: Shift adjacent to the target.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with a melee attack, deal it 2 damage.
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  152
  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  Hive Wheel
  by Elkay
  Hive Wheels are a pair of large wheels with an insect hive between 
  them. These are more than simple insects, though: collective-
  ly, they have enough intelligence to build and operate the Hive 
  Wheels to get around and perform the business of civilization, 
  and to fight against their foes.
  Hive Wheel, Level 2 Elite
    
   20      1x1       
  8
  Elite: While you are not Bloodied, you automatically succeed 
  on all Saving Throws. While Bloodied, you take two consecutive 
  turns on your Initiative count.
  Roll Over: When you move, you may roll over any Prone crea-
  tures. When you do, they may make a Saving Throw to roll out of 
  the way. If they fail, they take 3 damage.
  Angry Swarm: While Bloodied, anyone who enters a square ad-
  jacent to you or starts its turn in one takes Ongoing 2 Damage.
   Swarm Attack
  At-Will           5       3
  Effect: Create a 3x3 zone centered on the target. Anyone who 
  enters the zone or starts its turn there takes Ongoing 2 Damage.
   Push Over
  At-Will                   3
  Effect: Push the target 1 square and knock it Prone.
   Wheel Rampage
  Encounter   
  Move your speed. During this movement, when you attempt to 
  enter another creature’s square, you first push it 1 square and 
  knock it Prone.
   Lost Control
  Encounter       Interrupt
  Trigger: You are Taken Out.
  Make a Wheel Rampage attack, followed by a Swarm Attack be-
  fore collapsing.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an adjacent enemy misses you with an attack, push it 1 
  square and knock it Prone.
  The Whisperer
  by Nezbleu
  The Whisperer is gifted with the original tongue of humankind, 
  the primal language that penetrates deep into the primitive re-
  cesses of our mind.
  The Whisperer is Invisible to all except the one it speaks to. As it 
  speaks, it slowly disables the target.
  The Whisperer, Level 5
    
   16      1x1       
  4
  Invisibility: The Whisperer is Invisible to all except for creatures 
  who are Reverting (see Reversion power below).
   Reversion
  At-Will           10      2
  Effect: Target is Reverting (see below) beginning at Stage 1, and 
  unable to speak until the Whisperer is Taken Out.
  As a creature reverts, it passes through stages. It makes a Saving 
  Throw at the end of its turn. When it saves, it improves by one 
  stage. When it is hit by this effect again, it worsens by one stage.
  Stage 0: Nothing
  Stage 1: Distracted
  Stage 2: Dazed and cannot see anything except the Whisperer.
  Stage 3: Panicked
  Stage 4: Taken Out
   Command
  At-Will        10 
  Special: May only target Reverting enemies who are at Stage 1 
  or worse.
  Target must immediately make an at-will attack of your choice 
  against a target of your choice.
   Diversion
  Encounter     Interrupt
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack.
  The attack hits one enemy within 2 squares instead.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy who is Reverting misses you, it worsens by one 
  stage.
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  153
  Spirit of Disco
  by David Brandt
  As with all monsters, there are many interesting and fun encoun-
  ters to be had with the Spirit of Disco that do not take place with-
  in the confines of Tactical Combat. The Spirit can strike at any 
  time and try to bring back The Scene, but it’s most likely when 
  the mood is right to evoke it. It is not a malicious spirit: it just 
  wants people to dance! While it’s around, a Disco playlist is rec-
  ommended.
  In Tactical Combat, the Spirit of Disco doesn’t work like any other 
  monster. It operates as a third party with its own goal separate 
  from the goals of the two teams. Its goal is to get everyone on 
  both teams dancing. This works best when played by an indepen-
  dent player: perhaps a guest or else a regular player whose usual 
  character is not present. When everyone is dancing, The Scene 
  comes back for a brief time and both sides lose themselves in the 
  movement. Everyone wakes up later Winded and sweaty from all 
  that dancing.
  The Spirit of Disco rolls Initiative like anyone else, but does not 
  have a physical form and cannot be attacked directly. It inflicts the 
  Dancing Status. When you are Dancing, you cannot make attacks 
  against others who also have the Dancing Status. It also means you 
  are dancing while you fight! When you are Immobilized, Grabbed, 
  or Restrained, the Dancing Status ends.
  On its turn each round, the Spirit of Disco picks one creature. That 
  creature is Dancing (save ends). Then the Spirit of Disco initiates 
  one of the following dances:
  The Electric Slide: The Spirit of Disco picks a direction. Everyone 
  Dancing slides 3 squares in that direction. Anyone they bump into 
  or end adjacent to is also Dancing (save ends) and also does the 
  slide, possibly transfering the Status further.
  The Bump Dance: The Spirit of Disco pushes each Dancing target 
  1 square. Any creatures now adjacent are Dancing (save ends), 
  and get pushed 1 square from the initial target (the Spirit chooses 
  the direction) and the dance keeps spreading in this way.
  The Disco Point: On the count of three, each Dancing creature 
  points to one creature who is not Dancing. Anyone pointed at in 
  this way must make a Saving Throw. If they fail, they are Dancing 
  (save ends).
  Disco Inferno: The Spirit designates a 7x7 area. All creatures in the 
  vicinity are pulled until they are in that area. Nobody can leave the 
  dance floor until the end of the Spirit’s next turn.
  YMCA: All creatures who were Taken Out stand up with 1 HP 
  and are Dancing until the end of the encounter. The Spirit may 
  only use this dance once per encounter.
  Brain Parasite
  by Chris Gallant
  Facehuggers, headcrabs, and brainworms, oh my! Everyone loves 
  a good parasite. This is a template that you can apply to other 
  monsters to give them such a parasite. The parasite tries to jump 
  to the players if it can. The creature you add this to has all of the 
  following powers and traits in addition to its usual ones. Its Miss 
  Trigger is added to the one below. It will be referred to as the host.
  Outside of Combat, being Infected by a Brain Parasite might leave 
  you comatose or might leave you under its command. The GM 
  will say which, and you can use your Skills to figure out how to 
  cure an Infected teammate. During Combat, Infected works as 
  follows:
  The first round you are Infected, nothing happens. The second 
  round, you must make a Saving Throw when you start your turn 
  and become Panicked that turn if you fail. The third round, you 
  must make a Saving Throw when you start your turn and become 
  Dominated (or Stunned if it leaves you comatose instead of under 
  its command) for that turn if you fail. The fourth round and there-
  after, you are Dominated (or Taken Out if you were Stunned).
  Brain Parasite, +3 Levels
    
   +6
  Transfer Attempt: Whenever the host hits with a melee attack, 
  the target is Grabbed.
  Disregard for Life: While Bloodied, the host has Advantage on 
  all attacks, but all attacks against it also have Advantage.
   Transfer Parasite
  At-Will                    3
  Special: Only targets creatures the host has Grabbed.
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Infected. 
  (See above).
   Dead Host
  Encounter
  Trigger: The host is Taken Out.
  The parasite runs free, acting on the same Initiative count as its 
  former host. Its statblock is below. It may flee or try to find a new 
  host.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, it becomes Harried 
  (save ends).
  Hostless Parasite, Stooge
   1            1x1       
  8
   New Host
  At-Will                    3
  Effect: Target must make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is Infected 
  (see above).
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, you have Advantage 
  on attacks against it.
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  Based on your answer to the first question, damage to that body 
  part will either contribute, not contribute, or count for double to-
  wards reducing the monster’s HP total. You might make a monster 
  where every area of the body is linked to its total HP, or you might 
  make a monster that only takes damage when attacked at one spe-
  cific weak point. Monsters with weak points have some way of 
  protecting that weak point—a reaction they can use to block the 
  weak point is a good way to go about this, limited to once per 
  round or under certain conditions or linked to a body part that 
  must be eliminated.
  The answer to the second question could be one of:
  • 
  The body part is destroyed/disabled. The monster loses an 
  ability or takes a penalty for the duration of the fight.
  • 
  The monster takes a temporary penalty.
  • 
  A weak point is exposed.
  • 
  The monster changes tactics.
  • 
  Any combination of the above.
  If you do too much damage to a dragon’s wings, it won’t be able to 
  fly. If you do enough damage to its head, it might be stunned for 
  a turn. If you do that much damage to its body and legs, perhaps 
  you exposed a weak point and the dragon must start fighting more 
  defensively, blowing a ring of fire around itself to keep you away 
  from the exposed flesh.
  If you are building monsters the “precise way,” traits that a Titan 
  has that are lost when a body part is eliminated are discounted by 
  half. However, for Titans even more than most monsters, don’t 
  feel limited by a points budget that stops you from giving it cool 
  parts with exciting abilities.
  Multiple Forms
  When you make a Titan with multiple forms, each form should 
  have the Hit Points of an Elite, 12 + 4 per level, although it will be 
  built like a Champion otherwise. When it changes form, the Titan 
  might have a few new abilities, or it might be a wholly different 
  fight. After the second change of form, give each player a free use 
  of Rally. This keeps the combat from turning into a slog as all the 
  players’ best powers are used up and the monster still has lots of 
  HP. The Titan is considered Bloodied only while it is in its final 
  form. If combining this with Targeting Body Parts, the 12 + 4 per 
  level acts like its total HP, and different forms can have different 
  weak points.
  How many forms you use is up to you and up to how long you 
  want the fight to go. Two or three forms should result in a fairly 
  typical fight in terms of length. More forms means a longer fight, 
  obviously. If you are considering having the fight continue for five 
  forms or more, give the players a free use of Rally after every sec-
  ond form change.
  Titans
  Titans are built like Champions. They are Champions, but with an 
  extra thing or two that makes them special. Their huge size can 
  make it important for characters to target specific body parts, they 
  can have multiple forms as their HP is reduced, and their sheer 
  size allows them to drastically alter the nearby terrain. You can 
  mix and match any of the following rules when you use Titans.
  Targeting Body Parts
  For most opponents, which part of their body you hit is simply 
  up to your narration. Titans are so huge that your position de-
  termines which parts you can even target. Titans are thus broken 
  down into sections. A dragon might have the sections: left claw, 
  right claw, body and hind legs, wings, head, and tail. 
  Based on the level of the monster, you have an HP total along with 
  an HP threshold for each body part. HP thresholds are typically 
  equal to the HP of a Standard Monster, 6 + 2 per level. As noted 
  above, the HP total should be the same as a Champion, 24 + 8 per 
  level. When designing a fight with a Titan, the main questions you 
  must answer for each body part are:
  • 
  Does the damage to this body part count towards the total? 
  Is it a weak point?
  • 
  What happens when the damage to that part exceeds its 
  threshold?
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  Sample Titans
  Sand Angler
  The Sand Angler is an example of a Titan with alternating forms. 
  On odd numbered rounds, the Sand Angler lurks beneath the sand 
  and attempts to swallow enemies from below. On its first Initiative 
  count of 7, it creates a 9x9 zone on the map. Describe this sand 
  funnel and make sure it is clear to the players that they need to get 
  out of this zone. The zone is Difficult Terrain. On Initiative counts 
  of 5 and 3, the Sand Angler pulls enemies in the zone 2 squares to-
  wards the center. Any enemies that remain in the zone at the end 
  of the round are swallowed and immediately Taken Out. 
  It begins each even numbered round by bursting forth from the 
  ground in the center of the sand funnel and using Sand Burst on 
  its Initiative count of 7. On its other Initiative counts it should be 
  moving and lashing its flagella, and attempting to Grab and swal-
  low as many characters as possible. 
  Sand Angler, Level 3 Titan
   48  3x3  
   6
  Titan: You always succeed on Saving Throws. You are immune to 
  effects that hinder your movement. Take three turns per round 
  on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. See description above.
  Reach: The Sand Angler has Reach 3.
  Growing: Each odd numbered round after the first, the damage 
  on all the Sand Angler’s attacks and Opportunities increases by 1.
  Swallow: If a Grabbed enemy is reduced to less than 0 HP, the 
  Sand Angler swallows it and it is immediately Taken Out.
  Opportunist: When granted an Opportunity, the Sand Angler 
  may choose to Grab the target instead of dealing damage.
   Lashing Flagella
  At-Will                   3         2
  Effect: 2 damage.
   Multiple Grab
  At-Will                   3         2
  Effect: Target is Grabbed and Restrained (escape ends). If the 
  target has not escaped when the Sand Angler goes underground, 
  it is Slowed until the end of its next turn.
   Swallow
  At-Will 
  Deal 2 damage to each enemy you have Grabbed. 
   Sand Burst
  At-Will              5        2
  Special: Usable on Initiative count 7 only.
  Effect: Target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy within reach misses you with an attack, it is 
  knocked Prone.
  Alternating Forms
  Another way to handle multiple forms is to have the Titan alter-
  nate forms each round instead of changing when it is hurt badly 
  enough. In odd numbered rounds, it fights normally, but in even 
  numbered rounds it becomes impossible or difficult to attack and 
  uses a huge power or combination of powers that force the players 
  to use their turn in some other way.
  Terrain Alteration
  Once each round, a Titan may use a special terrain-altering pow-
  er. Maybe it sprays out a slick of hot oil that can cause you to slip 
  if you walk on it, maybe it re-arranges the floating platforms in 
  its inner sanctum, or maybe it tears down a wall and hurls a giant 
  chunk of masonry. If this power is basically an attack, then it can 
  use the power on one of its turns. If the power is indirect or mostly 
  for show, it may use the power in addition to its usual turns. Ter-
  rain Alteration and Alternating Forms go well together.
  Moving Around
  Representing huge Titans can be tricky. Is your monster a 4x4 gi-
  ant, or a titanic robot that takes up half the map? You might have 
  a mini that works for the former, but for the latter you need to get 
  creative. Using other toys or models is a fun option, Lego is great 
  if you’ve got it, or you could be minimalist and throw down a few 
  tokens and use your imagination for what they represent.
  Moving and turning something big or that has a non-square base 
  isn’t really covered by the rules, though, so what should you do? 
  Just make it up. That seems very imprecise, but the key idea here is 
  that these gigantic monsters are literally on a different level from 
  the characters. That crate you’re hiding behind? For you, it pro-
  vides cover. For the Titan, it’s as much of an obstacle as an origami 
  box. So when the monster moves, you can spend its Move Action, 
  describe how it moves, and then just move the token(s) or fig-
  ure(s) in whatever way that makes the most sense based on what 
  you just described. That movement may still grant Opportunities, 
  and the Titan should have a Speed so you can’t just dash all around 
  the map with a single move (unless that’s one of the Titan’s traits). 
  You are still following the intent of the rules, but it’s best not to get 
  bogged down in the details of how many squares of movement it 
  should take to rotate a quarter-turn while crushing an outhouse. 
  Titans are huge and cinematic and play by a different set of rules 
  in the fiction, so it makes sense that they can ignore some of the 
  game rules, too.
  Judging Levels
  It is harder to judge what level a Titan should be than it is for other 
  monsters, especially when they have multiple forms. Don’t worry 
  too much about the levels. If you want to use a Titan at a different 
  level, simply adjust the HP and damage accordingly.
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  When phase 2 starts, remove Combinotron’s Swarm form from 
  the board and in its place put the following 5 Goons (you may 
  spread them out) along with 6 Swarmbots. Roll Initiative for these 
  new enemies.
  Sword Arm
    
   5(Goon)      3x3       
  6
  Reach: Combinotron’s sword has reach 2.
   Striking Strike
  At-Will          (2)          3
  Effect: 2 damage.
   Knockdown
  At-Will         (2)          3          
  Effect: Target is knocked Prone
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 1 Swarmbot appears 
  next to you and acts immediately after your next turn.
  Shield Arm
    
   5(Goon)      3x3       
  6
  Shield Arm: Once on each of your turns, you may designate one 
  enemy as a Free Action. You Resist 3 damage against that ene-
  my’s attacks until you designate a new one.
   Interposition
  At-Will                     3
  Effect: One adjacent ally has cover from all attacks by the target 
  until the start of your next turn or until the ally moves away from 
  you.
   Watcher
  At-Will                   3          
  Effect: Target is Marked until the end of its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 1 Swarmbot appears 
  next to you and acts immediately after your next turn.
  Cannon Leg
    
   5(Goon)      3x3       
  6
  Flyer: You start the combat with the Flying Status and can gain 
  the Flying Status when you take any Move Action. When you are 
  Bloodied, you may no longer have the Flying Status.
   Shoot
  At-Will           10        3
  Effect: 3 damage.
   Evade
  At-Will                   3         
  Effect: Gain the Flying Status and move your speed
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 1 Swarmbot appears 
  next to you and acts immediately after your next turn.
  Flamespiral Leg
    
   5(Goon)      3x3       
  6
  Self-Destruct: When Taken Out, every enemy within 5 squares 
  takes 4 damage.
   Flamespiral
  At-Will           2      2
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
   Flame Shot
  At-Will           5        3          
  Effect: Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 1 Swarmbot appears 
  next to you and acts immediately after your next turn.
  Combinotron
  Combinotron is a giant robot made up of smaller (but still huge) 
  robots, and protected by a swarm of even smaller (cat-sized) ro-
  bots. Combinotron has a shield arm, a sword arm, a giant cannon 
  on one knee and a flamethrower on the other knee. Combinotron 
  starts totally surrounded by its swarm of flying robots. Once its 
  swarm has been mostly cleared away, its true form is revealed. 
  Once its true form has been damaged enough, it splits into parts 
  and each robot fights on its own. Each piece is a Goon.
  Combinotron, Level 5 Titan
   24     7x7     
   10
  Titan: You always succeed on Saving Throws. You are immune to 
  effects that hinder your movement. Take three turns per round 
  on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. See description above.
  Mob: Any Burst or other area attack that can target multiple 
  squares of the mob does double its base damage. A mob can oc-
  cupy the same space as other creatures and can move into their 
  squares without provoking Opportunities. The mob makes an 
  attack against any enemy starting its turn in the mob. Mobs also 
  ignore or resist many Statuses and Effects due to the rule Fiction 
  Takes Precedence (see page 91).
  Reach: Combinotron’s swarm has reach 3.
  Tear Down: Once on each of your turns with Initiative count 5, 
  you may destroy one piece of cover or other object within reach 
  as a Free Action.
  Enormous: You are immune to Forced Movement including 
  pushes, pulls, slides, and throws. When you are Slowed, your 
  speed is 5, not 2. When you are Immobilized, ignore that effect 
  but your speed is instead 3.
  Recharge: When you roll a 5 or 6 on a single-target attack or a 
  6 on a multi-target attack, you recharge one Encounter Power.
   Sensor Bots
   At-Will         (3)     3
  Effect: Sensor bots attach to the target. You have Advantage to 
  attacks against the target until you hit it. This Advantage applies 
  to all your forms and pieces.
   Deploy Swarmbots
   At-Will         (3)     3
  Effect: 4 Stooges appear next to the target. They act immediately 
  after your next turn.
   Blinding Swarm
  Encounter       (3)      4
  Effect: Target is Blinded until the end of its next turn.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 4 Swarmbots appear 
  at the edge of the swarm and act immediately after Combino-
  tron’s next turn.
  Swarmbot (Stooge)
    
   1      1x1       
  6
   Entangle
  At-Will                  2
  Effect: You attach to the target. You are Taken Out. Once four 
  Swarmbots are attached to the same enemy, it is Restrained until 
  it spends an Attack Action knocking them off.
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  The Dragon
  The Dragon is an enemy with multiple parts, and its Miss Trigger 
  gives it terrain alteration. Damage to the head, body, and claws 
  counts towards the dragon’s total, while damage to the wings and 
  tail do not. Each of the left and right claws, the tail, the head, the 
  body, and the wings have HP thresholds of 24. Here is a break-
  down of what the dragon loses when you take out its body parts:
  • 
  Wings: Flyer.
  • 
  Tail: Lashing Tail. 
  • 
  Both claws: Dangerous Reach, Claw Swipe, and Miss Trigger.
  • 
  Head: Strong Will, Bite, Swallow, and Fiery Breath.
  • 
  Body: Dealing 24 damage to the body opens up a gap in its 
  scales and the body no longer has Resist 2 damage.
  Dragon, Level 7 Titan
   72     4x4     
   10
  Titan: You always succeed on Saving Throws. You are immune to 
  effects that hinder your movement. Take three turns per round 
  on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. See description above.
  Scales: Resist 2 damage. Wings only resist 1, head resists 3.
  Wings: You start the combat with the Flying Status and can gain 
  the Flying Status when you take any Move Action. 
  Dangerous Reach: You have Reach 3 with your Claw Swipe and 
  your Opportunities do 2 extra damage. You can use your reach to 
  make melee attacks while remaining Flying.
  Strong Willed: Whenever you would be Dazed, Stunned, Pan-
  icked, Dominated, or Incapacitated, you first make a Saving 
  Throw to try to avoid the effect. You do not automatically suc-
  ceed at these rolls.
  Enormous: You are immune to Forced Movement including 
  pushes, pulls, slides, and throws. When you are Slowed, your 
  speed is 5, not 2. When you are Immobilized, ignore that effect 
  but your speed is instead 3.
  Lashing Tail: When an enemy within 3 of you grants you an Op-
  portunity, you may knock it Prone in addition to dealing dam-
  age. When an enemy within 3 of you moves closer to you, it must 
  make a Saving Throw. If it fails, it is knocked Prone.
  Recharge: When you roll a 5 or 6 on a single-target attack or a 
  6 on a multi-target attack, you recharge one Encounter Power.
   Claw Swipe
   At-Will         (3)     3
  Effect: 2 damage.
   Bite
   At-Will                  3
  Effect: Target is Grabbed.
   Swallow
  At-Will 
  Deal 3 damage to any enemies you have Grabbed. If this brings 
  them below 0 HP, you swallow them and they are Taken Out.
   Fiery Breath
  Encounter     (see below)       3
  Special: Create a 3x7 zone adjacent to you. Make this attack 
  against everyone in this zone.
  Effect: Ongoing 3 Damage.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, chuck scenery. Grab 
  a nearby pillar or boulder and hurl it at the attacker, dealing 3 
  damage, knocking them Prone, and changing the terrain nearby.
  Command Module
    
   5(Goon)      3x3       
  6
  Command Swarmbots: On each Initiative count of 3, summon 2 
  Swarmbots adjacent to you. They act immediately after this turn.
   Inspiring Attack
  At-Will         /  5         3
  Effect: One damaged Goon recovers to full health, or one Goon 
  that was Taken Out stands up and rejoins the fight Bloodied.
   Command
  At-Will           
  One ally makes an attack. 
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 1 Swarmbot appears 
  next to you and acts immediately after your next turn.
  When all the Goons of Phase 2 are Taken Out, they combine to-
  gether and become phase 3.
  Combinotron, Phase 3
   24          5x5          
   10
  Titan: You always succeed on Saving Throws. You are immune to 
  effects that hinder your movement. Take three turns per round 
  on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3.
  Shield Arm: Once on each of your turns with Initiative count 
  7, you may designate one enemy as a Free Action. You Resist 3 
  damage against that enemy’s attacks until you designate a new 
  one.
  Tear Down: Once on each of your turns with Initiative count 5, 
  you may destroy one piece of cover or other object within reach 
  as a Free Action.
  Command Swarmbots: On each Initiative count of 3, summon 2 
  Swarmbots adjacent to you. They act immediately after this turn.
  Reach: Combinotron’s sword has reach 2.
  Enormous: You are immune to Forced Movement including 
  pushes, pulls, slides, and throws. When you are Slowed, your 
  speed is 5, not 2. When you are Immobilized, ignore that effect 
  but your speed is instead 3.
   Sword Arm
   At-Will         (2)       3
  Special: Only usable on Initiative count 7.
  Effect: Target is knocked prone.
   Cannon Leg
   At-Will          10        3
  Special: Only usable on Initiative count 5.
  Effect: 3 damage.
   Flamespiral Leg
  At-Will           2      2
  Special: Only usable on Initiative count 3.
  Ongoing 2 Damage (save ends).
   Rocket Punch
  Encounter            Reaction
  Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack.
  It takes 3 damage, is thrown 5 squares, and is knocked Prone
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, 2 Swarmbots appear 
  adjacent to you and act immediately after your next turn.
  Combinotron is level 5. It would be cool to build up to this fight by 
  having the players fight Standard Monster versions of the individ-
  ual huge robots on their own earlier in the campaign so they get a 
  taste of what they are facing.
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  The Gorgon
  The Gorgon Medusa instantly turns to stone any who gaze upon 
  her awful visage. She is also a deadly foe, so walking in blind with-
  out any further preparation is just going to get you killed. She lives 
  in a cave, so simply attacking her with indirect fire is not a solution 
  by itself. She has two older, immortal sisters who are even worse 
  than she is. The Medusa presents a problem, the solution to which 
  should take at least one session of play, and could be stretched into 
  a multi-session arc if the resources the players need to defeat her 
  are contained within some kind of dungeon. 
  Looking into a mirror is not, by itself, a solution. Using any mirror 
  clear enough to see her face will end with you as a statue. Looking 
  in a polished bronze shield allowing you to just make out her sil-
  houette will work, but it would be impossible to hit her like that if 
  she were on her guard. When Perseus used this trick, he first had 
  to talk to the goddess of Wisdom, then find the Graeae and trick 
  them into giving him the location of the Hesperides who helped 
  equip him. He required not only the polished shield, but also a 
  special sack to safely hold her head, an adamantine sword to cut 
  it off with, and a hat of invisibility and winged sandals so that he 
  could fly in completely invisible and silent to do the deed. The 
  hat of invisibility also allowed him to escape from her two sisters. 
  I’m listing all this not to say that your players should do all these 
  exact things—by no means! They should come up with their own 
  solution, but it absolutely cannot be as naïve or as simple as just 
  walking in with a mirror.
  Depending on how you imagine the Gorgon, you might want to 
  reskin the Sword attack to something with her bare hands, and 
  you may not want to give her the Bow attack.
  Unfair Enemies
  Here are some centerpiece monsters designed with the idea that 
  players have to find ways around their abilities. They are not com-
  plicated to play in a fight and they don’t have multiple forms and 
  tons of powers, but they do have some abilities that simply destroy 
  unprepared characters. I have not given these monsters HP val-
  ues, since they do not have a level—there is no way to accurately 
  gauge the value of traits that are intended to be unfair. You can 
  calculate the appropriate HP based on the players’ levels. These 
  monsters have At-Will Powers that would be terrifying if they 
  were Encounter Powers.
  Why would you use a monster that is intentionally unfair? To 
  force the players to overcome the monster’s combat strengths 
  by non-combat means. If they can’t face it head-on, they need to 
  think outside the box. Naturally, it is of the utmost importance 
  that the players are aware of this before they go charging headlong 
  into an unwinnable fight.
  Medusa
   X          1x1          
   6
  Champion: You act on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. You au-
  tomatically succeed at all Saving Throws. Each of these is a full 
  turn for you. 
  Petrifying Visage: Any who gaze upon you are instantly turned 
  to stone.
  Serpent Hair: Enemies that start their turn adjacent to you must 
  make a Saving Throw. If they fail, they are bitten and lethally poi-
  soned. They take Ongoing 4 Damage until the end of the encoun-
  ter and gain the Major Condition Fatally Poisoned afterwards. 
  They die if they cannot remove the Condition within 24 hours. 
  Strong Willed: Whenever you would be Dazed, Stunned, Pan-
  icked, Dominated, or Incapacitated, you first make a Saving 
  Throw to try to avoid the effect. You do not automatically suc-
  ceed at these rolls.
  Supernatural Senses: You have Advantage on any roll with your 
  senses. Your enemies have Disadvantage on any roll to hide from 
  you.
   Sword
   At-Will                3
  Effect: None.
   Bow
   At-Will          20        3
  Effect: 3 damage.
   Wall of Blades
  At-Will
  Make two Sword attacks and you have cover from all ranged and 
  melee attacks until the end of your next turn.
   Blade Dance
  At-Will
  Make four Sword attacks, shifting up to two squares between 
  each attack. 
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, shift 4 squares.
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  The Vampire
   X          1x1          
   8
  Champion: You act on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. You au-
  tomatically succeed at all Saving Throws. Each of these is a full 
  turn for you. 
  Unnatural Reflexes: You have cover against all ranged and melee 
  attacks.
  Unnatural Stealth: You have Advantage on any attempt to hide 
  and can always move absolutely silently.
  Strong Willed: Whenever you would be Dazed, Stunned, Pan-
  icked, Dominated, or Incapacitated, you first make a Saving 
  Throw to try to avoid the effect. You do not automatically suc-
  ceed at these rolls.
  Unnatural Senses: You have Advantage on any roll with your 
  senses. Your enemies have Disadvantage on any roll to hide from 
  you.
  Natural Flyer: You start the combat with the Flying Status and 
  can gain the Flying Status when you take any Move Action.
  Weaknesses: While exposed to sunlight, you are Weakened and 
  take Ongoing 3 Damage. Any character may spend an Attack ac-
  tion to raise a holy symbol to keep you away. Until the end of the 
  character’s next turn you may not move adjacent nor make any 
  melee attack against them.
   Unnatural Strength
   At-Will                3
  Effect: Target is thrown 5 squares. If it hits a wall, it takes 1 dam-
  age for each unused square of forced movement.
   Dazzling Spell
  At-Will          10        3
  Effect: Target is Blinded (save ends).
   Drink Blood
  At-Will                3
  Effect: 2 damage and you regain HP equal to twice the amount 
  of damage dealt with this power. The target takes a Strike and if 
  it finishes the combat with enough Strikes to gain the Injured 
  Condition, it instead gains the Infected Condition and turns into 
  a Vampire if not cured.
   Charm Spell
  At-Will         Role Action
  Choose one creature within 10 squares. You may choose the tar-
  get’s Move Action at the start of its turn (save ends).
  First failed saving throw: Target is Dominated (save ends)
  Second failed saving throw: Target is completely enthralled by you 
  until the end of the encounter (and possibly beyond, depending 
  on how things end up). It is playing for the bad guys until you 
  are defeated.
   Mist Form
  At-Will         Move Action
  You turn into mist. You cannot attack or be attacked while in this 
  form. Revert back to your normal form as a Move Action.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, a Swarm of Bats ap-
  pears adjacent to you.
  The Vampire
  Not a vampire, but The Vampire. He lives in a huge castle. He is 
  a master of magic and can only be killed with a stake through 
  the heart. He can be warded off by garlic, holy symbols, and holy 
  water. He must flee from sunlight. His castle is full of minions and 
  traps. He rests in his coffin by day, and can only exert minimal 
  control over his castle while the sun is up. Because of his unearthly 
  speed he is a deadly foe and to take him on at night in his own 
  castle is suicide. The goal of any adventuring party by day is to find 
  his resting place and kill him before nightfall. After nightfall, any 
  would-be vampire hunters are on the defensive, trying to survive 
  the night in a magically changing castle, hunted by The Vampire 
  and his allies.
  The Vampire acts in the outside world through intermediaries as 
  a great lord, collecting taxes and all the rest. So The Vampire has 
  allies and spies outside his castle, but also enemies. Equipment 
  will be important for this venture, but information will be critical 
  as finding the Vampire’s resting place quickly is key.
  Swarm of Bats
    
   5(Goon)      3x3       
  6
  Mob: Any Burst or other area attack that can target multiple 
  squares of the mob does double its base damage. A mob can oc-
  cupy the same space as other creatures and can move into their 
  squares without provoking Opportunities. The mob makes an 
  attack against any enemy starting its turn in the mob.
  Distraction: When the swarm is occupying the space of any en-
  emy, all attacks against that enemy have advantage.
  Disperse: When damaged but not Taken Out, the swarm dis-
  perses around the room. It cannot be attacked or even damaged 
  while dispersed. When it starts its next turn, it coalesces in a 
  square within 10 of where it dispersed.
  Flyer: You start the combat with the Flying Status and can gain 
  the Flying Status when you take any Move Action. When you are 
  Bloodied, you may no longer have the Flying Status.
   Bite
  At-Will                  2
  Effect: 1 damage and if you were Bloodied, you recover to full 
  health.
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with an attack, disperse as though 
  you had taken damage.
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  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  The Dragon (Unfair Edition)
  The Dragon can fly out of reach of your weapons, can breathe fire 
  hot enough to melt stone, is enormous, is wickedly intelligent, 
  has a mesmerising ability with her words and her gaze, and has 
  scales that are nigh-impenetrable by any mundane weapon. She 
  has superhuman senses, especially smell. She lives in a lair inside 
  a dangerous fortress. She may or may not have minions that wor-
  ship her as a god. The people in the vicinity are terrified of her and 
  oppressed. She has vast wealth and can use it to pay for spies and 
  bribe the unwary. 
  Players need to find a way to penetrate her defenses, bypass her 
  mesmerizing qualities, not get melted, and prevent her from fly-
  ing away to wreak havoc. They might try to find a secret way into 
  her lair to avoid the main entrance which she has well-guarded. 
  Any plan they can think of must be disguised with false fronts and 
  misdirection or else it will be easily found out by a combination of 
  her spies and her wicked intelligence.
  The Dragon (UE)
   X          4x4          
   10
  Champion: You act on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. You au-
  tomatically succeed at all Saving Throws. Each of these is a full 
  turn for you. 
  Scales: You Resist 3 all and have cover against all attacks.
  Enormous: You are immune to Forced Movement including 
  pushes, pulls, slides, and throws. When you are Slowed, your 
  speed is 5, not 2. When you are Immobilized, ignore that effect 
  but your speed is instead 3. When Grabbed, you can move freely, 
  dragging the grabber with you unless it chooses to let go.
  Strong Willed: Whenever you would be Dazed, Stunned, Pan-
  icked, Dominated, or Incapacitated, you first make a Saving 
  Throw to try to avoid the effect. You do not automatically suc-
  ceed at these rolls.
  Lashing Tail and Swiping Claws: You have Reach 3. Your Op-
  portunities do 4 damage and knock the triggering enemy Prone.
  Natural Flyer: You start the combat with the Flying Status and 
  can gain the Flying Status when you take any Move Action.
  Recharge: Regain the Fiery Breath power when you roll a 5 or 6 
  on an attack.
   Bite
  At-Will         (3)       3
  Effect: Target is Grabbed in your mouth and moves with your 
  head. If the target does not escape on its turn, it is swallowed and 
  Taken Out.
   Rampage
  At-Will           2      2
  Effect: 2 damage and slide the target 4 squares.
   Fiery Breath
  Encounter
  Create a 2x5 zone adjacent to you. Any creature in the zone with-
  out cover from you takes 16 damage. If the creature has cover, it 
  takes damage depending on the quality of that cover. Behind Full 
  Cover, the creature only takes 4. Behind Low Cover, the creature 
  takes 8 damage.
   Fly Away
  At-Will         Move Action
  You get the Flying High Status. You are out of range of all attacks 
  but your attacks are out of range too. You can remove this Status 
  with another Move Action. While Flying High, you might drop 
  anyone you have Grabbed. The fall from this height will leave 
  them Taken Out. Similarly, anyone who escapes your jaws will 
  then fall. To avoid this fate, any character that does escape may 
  choose to still be Grabbed but safe from being swallowed.
  Special: You cannot take this action while Immobilized or Re-
  strained, and must spend both your Move and Attack Actions to 
  do it while Slowed.
   Terror
  Encounter         Reaction
  Trigger: You are Bloodied.
  Each enemy that can see you must make a Saving Throw. If they 
  fail, they are Panicked (save ends).
   Miss Trigger
  At-Will           Reaction
  When an enemy misses you with a ranged attack, it must move 
  its speed toward you.
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  Caveat
  The rules below focus only on the combat characteristics of a 
  monster. Monsters should be interesting outside of combats, be-
  fore combats, and after combats too! Monsters can have many 
  awesome and cool traits that can have very strong impacts on the 
  characters that may not be listed here, simply because they don’t 
  come up in combat. Can the monster wait unmoving for weeks 
  on end? Great! Don’t neglect those traits. Make your monsters 
  cool and scary. And always remember that, like player characters, 
  your monsters can communicate and use their Skills and abilities 
  during combat.
  Traits and Powers
  First and foremost, a monster should have all the traits and pow-
  ers it needs to fulfill your vision and not one more. You can get 
  away with having one really complicated monster in a combat, 
  but if you have five of them then you’ll be seriously slowing things 
  down with all the decisions you’ve given yourself. Champions 
  and Elites are more complex than Standard Monsters. Adding to 
  damage is a good way to make a monster stronger without adding 
  complications.
  Pick traits from the list later in this section, or make up your own. 
  They have numbers next to them, but for the easy way, you can 
  just ignore those.
  Monsters From Scratch
  There are two ways to make monsters: the easy way, and the pre-
  cise way. The precise way gives you a better idea of how strong the 
  monsters will be, but it takes more effort. When you’re just start-
  ing out with the game, start by simply using the sample monsters 
  and reskinning them. Feel free to modify them to add or remove 
  traits and change powers as necessary. As you GM more, building 
  monsters from scratch is something you will want to learn. 
  The easy way has two steps:
  1. Pick traits and powers.
  2. Pick a monster type.
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  T e a M  M o n s T e r
  For Goons, instead of tracking HP, they have an HP threshold, 
  and if the first hit they take does more than that value, they are 
  Taken Out. Otherwise, they are considered Bloodied and are Tak-
  en Out on the next hit regardless of how much damage it does. 
  The threshold is 4 (increasing to 5 at level 5). Their attacks do 
  2 damage. Goons should not have Encounter Powers, since their 
  entire purpose is to be numerous and easy to track. A power that 
  triggers or becomes available when they are Bloodied can substi-
  tute for an Encounter Power if you like, since you will be tracking 
  that Status already.
  Standard Monsters have HP equal to 6 plus twice their level. Their 
  At-Will attacks do 2 damage. Unlike Stooges and Goons, they can 
  also have one Encounter Power, which does 3 damage.
  Elites have twice the HP of a Standard Monster at the same level. 
  They do 3 damage on their At-Wills and 4 damage on their En-
  counter Powers. Elites automatically succeed on all Saving Throws 
  while they are not Bloodied. While they are Bloodied, they get two 
  consecutive turns on their Initiative count. An Elite with some 
  Stooges or Goons for backup makes a great boss fight.
  Champions are fast and strong. A single one is a match for four 
  player characters. Champions have four times the HP of a Stan-
  dard Monster at the same level. They deal damage on their attacks 
  like Elites but take three turns per round. They act on Initiative 
  counts of 7, 5, and 3. Champions automatically succeed on all Sav-
  ing Throws. Champions should have very strong Miss Effects.
  Regardless of monster type, zone attacks or multi-target attacks 
  should do 1 less damage than single-target attacks. That means 
  that Stooges with area attacks should do a base of zero damage, 
  only applying an effect (although that effect might include dam-
  age).
  Making mistakes
  Designing monsters is not nearly so high-stakes as designing a 
  new character Class because you only have to use the monster 
  once—if it doesn’t work, you can either change it between com-
  bats or ditch it entirely if fixing it would be too hard. You can 
  even fix a monster mid-combat if you made a calculation error or 
  if it’s actually broken. Recall the heading “Fudging the Numbers” 
  on page 140.
  The Precise Way
  The precise way starts off like the easy way, but adds one extra 
  step. Instead of giving the monster a level based on what level the 
  players are, you use the traits and powers you gave the monster to 
  calculate a level. Then you give it the appropriate HP for its level, 
  and you will have a good idea of how powerful it is. 
  When you use these guidelines to create monsters of roughly the 
  players’ levels, and when you use one Standard Monster per play-
  er, or equivalent, the fight is very likely to go in the players’ favor, 
  but also very likely to end with them owing at least a Minor Con-
  cession.
  For powers, come up with effects that it makes sense for the 
  monster to have. Use the sample monsters and player characters’ 
  powers as guidelines. If you use effects that effectively take away 
  a player’s choices for a turn, like Dominated or Panicked, you 
  should typically give the player a Saving Throw to avoid the Status. 
  Again, don’t give the monster more powers than it needs. 
  Monsters should have some way of achieving their role. Ideally, 
  these are passive things like bonuses to damage, resistances, or al-
  ternative movement types, but sometimes they need Role Actions. 
  Use Role Actions sparingly—one monster taking a Role Action 
  each round is no problem, but when all the monsters have them, 
  that starts to slow things down. I almost never give Monsters Role 
  Actions.
  Monsters have actions that occur when they are missed by an at-
  tack. These are called Miss Effects. When things are going well 
  for the players, these won’t come up much and won’t affect the 
  balance. When the players roll badly, these are more common and 
  potent Miss Effects can make bad luck turn worse. When using 
  the Take Cover rules, they also encourage players to use terrain to 
  get high-quality chances and refrain from taking low-odds shots 
  into cover.
  Miss effects can often take the role of Role Actions in helping 
  monsters achieve their combat role. To keep combat moving 
  smoothly, don’t include too many complicated Miss Effects. Sim-
  ple is better for most monsters, and special monsters can get more 
  complicated ones.
  Example: My dragon needs to breathe fire, bite and claw 
  multiple foes, and sweep the field with its tail. So I focus on 
  making those powers cool and effective, rather than cluttering 
  it with a bunch of less-important powers. It needs to fly and 
  have tough armored skin, so I pick traits to match those. It’s 
  also incredibly smart and it loves treasure and so on, but those 
  are things that I will bring out with my roleplaying. I don’t need 
  to write those up as combat traits. I want to emphasize the de-
  struction the dragon does, so for a Miss Effect, the dragon will 
  smash down a part of a building and hurl it towards the char-
  acter that missed.
  Monster Type
  When you pick a monster type, you are picking how many of 
  them make up a combat. Recall that the types are: Stooges, Goons, 
  Standard Monsters, Elites, and Champions. For monsters that are 
  even weaker than Stooges, that need to gang up on the players in 
  a swarm to pose any threat, use a Standard Monster with the Mob 
  trait.
  The level of a monster is typically the level of the players, but you 
  can change this if you like. Don’t use monsters more than a few 
  levels above the players, or else the combat can slow down as they 
  have too much HP.
  A Stooge always has 1 HP and its attacks do 1 damage. Use four 
  Stooges (five at level 4, six at level 7) instead of one Standard Mon-
  ster.
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  Tier 6: Incapacitated or Dominated; Ongoing 4 Damage; revive a 
  fallen ally at half its HP.
  *Do not use the Stun effect on player characters. It just means they 
  don’t get to play. It is included here only for reference.
  Healing yourself or one ally X HP is tier X. 
  Changing an effect from one round to (save ends) increases its tier 
  by one. Allowing a Saving Throw to avoid the effect lowers its tier 
  by two. Allowing a Saving Throw to lessen, but not avoid the effect 
  lowers its tier by one.
  Ranged Attacks
  Generally, just give monsters whatever range they need on their 
  powers to fulfill their role. If they are primarily ranged attackers, 
  they need range 10 to match most ranged player characters. If they 
  mix melee and ranged attacks, then range 5 is appropriate. If you 
  want to give a monster range 15 or even 20, go ahead, as long as 
  you’ve thought through what that will mean in play.
  Common Traits
  Traits’ and powers’ point costs are marked in square brackets. If 
  no cost is marked, the default is 1 point. [*] means variable cost, 
  usually depending on how many players it affects—use your judg-
  ment. [X*] means variable, but at least X. [Tier] means that the 
  cost is equal to the effect’s tier, with a minimum of 1. These trait 
  costs vary depending on your choices and on the player charac-
  ters’ abilities. Flying is very powerful if all the player characters 
  are melee-focused, but less so if they are all ranged. Traits may be 
  worth negative points—these should be used only sparingly, and 
  only if they are relevant. Restricting a powerful trait can be worth 
  a reduction in points. For example, a trait that only comes into 
  play when the monster is Bloodied ought to be less expensive at 
  the GM’s discretion.
  Warning: giving dangerous monsters defensive abilities like re-
  sistances can help emphasize their threat level and make players 
  choose between slowly taking out the real danger or taking out the 
  easier enemies first. However, if you give all the monsters in an 
  encounter defenses, it simply slows things down.
  Monster Types
  Mob [2]: Any Burst or other area attack that can target multiple 
  squares of the mob does double its base damage. A mob can oc-
  cupy the same space as other creatures and can move into their 
  squares without provoking Opportunities. The mob makes an at-
  tack against any enemy starting its turn in the mob. Mobs also 
  ignore or resist many Statuses and Effects due to the rule Fiction 
  Takes Precedence (see page 91).
  Elite [N/A]: While you are not Bloodied, you automatically suc-
  ceed on all Saving Throws. While Bloodied, you take two consec-
  utive turns on your Initiative count.
  Champion [N/A]: You act on Initiative counts of 7, 5, and 3. You 
  automatically succeed at all Saving Throws. Each of these is a full 
  turn for you. So if a Status terminates at the end of your next turn, 
  you only suffer on one of your Initiative counts.
  Precisely imprecise
  Although we call this the precise way of making a monster, and it 
  is certainly more precise than the easy way, it is not true that two 
  different monsters that have been calculated to have the same 
  level pose an exactly equal threat. Some groups are strong against 
  certain kinds of monsters and weak against other kinds. If you 
  pick powers and traits that work well together, your monster will 
  be stronger than if you pick powers and traits haphazardly. As 
  you get familiar, you’ll be able to get fancy and design monsters 
  specifically to challenge your group to whatever difficulty you 
  like. There is no substitute for experience.
  Traits listed below cost points. If you made up your own trait, try 
  to find something similar on the list to use to estimate a point cost. 
  Most traits just cost one point, but some cost many, and some ac-
  tually cost negative points. Add up all the points from traits.
  Next, you need to adjust for how strong the monster’s powers are. 
  You will find below a list of Effect Tiers. Use the examples there to 
  figure out a tier for each power.
  For Stooges, who only have At-Wills, you only consider their 
  strongest power. Add 2 points for every tier above Tier 1 on the 
  effect of the power. Stooges should never have effects above Tier 4.
  For all other monsters:
  • 
  Add 2 points for every tier above Tier 2 on the effect of their 
  strongest At-Will Power. 
  • 
  Add 2 points for each Encounter Power beyond the first. 
  • 
  Add 1 point for every tier above Tier 4 on each Encounter 
  Power or Triggered power.
  Now your monster has a point total arising from their powers and 
  traits. For a Stooge, Goon, or Standard Monster, this is its level. 
  For an Elite or Champion, divide this in half to get its level.
  Building backwards
  You can aim a monster at a particular power level by deciding 
  first what level you want it to be. For a Stooge, Goon, or Stan-
  dard Monster, spend points equal to the desired level on traits 
  and power effects, using the same rules as above. For an Elite or 
  Champion, spend points equal to double the desired level. 
  Effect Tiers
  Tier 1: Harried, Distracted, or Slowed; Ongoing 1 Damage.
  Tier 2: Weakened, Immobilized, or Grabbed; grant a Saving 
  Throw, Forced Movement 3 or fewer squares.
  Tier 3: Prone or Dazed; Ongoing 2 Damage, Forced Movement 
  over 3 squares.
  Tier 4: Restrained or Panicked; revive a fallen ally at 1 HP.
  Tier 5: Blinded or Stunned*; Ongoing 3 Damage; heal all allies 2 
  HP.
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  Flyer [2]: You start the combat with the Flying Status and can gain 
  the Flying Status when you take any Move Action. When you are 
  Bloodied, you may no longer have the Flying Status. [Costs +2 
  points to ignore the last sentence.]
  Climber: You can move up to your speed while climbing.
  Leaper: As a part of your movement you may leap in a straight 
  line over creatures and obstacles within reason. This allows you 
  to avoid granting Opportunities in the middle of your movement 
  but not when you leave the first square or land in the last.
  Burrower: Acts much like leap, but you are underground during 
  the movement and may also choose to stay underground to end 
  your move.
  Dodge [2]: Whenever you grant one or more Opportunities, roll a 
  Saving Throw to avoid the damage and effects of one of them (you 
  choose which).
  Super Dodge [5]: You never grant Opportunities.
  Defending
  Damage Resist [5]: Resist 1.
  Super Resist [12]: Resist 2.
  Hyper Resist [21]: Resist 3.
  Effect Resist [*]: When hit by a specific type of attack, gain some 
  positive effect… gaining extra speed on your next turn, for in-
  stance.
  Vulnerable [-X*]: Vulnerable X to a specific type of attack.
  Effect Vulnerable [-Tier*]: When hit with a specific kind of at-
  tack, you take some negative effect.
  Stable Footing: Whenever you would be knocked Prone, make a 
  Saving Throw to avoid it. Reduce Forced Movement by 1.
  Belly Crawl: You cannot be knocked Prone.
  Balanced: When subject to Forced Movement, you decide where 
  the movement takes you.
  Protective Shell: Your attackers do not gain Advantage by flank-
  ing you.
  Lightweight [-1]: All Forced Movement against you is increased 
  by 1, and you have Disadvantage to escape Grabs.
  Heavy: You cannot be thrown, and you reduce Forced Movement 
  by 1.
  Massive [2]: You are immune to Forced Movement including 
  pushes, pulls, slides, and throws.
  Attacking
  Recharge: When you roll a 5 or 6 on a single-target attack or a 6 
  on a multi-target attack, you recharge one Encounter Power.
  Extra Damage [3]: +1 damage to all attacks.
  Super Damage [7]: +2 damage to all attacks.
  Hyper Damage [12]: +3 damage to all attacks.
  Weak Damage [-3]: –1 damage to all attacks.
  Damage on a Miss: When you miss, the target takes 1 damage 
  anyway.
  Effect on a Hit [2xTier]: Whenever you hit with an attack the 
  target is. . . thrown 3 squares, for example.
  Effect on a 6 [Half of Tier, rounded up]: Whenever roll a 6 on an 
  attack the target is. . . knocked Prone, for example.
  Take Advantage: Deal 1 extra damage when you hit with an at-
  tack with Advantage.
  Conditional Advantage [2*]: Attacks have Advantage when… 
  Charging, for example.
  Always Advantage [6]: All your melee (or ranged) attacks have 
  Advantage.
  Time Shift: Send an attack back into the past. Spend next turn’s 
  Attack Action now to attack any target(s) with one of your attack 
  powers, even a target not in range of that power. If on your next 
  turn, you cannot get in a position where you could have attacked 
  that target with that power, take 5 points of damage from paradox.
  Power Thief [3*]: You may use any power that you have seen any 
  character use.
  Movement
  Speedy: +2 to speed.
  Super Speedy [2]: +4 to speed.
  Slippery: Shift 2 extra squares whenever you shift.
  Unhindered: Ignore Difficult Terrain.
  Incorporeal [3]: Ignore all terrain. You may move through ob-
  jects.
  Strength: When you are Slowed, your speed is 4, not 2. When you 
  are Immobilized, ignore that effect but your speed is instead 2. 
  When Grabbed, you can move freely, dragging the grabber with 
  you unless they choose to let go.
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  Helpful Leader [2]: Allies have advantage on their Saving Throws.
  Aggressive Leader [4]: Each ally adds 1 to the damage line of 
  their attacks.
  Pack Lord [2]: Your Stooges’ attacks deal 1 extra damage.
  Summoner [X]: When you start your turn, you summon X level 1 
  Stooges. They act immediately after your next turn.
  Duelist [3]: Name one target. +1 damage on attacks against it and 
  resist 1 damage from it. May name a new target when the original 
  target is taken out.
  Sticky: When an enemy moves adjacent to you, they lose any re-
  maining squares of movement.
  Defender: Enemies are Marked whenever they are within reach.
  Guard: All allies are Guarded while adjacent to you.
  Reach: You have Reach 2.
  Super Reach [3]: You have Reach 3.
  Hyper Reach [5]: You have Reach 4.
  Wrestler: Advantage on escape rolls. Enemies have Disadvantage 
  on rolls to escape you.
  Abductor: You may move normally while Grabbing enemies. 
  Drag them along with you.
  Friendly Blaster: You may omit one ally from an area attack.
  Precision Blaster [2]: You may omit all allies from an area attack.
  Deadly Blaster: You may add one enemy to an area attack if they 
  are adjacent to the area.
  Power Magnet: All attacks of a particular type (e.g. magical at-
  tacks) target this creature, regardless of who the attacker thought 
  they were targeting or what they intended.
  Charge Up [*]: Each time a trigger happens (e.g. you are hit, you 
  hit an enemy, you take a certain type of damage), take a token. 
  When you are Taken Out (or Bloodied, or when you choose), deal 
  damage to all enemies within 5 equal to the number of tokens you 
  have.
  Hydra [5]: Gain an extra Attack Action each turn while you are 
  Bloodied. (Do not take this trait with an Elite, Champion, or Ti-
  tan.)
  Stronger on a Miss [2]: Each time you miss, increase the damage 
  of all your attacks by 1.
  Zombie[2]: When Taken Out by anything other than a critical 
  hit, make a Saving Throw. If you succeed, you stand up with 1 HP.
  Strong Willed [*]: Whenever you would be Dazed, Stunned, 
  Panicked, Dominated, or Incapacitated, you first make a Saving 
  Throw to try to avoid the effect. You do not automatically succeed 
  at these rolls if you are a Champion or Elite.
  Berserker: When Panicked, instead of rolling a die to determine 
  what action to take, treat the roll as a 6. When Stunned on your 
  turn, you may make one Basic Attack or Charge.
  Cold[*]: You are immune to Panic, fear-based effects, and psychic 
  effects.
  Painful Touch: Any character that Grabs you takes 2 damage or 
  suffers some effect.
  Regenerator[X]: Regenerate X+1. (See the Glossary, page 95.)
  Super-Regenerator [Number of players]: Regenerate 2 HP per 
  player character. Lose this trait when it fails to bring you to full 
  health.
  All-or-nothing: Your maximum HP is halved, but you Regenerate 
  all your HP each time you start your turn. (Do not take this trait 
  with an Elite, Champion, or Titan.)
  Resilient: Save at the beginning of your turn instead of the end.
  Second Chance: The first time you have been Taken Out, stand up 
  at the start of your next turn and rejoin the fight with 1 HP.
  Splinter: Start the fight with half your normal HP. When you 
  would be Taken Out, instead split into four Stooges (five at level 
  4, six at level 7) with all your traits (except this one) and At-Will 
  Powers.
  Revenge [*]: Each time you fail a save, increase the damage on 
  your attacks by 1. 
  Roles and Miscellaneous
  Opportunist: You may deal 1 extra damage when you deal dam-
  age on an Opportunity.
  Damaging Aura[3]: Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to 
  you takes 2 damage.
  Effect Aura [Tier+1]: Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to 
  you takes an effect.
  Stealthy: You need not be out of sight for a full round to become 
  Hidden. It is enough that you take a Move Action in which you 
  begin and end the move out of sight.
  Invisible [6]: The monster cannot be seen. (See page 94)
  Disease (or Curse): If a character takes enough Strikes to become 
  Injured, he instead becomes Sick (or Cursed).
  Inspirational Leader [2X]: Each ally regains X HP when they 
  start their turn. 
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  Take Aim (r): On your next turn you have Advantage if you make 
  a ranged attack against the attacker.
  Penalties to the Attacker
  Riposte (m): Attacker takes 2 damage.
  Area Attack: Create a 3x3 zone centered on the attacker. Crea-
  tures starting their turn in that zone take 1 damage.
  Effects: Target is… Immobilized or Weakened, for instance.
  Area Effect: Create a 3x3 zone centered on the attacker. Creatures 
  starting their turn in the zone are… Slowed, for instance.
  Note: For these last two, the effects should usually last until the 
  end of the attacker’s next turn. If you make it save ends, the at-
  tacker has a chance to save immediately—for a major effect like 
  Dominated, this is a good thing.
  Knockdown (m): Attacker is knocked Prone.
  Forced Movement: Pull/Push/Slide attacker 2 squares.
  Mark: Attacker is Marked until the end of its next turn.
  Misfortune: The attacker takes an extra Strike.
  Grab: Move adjacent to the attacker and Grab them.
  Charge (r): Charge the attacker if it is within charging range.
  Chuck Scenery: Smash a huge boulder or piece of masonry at the 
  attacker—they take 2 damage, as does everyone adjacent. Any ad-
  jacent cover is reduced or damaged, as is the terrain from which 
  the boulder came.
  Terror: Whenever they attack you in the future, the attacker must 
  succeed on a Saving Throw or else lose their action. This effect 
  ends once they succeed at such a roll.
  Intimidate: Attacker and any adjacent enemies must make a Sav-
  ing Throw. If they fail, they are Panicked on their next turns.
  Sample Role Actions
  Remember to use Role Actions sparingly, and only in cases where 
  a Miss Effect would be inappropriate. Note that Role Actions 
  should never have attack rolls, even if they are attacks.
  At-Will Powers
  Shifty: Shift one square.
  Tactics [2]: One ally may immediately use a Move Action.
  Bless [3]: One ally gains Advantage on their next attack.
  Curse: One target within 10 is Vulnerable 1 (save ends).
  Entangle: One target within 10 is Slowed until the end of its next 
  turn.
  More Negative Traits
  Slow Start [-1]: You always lose Initiative.
  Mindless [-1]: You can only attack nearest target each turn.
  Two Left Feet [-1]: You can’t shift.
  Slow [-1]: Your speed is 4.
  Very slow [-2]: Your speed is 2.
  Immobile [-4]: You are immobile. 
  Fragile [-1]: A critical hit automatically takes you out.
  Ranged Only [-4]: You do not have a melee attack and if you are 
  hit by a damaging melee attack, you are immediately Taken Out.
  Traits Above and Beyond
  Some traits are too powerful to be rated in points. An enemy who 
  is invincible except to sunlight may prove to be an easy challenge 
  or an impossible task depending on the situation. Traits like this 
  are fantastic. If alone, a monster like this becomes a puzzle instead 
  of a regular combat. With more typical allies, it adds a puzzle el-
  ement and extra threat to a normal fight. Other examples include 
  enemies that turn you to stone if you meet their gaze or that re-
  turn to life unless killed by fire. Typically these traits amount to 
  either conditional invincibility or super-powerful attacks.
  Sample Miss Triggers
  Some miss effects only make sense when the missing attack is 
  ranged or melee. These are indicated in parentheses. Miss effects 
  are typically either bonuses to the target who was missed, or pen-
  alties to the attacker.
  Bonuses to the Target
  Recover: Regain 2 HP.
  Slippery: Shift.
  Shield: You have cover from all attacks until the end of your next 
  turn.
  Fade Out: Become Invisible.
  Revive: One Stooge joins or rejoins the fight.
  Command: One Stooge attacks the attacker or moves adjacent.
  Tactics: Four allies may shift.
  Healing: One ally regains 4 HP.
  Mass Healing: Each ally regains 2 HP.
  Ready Action (r): Prepare an action to… shoot the attacker if they 
  move, for instance.
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  Beyond Your Abilities
  Some monsters are just too big and powerful for adventurers to 
  kill. If this is the case, you must state this up front before combat 
  so players can adjust their intent accordingly. “You can’t destroy 
  the giant armed as you are, but you might be able to drive it 
  away.”
  The optional rule is this: the players cannot kill or capture any 
  monster more than 3 levels above them. If the players come spe-
  cially prepared and armed, this does not apply.
  Troubleshooting
  My monster came out the wrong level!
  If you want it to be higher level to pose a tougher challenge for your 
  players, just spend extra points on damage or resistance. If you find 
  that you’ve spent enough points to make it a higher level than you 
  desired, either find something to cut or simply reduce its HP. If you 
  want the monster to be around the strength of level 4, but you spent 
  7 points on all its traits, just give it the HP of a level 2 monster. 
  What do I do if my players keep losing?
  Honestly, this is a great problem to have. The solution is almost al-
  ways to simply use fewer monsters. Downgrade some monsters to 
  Goons or cut them altogether. As a side-benefit, the combats go fast-
  er too.
  What do I do if my players keep winning and need more chal-
  lenge?
  This one is tougher, because the obvious solution (use more mon-
  sters) can have the side-effect of slowing down combats. If the com-
  bats are going quickly, you can add monsters or bump them up to 
  Elites. If the combats are taking long enough that you don’t want to 
  make them take any longer, do not add monsters and do not add 
  more HP to your monsters. If the combats are causing them to take 
  Conditions, one solution is simply to allow them less time to recover 
  and try to wear them down over time. If they aren’t even getting 
  Conditions at all or if preventing recovery doesn’t make sense, then 
  you’ll have to make the fights harder. Try designing combats with 
  terrain that favors the monsters, giving the ranged ones good cover 
  in hard-to-reach locations. Take advantage of the players’ weakness-
  es and deny them their strengths.
  Take advantage of known weaknesses: if they have no Blaster, use 
  Stooges and try to overwhelm them with numbers; if they have no 
  Leader, buy extra damage traits for your monsters to put them at 
  risk; if they have no Striker, buy defensive traits like Damage Resist; 
  if they have no Defender, focus your attacks on one target; if they are 
  melee-heavy, use lots of spread-out ranged units; if they are mostly 
  ranged characters, use units with high mobility to close the distance.
  Deny them their strengths: if they rely on mobility, put terrain in 
  their way; if they rely on shooting, make them pass through danger 
  to get good shots; if they are strong on control powers, buy traits and 
  powers that reduce those effects, grant immunities, or grant Saving 
  Throws; if they are strong on defense and healing, bypass their HP 
  by applying Statuses.
  Pull: Pull one target up to 5 squares to end adjacent to you.
  Mark: One target within 10 squares is Marked until the end of its 
  next turn.
  Encounter Powers
  Inspiration [X]: Each ally regains X HP. 
  Sound the Attack [2]: Each ally may immediately use an Attack 
  Action.
  Mass curse: All enemies within 10 are Vulnerable 1 (save ends).
  Abilities in Play
  Monster abilities are not required to use keywords and glossary 
  terms. “Anyone who looks upon the face of the Gorgon is turned 
  to stone” is a perfectly clear rule and can be applied in combat 
  or out without reference to Saving Throws or any other glossary 
  terms. Knowing this, you can make a Gorgon (or a Dragon or 
  a Vampire) truly frightening as all the players’ powers and abil-
  ities come to nothing if they can’t figure out some way to fight 
  something that doesn’t play by their rules. These sorts of monsters 
  make a great centerpiece for an adventure and regardless of what 
  plan the players come up with to tackle the foe, you can be assured 
  of a good session or two of fun as the players try to see their plan 
  through to fruition. There are a couple of monsters in this mold 
  on page 158.
  The other side of this coin is that you can have big centerpiece 
  monsters with lots of cool mechanical interactions and multiple 
  phases. You can take inspiration from raid bosses in MMORPGs 
  and make a big, challenging, always-changing combat. The key to 
  having big bosses like this are the powers. Great powers include: 
  big telegraphed attacks that are avoidable but hugely damaging—
  the boss sets it up one turn and unleashes it the next; summoning 
  or spawning allies, often Stooges; triggered actions upon being 
  brought below a certain HP threshold; attacks that physically alter 
  the environment and terrain; different phases—when the boss is 
  reduced to 0 HP it doesn’t die, but just changes to the next form 
  with all new abilities. See the Titans section on page 154 for more 
  on this sort of monster.
  So why use one method over the other? The first method em-
  phasizes the play before the combat starts as the players use their 
  non-combat abilities and clever ideas to find ways around the en-
  emy’s overwhelming powers. Once they’ve found a way around 
  it, the combat itself is often straightforward. The second method 
  emphasizes the play during the combat and the combats are often 
  longer and harder. However, all the players really need to do for 
  this sort of boss monster is get to the right place and get fight-
  ing—no other prep needed. Of course, you could mix them to-
  gether and come up with a big mechanics-heavy multi-phase boss 
  monster that also has an insurmountable advantage that must be 
  negated before the players even have a hope, forcing them to do all 
  the pre-combat preparations. Which way you want to run things 
  depends on what you and the other players enjoy best. Some play-
  ers really hate long encounters that take up most of the session, 
  while others find them exciting and challenging. 
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  Tactical Combat Variants
  All of these variants change the way the game plays, and in doing 
  so they upset the balance to some extent. It’s up to you to judge 
  whether the thing they bring to the table is more valuable than the 
  distortions they cause. If you’re unsure whether or not you should 
  use one of these variants, stick with the standard rules. Once you 
  have a solid baseline of experience playing Strike!, you’ll be better 
  able to judge what is right for your game.
  Cover Fiddling
  Changing the bonus you get for being in cover changes how you 
  interact with cover. Low Cover might only give Resist 1 instead of 
  giving the attacker Disadvantage, making it relatively less valuable 
  than Full Cover. Depending on the kinds of maps you use, you 
  might find that players often have to attack through cover and the 
  Disadvantage is slowing things down.
  Life Below Zero
  Right now, when you are at or below 0 HP, you have a very good 
  chance to get back up and get back in the fight after a turn or two. 
  This emphasizes the fact that you’re down but not out and encour-
  ages enemies to spend actions finishing off downed characters. If 
  you change the odds on the roll so that you lose HP on a 1 to 3 and 
  only regain it on a 6, you end up with a system where monsters 
  can mostly ignore downed characters unless somebody spends 
  the time to heal them. This significantly changes the “anything 
  could happen” feeling of being below 0 HP. There are many other 
  modifications you could make to this to change the feel.
  Team Initiative
  In Tactical Combat, instead of rolling Initiative for each monster 
  individually, the GM just rolls once. The play alternates between 
  Players’ Turns and GM’s Turns. At the start of the Player’s Turn, 
  everything that is supposed to happen at the start of each player’s 
  turn happens (in whatever order the players decide on). Then, all 
  the players can go, interweaving their actions however they like. 
  For example, Dane takes his Attack Action and his Role Action, 
  then waits for Gia to take her actions before he spends his Move 
  Action. At the end of the Player’s Turn, all end-of-turn events hap-
  pen (players decide the order). If any of the characters are Domi-
  nated or otherwise have their actions controlled by the GM, those 
  actions occur after the player-controlled actions (unless otherwise 
  specified). The GM’s turn is basically just the mirror-image of the 
  Players’ Turn. All the monsters go at once and monsters who get 
  multiple turns per round can spend all their actions in whatever 
  order they like, and the GM decides the order of events.
  In the first round, something special happens—the first Players’ 
  Turn only goes to the players who rolled higher than the GM on 
  Initiative. Any player who rolled lower has to wait for the next 
  Players’ Turn.
  Warning: Champions become very dangerous when using this 
  rule as they get three consecutive turns to focus on anyone they 
  want.
  If you’ve tried all of these things and you still can’t make it close, 
  maybe you should quit playing games with Julius Caesar and Na-
  poleon.
  What if the difficulty level is fine but combat takes too long?
  If you or your players are new to this, then the stumbling block might 
  be rules understanding. As you learn the rules better, the game will 
  go faster. For now, if the speed is a big issue, you should not look up 
  any rules during the combat. If you don’t know the answer, just use 
  your judgment, keep the play moving, make a note, and look up the 
  rule later.
  Make use of players who are comfortable with the rules and fast on 
  their turns to help you with some of the simple tasks. Have one play-
  er in charge of tracking Initiative and reminding the others when 
  their turn is coming up soon. Have another player in charge of track-
  ing Strikes for everyone, since that is easy for people to forget. Have 
  another in charge of tracking Statuses, to tell you and the others 
  what you need to remember on your turns. Don’t assign tasks like 
  these to any player who is taking a while to take their turns, as it will 
  just slow them down further.
  Make sure players are ready to go on their turn. If a player’s turn 
  comes around and the player hasn’t even started thinking about 
  what to do, then that slows things down for everyone, making it 
  harder for others to pay attention and causing a cycle of inattention 
  as they take longer on their turns. First try to fix it by talking to the 
  players. If that doesn’t work, then you might have to let them know 
  that if they aren’t ready to move when their turn comes up, then 
  their character will hesitate while the fight goes on until the player is 
  ready to jump back in.
  Too much table-talk and optimization can slow things down too. Ev-
  ery group has a different level of tolerance for how much out-of-char-
  acter strategizing to allow, but if the fights are dragging on because 
  the players are discussing their options for too long, then you need to 
  get together and limit that as a group. 
  As the GM, it’s important that you lead by example and take your 
  turns quickly and without dwelling for long on any strategic deci-
  sions.
  Do not be aftraid to attack player characters when they are down 
  but not Taken Out when the circumstances make sense. If you let 
  them get back up over and over, you are making the combats take 
  longer as you fail to capitalize on your success. Remember, being 
  Taken Out is not the same thing as being killed.
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  ally we want all the players to contribute equally, so generally we 
  want to have everybody at the same level. 
  There are a couple of situations where having differing levels is 
  advantageous, though. Lower level characters have one big advan-
  tage over higher level characters: they are simpler and faster to 
  play. So if you use Retainers (see page 140) you might want them 
  to be lower level than the players’ primary characters. Similarly, it 
  can be useful for learning a new character to start at a lower level 
  and then quickly advance (one or two levels per combat) until you 
  have caught up to the rest of the group. You might consider doing 
  this if you change characters because your previous one died or 
  retired or went on vacation to Mars. This isn’t mandatory, though. 
  If you think you can handle starting off your new character at a 
  higher level without slowing the game down, go for it. 
  Don’t go sticking the newbie with a crappy low-level charac-
  ter. It’s not a fun introduction to the game to be given a character 
  that doesn’t contribute! If you want to introduce a new player and 
  they can’t handle the complexity yet, give them a character the 
  same level as yours but with fewer choices to make in play. Duel-
  ist/Striker is a powerful combination that is also easy to play, and 
  Simplified Classes are highly effective and very easy for beginners 
  to learn with.
  Mopping Up
  Mopping up is a player-driven system for quickly ending combats 
  without having to play it out to the bitter end. Players can declare 
  that they are mopping up and take 1 Strike per Stooge or Bloodied 
  Goon, 2 Strikes per Unbloodied Goon, 3 Strikes per Unbloodied 
  Standard Monster, and 2 Strikes per Bloodied Standard Monster 
  left in the fight. These Strikes must be divided as evenly as pos-
  sible, starting with the player who has the most Strikes. Players 
  who are Taken Out are not involved in this division. This is fairly 
  punishing. That is intended.
  Example: Jan has 3 Strikes, Erica has 2 Strikes, and Jo is 
  already Taken Out and has 4 Strikes. There is one Bloodied 
  Standard Monster and three Stooges still standing. Jan and 
  Erica decide to mop up, so they must divide 5 Strikes among 
  themselves, starting with Jan. So Jan gets 3 and Erica gets 2. Jan 
  ends the fight with 6 Strikes and is Injured, while Erica and Jo 
  each have 4 and are both Exhausted. They collectively have 14, 
  which gets them a Pyrrhic victory, but they were already on 
  track for that anyway. 
  Players cannot mop up while there are Champions, Titans, or 
  Elites on the board. On top of that, some circumstances might 
  preclude mopping up—remember, the story comes first! If the 
  players know that reinforcements are just about to arrive in two 
  rounds and the question is whether they can fight their way out 
  fast enough, it doesn’t make sense to say that they just “mop up” 
  and go. The GM can say whether or not the situation allows it.
  Exposed
  If your target doesn’t have cover from a ranged or melee attack, 
  they are exposed and you apply your damage line again! This 
  is just like rolling a 6, and it is cumulative with rolling a 6. There 
  are some exceptions. First, creatures with the Flying Status are not 
  Level Zero
  If you want the characters to start at a lower power level in Tac-
  tical Combat than a level 1 character, you can take away all their 
  abilities and leave them with just their core powers (Basic Attacks, 
  Charge, Rally, and Assess) and a Feat. Over time they can earn 
  their At-Wills, Class and Role features, Encounter Power(s), and 
  their second Feat. If you are doing this to introduce new players 
  who have a lower tolerance for complexity (e.g. children), you’ll 
  want to use easier monsters than usual.
  The other reason for level zero is to have the players start off with 
  characters that truly are not up to the challenges they set out to 
  face and some of whom are likely to die before they get powerful 
  enough to even the odds. If that is the scenario you are going for, 
  then you obviously don’t want to pull any punches with the mon-
  sters you pit the players against. You might even reduce level zero 
  characters’ HP to 6 to make them feel very fragile indeed.
  Skilled Saves
  When a player must roll a Saving Throw to avoid an effect, if the 
  character has a Skill corresponding to the action that will avoid 
  the effect, they succeed on a 3-6 instead of a 4-6. E.g. I’ve got the 
  Skill “Navy SEAL Training” that helps me avoid panicking in a 
  combat situation. So when I need to make a Saving Throw or Pan-
  ic, my Skill makes it easier for me to keep my cool. As always when 
  using Skills, no stretching! This rule isn’t standard because in the 
  strongly codified high-stakes combat mini-game it’s hard to keep 
  your mind on the tone and avoid trying to stretch your Skills to fit 
  what you want to happen.
  Escalation
  If you are finding combat dragging on in later rounds, this rule 
  adds an extra layer of complexity, but fixes that problem. Whether 
  this trade-off is worthwhile is up to you. I personally just nag my 
  fellow players to hurry up when the fight is winding down. From 
  round two onwards, 2s count as 3s. From round three onwards, 3s 
  count as 4s. From round four onwards, 4s count as 5s. From round 
  five onwards, 5s count as 6s. 
  Panic
  This rule introduces a Willpower Roll, which operates much like 
  a Saving Throw. You roll a die: a 1-2 is a failure, while a 3-6 is a 
  success. If you fail, you are Panicked (save ends). You get less likely 
  to panic as you go up in levels. At Level 1, all Willpower Rolls have 
  Disadvantage. At level 2, the Disadvantage goes away. At level 5+, 
  all Willpower Rolls are made with Advantage. At level 9+, you 
  have Advantage AND you roll yet another die on your Willpower 
  Roll (i.e. roll 3 dice normally or 2 when you have Disadvantage, 
  taking the best result). You must make a Willpower Roll when you 
  are first Bloodied, when an ally gets Taken Out, when an ally gets 
  Dominated, or when a power tells you to do so. This introduces a 
  negative feedback loop to the combat—if you start off badly things 
  can rapidly get worse.
  Parties at Mixed Levels
  Characters generally have equal accuracy and equal Hit Points 
  across levels, so a character of any level is useful in combat. Now 
  obviously a lower-level character has lower effectiveness. They do 
  less damage, have weaker effects, and have fewer options. Gener-
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  The parentheticals indicate what to do when the rules refer to 
  “rolling a 6” or anything like that. In this variant, that is equivalent 
  to rolling an 11-12.
  Advantage means you roll 3d6 and drop the lowest. Disadvantage 
  means you roll 3d6 and drop the highest. A -1, as from a Major 
  Condition, is simply a -1 still. 
  Saving Throws and Initiative are still 1d6 rolls. There is no reason 
  to make them 2d6.
  A few powers and bonuses are affected by this change. They are 
  as follows.
  Archer: Sniper or Blitzer bonuses: +2 on a hit instead of +1.
  Warlord: Enumerate Its Weakness: “rolls 3 dice…” becomes “rolls 
  4 dice and drops the 2 lowest.”
  Magician: “When you roll a 6 on an attack” becomes “When you 
  roll a 10 to 12 on an attack.”
  Leader: Reveal Weak Point: “…roll an extra die” means that they 
  roll 4 dice and drop the lowest 2.
  Optional Rules Module: Damage Types
  Here I present three ways of dealing with typed damage. The first 
  and second are things many roleplayers will be familiar with. The 
  third is based on a matrix of interactions. Many games have this 
  in the form of a rock/paper/scissors style interaction, but it can be 
  made more complex if desired. 
  Free-form Damage Types
  Some attacks have a damage type and some enemies have resis-
  tances, vulnerabilities, or immunities to certain damage types. 
  The basic resistance looks like Resist 1 Fire, meaning that any 
  incoming fire damage is reduced by 1. A mechanical construct 
  might have this trait. See Resist X in the Glossary for more details. 
  The basic vulnerability looks like Vulnerable 1 Fire, meaning that 
  any incoming fire damage in increased by 1. An animate scare-
  crow might have this trait. Immune Fire means that all fire damage 
  is ignored. A spirit of elemental fire might have this trait. There 
  are also different sorts of vulnerabilities and resistances that can 
  be used, such as: Resist Fire: when the creature takes fire damage, 
  its next attack deals an additional 1 fire damage, or Vulnerable Fire: 
  when the creature takes fire damage, its Regeneration ceases to func-
  tion on its next turn.
  Of course, you need not be limited to elemental damage types or 
  to the types traditionally used in D&D. Damage types by power 
  source (e.g. Arcane/Divine/Psionic) or by weapon type have been 
  used in the past, but be creative and don’t just put in the same old 
  damage types because that’s how you’ve always played. We’re try-
  ing to be progressive over here.
  So how do you add these things to your game? On the GM side of 
  things, just add in appropriate resistance and vulnerability traits 
  to your monsters and if any of your players have resistances or 
  vulnerabilities (see below for how players get such things), add 
  considered exposed to ranged attacks, because they mostly cannot 
  take cover. Second, using the Exposed rule leads to a lot of pre-
  pared actions to fire on the first foe who leaves cover: to prevent 
  the fight from becoming a stalemate, creatures are not considered 
  exposed during their own turn. So you can leave your cover with-
  out taking a huge risk. Prepared actions are still very powerful if 
  your enemies are behind cover and need to move, but to get the 
  extra damage bonus you need to catch them standing still.
  Adding damage in this way does two things for the gameplay. 
  First, it speeds up combat to make up for the fact that there is 
  more cover around. Second, it changes your priorities entirely: 
  you’ll want to be dashing from cover to cover, and working to get 
  flanking shots; open fields become terrifying; and melee enemies 
  (who don’t have to worry about cover once they’ve managed to 
  close the gap) become a top priority. Because of the importance of 
  cover in these rules, when combat starts every character gets a 
  free move into cover. If one side is ambushed, they may be denied 
  this free move as they are caught out in the open. Additionally, 
  when you are taking cover and an enemy attempts to separate 
  you from your cover with Forced Movement, you get a Saving 
  Throw to hang on and avoid the effect.
  You will note that melee attacks using this rule will almost always 
  get the extra damage. This is true, but melee attackers are very 
  vulnerable, too. You may spend a Move Action to shield yourself 
  until the start of your next turn or until you leave your square, 
  whichever comes first. While you are shielded, you are not consid-
  ered exposed against any melee attacks.
  Some creatures have the trait brazen. A brazen creature is not con-
  sidered exposed to ranged attacks. This assumes you are using the 
  Exposed optional rule. If you aren’t, this means nothing.
  Note: This variant had extensive playtesting, much more so than 
  the other rules in this section. While it worked alright and gen-
  erally achieved what it set out to do, it was also less balanced and 
  had more player complaints than the standard rules. The rule it-
  self is good for the right setting, but the Classes and enemies are 
  not designed around it, so there were problems. 
  2d6 Attacks
  The goal here is to reduce the proportion of Strikes and critical 
  hits from 1/6 each to 1/12 each, while keeping the rest of the odds 
  more-or-less the same. Rolling 2d6 in this way will have a more 
  predictable feel. Just because you’re using the variant Skills on 
  page 72 doesn’t mean you’ll need to use these or vice-versa.
  Roll 2d6
  • 
  11-12 Effect + 2xDamage 
  (Treat it as a 6)
  • 
  7-10: Effect + Damage  (Treat it as a 4, for 7-8, or a 5 for 9-10)
  • 
  6: Effect or Damage 
   
  (Treat it as a 3)
  • 
  4-5: Miss 
   
   
  (Treat it as a 2)
  • 
  2-3: Miss and a Strike  
  (Treat it as a 1)
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  171
  against scissors creatures who use scissors attacks and so on. But 
  the type of attacks a creature has don’t need to be linked necessar-
  ily to the creature’s type. The most famous implementation of such 
  a system that goes beyond simple rock/paper/scissors is Pokémon. 
  That particular matrix is pretty complex, and I wouldn’t recom-
  mend using it except in the Pokémon setting. Here is a simpler 
  matrix to demonstrate the idea:
  Damage type vs. defense type
               Attack
  Defense
  Physical Spectral Harmonic
  Iron
  Physical
  —
  -1 dam.
  +1 dam.
  Spectral
  +1 dam.
  —
  -1 dam.
  Harmonic
  +1 dam.
  -1 dam.
  —
  Iron
  -1 dam.
  —
  +1 dam.
  -1 dam.
  Reading down the first column in this example, Physical attacks 
  cannot damage Spectral targets, but they deal extra damage to en-
  emies animated by Harmonic magic, and reduced damage to the 
  Iron servants of the Geomancers.
  The simplest way to make a matrix work for your game is to have 
  all the types be more-or-less equally good at offense and at de-
  fense. Then everything is balanced and a player can choose any 
  damage type for each of their attacks and any defensive type they 
  like, just as in the free-form system. 
  However, there are interesting situations that arise when you have 
  some types that are stronger than others. An enemy that is im-
  mune or resisting the most common types makes an interesting 
  foe as players need to improvise ways to be effective. But how do 
  you balance that in the players’ hands? The same way as in the 
  free-form system above—require Feats for access to certain types, 
  and/or completely restrict types. To reiterate, these restrictions 
  should arise from either balance concerns or setting concerns. 
  Both kinds of concerns are valid, regardless of what people on the 
  internet might tell you.
  Let’s look at our example above and let’s assume that most attacks 
  and most creatures in our setting are “Physical.” Now Iron-type 
  attacks are excellent because you’ll be doing extra damage to most 
  targets, so access to that damage type may cost a Feat or might 
  be usable only for Encounter Powers. On the defensive side, Iron 
  resists Physical attacks. You might decide that having Iron type 
  requires a Feat since it gives you resistance to most attacks, al-
  though it comes with a vulnerability, too. Going further, Spectral 
  type may be restricted to NPCs only since it is immune to Physical 
  attacks, which would be too powerful for a player to have.
  Creatures can have more than one type. When an attack is used, 
  both the resistances and vulnerabilities apply. Multiple resistances 
  and multiple vulnerabilities are cumulative. Multi-typing could be 
  available to players for free, for the cost of a Feat, or available to 
  NPCs only as the setting and game balance demand.
  in appropriate damage types on the monsters’ attack powers. This 
  can be done very quickly with little thought. 
  On the players’ side, a player can choose a damage type for each 
  power if they so desire. Picking a damage type is a message to 
  the GM that this player wants to have situational advantages in 
  some fights and situational restrictions in others. The GM should 
  be sure to use monsters that have vulnerabilities and resistances to 
  the damage types players are using. 
  If a player wants one or more powers to have variable damage 
  types, for instance “With this power sometimes I summon a flam-
  ing sword, but sometimes it’s a spear of ice or an axe of cold iron,” 
  they want to get the advantages without the restrictions. This is 
  perfectly okay, but it costs them a Feat to do so. 
  How do players get resistances (or vulnerabilities)? The simplest 
  way is through magical items granting these properties. Players 
  might also take a Feat granting them Resist 1 to a certain damage 
  type. If a player wants to create a character that resists a certain 
  damage type but is vulnerable to an equally common damage 
  type, it does not cost a Feat. Events may transpire in game giving 
  these Statuses temporarily or permanently in the form of a curse 
  or a boon. Use trade-offs: maybe they become immune to fire but 
  vulnerable to psychic attack. 
  The availability of specific damage types, resistances or Feats may 
  always be restricted by the group for either balance or setting 
  concerns. If the players all know that the campaign is going to 
  be fought nearly exclusively against fire elementals, allowing fire 
  damage to be resisted even at the cost of a Feat might present a 
  balance issue. If the setting says that the Green Ray Emitters are 
  only in the hands of the Cadre’s elite forces and are biometrically 
  locked to prevent others from using them, you won’t want to make 
  that damage type freely available. Maybe you make it cost a Feat or 
  maybe you restrict it entirely.
  Weak and Strong Defenses
  Instead of changing how hard attacks hit based on their damage 
  type, one can instead change how easy it is to hit with certain 
  types of attacks. While most attacks are avoided by a combination 
  of dodging and protective equipment, other attacks may target a 
  character’s willpower or might only be resisted by main strength 
  and toughness. A player may choose at character creation to have 
  one strong defense and one weak. Add 1 to all attack rolls against 
  their weak defense and subtract 1 from attack rolls against their 
  strong defense. Willpower and Toughness are just examples: 
  based on the setting and tone, you may wish to have other types 
  of defenses that can be weak and strong. The one limit to keep in 
  mind is that attacks targeting these special defenses should be the 
  exception, not the rule.
  Matrix Damage Types
  In this system every creature has a type and so does each attack. 
  Some attacking types deal extra damage against certain types of 
  creature and some do reduced damage. Some creature types may 
  be immune to certain types of damage too. The most common 
  implementation of this type of system is a rock/paper/scissors 
  style where rock creatures do rock attacks which are extra effective 
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Other Worlds
  Familiar worlds adapted
  In this section you will find three very different setting adapta-
  tions. I would love for you to use them. I put a lot of enthusiasm 
  and attention into them. But more importantly, you might use this 
  section to get ideas for how to adapt other settings to Strike!, and 
  adapt Strike! to other settings.
  Masters of the Four Elements
  The Setting
  Welcome to a world of fairy-tale creatures, mythical spirits, and 
  masters of the four elements. This section will give you sample 
  villains and characters and a brief sample scenario to set the tone. 
  It also contains a set of Origins and Kits for use in this setting.
  Villains
  Guo, a crystal master with a crystalline fortress guarded by spirits. 
  Source for a crystal dealer named Ikkot who is selling useful little 
  bound spirits on the black market.
  Nara learned fire-leaping from an imprisoned ifrit. Taught disci-
  ples, who are committing thefts. Has advanced to lightning trans-
  port. As a big reveal, can steal a Metal Controller’s body by travel-
  ing through their wires.
  The Toolbox
  The Toolbox is a collection of useful tricks and practices, with ad-
  vice on using well-known settings, creating villains, and adapting 
  Strike! to adversarial play.
  Sample Scenario
  The following is a brief sample scenario for you to start impro-
  vising from. If you want pre-generated characters, monsters, and 
  more details for this scenario and others like it, visit the website at 
  www.strikerpg.com and look for the sample adventures.
  The Archaeologist Finpus Blin has just unearthed a grand tomb 
  in the hills outside the city of Saramay. It is suspected that this is 
  actually the tomb of the Magus Menda. Legend has it that in a past 
  age, Menda ruled half the world for a century before a rebellion 
  overthrew her and entombed her. 
  There are forces today that are interested in breaking the seal 
  despite the dangers. The now-dying race of Androids known as 
  Chemical Men or Chems were still being produced in Menda’s 
  time. One Chem Preacher named “Arlis of the third eye” and a 
  group of her followers wish to use Menda’s ancient wisdom to cre-
  ate more of their own kind. “King” Gossage the loan shark and 
  crime boss who owns half of Saramay’s docklands is interested 
  too. He is secretly the Bodyswapper Chalamathan, who wishes to 
  inhabit Menda’s body to steal her power and longevity. A small 
  handful of Shades surviving from that Aeon still revere her mem-
  ory and would like to see her rule reestablished. 
  The Chems are diligently translating ancient texts. If left to their 
  own devices, they will find the key. Chalamathan has used his 
  wealth to purchase an Unmaking, a rare and ancient artifact that 
  can destroy any spell. Once used, it is gone, so Chalamathan must 
  be careful and study the warding spells to avoid wasting it on some 
  minor obstacle. If given the time, he will find a way in. The shades 
  have no need for translation, but are slow and patient and will be 
  opportunistic, stealing information and letting others do the work 
  as is their way. Any or none of these factions might prevail. Only 
  one thing is certain: the players cannot stand against Menda. If the 
  seal is broken and they face her without first making preparations 
  to ensure their safety, they will be forced to flee or be destroyed.
  What exactly are Shades and Bodyswappers? Make it up. Fill in 
  the gaps together and leave some gaps to be filled in during play.
  Who are the players? Do they want to free Menda or to keep her 
  imprisoned? Do they want to work with one of the factions out-
  lined above or do they want to stop them all? They may or may 
  not be a group, but they need to have a reason to work together. 
  Once you’ve collectively decided on your group goal and picked 
  characters, you’re ready to go.
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  173
  Origins
  Here are some Origins for initiates for each element. These are just 
  suggestions, so if you want to change the Water Initiate’s Swim-
  ming Skill to Sailing, that’s fine. The Skill and Complication just 
  have to make sense in the context of the origin. Keep the elemen-
  tal control Skill, though—that’s what makes you an initiate!
  Water Initiate
  Skills: Water Control, Swimming
  Complication: Water Scarcity*
  *Fire Initiates make their own fire, and air and earth are plentiful, 
  but there isn’t always a large source of water around when you 
  need one.
  Fire Initiate
  Skills: Fire Control, Cooking
  Complication: Quick to Anger
  Air Initiate
  Skills: Air Control, Meditation
  Complication: Devoutly Non-Violent
  Earth Initiate
  Skills: Earth Control, Weightlifting
  Complication: Bullheaded
  No Elemental Talent
  Choose or write any origin. 
  Kit/Backgrounds
  Here are some special Kits/Backgrounds. These Kits don’t work 
  the same way other Kits work. These restrict what everyone can 
  do with their Skills. For example, if you want to use water mas-
  tery to preserve someone in ice, you must have the appropriate 
  Advance. That’s something that was off limits for the Kits in the 
  main body of the game, since it’s important that Skills can do 
  whatever makes sense. When the Psychic Kit gives you the Mind 
  Scan Advance, it doesn’t mean that you can’t try to read someone’s 
  mind before you get the Advance. You can always try it with an 
  appropriate Skill using the normal Skill rules even if you’re not 
  using Kits in your game at all, but the Advance makes you better 
  or more reliable at it.
  In the context of a particular setting, though, it can make sense 
  to block off specific abilities behind Advances. If you decide to 
  use these Kits, they restrict what the players can do. Without the 
  Healing Waters Advance, a player cannot use their Water Con-
  trol Skill to attempt the water peoples’ traditional healing magic. 
  Any Skill that can be unlocked through an Advance is otherwise 
  Restricted. Each elemental control Skill allows you to control me-
  dium-sized amounts of the appropriate element: from a pebble to 
  a person-sized boulder, for instance. Controlling the smallest or 
  largest scales must be unlocked through Advances.
  Characters
  Rime, a snow master who can blind you with blowing snow or 
  by icing your goggles, and turn a puddle of water into a flurry of 
  snowflakes.
  Zeke, an autistic air master whose unique outlook has given him 
  a very different variety of Air Control using pressure differentials. 
  Cal, an enormous fire master who makes a living running a trav-
  elling show in which she will eat anything and withstand a variety 
  of bodily assaults without flinching.
  Voda, a crystal master who treats bound spirits with respect and is 
  horrified and offended by the trinkets Ikkot deals in.
  Scenario
  A series of daring thefts has Capital City in an uproar. A group 
  of criminals known as the White Heart have been using a new 
  fire mastery technique to teleport through flames. Merchants are 
  pointing fingers at Ikkot, a dealer in bound spirits for use in cook-
  ing and household maintenance. The merchants claim that all of 
  Ikkot’s competitors are being robbed by the White Heart while 
  Ikkot gets richer by the day. But a cursory investigation into Ikkot 
  will find no shady deals and no direct association with the White 
  Heart. The true connection goes deeper than that. Ikkot’s source 
  for his helpful little spirits is a man named Guo, the first true mas-
  ter of the art of trapping spirits. While small spirits have been 
  bribed and tricked into helping with household tasks for gener-
  ations, the scale and methods of Guo’s spirit-catching operations 
  are offensive to those in tune with the spirits. Worse, Guo draws 
  no distinction between the small animal-like spirits and the larger 
  intelligent spirits, enslaving all alike. Guo sold one such intelligent 
  spirit, an ancient spirit of fire, to Nara, an ambitious fire master 
  who is now the leader of the White Heart. This spirit taught Nara 
  the secrets of teleportation through flames and she passed on that 
  teaching to her disciples.
  I like this sort of scenario with two linked antagonists because it 
  is flexible and allows room for player choices and priorities. The 
  players can get to Nara by going through Guo, or vice versa. They 
  might prioritize spiritual concerns and be driven by moral imper-
  ative to end Guo’s enslavement of spirits, or they might have baser 
  concerns and simply have been hired to put a stop to the White 
  Heart. To solve the mystery of one villain, they must confront the 
  other.
  Character Creation
  To create a character, follow the usual steps and pick one of the 
  following Origins. Then, pick a Kit—if you want access to an ele-
  mental mastery beyond the very basics, you must pick one of the 
  Kits presented here. These Kits are unlike the standard Kits in that 
  these are meant to be restrictive. If you do not have the Rocket 
  Flight Advance, then you cannot use your Fire Mastery Skill for 
  rocket flight. If you do not want elemental mastery, you can sim-
  ply pick a standard Kit.
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  174
  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Pet
  You have a loyal pet. It might be a regular creature, or it might be 
  a machine or a spirit. This pet is useful. Pick one:
  • 
  It’s big, so you and your friends can ride on it.
  • 
  It’s small, so it can sneak in or out of danger.
  Pick one:
  • 
  It flies.
  • 
  It can burrow.
  • 
  It can swim and dive underwater.
  • 
  It has extra senses.
  • 
  It can talk.
  • 
  It has clever thieving hands.
  Allegiance
  You owe your allegiance to an organization. When you call on the 
  organization to help you out of a bind the GM will tell you how 
  many Allegiance Tokens it costs you. One if it costs them little. 
  Two if they must take a significant risk. Three if they must pay 
  something they consider significant. If you don’t have enough Al-
  legiance Tokens to pay, they won’t help and you’re on your own.
  Every so often, about once per session, they may ask you to do 
  something. Sometimes this will be a simple task, but sometimes 
  difficult. If you do the task, gain an Allegiance Token. If you at-
  tempt but fail, you gain and lose nothing. If you refuse, lose an Al-
  legiance Token. If the task is particularly important to the organi-
  zation and particularly difficult, the GM might tell you it is worth 
  two Allegiance Tokens, but then refusing it would also cost two.
  If your repeated refusals take you deep into the negatives, you 
  ought to consider ending your allegiance and taking a different 
  Advance, as you and the organization no longer see eye to eye.
  When you go above and beyond the call of duty for your organiza-
  tion, the GM will award you an extra Allegiance Token.
  Example: The Inventors’ Guild wants you to kidnap Ga-
  gan before he reveals their trade secrets in front of the General 
  Assembly. This is crucial for the guild, but you know that Ga-
  gan needs to be there to oppose Mei’s takeover of the Security 
  Council. You decide to turn them down and lose your last two 
  Allegiance Tokens. The fate of the nation is more important. 
  Now you’re on the outs with the guild for a while, but maybe 
  you can make it up to them by giving them commercial rights 
  to your latest invention.
  Multi-Element Master
  All the basic elemental control Skills are Unrestricted to you (i.e. 
  Water, Ice, Earth, Fire, and Air). You may take Advances from any 
  Elemental Master Kit for which you have the appropriate Skill.
  One last difference: these are Kits and Backgrounds in one. So 
  when you pick a kit from this list, you don’t need to choose a back-
  ground. If you pick a regular Kit instead, you should pick a regular 
  background, too. Regular Kits that are recommended for this set-
  ting include The Boss, The Tinker, The Brute, and The Protagonist.
  Note: To poach an Advance from another Mastery, you must have 
  any Skills that Advance refers to. For instance, you must have the 
  Ice Control Skill to take the Snow Control Advance.
  Note: If you take one of the Advances that requires a partner of 
  another Mastery and also poach the equivalent Advance from that 
  Mastery, you can perform the feat by yourself. E.g. a Water Mas-
  ter could spend two Advances to take their version of Weather 
  Control and poach the Air Master version and thus control the 
  weather without needing a partner.
  Clarification: When an Advance tells you to unlock a Restricted 
  Skill, do not automatically learn it. Your first tries are Unskilled.
  Setting-specific General Advances
  Meditation
  When you stop to meditate and consult the spirits before taking 
  on a task, roll your Meditation Skill. (This functions essentially as 
  a Linked Roll). Some people see the spirits manifestly, but most 
  simply get a feeling or a sign for guidance.
  On a Success, the spirits guide you. Tell the group what they ad-
  vised to help you complete your task and get Advantage on the 
  task when you follow that path.
  On a Success with a Cost, you also owe a Favor to a spirit.
  On a Bonus, a friendly spirit takes a liking to you and will guide 
  you in the future, giving you Advantage when you meditate about 
  topics they are knowledgeable about. The GM picks those topics.
  On a Twist, pick one:
  • 
  The spirits give advice you are unable or unwilling to follow. 
  It might still be interesting or useful.
  • 
  The spirits give advice, but it doesn’t provide you with Advan-
  tage. It might still be interesting or useful.
  On a Twist with a Cost, the GM will pick one:
  • 
  You get trapped in your trance for a while. You get some in-
  sight eventually, but lose crucial time. It might be that you 
  are too late or that the spirits showed you that you ought not 
  attempt the task after all.
  • 
  You misinterpret the signs and choose a bad path. You have 
  Disadvantage on your Task.
  • 
  You face a hostile reception from some spirits and have bad 
  visions. You have Disadvantage on future Meditation rolls 
  until you bring your spirit back into balance.
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  175
  Pool of Dreams
  You have a sacred pool of water that you peer into to receive vi-
  sions. When you look into the pool, pick a time, place, person, or 
  object you wish to see. The GM will show you a vision of that. The 
  vision might not contain precisely the information you were look-
  ing for, but it will contain useful information. The pool cannot see 
  the future. Looking repeatedly into the pool does not work. You 
  must wait a while before you can get another vision.
  Water Healing
  Unlock the Water Healing Restricted Skill. Use it to heal wounds, 
  remove toxins, and treat mental trauma. You need access to very 
  pure water for difficult healings. Healers usually carry a flask of it.
  Spirit Calming 
  (requires Water Healing)
  Through your Water Control, you may use your Soothing Skill to 
  calm angry spirits.
  Spirit Domination 
  (requires Spirit Calming)
  You may use your Soothing Skill to control spirits and bring them 
  to your side. This is coercive and is generally forbidden by those 
  with knowledge of spirits.
  Sudden Erosion
  You may use your Water Control Skill to use water like a drill to 
  quickly erode earth and stone.
  Plant Control
  Unlock the Plant Control restriced Skill. Using the water inside 
  plants, you can make them move at your command. This works 
  better on supple plants like vines and less well on rigid ones like 
  trees. 
  Animal/Human Control 
  (requires Plant Control)
  Unlock the Animal Control Restricted Skill. You can use your 
  control over the water in an animal’s body to control their actions 
  against their will. The use of this powerful ability against humans 
  is forbidden in every society.
  Weather Control 
  (w/ Air Master partner)
  Team up with an Air Master with this same Advance to control 
  the weather.
  Sinkhole 
  (w/ Earth Master partner)
  Team up with an Earth Master with this same Advance to turn the 
  earth itself into a sinkhole over a large area and solidify it again.
  Water Master
  Skills: Water Combat, Ice Control, Soothing, Sailing, Fishing and 
  Coastal Foraging, Water Elders (Connections)
  Trick: Dowsing.  A Water Master can always find a nearby source 
  of water, even if it’s well-hidden.
  Penniless [0]
  Push and Pull
  Flow in one direction and then use the natural reaction to rein-
  force your next move. When you reverse your plans as part of a 
  planned feint or as an improvisation or reaction, you have Ad-
  vantage.
  Advances
  Preserve in Ice
  You may safely preserve in ice an injured or sick person or animal, 
  or anything that would otherwise crumble or decay over time. You 
  may thaw it safely later, and it is as if no time had passed for it.
  Snow Control
  You may use your Ice Control to control particles of ice as small as 
  snow and to break up ice into snow.
  Waves and Resonance
  Push and pull, push and pull, building up larger and larger waves. 
  Using Water Control, you may take extra time to create far more 
  powerful effects than usual.
  Fog Machine
  You may use your Water Control to turn water into steam, fog, or 
  mist. 
  Water Breathing
  You can breathe underwater.
  Ride the Current 
  In very large groups, people and their opinions flow and mix like 
  currents in a stream. Unlock the Trend Reading Restricted Skill. 
  Use this Skill to find out how people feel now and how that will 
  change in the near future.
  When you successfully identify a social trend using Trend Read-
  ing, you may ask the GM how to best take advantage of the trend. 
  You have Advantage while following that advice.
  Guide the Current
  (requires Ride the Current)
  You may use your Trend Reading Skill to try to shape and manip-
  ulate popular opinion through political activism or surreptitious 
  rumors.
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  176
  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Toxic Gasses
  You keep with you at all times a vial containing a toxic gas. You 
  can use your Air Control when you unstop this vial to disperse it 
  or direct it to a target.
  Broad Application
  You may use your Air Control Skill to generate a wind over a large 
  area. Not as intense as what you can accomplish in a small space, 
  this is nevertheless strong enough to stymie a fleet of sailing ships.
  Flight
  You may fly without the use of a glider or any other aid. Unlock 
  the Fly Restricted Skill.
  Minor Illusions
  You can use dust and disturbances in the air to alter the appear-
  ance of things. Unlock the Illusions Restricted Skill. Use this Skill 
  to create minor visual illusions.
  Cloak of Wind 
  (requires Minor Illusions)
  You can camouflage yourself effectively with your Illusions. 
  Move Silently
  You do not make any noise when you move. This often gives Ad-
  vantage when you are being stealthy.
  Silence 
  (requires Move Silently)
  Using your Air Control, you can create a zone of silence in an area 
  around you with a radius of about ten feet. You don’t need to roll 
  to do this unless you are also using Air Control for something else 
  at the same time. This acts like Move Silently for a whole group.
  Far Listening
  Air Masters can hear sounds from farther away than others. You 
  can use your Air Control Skill to eavesdrop or listen for danger.
  Throw Sound
  Sound is vibrations in the air. An Air Master with great precision 
  can create sounds. Unlock the Throw Sound Restricted Skill. You 
  can create auditory illusions.
  Glass Breaks, Ears Bleed 
  (requires Throw Sound)
  You can use your Throw Sound Skill to create a sound loud and 
  piercing enough enough to cause pain and break glass.
  Weather Control 
  (w/ Water Master partner)
  Team up with a Water Master with this same Advance to control 
  the weather.
  Firestorm 
  (w/ Fire Master Partner)
  Team up with a Fire Master with this same Advance to feed ox-
  ygen to the flames and create a deadly destructive firestorm all 
  around you. 
  Air Master
  Skills: Air Combat, Glider Flying, Animal Handling, Evasion, 
  Doing Without*, Spirit Guides (Connections)
  *Air Masters are often ascetic and are trained to fast and to go 
  without comforts.
  Trick: Air Cushion. You can always escape a fall unharmed or save 
  a falling friend.
  Penniless [0]
  Fly Like the Wind
  When fleeing or escaping, you have Advantage. 
  Advances
  Asceticism 
  (requires Meditation)
  You spurn the luxuries of the physical world. In return, your 
  self-control becomes stronger. When you use the Meditation Ad-
  vance to prepare for a future roll, whatever the result of your Med-
  itation you may make a helping roll for yourself on that future roll. 
  However, if you put your physical comfort ahead of your mental 
  discipline, the GM will give you the Unbalanced Condition. This 
  gives you Disadvantage to all uses of Meditation and denies you 
  that helping roll. To recover, ask the GM what you must give up.
  Spirit Projection 
  (requires Asceticism)
  Using the Meditation Skill, you can go into a trance and send your 
  mind to another plane of existence. This is the realm of spirits, 
  dreams, and sometimes the dead. You can do more than just seek 
  advice—you can take an active role in the realm of the spirits.
  Become Spirit 
  (requires Spirit Projection)
  The pinnacle of spirit projection is the ability not just to travel 
  to the spirit world for a time, but to leave your body complete-
  ly. Your body must be safe, but through your ascetic training you 
  have ceased to have bodily needs and can live wholly as a spirit.
  Vacuum Generation
  Using your Air Control Skill, you can remove the air from a vol-
  ume of space, creating a sucking, choking vacuum.
  Crushing Pressure 
  (requires Vacuum Generation)
  You may use air pressure differentials to crush even the strongest 
  objects using your Air Control Skill.
  Unstable Telekinesis
  Using pressure differentials, you can use your Air Control Skill to 
  cause objects to move and fly through the air. You cannot lift very 
  heavy objects in this way, and lifting delicate objects is unwise.
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  177
  Armor
  You can use your Earth Control (or Metal Control if you have it) 
  to quickly create a suit of armor from materials at hand.
  Strength of Stone 
  (requires Armor)
  When you make a suit of armor using the Armor Advance, it gives 
  you Advantage on rolls requiring you to lift, push, or otherwise 
  exert sheer strength.
  Structure Sense
  You have an intuitive grasp of structural support and what will 
  cause a collapse. You can use this to destroy or to reinforce struc-
  tures. Ask the GM how to initiate or prevent a collapse. When you 
  follow that advice, you have Advantage.
  Tremor Detection
  Unlock the Tremor Detection Restricted Skill. You can use it to 
  sense what is going on nearby through the vibrations you feel. You 
  can even use it to see through walls. This sense loses fidelity over 
  long distances unless what is being sensed is very heavy, such as a 
  train or an army marching.
  Emotional Tremors
  You may use your Tremor Detection Skill to detect emotions in 
  others, and to detect when they are lying. You won’t necessarily 
  know what they are upset about, or what they are lying about.
  Crystalline Mesmerism
  Unlock the Crystal Master Restricted Skill. You may use the pow-
  er of crystals to hypnotize people. Using this power to trick people 
  into doing things they would normally be unwilling to do is obvi-
  ously considered socially unacceptable. It is socially acceptable to 
  use it to treat psychological trauma.
  Crystal Prison 
  (requires Crystalline Mesmerism)
  You may lure and trap spirits in crystals. This is coercive and is 
  generally forbidden by those with knowledge of spirits. Finding a 
  particular kind of spirit requires a Spiritual Knowledge Skill Roll. 
  Trapping does not generally require a roll unless the spirit is of 
  great power or is actively fighting you. When you release the spirit 
  to do your bidding, roll your Crystal Master Skill:
  On a Success, the Spirit does your bidding and leaves. With a Bo-
  nus, the Spirit happily returns to the Crystal instead.
  On a Success with a Cost, the Spirit does your bidding, but you 
  owe it a Favor and it will call on you later.
  On a plain Twist, the Spirit ignores your bidding and does some 
  minor mischief before leaving.
  On a Twist with a Cost, the Spirit turns on you and the crystal you 
  were storing it in breaks.
  If you ever re-trap a spirit against its will after it has done your 
  bidding, the result when you next release it will always be a Twist 
  with a Cost.
  Earth Master
  Skills: Earth Combat, Earth Cuffs*, Construction, Tracking, 
  Farming and Foraging, Earth Mentors (Connections)
  *Used to restrain others  
  Trick: Stand Your Ground. An Earth Master can always hold their 
  ground against someone trying to force them to move.
  Penniless [0]
  Neutral Jing
  When you let your opponent make the first move and then use 
  their momentum against them (literally or metaphorically), you 
  have Advantage.
  Advances
  Burrowing
  You can use your Earth Control to create tunnels large enough for 
  others to pass through.
  Pass Through
  You can move through and merge into walls without damaging 
  them.
  Metal Control
  Unlock the Metal Control Restricted Skill.
  Wire Fu 
  (requires Metal Control)
  You always have strong wires spooled and ready on your person. 
  You can use your Metal Control to launch them, swing on them 
  like Spider-Man, or lasso your enemies.
  Sand Control
  You can use your Earth Control to control particles of earth as fine 
  as sand, and to break up earth into sand.
  Launchpad
  You can use your Earth Control to launch yourself into the air and 
  to soften falls.
  Broad Application
  You can use your Earth Control Skill to move the earth over a 
  broad area, though not as radically as you can do with a small 
  amount. Nevertheless, your broad control is strong enough to cre-
  ate an earthquake or to slowly open a large chasm.
  Rolling Road 
  (requires Broad Application)
  You can use your Earth Control Skill to move a large section of 
  earth along, carrying everything on top of it. You can effectively 
  turn the ground you are standing on into an earth barge.
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Fire Master
  Skills: Fire Combat, Dueling, Games of Skill, Intimidation, Fellow 
  Fire Masters (Connections)
  Trick: Body Heat. A Fire Master is always able to control the tem-
  perature of their body, never falling victim to hypothermia, frost-
  bite, or heatstroke, among other possibilities.
  Poor [1]
  Flash Fire
  When you make your move before the enemy is ready, you have 
  Advantage.
  Advances
  Get Mad
  You can choose to become Angry to gain an Advantage on any roll 
  using your Fire Control. 
  Emotional Control
  When you roll a 6 on any Fire Control roll, in addition to an Ex-
  tra Bonus, you may eliminate one emotional Condition, such as 
  Angry or Afraid.
  Ignite Passion
  You can use your passions to incite others. Gain Advantage when 
  you have a Condition appropriate to the emotion you are trying 
  to evoke. For instance, if you have the Angry Condition and are 
  trying to make others angry.
  Electricity Redirection
  Unlock the Electricity Control Restricted Skill. Using this Skill, 
  you can redirect electricity from any source in a direction of your 
  choosing.
  Electricity Generation 
  (requires Electricity Redirection)
  You can generate bursts of lightning from your fingers using the 
  Electricity Control Skill. 
  Magnetism 
  (requires Electricity Generation)
  You can use your Electricity Control Skill to turn your body into 
  an electromagnet to attract or repel magnetic materials.
  Broad Application
  You can generate heat over a broad area. Not as strong as your 
  ability to channel fire up close, you can nevertheless use your Fire 
  Control to slowly thaw an iceberg or warm a building.
  Heat Sense
  Some Fire Masters can make sense of the heat around them, al-
  lowing them to see in a new spectrum and spot any heat source, 
  whether it’s a hidden person or a campfire hidden behind the trees.
  Spirit Portal 
  (requires Crystal Prison)
  You can use the power of trapped spirits channeled through per-
  fect crystals to open a physical portal into the spirit world. When 
  you do so, roll your Crystal Master Skill. If your crystals are less 
  than perfect, you have Disadvantage.
  On a Success with a Bonus, the portal is perfect and remains open 
  for as long as you keep the crystals in place.
  On a plain Success, you open a portal, but pick one of the follow-
  ing:
  • 
  The spirits are weak: the portal can only remain open long 
  enough for one short trip.
  • 
  The spirits are angry: you can expect a chilly response in the 
  spirit world.
  On a Success with a Cost, it is as above, but you also owe a Favor to 
  the most powerful spirit you used in opening the portal.
  On a Twist, you open a portal, but the GM will pick one of the 
  following, but will not necessarily tell you which.
  • 
  It is unstable and might close at any time.
  • 
  It takes you to a part of the spirit world you did not expect.
  • 
  One of your trapped spirits will escape when you are not 
  looking. Vengeance burns in its heart.
  On a Twist with a Cost, all of your crystals break and your spirits 
  escape, and you are left with a permanent rogue portal. A rogue 
  portal takes you to the spirit world, but moves around so you will 
  have difficulty finding your way out and will never know where 
  you might end up.
  Lava Control 
  (w/ Fire Master partner)
  Team up with a Fire Master with this same Advance to turn the 
  earth nearby into lava.
  Sinkhole 
  (w/ Water Master partner)
  Team up with a Water Master with this same Advance to turn the 
  earth itself into a sinkhole over a large area and solidify it again.
  Suggested Feat
  Taking the Superhuman Feat giving you tremorsense and the abil-
  ity to burrow in combat fits this Kit well.
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  179
  Lightning Transport 
  (requires Electricity Generation)
  You may turn to lightning and travel along conductive materials 
  such as wires. In this form you can jump gaps of less than ten feet.
  Firestorm 
  (w/ Air Master Partner)
  Team up with an Air Master with this same Advance to feed ox-
  ygen to the flames and create a deadly destructive firestorm all 
  around you.
  Lava Control 
  (w/ Earth Master partner)
  Team up with an Earth Master with this same Advance to turn the 
  earth nearby into lava.
  Explosion Generation
  Unlock the Explosion Control Restricted Skill. You may use this 
  to generate and direct relatively small explosions.
  Rocket-Flight
  Use your Fire Control Skill to blast through the air. What you lack 
  in precision you make up for in thrust.
  Precision Application
  Using a tiny jet of flame, you can wield your Fire Control very 
  precisely to cut or to weld.
  Iron Constitution
  You may channel your life force to burn away toxins and poisons 
  inside. This can protect against assassination, but also against sim-
  ple intoxication.
  Untouchable
  You are immune to the effects of fire and heat.
  Phoenix Rebirth 
  (requires Iron Constitution and Untouchable)
  When you are killed, you erupt in flame. You will be reborn from 
  your ashes in one day.
  Heat Sink
  You can use your Fire Control to suck the heat out of an object. 
  Larger objects take longer.
  Scrying through Fire
  When you spend the time to build a sacred fire, you can see vi-
  sions of the future through the flames. Name a person, place or 
  thing. The GM will give you a selection of visions of possible fu-
  tures involving that person, place, or thing. It will not always be 
  clear what events would cause which vision. 
  Fires of Creation
  With the right kind of fire, you can re-forge the spirits themselves, 
  changing elements of their immutable nature. Unlock the Spirit 
  Forge Restricted Skill. With this Skill, you could turn a tempes-
  tuous river spirit into a serene one, reducing the risk to sailors 
  trading on the river. Beware unforeseen consequences, howev-
  er. When you use this Skill, a Twist will usually indicate that you 
  made the change you wanted, but that it didn’t have the effect you 
  expected. Spirits are the way they are for a reason.
  Purging Fires 
  (requires Fires of Creation)
  You can use your Spirit Forge Skill as a weapon to destroy spirits 
  permanently. This is generally forbidden by those with knowledge 
  of spirits. A land or an object that lost its spirit will change in un-
  predictable ways.
  Teleport through fires
  You can teleport by stepping into a fire and then out of another 
  fire. You must know the exact location of the fire and it must be 
  lit, otherwise the teleportation will fail and you will be rendered 
  unconscious or Injured. This is most reliably done by travelling 
  only to fires you can see.
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  180
  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Space Jobs
  Here are some Backgrounds that fit in this setting. Feel free to 
  adapt these or any other Backgrounds.
  Astromechanic
  Skills: Navigation, Starship Repair, Engineering, Hacking, Elec-
  tronic Parts Construction, Friendly with Computers (Connec-
  tions)
  Penniless [0]
  Trick: Emergency Patch. You can always put a starship back into 
  working order, at least for one flight.
  Protocol
  Skills: All Languages, Etiquette, Diplomacy, Flattery, Aide to the 
  Powerful (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Trick: Smooth Things Over. When someone has just insulted an-
  other, you can always calm the offended party.
  Bounty Hunter
  Skills: Starfighter Pilot, Laser Rifle, Nonlethal Weapons, Investi-
  gation, Friends in Low Places (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Trick: Expert Tracker. You can always find out where your quarry 
  went next.
  Space Magician
  Skills: Meditation, Moral Lore, Laser-sword, Magic, Magicians’ 
  Council (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Trick: Mind Trick. You can always use your magic to convince 
  someone not to bother with something they weren’t committed to 
  doing. For example, convincing someone to slack at their boring 
  job.
  Smuggler
  Skills: Pistol, Starship Pilot, Smuggling, Bribery, Black Market 
  (Connections)
  Poor [1]
  Trick: Evasion Ace. When being chased by the authorities, you 
  can always make a getaway.
  Star Strike!
  A vast empire amongst the stars. A desperate band of rebels. Fron-
  tier worlds on the edge of imperial space, where people make their 
  livelihood in the grey area between illegal and immoral. Are the 
  rebels terrorists? Is the empire an evil totalitarian regime? Per-
  haps both those things are true. This setting has plenty of room 
  for playing the squeaky-clean good guys fighting the good fight, 
  while also having room for playing greasy no-good crooks try-
  ing to make their way in a dirty galaxy. Moral choices take center 
  stage here, but they share the stage with starfighters, robots, la-
  ser-swords, and huge hairy aliens!
  Aliens
  There are lots of aliens and despite speaking different languages, 
  everyone generally understands one another. When you write ro-
  bot on your sheet for your Origin, you want to be able to do things 
  like survive being taken apart and put back together, directly in-
  terface with and communicate with computers, and know a lot of 
  information. You might want to engage in the idea that you are 
  treated as an object that can be bought and sold or scrapped for 
  parts without any moral qualms. Maybe you want to be a huge and 
  intimidating alien who communicates in roars, or an alien from a 
  race of gangster snails. Or maybe you want to be any of the many 
  humanoid aliens that come in a variety of shapes and colors—in 
  that case, you can just use any Origin you might pick for a human.
  Robot
  Skills: Direct computer interface, inhuman endurance
  Complications: Considered an Object
  Big, Scary, Hairy
  Skills: Intimidation, Hand-to-hand combat
  Complications: Can’t Speak Common
  Gangster Snail
  Skills: Organized Crime [Connections], +1 Wealth
  Complications: Barely Mobile
  Outer Worlder
  Skills: Manual Labor, Machinery
  Complication: Provincial
  Core Worlder
  Skills: Urban Navigation, +1 Wealth
  Complication: Spoiled
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  181
  White Magic
  White magic is subtle and difficult. It’s not the easy way. The easy 
  way leads to darkness. When you pick this path, you have a Cor-
  ruption rating that starts at 0. Be careful! If you give in to the Cor-
  ruption, it can begin to take over, even to the point of overriding 
  your control of the character.
  When you use good magic within its purview, you are safe from 
  Corruption. Its purview is protecting yourself and others. That’s it. 
  There are rules you are expected to follow. You can disobey these 
  rules at any time, but you will gain Corruption that way and may 
  come to regret your decisions. Make a Corruption Roll when you 
  use your magic…
  • 
  … for personal gain or selfishness, or to protect yourself at 
  the expense of others.
  • 
  … out of anger, revenge, or fear. This includes, but is not lim-
  ited to, any roll when you have the Angry Condition or any 
  other emotional Condition.
  • 
  … to harm any life that does not pose an immediate threat, 
  including a surrendering foe.
  • 
  … to resort to violence when escape was an option.
  • 
  … for convenience instead of honesty.
  Wait, does that mean that I need to get up and walk across the 
  room to get the remote instead of magically calling it to my hand?
  There are two possible answers, and you and your group need to 
  pick which one is right.
  • 
  Yes, using your powers for trivial convenience is the first step 
  on the path to Corruption.
  • 
  No, using your powers for trivialities does not constitute a 
  moral choice.
  Corruption Rolls
  When you make a Corruption Roll, roll a die. If the result is higher 
  than your current Corruption rating, increase your rating by 1.
  Temptation
  When there is a chance for you to repeat your mistakes, the GM 
  may tempt you. The temptation must be a similar decision to 
  one that caused you to make a Corruption Roll in the past, or a 
  follow-up to such a decision. If you try to resist the temptation, 
  roll a die. If you roll higher than your current Corruption level, 
  you resist the temptation. If the result is less than or equal to your 
  current Corruption, you fall victim to it and must follow through 
  with that temptation—the choice is out of your hands. Of course, 
  you must then make a Corruption Roll. 
  Spaceships
  Spaceship fights are cool, and you will probably have a player who 
  wants to fly around in space and get into battles. That’s great, but 
  it can be hard to make everyone feel involved. Try to have some 
  on-board goal for characters to achieve if they are not actively in-
  volved in the piloting or shooting during the fight. Maybe they 
  need to secure or hide some cargo, repair the FTL drive, decipher 
  a code, fight off an assault drone trying to board the ship, or sneak 
  aboard the enemy ship. One of the first planned mini-expansions 
  for Strike! is vehicle rules, which will include a section on space-
  ships and dogfighting, so look for that in the near future.
  Magic
  There is magic out there amongst the stars, but this magic is pow-
  ered by moral choices. If you have the talent for it, you can use 
  your powers to reinforce and uphold your values. If you are weak, 
  power tempts you and drags you towards a perversion of your val-
  ues. There are two opposing views of magic in this universe, and 
  a small number of practitioners who do not ascribe to either view.
  What can magic do? Regardless of your ethical alignment, the ba-
  sic powers it grants you are the same. You can move objects at 
  a distance, fog a person’s mind, sense magic, and move with su-
  perhuman dexterity. One Restricted Skill, Magic, gives you access 
  to those four abilities. Other powers are possible, but you’ll have 
  to discover them in play—maybe your magic allows you to sense 
  emotional pain, shoot lightning, control the weak of mind, or talk 
  to plants. Learning such a power is done simply by learning an 
  appropriate Skill. All magic use is driven by the usual Skill rules. 
  The important thing isn’t how you use your magic, but why.
  I want to play in this world but without the magic. I don’t like 
  magic in my sci-fi.
  Okay. So do that. Magic serves to highlight and accentuate the role 
  of morality in the setting, but it’s not the only way to do that.
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Black Magic
  Black magic isn’t about being evil. It’s about using your emotions 
  to power your magic. You channel your anger, jealousy, and fear 
  into your powers to make them stronger. You see magic differently 
  than white magicians and are practiced at using your emotions 
  productively in this way. Your magical Skill Rolls are never penal-
  ized for emotional Conditions such as Angry, Afraid, etc.
  Tapping into Passion
  When you are Angry, Afraid, or have any other similar emotional 
  Condition and you dislike a result on a magic Skill Roll, you may 
  tap into your passion and re-roll, taking the higher of the two re-
  sults. You also can’t just tap into that same source over and over 
  again without inflaming your passion. If you wish to tap the same 
  Condition a second time, you must go from Angry to Enraged (or 
  from Afraid to Terrified, etc.). Since this is a Major Condition, it 
  will give you a -1 to all your non-magical Skill Rolls.
  Getting Angry
  When you are not Angry and you dislike a result other than a 1 on 
  a magic Skill Roll, you may choose to get Angry and re-roll. Take 
  the higher of the two results. This counts as tapping into passion 
  and uses your one “free” tap of the Condition, so any subsequent 
  tapping escalates it to a Major Condition. You cannot use this on 
  a 1 because a Twist with a Cost when using black magic usually 
  means that you lost control of your emotions and went too far.
  Nobody Likes a Black Magician
  There is a downside to this power even if you use it responsibly, 
  and that is that people do not trust you. Everyone assumes the 
  worst about black magicians because of what some bad apples 
  have done in the past and because of white magician propaganda. 
  Sadly, this means that you must take pains to hide your power. 
  Disguise yourself as a white magician, use your magic subtly, and 
  suppress any rumors about you. If word gets out, the consequenc-
  es will be dire indeed. You will find yourself a pariah and hunted 
  by white magicians.
  What is the difference between a black magician and a fallen 
  white magician?
  The white magician’s arc is about resisting temptations. They do not 
  know how to effectively channel their emotion like a successful black 
  magician. Rather, a fallen white magician is a slave to emotion. 
  Black magicians, being in tune with their passions, find it easy to 
  manipulate fallen white magicians into doing their dirty work.
  Gray Magic
  Gray magic users don’t put much stock in either the self-control 
  and self-denial of the white magic users or the passion of the black 
  magic users. You can use magic Skills, but you do not tap into 
  your emotions for it, do not suffer temptations, and do not gain 
  Corruption. Pick this path if you want to have cool powers but 
  not worry about the morality or consequences. Is that missing the 
  point? Yes, it absolutely is. But sometimes you want to miss the 
  point because there’s a more important point somewhere else. 
  Never! I won’t!
  If you fail a temptation roll but are absolutely adamant that you 
  will not fall into that temptation, you may take the last-ditch ef-
  fort of blocking your own magic. You lose all access to your mag-
  ic and any associated abilities for the rest of the adventure. You 
  must spend downtime afterwards to re-center yourself and come 
  to terms with your choices. If you choose this, reduce your Cor-
  ruption by one.
  Tapping into Corruption
  When you use your magic and your roll is less than or equal to 
  your Corruption rating, you may tap into your Corruption and 
  reroll. This represents using your anger, fear, and bad memories to 
  drive you—a sure path to Corruption. You must abide by the bet-
  ter of the two results. When you do this, make a Corruption Roll.
  Maximum Corruption
  When you hit Corruption level 6, your slide into darkness is com-
  plete. Your character has become irredeemably evil, and their arc 
  is at an end. At the end of this adventure you must give up your 
  character to become an NPC and make a new one. Is there anoth-
  er option? How can you avoid this fate? Block your magic, as 
  above. Take the downtime after the adventure to meditate on your 
  decisions and reduce your Corruption. One other way: instead of 
  reducing your Corruption during downtime, you might find a 
  teacher to show you another path. Another way to deal with your 
  emotions. A darker path…
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  183
  Other Backgrounds
  Other characters are possible but not included here. You may 
  make up your own background if your character doesn’t fit in 
  these, but be careful—if you don’t fall into one of these categories, 
  then are you really part of the company? It is important for the 
  tone of the game that everyone truly belongs.
  Great Wizards rule the world, but their talents are beyond those 
  of player character Wizards. Concerns over power level aside, to 
  achieve the level of wizardry they have, they have sacrificed most 
  of their identity, their past, and their humanity. They are villains 
  and patrons for the company, not player characters. The company 
  cannot stand against them directly, but they are not invincible—
  with teamwork and a good plan and the right tools, the company 
  can take down anyone.
  Combat Skills
  The company are serious bad news. You may take as your combat 
  Skill “Master of Arms” and be Skilled with any weapon you lay 
  hands on. If you choose to take a specific weapons Skill (spear, 
  bow, whatever) then you are one of the best in the world with that 
  weapon—in exchange for restricting yourself, your skill with your 
  chosen weapon is astounding. Mechanically, you use the Heroic 
  Skill table from the optional rules section.
  Company Skills
  There are some Skills that the company trains and drills in. Every-
  one in the company has at least some of these Skills.
  • 
  Artillery
  • 
  Cavalry
  • 
  Forage 
  • 
  Intimidate 
  • 
  Logistics 
  • 
  Scout 
  • 
  Siege 
  • 
  Soldiering 
  • 
  Tactics 
  • 
  Tracking 
  No Wealth
  Individual resources do not play a big role in this sort of story. 
  You are assumed to be paid well enough to drink and carouse to 
  your heart’s content—when you actually get some time off, that 
  is. Bigger purchases than that will usually be made with company 
  funds on behalf of the company. Your starting Wealth is 0. Secur-
  ing funds for the company is the role of the Captain (although 
  they may delegate the task). The company starts with a Wealth 
  rating of 2 and many expenses. Without the support of a wealthy a 
  patron to help replenish it, it is inevitable that the company’s funds 
  will go down.
  The Company 
  These are special character creation rules for playing as a mer-
  cenary company in a world ruled by super-powerful wizards. To 
  create a character, pick one of the Company Backgrounds below. 
  Also pick 1 Trick and 1 Complication. Ignore the rest of non-com-
  bat character creation. You’ll get other things instead.
  Company Backgrounds
  Company Veteran 
  Pick 1 Combat Skill, 4 Company Skills and 1 Free Skill .
  Trick: Escape. You can always get yourself out when things get too 
  hot. That’s why you’re still around and not in the ground.
  New Recruit 
  Pick 1 Combat Skill, 2 Company Skills and 3 Skills from a regular 
  background.
  Trick: From the regular background you chose.
  Company Cultist
  Gain the Cult of the Company Skill. Pick  1 Combat Skill, 3 Com-
  pany Skills and 1 Free Skill .
  Trick: Incredible Athleticism. You can always succeed at a task 
  that requires nothing more than climbing, running, or jumping.
  Wizard 
  Gain Combat Magic, People-Sensing*, Showmanship, Magical 
  Lore, Toughness**, and Trickery.
  *Used for finding specific people and for sensing hidden people.
  **Wizards in this world are inhumanly tough and hard to kill in 
  proportion to their powers.
  Trick: Magical Specialist: Pick a specialty, such as shapeshifting, 
  weather magic, using animals as spies, or making flying carpets. 
  You may make up your own but it needs to be specific, not broad. 
  You can always succeed at that specialty. 
  Fallen Great Wizard
  Pick 1 Combat Skill. Also gain Administration, Command, Strat-
  egy, Greater Sorcery (Lost), Empire History.
  Trick: Fearsome Reputation. You can always intimidate someone 
  who doesn’t realize you’ve lost most of your powers.
  Magical Null
  Pick 1 Combat Skill and 1 Free Skill. Also gain Strategy, Tactics, 
  Inspiration, Magical Null. 
  Trick: Strategic Genius. You can always come up with the right 
  plan in a military situation. 
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  184
  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Surgeon
  The only really good surgeon in this damned backwards part of 
  the world. Gain the Skill: Surgery (Restricted—nobody else can 
  have it at character creation and you cannot roll it Unskilled with-
  out training. Without training, you might roll First Aid or Medi-
  cine or Anatomy instead.) 
  Once per session, when you smooth over a potential problem or 
  bickering, gain an Action Point.
  Standard Bearer
  What it says on the label. Gain the Skills Conspicuous and Bat-
  tlefield Inspiration (useful for rallying the troops, especially the 
  fleeing ones). 
  Once per session, when you cut short discussion and lead the 
  group into action, gain an Action Point.
  Cartographer
  The company often uses maps. The Cartographer must make re-
  al-life maps of the locations the company travels through, in co-
  operation with the GM. Gain the Skills Geography and Cartogra-
  phy (useful for creating maps to give bonuses to strategy, tactics, 
  logistics, or journeying Skills). When the character makes a map, 
  so should the player, and vice versa.
  Once per session, when you make a map of a new location, gain 
  an Action Point.
  Special Roles 
  Each player gets a special role in the company. Some of them 
  come with out-of-game requirements such as keeping a chronicle 
  or making maps. Here are five. If you need more, make them up. If 
  these roles are not filled by players, fill them with NPCs. 
  Captain
  This character is the captain. They are at the top of the chain of 
  command. What they say goes. If not, it’s mutiny or desertion—
  in essence a betrayal of your family. However, the captain always 
  heeds advice from the men and women of the company and defers 
  to them in their areas of expertise. Delegation is crucial, and mi-
  cromanaging would not be tolerated. Restriction: cannot have the 
  New Recruit Background. 
  Once per session, when you ask your fellow players for opinions 
  about an important choice, and then make the final decision, gain 
  an Action Point.
  Annalist
  The Annalist must record the deeds of the company in a chron-
  icle. Gain a special Skill: Annals of the Company (Restricted to 
  the Annalist only until they choose to pass them on or to take an 
  apprentice). It can be used for keeping up the annals or research-
  ing in them, but its main use is as a knowledge Skill allowing the 
  character to recall (and create) company history. On top of that, 
  the annals are full of the cunning tricks the company has used 
  over the centuries—you can use this Skill to ask the GM what the 
  enemy will do and then declare what trick you have up your sleeve 
  for that. Very powerful, but if you fail such a roll, the results are 
  invariably disastrous. 
  Once per session, when you read a recap that you prepared about 
  the previous session, gain an Action Point.
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  Leading the stampede
  It’s not really this villain’s fault. They have been pushed into an 
  impossible situation. The momentum is too great, and even if 
  they wanted to stop they couldn’t. This character is a good way to 
  give a human face to a threat when the real villain is an intangible 
  or inanimate foe, such as a super-virus or vast social forces. The 
  question isn’t how to stop them, but how to stop the forces behind 
  them.
  Origins
  • 
  They sparked the revolution but lost control.
  • 
  They created the threat, but it mutated or became self-aware.
  • 
  It was entirely an accident and they are too scared to try to 
  stop.
  Directions
  • 
  Show them bluffing.
  • 
  Show their control slip.
  • 
  Later, show them trying to stop what they started and being 
  crushed or swept aside.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  They don’t get away. But like they’ve been saying, the threat 
  will go on without them. It was never about them.
  • 
  They promise to help stop what they started. They change 
  sides (falsely or in truth).
  Unstoppable
  This villain is all about sheer force. Physically, they are more than 
  a match for their foes. Their danger is obvious and palpable. How 
  do you stop someone who is literally unstoppable?
  Origins
  • 
  A giant robot suit.
  • 
  A monster or shapeshifter.
  • 
  A perfect master of martial arts.
  Directions
  • 
  They break stuff.
  • 
  They show off their physicality. They are gorgeous or gro-
  tesque.
  • 
  They show off their speed or agility.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  They go where the players cannot follow. They leap onto a 
  building or smash through walls.
  • 
  They are caught, but break free of their bonds or cell.
  Villains
  Having a villain that the players can encounter and interact with 
  before the final showdown is great, but sometimes players will 
  only see the short term and try to end things early. This is a natu-
  ral instinct, surely, and it’s one that is easy enough to work around 
  with the right rules. This section will give you a selection of vil-
  lains, each with a brief description, some roleplaying directions, 
  and a couple of get-away techniques. Each get-away technique 
  can work if you make it not feel cheap (if you can’t use it without 
  feeling cheap, don’t use it!), but can only work once, and each one 
  serves to emphasize to the players how this particular type of vil-
  lain works.
  How Evil?
  Some of these villains rely on the fact that the players won’t sim-
  ply resort to outright murder and damn the consequences. If you 
  want to make sure that players respect that boundary, a simple 
  and open discussion about tone is the answer. What is the place 
  of killing in this genre? Also note that if your villain is too evil, 
  too inhuman, or their plan too world-destroying, the players will 
  want to kill them simply out of prudence even if they generally do 
  not kill their foes. The point of this section is to get you thinking 
  about your players’ likely reactions and how you can work within 
  those bounds to play your villain better.
  One thing not listed here that every villain needs is a motivation. 
  Like any other character, you should always have the idea of what 
  they want now at the forefront of your mind.
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Too Useful
  This villain has knowledge and tools that the players desperately 
  need to fight worse villains. They are dangerous because the play-
  ers need them. How can you thwart someone and expect them to 
  turn around and help you?
  Origins
  • 
  A broker of information and secrets.
  • 
  A collector of macguffins.
  • 
  An inventor and scientist.
  Directions
  • 
  They give the players a free taste.
  • 
  They ask for something seemingly innocuous. Suspiciously 
  so.
  • 
  They ask for something they don’t really want, knowing that 
  the players will bargain them down, or hoping that the pro-
  cess of getting that thing progresses their goals.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  Make the players an offer they can’t refuse.
  • 
  Make the players an offer they don’t want to refuse.
  • 
  After their capture, they are freed by someone who owed 
  them a favor.
  You and What Army?
  The boss is the leader of an army. They are dangerous because they 
  command dangerous people. How can you stop somebody when 
  you cannot even meet them without laying down your weapons?
  Origins
  • 
  A leader of a crime syndicate or CEO of a megacorporation.
  • 
  A general or royal.
  • 
  A summoner of an army of monsters, a creator of autono-
  mous machines, or a friend to the animals.
  Directions
  • 
  They order another do their bidding.
  • 
  They hide behind guards and go-betweens.
  • 
  They request a meeting with the players, unarmed, on neutral 
  ground.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  Their henchpeople prevent their capture.
  • 
  An accomplice helps them escape.
  • 
  They buy their way out, bribing a guard.
  Messing with minds
  This villain is dangerous because they make it so you cannot trust 
  your senses. Their lair is disorienting in the extreme, and their 
  servants are wholly under their sway. How can you defeat an op-
  ponent who can alter your very mind? 
  Origins
  • 
  Creator of mirrors, prisms, projections, or optical illusions.
  • 
  Master of hallucinogenic drugs.
  • 
  The power of suggestion.
  • 
  A superpower, like telepathy or illusion magic.
  Directions
  • 
  They lie about everything. They lie about lying.
  • 
  They tell the truth only when the players are sure they are 
  lying.
  • 
  They use their illusions to reveal the truth.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  They only appeared to be caught. It was an illusion.
  • 
  The players see or hear the villain running and give chase to 
  the illusion while the real one hides.
  • 
  Shut down the players’ senses. Everything goes black and si-
  lent, or psychedelic and shrieking.
  The Mystery
  This villain has powers unknown. They are dangerous because 
  nobody knows exactly what they can do. How can you stop some-
  body when you don’t know what to stop?
  Origins
  • 
  A monster, alien, spirit, cape, or visitor from the future.
  • 
  A cypher. A total unknown.
  • 
  An inventor, collector, or enchanter.
  Directions
  • 
  They reveal that which was hidden.
  • 
  They reveal a new power.
  • 
  They claim a power they do not have.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  They have a previously unseen power to effect an escape.
  • 
  They escape impossibly. What?! How??
  • 
  They escape, but must reveal the key to their powers to do it.
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  Get-Aways
  • 
  They wanted to be caught. All part of the plan.
  • 
  They have a contingency. Something to provide an escape 
  route or to create a distraction or urgent situation that the 
  players need to deal with.
  • 
  They only appeared to be caught. It was actually someone 
  else.
  Kill Your Villains!
  All of these villains have get-aways, but that doesn’t mean that 
  they should always get away. Remember, you only use their get-
  away when it won’t feel cheap. Sometimes your players will put 
  your villain away for good. Let them.
  The flip side of this is that since players will be facing a villain of 
  some sort one way or another, and since it is often more interest-
  ing to face recurring villains than a sequence of brand new ones, 
  players should usually be on board when they foil the villain’s 
  plan and save the day but the villain escapes, later to return.
  The True Hero
  This villain is beloved of the people and has a reputation for 
  strength and goodness. They are dangerous because nobody be-
  lieves they are dangerous. How do you stop them without being 
  decried as villains yourselves?
  Origins
  • 
  Actually was a true hero, but turned to darkness.
  • 
  Still is a true hero, but fights for different goals.
  • 
  Never was a true hero, but tricked people into thinking so.
  Directions
  • 
  They go out openly amongst the adoring crowds.
  • 
  They announce their plans (or “plans”) to the world.
  • 
  They laugh at the insinuation that they are doing anything 
  wrong.
  Get-Aways
  • 
  They call on the people to intervene and prevent their cap-
  ture.
  • 
  They are captured, but their loyalists free them.
  • 
  They are captured, but the players are taken to be villains un-
  til they release the true hero.
  One step ahead
  This villain always knows their opponents’ plans. Every action is 
  accounted for and has a response. When their foes finally catch 
  up with them in the sewers, they have already planted a bomb 
  that will cause a moving train to crash, allowing them to escape in 
  the chaos. How can you stop an opponent who knows your plans 
  before you do? 
  Origins
  • 
  They are a product of the same training that created one of 
  the player characters.
  • 
  They have a spy, mole, or bug amongst their foes.
  • 
  They have some kind of superpower or magic, like telepathy 
  or a crystal ball or super-intelligence or time travel.
  Directions
  • 
  They let slip something they should have no way of knowing.
  • 
  They brag that the players are playing right into their hands.
  • 
  They always act and drive the plot, and win while the players 
  react…
  • 
  …until the players take the initiative and go off-script. Reac-
  tion is not this villain’s strength.
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  sequences, they minimize everyone else’s chances of having fun. 
  Be sporting and be prepared to admit mistakes when challenged. 
  Being harsh with Twists does not affect the outcome of the overall 
  conflict. That’s the key here: you can play as hard as you like in the 
  conflict mechanics and try your best to win, and being sporting 
  doesn’t take anything away from that.
  Structure of the Conflict
  Preparation is made to ensure that the conflict isn’t over in just 
  one round—this is intended for a short campaign of a few ses-
  sions.  The structure can be adapted to other conflicts or to exten-
  sions of the conflict, too. After a successful invasion, maybe the 
  next step is an insurgency and occupation. After a failed invasion, 
  maybe a counter-attack is next. If you enjoy using this structure, 
  you can continue until you’ve reached a satisfying conclusion.
  Setting Up
  Set up a standard Team Conflict, plus two extra traits per side 
  granting invulnerability. Be sure to use the rule about “intelligent 
  opponents” on page 76. For the invulnerability traits, generally, 
  the defending nation should have territories that need to be con-
  quered before they will admit defeat, while the invading force will 
  have armies or reinforcements that need to be eliminated before 
  they will pull back from the invasion.
  In PvP, each side gets two traits granting invulnerability, and any 
  team with fewer players getting an extra +1A/+1D and one extra 
  trait for each player they are short.
  Any other traits on either side that are important to represent 
  should be included as usual. There is one important rule change 
  from the regular Team Conflict rules to the Invasion rules: Action 
  Points can no longer prevent your team from losing.
  It’s important to lay out at the start which sort of actions consti-
  tute Advance and which constitute Defense. Advance for invaders 
  means taking territory, holding taken territory, or ruining enemy 
  infrastructure. Defense means protecting armies, recruiting, and 
  maintaining supply lines. Something like propaganda could fall 
  into either category depending on the intent. Advance for the de-
  fenders means eliminating invading armies and cutting off their 
  supply lines and reinforcements. Defense means holding territory, 
  retaking territory, promoting resistance, and maintaining morale 
  and infrastructure.
  You can alter those definitions to fit your situation, but whatever 
  you decide, stick to the definitions! There should be some tension 
  between what your characters want or have the capacity to accom-
  plish in the fiction and what the optimal action will be.
  Scene Structure
  Before each roll of the Team Conflict, each player must set one 
  scene in which their character plays a primary role. In their scene, 
  they invite other characters in and decide on the general shape of 
  the conflict. Their Team Conflict action they choose for the round 
  must be based on the actions they took in their scene. The GM 
  gets to set a number of scenes equal to the number of players on 
  the other team. In PvP, a team with fewer players gets extra scenes 
  to make up the difference.
  Adversarial Play: Invasion!
  In Invasion!, players square off against each other in an extended 
  Team Conflict where every action they choose is determined by 
  an individual scene. Players take on the roles of Generals, Prime 
  Ministers, Empresses, Scientists, and Superspies during an inva-
  sion: figures whose actions decide the direction and outcome of 
  the war. 
  Overview
  The main idea is that the abstract level of the invasion is handled 
  by a Team Conflict. The fate of the nation hangs on that conflict. 
  But for each round, instead of simply picking an action and nar-
  rating what you do, you must have a whole scene around your 
  attempting that action, with all the Skill Rolls and Complications 
  and so on that a scene entails. How well you roll in the scene 
  doesn’t determine your action, though, only what you attempt. In 
  this way, a session of play will encompass one or two rounds of the 
  Team Conflict and the whole invasion is stretched out over several 
  sessions worth of play.
  Player Division
  There are two options: standard or Player vs. Player (PvP). In stan-
  dard, this is a piece of game structure that can be dropped into a 
  typical game with a GM against the players. It essentially func-
  tions as a Team Conflict that overarches the scenes of the game. 
  PvP puts all the players on an equal footing against one another 
  in a GM-less game. 
  Player vs. Player
  In PvP, the game works best if the teams are roughly equal in num-
  ber. The game is competitive, but not cutthroat. The competition 
  must be civil and sporting, with fairness valued above winning. A 
  player who is just out to win without regard to fairness will ruin 
  this game. Each player who sets a scene picks a player from the 
  other team to be the GM of that scene. They should pick a player 
  who does not have a character in the scene if possible. Every GM 
  is required to follow the same rules—they can be tough, but they 
  must be fair and their Twists and Strikes must be appropriate to 
  the stakes of the rolls being made. Anyone can call out anyone else 
  about a Twist that seems unfair or nonsensical. This is where the 
  potential for ruining the game comes in: if one player decides that 
  every Twist the other team rolls results in the direst possible con-
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  I think we should have a Tangential Scene here. It would fit really 
  well.
  So suggest it. As long as the other players agree, then go for it. It 
  doesn’t count against you in any way, and it’s good to have scenes 
  to establish the facts of the game and how the characters interact. 
  However, if another player wants to have a non-Tangential Scene 
  first, they take precedence. This pushes the game towards action.
  Do my scenes have to be huge in scope?
  No, not at all. They should be relevant to the conflict, but they can 
  be very personal. Your scene could be a tense confrontation between 
  your character and another players’ character arguing about policy. 
  Your scene can be as big or as small as you like. The Team Conflict 
  takes care of the big picture, so it’s often best for you to make sure 
  you take care of the details. Your scenes can be procedural, involving 
  your character working to accomplish a discrete task, or they can 
  be dramatic, involving other characters in open-ended conflict with 
  yours. It’s all up to you.
  Do we all have to fight for the same things?
  Not at all! Your characters can be mortal enemies, so long as they 
  find themselves working on the same side. You can have a scene 
  where you try to assassinate a teammate and still count as working 
  towards your side of the invasion. 
  Can I have a Tactical Combat or a Chase for my scene?
  Yes. A Chase, certainly. Chase is very fast, so there are no restric-
  tions on Chase. For Tactical Combat, the one thing to keep in mind 
  is that it will take half an hour instead of the five or ten minutes a 
  regular scene takes. So you need to ensure that everyone is interest-
  ed in investing in that, and that there is time to finish it, too. Too 
  much or too little combat can be a drag, and everyone has their own 
  preference. If the group likes to have a certain number of combats 
  per session, aim for that. Also, any Tactical Combat must involve all 
  the players somehow—sitting out for half an hour while the others 
  play is no fun. 
  The GM side
  GMs, you should choose major characters on your side of the in-
  vasion, but also have characters acting as antagonists within the 
  other side, too. Having an antagonist within the other side could 
  mean a traitor, but it could also mean a loyal fighter who oppos-
  es the player characters’ methods. If the players present a united 
  front, it is more important for you to put these antagonists in their 
  midst. If the players like to have their characters squabble and 
  fight one another, you can focus more on providing the external 
  impetus to provoke that infighting. Most of your scenes should 
  involve at least one player character in some way, but if you have a 
  scene that you really want to show that doesn’t involve them, you 
  can simply invite them to play roles in opposition to the character 
  you are highlighting. Even when you have a scene with a player 
  character in it, you may invite the other players to play roles you 
  assign—just tell them who the character is and what the character 
  wants, and let them give it a shot. 
  You may make whatever rolls are appropriate in your scene, but 
  once your goal has been won or lost, your scene is done. You may 
  not play out the fallout and so on. That should be a Tangential 
  Scene, which you can have later if you like, and which doesn’t 
  count towards the overall conflict, or you can simply narrate or 
  gloss over the fallout. For now, it’s time to give someone else a 
  turn.
  So if it doesn’t change the outcome of the conflict whether I suc-
  ceed or fail in my scenes, what difference does it make?
  Everything that happens in a scene is still true! If your character gets 
  captured, then unless your friends spend a scene rescuing her, your 
  next scene is going to start with her in prison, which will severely 
  limit your choices as to what you can accomplish. Making the out-
  comes of individual rolls within scenes affect the overall outcome of 
  the conflict would have a distorting effect on play and compromise 
  the sporting nature of the competition. Being fair to your opponents 
  is just as strong mechanically as being unfair, so you should always 
  be fair!
  Tokens
  There are two kinds of Tokens that are used to settle the order of 
  the scene structure when there is disagreement over what should 
  happen next. A Black Token can be spent before any Team Con-
  flict roll to add one to either Advance or Defense. A Gold Token 
  can be spent after any Team Conflict roll to add one to Advance 
  or Defense. These Tokens are used to help answer the next two 
  questions.
  Who goes next?
  Whoever wants to! Any player, including the GM, who wants to 
  have a scene now may suggest one. After all suggestions have been 
  heard, if multiple players from the same team want to go next, they 
  should simply decide as a team what to do first. If they like, they may 
  have a Tangential Scene devoted to the discussion about what to do 
  next and let their characters hash it out and let the dice decide with 
  an Opposed Roll. Tangential Scenes don’t count as their scene for the 
  round and don’t directly influence the conflict. 
  If players from opposite sides each want to go next, they may simul-
  taneously and secretly bid any number of Black Tokens from the 
  bank. The team that bid the most gives the other team that many 
  tokens (from the bank, not from their own pool, if they have any 
  from previous bids). The invading team wins ties. The same process 
  applies if both sides want to go second, although in this case ties go 
  to the defending team.
  I already had my scene, but now I want another.
  You can take another scene any time (although a given character 
  may never be the focus of two scenes in a row), but the cost to having 
  an extra scene in a round is a Gold Token to the other team. The 
  benefit to having another scene, on top of any narrative benefit you 
  gain from it, and on top of Action Points you earn through your 
  Complications, is that you may choose which scene to use when de-
  termining your action choice in the Team Conflict roll for the round.
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  roll might take place months from now. When discussing this, 
  you should speak out of character about what the outcome should 
  mean, expressing your opinion, not your character’s. 
  Assuming the Conflict continues, begin again, with each team an-
  nouncing its goal for the next round. 
  If there is a final winner, with the losing side having no more in-
  vulnerabilities, move on to resolving the conflict in the usual way. 
  The stakes are bigger, but the rules are the same. Concessions are 
  serious business here! An entire nation was won or lost, so even a 
  Minor Concession must have that sort of scope. Do what comes 
  naturally now—if you feel like roleplaying out your characters’ re-
  actions to the results, go for it. If you’d rather talk about the results 
  in an abstract way, that’s cool, too. Take some time and give some 
  thought to what you want to happen next. You could play another 
  big conflict following on the heels of the last, or you could just go 
  back to the base rules with your characters moving on to different 
  goals. Or do you want to keep playing the same characters at all?
  What happens on a double-tie? Well, the current conflict is over, 
  for better or worse, and possibly prematurely. You all need to use 
  the result to discuss what it means and whether it should mean 
  the final end of the war or merely open up the beginnings of a new 
  phase in the conflict.
  Timing
  Depending on how long your sessions are and whether or not you 
  are playing out Tactical Combats, you might be able to finish one 
  or two rounds per session. Finishing the Conflict as a whole will 
  generally take between three and ten such rolls, typically around 
  six. So if you are playing two rounds per session, you should plan 
  on 2 to 5 sessions, with an expectation of 3 or 4. If you are playing 
  shorter sessions and only play one round per session, double that.
  Other Themes
  You could try adapting these rules to any overarching conflict, not 
  just an invasion. The stakes have to be high, though: higher than 
  the player characters can handle on their own. It doesn’t make 
  sense to spend several sessions to answer a question that could 
  have been answered in a scene or two of typical play.
  Trying to Win
  You should try to win the conflict. Follow all the usual advice with-
  in scenes, make things feel real and make them exciting. Within 
  the mechanics of the Team Conflict, try to win. It makes the game 
  more tense and exciting when the players know that they are up 
  against a real challenge and stand a real chance of losing.
  The Roll
  At the start of the round, each side should declare a goal: what 
  they hope to achieve should they score a Hit. Describe it in nar-
  rative terms and in the mechanics. If the players on a team can’t 
  agree, they should vote or compromise.  If an enemy trait is being 
  targeted, the fictional result is usually simple to describe. “We will 
  take control of the Eastern Waters.” If you are gunning for a Strike, 
  that’s your opportunity to declare something true—Strikes can 
  seem weak compared to actually making progress towards victo-
  ry, but when you can use them to make your wishes reality, their 
  power can’t be ignored. “We will form a naval blockade, stopping 
  all foreign aid.” If you score your Hit, the other side gets a Strike 
  and your blockade is a fact. “We will assassinate General Arci.” If 
  you score your Hit, the other side gets a Strike and General Arci 
  is dead! Your table needs to agree on whether or not it is appro-
  priate to take out Player Characters in this way. If death is on the 
  table, you should probably have a backup character in mind for 
  this eventuality.
  With this done, all the scenes are played out as described above. 
  The scenes do not all need to relate to the overall goal for that 
  roll, although often some of the scenes will relate to it. Fill in the 
  details as necessary. It is possible that your entire team will roll 
  nothing but Twists in their scenes and yet still win the resulting 
  Team Conflict roll, or for the opposite to happen. This is because 
  there are other forces at play, other actors in the conflict, and not 
  everything is within your control.
  Sidebar: You should certainly be wary of having a scene where 
  your team’s goal is decided before the Team Conflict roll. If you 
  personally assassinate General Arci in your scene, then what does 
  the Team Conflict roll decide? Whether or not the General stays 
  dead? Whether the General’s replacement is equally strong? You 
  must answer this question before having that scene. It may be that 
  your team’s goal needs to be changed.
  Once the scenes are done, everyone chooses their actions and 
  spends any Black Tokens. Rolls are made simultaneously for each 
  side’s Advance and Defense and then Gold Tokens are spent. The 
  invaded team must always spend their Black Tokens first, while 
  the invading team must spend their Gold Tokens first. 
  Once the result is clear, Hits are assigned and everyone discusses 
  what the outcome means. If there is a winner on the roll, they nar-
  rate the outcome. If it was a draw or push, there must be a com-
  promise. If the invaded team lost but still had an invulnerability, 
  they probably lost one of their territories, or maybe a key trait was 
  disabled instead. If it was a push, then the invaders likely gained 
  ground but at the cost of having one of their armies smashed or 
  supplies disrupted. The stakes are big here, and you should not be 
  afraid to advance the timeline by a significant amount. The next 
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  or 3), long (4 or 5), very long (6 or 7), or marathon (8 or 9). The 
  number of major noncombat obstacles should roughly parallel the 
  number of combats, as should the number of minor obstacles. A 
  major obstacle might take at most three successful rolls and some 
  thought to overcome, or it might require every player to roll. A 
  minor obstacle can typically be overcome by a single fairly ob-
  vious roll. A locked door is a minor obstacle, while a submerged 
  hallway that everyone needs to swim through is a major obstacle. 
  A Team Conflict also counts as a major obstacle.
  The environment rating tells you what kind of Conditions you 
  can expect from the threats other than monsters in the dungeon. 
  Depending on the environment, some Conditions will be limited, 
  which puts restrictions on how and when the GM may use them. 
  Death is also limited or not depending on the environment. See 
  “Limited Conditions” below for a full explanation of what lim-
  ited means. Placid means that all Major Conditions are limited. 
  Dangerous means that Injured is not limited. Deadly means that 
  Sick is limited, but nothing else. Unhealthy means that Sick is not 
  limited. A dungeon could be Dangerous and Unhealthy, putting 
  both Major Conditions on the table, but not death.
  How many dungeons do I have to make? Won’t that take forever?
  The GM does not have to make all the dungeons at once. They should 
  have a brief description and some ratings, but they are not expected 
  to have all the details. That’s all the GM needs to know for now. The 
  players will always pick their next destination at the end of a session, 
  and the GM can fill in the details and prepare between sessions.
  Example: “The Hive” is a derelict ship anchored about a 
  mile out from the ruins of Miami Beach. It is infested with For-
  mics left over from the first wave. It is a Short, Dangerous dun-
  geon with Level 4 opponents, and lies less than a day’s journey 
  from the players’ HQ in Epcot.
  The GM should outline at least 6 dungeons within 3 levels of the 
  players. As dungeons are completed, the players should find out 
  about more so that they always have choices. Later on, they might 
  return to a familiar dungeon for a new purpose. Once the dun-
  geons are outlined and characters made, there is a bit of roleplay-
  ing as the players learn about each others’ characters and the GM 
  drops hints about the surrounding Dungeons.
  Collaborative Treasure Creation
  Players want cool treasure, and leaving it up to the GM in an ad-
  versarial environment doesn’t really work. So the players will each 
  come up with one item they want the most—this is called an Arti-
  fact, and can be essentially anything as long as it follows the item 
  creation rules. Artifacts are not generally more powerful than oth-
  er items, but they are special in that the GM has less freedom to 
  mess with them. Each player also comes up with two items called 
  Masterworks. Masterworks give a Trick or a conditional Advan-
  tage outside of combat, or an Encounter Power in Tactical Com-
  bat. Last, each player comes up with two items with powers that 
  are not particularly useful, but might be amusing and could come 
  in handy with some creativity—these are called Knick-knacks. 
  Any item can have a Flaw for free. The GM may add up to one 
  Masterwork per player and one Knick-knack per player to the list.
  Adversarial Play: 
  Dangerous Delves
  This section details a set of extra rules to facilitate adversarial play 
  in a different way than Invasion! did. Dangerous Delves lays out 
  restrictions that the GM must follow, but within those restrictions 
  the GM can play as hard as they like and try to beat the adventur-
  ers. The set-up here is that there is a town and outside the town 
  are various dungeons of varying difficulty, each housing treasure. 
  The players can find out generally how difficult each one is and 
  choose what level of difficulty they wish to attempt. Of course, this 
  being setting-agnostic, the “town” and “dungeons” do not need to 
  be literal. The “town” is simply a safe haven where characters can 
  recover, and a “dungeon” is simply a relatively contained area pop-
  ulated by opponents and protecting something desirable.
  Setting Up
  The GM and the players work together to come up with the basic 
  ideas and setting conceits. The players make characters and the 
  GM works on outlining some dungeons. Each dungeon is rated 
  on three scales: enemies, environment, and size.
  The enemies ratings simply correspond to the level of the enemies 
  in that dungeon. If there is a range of levels, the average level of the 
  hardest two combats are used to calculate the rating.
  The size rating tells you how many combats to expect. Short (2 
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  Dungeon Building
  When designing a dungeon, the GM is limited by the ratings they 
  have announced to the group. The length determines how many 
  combats to plan, the enemies levels are restricted by the enemies 
  rating, and the GMs’ use of Conditions is limited by the environ-
  ment rating.
  Combat Design
  When designing Tactical Combats, GMs must follow the guide-
  lines in the Combat Design chapter as though they were rules. In 
  particular, a combat may only have the number of enemies de-
  scribed there (usually one standard monster per player) unless the 
  players have agreed that they want a harder challenge. The mon-
  sters in a dungeon should all be within two levels of one anoth-
  er, and the dungeon’s enemies rating is based on the hardest two 
  combats. 
  When creating enemies, it is best if the GM simply modifies and 
  re-skins the existing sample monsters. If they need to create a 
  monster from scratch, they must use the points-based monster 
  building referred to as “The Precise Way” on page 162. If using 
  a trait or effect not listed in that section, find the closest analog to 
  see what it is worth.
  Favorable Terrain
  If the terrain is slightly in favor of one side or another, don’t worry 
  about it. But if the terrain is stacked obviously in favor of Team 
  Monster, reduce the number of monsters to compensate. 
  A specially designed defensive piece of terrain, like a turret with a 
  small gap to shoot from, counts as one Goon for each monster it 
  protects. Same for a well-hidden ambush point the monsters can 
  hide in. Extend this to any other pieces of terrain that you include 
  for the purpose of helping the monsters.
  If there is no individual piece of purpose-built terrain helping the 
  monsters, but simply an advantageous overall distribution of cov-
  er, that counts as one Goon. It counts as one standard monster 
  instead if the players would need to spend more than one round 
  to close the distance.
  Traps and Hazards in Combat
  A basic trap attacks at the end of each round, can be disabled with 
  a single successful Skill Roll, and/or can be smashed with an HP 
  threshold like a Goon. Such a trap counts as one Goon. A more 
  dangerous trap might take five successful Skill Rolls to fully dis-
  arm, and/or has the HP of an Elite. It can attack everyone at the 
  end of each round, and is worth one Elite. If a trap falls between 
  those two baselines in power, it counts as one Standard Monster.
  Some hidden hazards fall in between the ideas of favorable terrain 
  and attacking traps. A simple hidden pit trap that deals 4 damage 
  and knocks the victim prone, for instance, is worth one Stooge. 
  Players who use the Assess action and ask the right question will 
  find such traps easily, obviating most of their danger. If there are 
  multiple such hidden traps and a player uses Assess and asks if 
  there are traps, you must tell them yes, and you must reveal the 
  location of one such trap. The rest can be found one at a time by 
  Every player should look over every item thus created and check 
  for unbalancing aspects—a Trick that is too broad, or an Artifact 
  that would be game-breaking. Any items deemed unfair should be 
  revised. If there is a dispute over whether or not an item is fair, try 
  to compromise. If compromise fails, vote. Everyone has an equal 
  vote, and a tie indicates that the item must be revised.
  Next, for each player, the GM should secretly come up with a 
  “curse”: one of the items that player came up with will have a hid-
  den downside that is not apparent at first glance. Artifacts cannot 
  be cursed. They may also curse one of the items they created.
  The GM then stocks the dungeons with all the items from the 
  list. Each dungeon must have at least one Masterwork or Arti-
  fact. Short dungeons have a minimum of one item, and the mini-
  mum increases by one item for each length beyond that. The GM 
  decides in secret where each item on the list goes, and tells each 
  player where they can find their Artifact. Not every item must be 
  stocked immediately, and some may be held in reserve for future 
  dungeons, but all the Artifacts must be stocked.
  Example: The Hive is Short, so it only needs one item, and 
  the GM thinks it’s a perfect place to put the nuclear flame-
  thrower Artifact that Allison has asked for. The GM also de-
  cides to include a portable fish-finder radar Knick-knack. The 
  GM must tell the players about the Artifact, but doesn’t need to 
  say anything about the Knick-knack. “Allison, Colonel Vargas 
  happens to mention to Burke that two weeks ago Captain Pin-
  illa went into the Hive armed with a nuclear flamethrower and 
  never came back out.”
  Once treasure creation is done, the players can roleplay out com-
  ing to a decision about what they want to tackle first. This way the 
  GM knows what they need to prepare for next time. Unless the 
  GM feels confident in their ability to come up with a dungeon and 
  combats in just a few minutes, it’s okay to wait until next session. 
  Any extra time can be filled with improvised non-adversarial role-
  playing using the usual rules. Surely there is something one of the 
  players wants to do around town, or some little problem for them 
  to solve together.
  Once the GM has come up with the dungeon, the second ses-
  sion will start with gathering rumors and preparing (see Between 
  Dungeons below), followed by traveling to the dungeon.
  More Treasure
  Eventually, you will need more items to stock newer dungeons. 
  After the players have found a number of items equal to twice the 
  number of players, they each create one more and the GM creates 
  one per player. Artifacts replace Artifacts. For each non-Artifact 
  item, the GM rolls a die. On a 1, that item is cursed. These rolls 
  are secret.
  Cash
  A dungeon should have a cash parcel in it equal to half its level, 
  rounded down. So a level 9 dungeon should have a level 4 cash 
  parcel. If the players split it equally, just subtract one from its level. 
  So a group of five players would end up with one level 3 cash par-
  cel each. When asked to price an item, the GM must strive to be 
  fair, but the decision remains with the GM.
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  hand, then that Condition can only be used on a Twist with a Cost, 
  not a Success with a Cost. On the other hand, if the danger was 
  announced before the players acted, then it is fair to apply it on 
  any Cost the players roll—they knew what they were getting into.
  If a Condition is limited, that means three things. First, you can 
  only threaten it in specific pre-planned threats. Second, those 
  threats must be announced before the roll. Third, the players must 
  have some way to avoid dealing with those threats and still com-
  plete the dungeon.
  Example: The Hive is Dangerous, which means that there 
  might be hidden traps that can give out the Injured Condition 
  if a Cost is rolled. The GM may or may not tell the players that 
  a particular obstacle carries that risk. But The Hive is not rated 
  Unhealthy, so any danger that could cause the Sick Condition 
  must be clearly announced to the players. “The corridor below 
  is flooded, and the water exudes a foul odor. You might be able 
  to swim through to the next hatch, but if you swallow any of the 
  water, you will become very sick.” 
  Moreover, since Sick is limited, there must be some way for them 
  to work around this without risking that Condition. If the players 
  work their way to the stern, one of the storage lockers there con-
  tains scuba gear, and using that will allow them to safely traverse 
  the flooded sections of the ship. They don’t know that yet, but they 
  do know that there must be another way. Still, maybe the flooded 
  corridor represents a shortcut—taking the risk now might be bet-
  ter than the alternative.
  Death is handled the same way as any other Major Condition. Un-
  less the dungeon is Deadly, any area where death is on the table 
  must be clearly announced to the players and there must be some 
  way for them to work around it without risking death. In a Deadly 
  dungeon, death is always on the table, but characters that spot the 
  danger might be able to intervene and save their teammates. 
  These restrictions on Conditions do not affect the rules for Con-
  ditions after Tactical Combat. You can be Injured in combat even 
  in a Placid dungeon. Additionally, when you enter a Combat In-
  jured and you are Taken Out with enough Strikes to earn another 
  Injured Condition, you are instead dead.
  The Third Major Condition
  There is a third Major Condition in Strike! It’s called “Cursed” 
  by default, but it could be reskinned to “Psychically Shattered” 
  or whatever. This Condition is usually limited. If it makes sense 
  to draw the association between this Condition and Exotic Skills, 
  then Exotic dungeons might be unlimited for Cursed. If you use 
  this Condition, it must be possible to recover from it in town 
  during downtime, just as with Sick or Injured. Perhaps you call in 
  a Priest to break the curse or a counselor to heal your mind.
  Example: The Jackson Hive is an Exotic dungeon. Built be-
  neath the ruins of Mississippi’s capital city, the Hive is home to 
  many of the intelligent alien species, and their tech is every-
  where. These aliens are the ones with psychic powers, and thus 
  the “Shattered” Condition is unlimited here.
  further Assessing, or players can spend a Move Action and ask 
  about a 5x5 area to reveal that sort of trap if it is in the area they 
  asked about. 
  More complex hazards might be worth more than a Stooge. Imag-
  ine how you expect the combat to go and try to honestly evaluate 
  how much effect the Hazard will have and how difficult it will be 
  for the players to avoid it. There is some blurriness in the costs 
  here. You must use your best judgment and evaluate these things 
  as fairly as possible. Once you have done that, though, you are free 
  to use them to the fullest extent of your abilities in Combat and 
  try to beat those characters! You are expected to play as fairly as 
  possible in the building phase and to play as hard as you like in 
  Tactical Combat, so long as what you are doing makes sense.
  Limits
  Limited Skills
  The GM should come up with a list of Skills (about 20 is a good 
  number) that will be sufficient to attempt most rolls in the dun-
  geons. The players will thus know what Skills to aim for during 
  character creation and in play so they don’t end up creating char-
  acters who are useless in the dungeon. Skills that are not on the 
  list can, of course, be used as usual. The idea is simply to avoid a 
  situation where the players think you are being unfair in calling 
  for Skills they don’t have. If you are primarily calling for Skills 
  from the list you showed them at the start of the game, they have 
  no grounds for complaint. If you are constantly going off-list, then 
  they do have a valid complaint. A sample list is provided at the end 
  of this document.
  On this list can be “Exotic” Skills. These are Skills that will be use-
  ful in certain dungeons, but that new characters are not allowed 
  to start with. They must be learned during downtime or in play. A 
  dungeon that calls for many of those Skills should have an “Exot-
  ic” tag on it and is worth a little bit more experience (see below for 
  advancement rules including experience). In dungeons that are 
  not Exotic, you may have areas that call for Exotic Skills, but they 
  must allow for Unskilled characters to still succeed in some way or 
  to find another way around.
  Limited Conditions
  For adversarial play, custom Conditions are not on the menu. 
  When handing out Minor Conditions as Costs, the GM is limited 
  to Lost Confidence, Angry/Afraid, and Winded. Exhausted works 
  slightly differently in this mode: you are Exhausted when you get 
  three Minor Conditions other than Lost Confidence (Lost Con-
  fidence is different in that it does not recover with resting). For 
  instance, you might be Winded twice and Afraid once—then you 
  would become Exhausted. Furthermore, the Conditions the GM 
  hands out must make sense. If your character simply gave advice 
  to another, it does not make sense for that to leave you Winded. 
  The GM is trying to beat you, but they still have to play fair.
  Major Conditions can be limited or not, depending on the rating. 
  If the Condition in question is unlimited, then it may be used at 
  any time in the dungeon, so long as it makes sense. Since it is 
  unlimited, the GM does not need to tell the players before they 
  take an action that the action might have such a Condition as a 
  possible Cost. However, if the danger was not announced before-
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Example: Jon, the GM, says “Minh, the floor is unsafe and 
  your character is in the front. What Skill would your character 
  use to try to avoid the floor collapsing? Roll it.” 
  “Uh oh,” says Minh. “Guys, I don’t like taking the lead in Dead-
  ly dungeons. Well, Tanya would use her Catlike Reflexes Skill to 
  leap away from the danger.” She rolls a 1.
  Jon says “Ha! Your reflexes won’t save you here. The floor gives 
  way. And remember that intense heat I was just describing? 
  Well that’s because the room sits atop a lava tunnel. When the 
  floor goes, you fall to your death.”
  “Nooooo! Tanya, I’ll save you!” shouts Phil. “Intervention! I’m 
  rolling Brock’s Sprinting.” Phil rolls a 2.
  “Wait, I’m helping!” calls Steph. “Case is not Skilled, but he’ll 
  give it his best.” Steph rolls a 3 and a 6. “Hey, I did help!”
  Jon says “Okay, a two plus one for the help is a three. Success 
  with a Cost. Brock rushes forward and manages to grab Tanya 
  and hurl her back towards safety, where Case grabs her hand 
  and pulls her back onto solid ground. Unfortunately, Brock 
  couldn’t stop his own momentum and perishes in flame. Be-
  cause of the Cost, Case is Afraid.”
  Steph says “Holy cow. That’s brutal. Case is absolutely pissing 
  himself.”
  Medical Intervention
  Medical Skills to prevent infection or treat injury can be used to 
  make an Intervention Roll immediately after the Injury or Sick-
  ness instead of happening as the Condition is being applied. 
  Sometimes during this sort of roll it makes sense that you could 
  get the Condition instead of the original target, but sometimes it 
  doesn’t. While treating a gunshot wound during a firefight, you 
  might yourself be shot. While removing poison or stopping an 
  infection, it is possible that you could be poisoned or infected 
  yourself. But if you’re in a safe environment treating someone who 
  fell from a high platform, then there really is no risk of injury to 
  yourself. In that case, a Cost makes you Exhausted.
  Bonuses
  Since this is adversarial, while we are restricting the GM’s control, 
  we also need to restrict players’ Bonuses when they roll a 6. First, 
  everything you describe has to make sense! This applies to players 
  and GMs alike, always. When you roll a Bonus, you may suggest 
  anything you like, but the GM may simply veto it if they think you 
  have overreached. If your chosen Extra Bonus is simply Advan-
  tage on a particular future roll, then as long as it makes sense, the 
  GM cannot veto it.
  Binary Rolls
  If every roll can risk a Condition, then players will be discouraged 
  from making rolls unless they have to. But sometimes it’s good to 
  be able to make a roll for the purpose of getting information or 
  finding out more about the dungeon, giving the GM an opportu-
  nity to fill in some of the details. To encourage those kind of rolls, 
  we have the following rule: If a player is attempting a roll that is 
  voluntary (i.e. not required to progress), and that will not give a 
  material advantage, then they do not risk a Cost, but they also do 
  not get a chance at a Bonus. The roll becomes binary: Twist or 
  Success, ignoring anything else.
  Limited Item Penalties
  The GM can give Flaws to any item they like when a Cost is rolled, 
  so long as it makes sense. Flaws are conditional Disadvantages, 
  though, so they cannot apply to every use of the item. Twists can 
  result in broken, lost, cursed, or destroyed items. However, Arti-
  facts can never be permanently lost or destroyed: they are always 
  findable and fixable.
  If an item that seemed okay at first glance is turning out to be 
  overpowered in play, and the group agrees, then take the first op-
  portunity in the narrative to “fix” it so it works in a more balanced 
  way. If the group does not agree, raise your concerns and take a 
  vote. As before, everyone has an equal say, everyone must vote 
  in good faith (that is, if you know your item is overpowered, you 
  can’t lie and say that it’s fine), and a tie means that the item needs 
  revising.
  Limited Help
  Instead of the GM determining how many helpers are allowed 
  for any roll, the rule is simply one. One, and only one, helper is 
  allowed for any given roll, so long as their help makes sense. No 
  stretching! If the GM thinks that a roll should not have any help 
  allowed, it is their responsibility to describe the situation fully and 
  convince the players that help does not make sense with that task.
  In the Dungeon
  While in the dungeon, there are a few extra rules. When the GM 
  has carte blanche to give out nasty Major Conditions, or even to 
  kill characters, the players need a way to fairly combat that. That 
  way is called an intervention roll.
  Intervention Rolls
  When the GM assigns a Major Condition (or death) to your team-
  mate, and you yell “NOOOOO” and try to save them, roll an ap-
  propriate Skill for whatever task you are using.
  On a Success with an Extra Bonus, you save them and nobody gets 
  any Condition.
  On a plain Success, you save them and either you or the character 
  you saved gets a Minor Condition instead.
  On a Success with a Cost, you save your companion, but you get 
  the Major Condition (or die) instead.
  On a Twist, you fail to save them.
  On a Twist with a Cost, you both suffer the same fate and get the 
  Major Condition (or die).
  Only one character can intervene on any given occasion. If some-
  one else wants to get involved, they may use the helping rules (and 
  thus risk a Minor Condition).
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  Replacing Dead Characters
  When your character dies in the dungeon, you may replace them 
  any time the group goes to town. If the group wants to stay in the 
  dungeon, you may come in during the next rest of any length after 
  you finish creating your character. New characters start at level 1, 
  but see the Advancement section below for how that works.
  Moving Things Along
  If a player rolls a Twist, since this is adversarial, you are naturally 
  within your rights as GM to have the Twist be that they didn’t 
  overcome the obstacle. However, you must still change the situa-
  tion. It is against the rules for them to sit there trying and re-try-
  ing the same thing over again, and it’s up to you to give them a 
  Twist to make sure of that.
  If they are facing an opponent using Opposed Rolls, after they fail 
  to stop the enemy a few times, the enemy should simply achieve 
  his goal and move things along.
  Example: Jack is searching the machine shop and rolls a 
  Twist. Before he can find anything of use, an infiltrator in dis-
  guise as a police officer runs up the stairs and draws on Jack. 
  Jack tries to shoot first and it’s an Opposed Roll. Jack loses by 
  two, so he’ll be shot and Injured unless he chooses “It costs you 
  less than you expected.” He instead opts for “It costs them more 
  than they expected” and shoots the gun out of the cop’s hands. 
  When Kate runs in and tries to shoot the infiltrator, he has Dis-
  advantage because of Jack’s choice, but manages to win anyway. 
  Kate chooses “It costs you less than you expected” in order to 
  avoid Injury and so she leaps aside and lands hard. She’s Wind-
  ed instead of Injured. This has gone on long enough, though. 
  For the cop to just keep shooting and recapitulating the same 
  rolls could be boring or frustrating. Instead, his next move is to 
  dash for a binder on the desk and try to jump out the window 
  with it. The players are free to take a third shot at him, but this 
  time if they fail, he gets away and the scene doesn’t drag on. 
  What’s next? Maybe a Chase!
  Between Dungeons
  When one dungeon is complete, characters will need to recuper-
  ate before they are ready to move on to the next. Uninjured char-
  acters will wish to repair their broken gear, practice new Skills, 
  and prepare for the next dungeon. During downtime, you can do 
  any two things from this list.
  Why only two things? Why can’t we spend as long as we like in 
  town?
  Because this is essentially a somewhat arbitrary pacing mechanic 
  to keep things fair. In a normal game, if you spent too long in town 
  noodling around, the GM would probably have the villains tak-
  ing advantage of that time to do awful things. Gaming how much 
  downtime to take is basically missing the point. The point is going 
  into dungeons and getting out alive. 
  Resting and Restocking
  When the players take time out in the dungeon to try to recov-
  er from being Winded or Angry/Afraid, the GM makes a pacing 
  roll, as described on page 70. A dungeon environment rating 
  of Placid translates to a 0 on this roll. Deadly translates to 2, and 
  anything else is a 1. Population rating is 1 if the players have com-
  pleted more than half the fights, 3 if the players have completed 
  no fights, and 2 otherwise. Any negative result on the pacing roll 
  means an interrupted rest. Obviously, the players cannot even at-
  tempt to rest if there is an active danger nearby. The players might 
  use their Skills to try to hide and make rest possible. If it is already 
  possible, they might use Skills to make it more secure, essentially 
  giving themselves Advantage on the pacing roll if they succeed.
  If the players try to camp out in the dungeon to recover from be-
  ing Exhausted, they must succeed at securing an area first. Then 
  they must make a pacing roll without Advantage to see if the rest 
  is disturbed. If the rest is peaceful, then while they rest, the den-
  izens of the dungeon may reset or change the traps and hazards, 
  or else they may get one combat’s worth of reinforcements, but 
  not both.
  If the players leave the dungeon before completing it and head 
  back to town to recover, likely from a Major Condition, the dun-
  geon can be reinforced and restructured. The GM is free to reset 
  or change any of the traps and hazards, and may restore two com-
  bats’ worth of reinforcements.
  What if I make a pacing roll and get an encounter, but the char-
  acters have already completed all the combats in the dungeon ac-
  cording to the length rating? Or if I do have one left to spend, but 
  had a particular set-piece combat planned?
  Then there is no combat. Either hurry things along by simply let-
  ting them rest, or have someone else disturb their rest, but not by 
  initiating combat. Perhaps a lone enemy sneaks up and tosses a 
  grenade into their midst.
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  Repaying Favors
  You might spend a unit of your downtime repaying a Favor. If you 
  want to keep finding rumors without Disadvantage, you’ll need to 
  spend some time repaying the people who helped you before. The 
  GM will tell you what they need you to do.
  Other Preparations
  You might spend a unit of your downtime buying equipment or 
  doing anything else you need to do to get ready for the next dun-
  geon based on whatever rumors you’ve heard.
  Advancement
  When you enter a dungeon, you should have an objective: collect 
  all the treasure or one particular treasure, defeat all the monsters, 
  or achieve a particular goal that the GM tells you beforehand. The 
  dungeon is complete when you achieve your objective and get 
  back to town safely. If you just want the treasure, you don’t need 
  to defeat all the monsters. If you’re not sure if you’ve achieved the 
  objective, you can ask the GM and they will tell you yes or no.
  When you complete a dungeon, to calculate the number of expe-
  rience points you earn, start with the length rating: ½ for Short, 
  1 for Long, 1½ for Very Long, or 2 for Marathon. Add to that a 
  danger rating: ½ for Unhealthy, ½ for Dangerous, 1 for both, or 2 
  for Deadly. Add ½ if the Dungeon is Exotic. Take this result and 
  multiply by the level of the dungeon. Round up.
  Example: The Hive is Short, so we start with ½. It is Dan-
  gerous, so we add ½. The total is 1. We multiply that by the 
  level of the dungeon, 4, to get a result of 4 XP for completing 
  the dungeon.
  If the players give up before reaching their goal, the GM should 
  apportion XP based on what proportion of the dungeon they un-
  covered or enemies they confronted. Since the dungeon will be 
  re-stocking before they come back, this should not diminish the 
  XP for any subsequent attempts.
  You reach level N when you have N2 total XP. At a conservative 
  pace, this should take you two level-appropriate dungeons to gain 
  a level. By accepting more danger, you can increase that speed.
  Example: You currently have 11 XP. To get to level 4, you 
  need to reach 16 XP. Doing the Hive for 4 XP isn’t going to be 
  enough unless there is some bonus XP to be had somewhere. 
  You might consider taking on a longer or higher level dungeon 
  if you want to get to level 4 quickly.
  Recovery and Repair
  You may recover from any Condition while in town. Minor Con-
  ditions recover automatically without costing any downtime, so 
  long as you simply describe how you make yourself feel better. 
  If you have a Major Condition, though, you will need proper med-
  ical care and you will need to spend one unit of downtime. To find 
  the care you need, you must make a Wealth or Connections roll, 
  unless perhaps you can convince a contact to help you for free. 
  Maybe one of your teammates has an appropriate medical Skill. If 
  they want to try, then one unit of their downtime is spent helping 
  you. You will recover your Major Condition one way or another, 
  but any other Costs or Twists are up to the GM. They cannot be 
  Major Conditions, though.
  You may attempt to get a broken or Flawed item repaired. This 
  works essentially the same as recovering from a Major Condition. 
  Either spend time finding someone using Connections or Wealth, 
  spend time to try to fix it yourself, or get a teammate to spend the 
  time fixing it. You’ll always fix what you wanted fixed, but there 
  might be a Cost or Twist. The price was exorbitant, you owe a 
  Favor, the process introduced a wholly different Flaw, or whatever.
  Learning
  If you want to practice a new Skill, spend one unit of your down-
  time practicing. Make a roll: on a 6, you learn the Skill. If your 
  practice is dangerous, a roll of 1 will earn you a Condition.
  If you have a Skill and you want to help your friend learn it, you 
  may spend one unit of your downtime teaching them. Make a 
  Skill Roll with Teaching, not the Skill that you are trying to teach. 
  Success means that your friend has Advantage on their attempt 
  to learn. A Cost means that you have Lost Confidence in the Skill 
  you were trying to teach.
  You can also spend an extra unit of downtime using your Con-
  nections or Wealth to find and hire an NPC to roll their Teaching 
  Skill. If you already found a teacher before, it doesn’t cost you any 
  downtime to hire them again, although you still have to pay them 
  if they weren’t a friendly Connection.
  Gathering Rumors
  When you ask around about the next dungeon you intend to visit, 
  spend one unit of downtime and roll a Connections Skill.
  On a Success, you get a rumor and you know that it’s true.
  On a Twist, you still get a rumor, but you have no idea whether 
  or not it’s true, false, partially true, or misleading. Only the GM 
  knows.
  A Cost indicates that you owe someone a Favor.
  A Bonus is up to you, as always.
  Rumors might include a way to bypass a trap, a treasure you will 
  find, the location of a hidden door, or where enemies like to lurk. 
  A rumor must always be concretely useful advice.
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  strength, not tougher.
  Extra Downtime
  Between dungeons you may take an extra two units of downtime 
  per player, but the GM will make a roll towards the next Town As-
  sault after the first extra unit. Assaults are generally less lucrative 
  than dungeons in terms of treasure and experience, while being 
  nearly as dangerous, so taking extra downtime is not typically a 
  good bet unless you are ahead of the curve and can afford more 
  assaults. 
  Winning
  Before the game, or during the game, all the players should agree 
  on a level they are aiming to finish at. Often this is level 10, but 
  for a shorter game, you can opt for a lower level. There should be 
  a dungeon at this target level that is Deadly and Marathon, con-
  taining a final boss fight at the end. When the players manage to 
  beat that boss, they win. The GM’s score is the number of player 
  characters killed. If the GM kills more characters than the target 
  level over the course of the campaign, they win.
  Sample Skill List
  Here is a sample Skill list for a Dangerous Delves game set in the 
  aftermath of a partially successful alien attack on Earth. Cities are 
  in ruins and there are hives of aliens all around.
  Shooting, Heavy Weapons, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Hacking, Ex-
  plosives, Swimming, Running, Reflexes, Spelunking, Climbing, 
  Biology, Chemistry, First Aid, Stealth, Observation, Engineering, 
  Logistics, Leadership, Tactics, Administration.
  Exotic Skills
  Alien Behavior, Exobiology, Alien Weapon Tech, Alien Flight 
  Tech, Telepathy, Combat Empath, Alien Languages.
  Catching up after your character dies is not too bad. If you are 
  level 1 and your teammates are level 7, you can probably handle a 
  level 6 dungeon easily. You won’t be contributing as much on of-
  fense as they, but you are no more vulnerable than they in Tactical 
  Combat because of the fact that Hit Points do not scale up. A Very 
  Long, Dangerous, Unhealthy Level 6 dungeon with one bonus 
  point of XP will jump you up to Level 4 in one go. Even though 
  catching up can be fast, you might want an insurance policy, so 
  you can spend your downtime working on that.
  Training Replacements
  You may spend one unit of downtime teaching the adventurous 
  young folk of the town your Skills. Write one of your character’s 
  Skills on a list and add your level in XP to a pool. This is a private 
  pool, not a shared pool for the group. This pool may never exceed 
  your current level of XP. When you create a new character, they 
  start with XP equal to the amount in your pool. Pick one addi-
  tional Skill from the list you’ve been making for each level beyond 
  first. If your character has an Exotic Skill, you can put it on the 
  list, and then your new characters will be allowed to start with 
  that Skill.
  Town Assault (Optional)
  To keep pressure on players to advance quickly, use town assaults. 
  Every time the players return to town, regardless of whether they 
  succeeded at completing a dungeon, roll a die and note the result, 
  keeping a running total. When the total is 10 or more, an assault 
  happens and enemies attack the town. Assaults take place in be-
  tween the two units of downtime each player gets, so they will 
  have time at least to recover from their Conditions. An assault is 
  a series of three sequential fights, played as one long fight: you do 
  not count up Strikes or assign Conditions or regain spent powers 
  until the very end. Between each section of the fight, players get 
  a free use of Rally—even if they were Taken Out. Leaders recover 
  one use of Heal. Unless, of course, all the players were Taken Out 
  in one section. In that case, team monster wins and the town gets 
  pillaged.
  The first assault should have fights of levels 1, 2, then 3. The next 
  assault should have 3, then 4, then 5, and so on. This ramping up 
  in difficulty forces the players to keep gaining levels in order to 
  keep up with the events. The Titan rules work very well here to 
  represent an attack on the town by a giant monster with multiple 
  forms, or you could use more traditional combats to represent a 
  raiding party.
  Successfully completing an assault grants XP to each team mem-
  ber equal to the level of the hardest fight in the assault. If you are 
  Taken Out at the end of the final section of an assault and finish 
  with 7 or more Strikes, you are dead. If you are not Taken Out or 
  if you are but have fewer than 7 Strikes, you recover fully. There is 
  always time to rest and recuperate, not to mention celebrate, after 
  a successful defense of the town. Having saved the town, you will 
  doubtless receive the very best medical care free of charge. With 
  that done, you may take your remaining downtime actions. 
  If the team loses an assault, however, they have Disadvantage to 
  all rolls in this downtime and the next as the town is devastated. 
  When the team loses an assault, the next assault will be the same 
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  of gaming. More opportunities for gaming come our way as the 
  audience and platforms for gaming continue to grow. If the hob-
  by looks like it’s just for one particular sort of person, that image 
  drives away not just the people who do not conform to that mod-
  el, but also their friends. Gaming is social and spreads socially as 
  we invite our friends in. The best way to combat segregation in 
  gaming is to invite your friends to play games with you, especially 
  the ones who might otherwise be hesitant about trying it. I have 
  introduced people to gaming who never tried it before and re-in-
  troduced people who tried it in the past and thought that it wasn’t 
  for them. While there are certainly people out there who have no 
  interest in gaming and never will, I believe that the pool of poten-
  tial gamers is larger than the hobby as a whole and that there is 
  immense room for growth.
  Historical Portrayals
  Positive portrayals in media help people feel appreciated and part 
  of society instead of alienated from it. Strike! is a game where cool 
  heroes do awesome things, limited only by your imagination. If 
  imagination is our only limit, what excuse could we possibly have 
  to exclude any type of person from being a hero? We are not be-
  holden by harsh historical realities. Furthermore, we often are ig-
  norant about those historical realities anyway. Travel was not as 
  rare and difficult as we often assume it to be. Over two thousand 
  years ago, Greeks conquered as far as India and ruled in Africa 
  and the Middle East. In medieval times, Mongolians ruled an em-
  pire from the Balkans to Korea. Throughout this time, there were 
  established trade routes that could take a person from Spain to 
  China. A person from China showing up in ancient Rome is not 
  only possible, but it’s nearly certain to have happened. Rome had 
  emperors who were Arab, African, and all kinds of European. It 
  had gay emperors, bisexual emperors, and an emperor who might 
  have identified as transgender were they born in modern soci-
  ety. Some emperors had disabilities of various types. And those 
  are just the emperors! Why mention this? Only to reinforce that 
  a fantasy where all the people live apart in culturally and ethni-
  cally homogenous groups runs counter to what we know about 
  humans. Even in the most grounded and realistic historical game, 
  you can pick a hero from any part of the world or from any walk of 
  life. While prejudice and persecution was real, there were always 
  exceptions, and history records many great people who rose to 
  heights that seem impossible given where they began. 
  When I write on the first page of this book that you can be anyone, 
  I mean it.
  Your Voice
  I want to hear from you! When you visit www.strikerpg.com, you’ll 
  be able to comment on the blog and look me up on Twitter or 
  Facebook. I am always open to making connections with other 
  gamers. This game would not be what it is today if not for the 
  gamers of all stripes who reached out to me and contributed their 
  own skills and ideas.
  Essays
  These are a set of short essays on an assortment of topics as re-
  quested by Kickstarter backers. They cover a variety of topics and 
  I hope you find them useful.
  Diversity in Strike!
  I value diversity in gaming because I believe that bringing in new 
  perspectives to any field leads to better outcomes. I have always 
  been interested in diversity in my consumption—I like to eat a 
  broad variety of foods and try out new flavors, and the same goes 
  for books, music, and games. The best way to ensure that we see 
  new games that challenge our perceptions and show us something 
  new is to support a diverse group of content creators. That doesn’t 
  mean driving out the old ones at all, but rather welcoming new 
  faces into the fold and being excited when those faces look differ-
  ent from our own.
  I believe that it is not enough to accept diversity, but that we 
  must actively encourage it. There is empirical evidence to back 
  this up, too.* If we only accept those who are different without 
  actively seeking them out, pre-existing segregation will naturally 
  continue. This is a simple mathematical fact. So in the process of 
  making Strike!, I sought input from from gamers who were wom-
  en, transgender, disabled, and from different backgrounds than 
  my own. They helped make Strike! better, not just by helping me 
  make Strike! inclusive, but also with their ideas about game bal-
  ance, GM tips, fun mechanics, and all the other stuff gamers like 
  to talk about.
  *See “The Parable of the Polygons” here: http://ncase.me/poly-
  gons/
  Art and Language
  All of Strike!’s art and language is intended to be inclusive. Half 
  of the characters in the art are women, and half men. As you flip 
  through these pages, you can expect to see not just people with 
  varied skin tones, but also varied ages, body shapes, and sizes. 
  What about sexual orientation? Well, that doesn’t show up in art, 
  and sexuality of any sort is never mentioned directly, but if you 
  look for indirect references, you will find mention of one same-
  sex couple and one opposite-sex couple. Why go to this effort? It 
  requires no great effort to be inclusive: typing “they” instead of 
  “he” is hardly onerous. But what is the point of all this? The point 
  is that gaming is for everyone! The point is that anyone who picks 
  up this book should find that this game is for them. I don’t want 
  a young woman to look at my book and think, “Oh, that’s just for 
  boys.”
  Growing the Hobby
  What else can inclusion do for us? Simply put, exclusion inhibits 
  growth while inclusion promotes growth. I am interested in help-
  ing the hobby of roleplaying grow. Greater interest in our hobby 
  means more for all of us. More games get made, some of which 
  you won’t care about but others will turn out to be something you 
  never knew you always wanted. More respect and understanding 
  comes our way as more people are exposed to the fun of this sort 
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  Every time they get a Condition or lose an item or lose physical 
  ground, they know that they have less standing between them and 
  death. If everything goes their way, they’ll get out alive. If things 
  go wrong, only some of them will come out alive. If things spiral 
  out of control, they will all die. These are the stakes. 
  In the countdown to doom, the players know that if they don’t get 
  away or overcome their foes by a certain point in time, they will 
  lose. In this scenario you should be less focused on taking away 
  their stuff and more focused on taking away their time. If every-
  thing goes well, they will reach the final confrontation with time 
  to spare and then attempt to prevail. If things go badly, they will 
  reach the final confrontation at the last moment and only have 
  one chance to prevent the doom. If things spiral out of control, 
  they will never reach the final confrontation. These are the stakes.
  Player Character Death
  When should player characters die? In a countdown to rescue sit-
  uation, it is quite likely that the players will start to lose their char-
  acters as the countdown nears the end. This is part of the social 
  contract and players should be explicitly told at the start of the 
  game that character death is a real possibility for this session. This 
  leaves you with the quandary of what to do with players whose 
  characters died. If there are only a few minutes left, they can just 
  watch. If there is an hour left, then you don’t want to leave them 
  out for that entire time. Either let them rejoin the game on the 
  players’ side by taking over an NPC, or have them help you play 
  the side of evil. With certain kinds of horror (zombies, vampires, 
  etc.), it might even be appropriate for them to keep playing their 
  character but a monstrous version of their character that stands in 
  the way of their erstwhile teammates.
  Horror in Strike!
  Strike! was not built for horror, but with some work, you can adapt 
  it to make a horror game. The main thing is working out Twists 
  and Costs that feel right. Twists like “split the party,” “damage their 
  stuff,” “block the exits,” and “threaten them with something nasty” 
  work very well for horror, while “put them into combat” should 
  be used sparingly. Horror has a different pace than action, and 
  that pace does not include a lot of fights. You should be raising 
  the stakes often.
  Tactical Combat
  A typical Tactical Combat is very poorly suited to horror, as any 
  monster can simply be taken down if you hit it enough times. 
  That’s not how horror monsters work. They are unstoppable un-
  til you know their weakness, and even then you might only slow 
  them down. If you specially design monsters that follow the rules 
  of horror, then you could play out the fight using the Tactical 
  Combat rules, so long as the players are aware that it’s not really a 
  typical combat. They should soon realize that dealing damage is 
  not the way to win the fight, and they may have no way of defeat-
  ing the monster aside from running for their lives. 
  Remember, in combat the goal can be as simple as “make it to the 
  doorway alive.” Making it to that doorway—or pursuing any goal 
  that does not require all the monsters to be killed—may still re-
  quire that the players fight some monsters. A Tactical Combat can 
  be a more fine-grained way of resolving whether or not the player 
  characters manage to make it out alive than a simple Skill Roll.
  Resting
  Making rolls when you have Conditions naturally leads to more 
  Conditions, and players will be aware of that spiral. This is the part 
  of the system that players generally find most scary already, and 
  you can use that to reinforce the tone of the game. Don’t let players 
  rest and recover from their Conditions easily. When they think 
  they are safe, show them that they are not. Make them roll, and 
  make them pay to get some brief moments of safety. Making them 
  roll is self-explanatory: to try and make things better, they must 
  risk making them worse. Making them pay means giving them a 
  hard choice: if they want to rest, they need to give up crucial time, 
  important ground, valued items, or people they care about.
  Countdowns
  Countdowns are a common motif in horror. They come in two 
  varieties: the countdown to rescue or the countdown to doom. 
  Use one or the other or even both in your game. Either way, if 
  you are using a countdown it is of vital importance that you keep 
  track of time fairly and that your players know that you are doing 
  so. If the players get to thinking that it’s one of those action movie 
  countdowns that always stops at 1 second, they won’t be scared. 
  This is not action, this is horror: make sure the players know that 
  the countdown is real, and the threat is real.
  In the countdown to rescue, the heroes have no hope to prevail, 
  but know that if they simply hold out long enough against the 
  odds, they will have a chance to escape. In this scenario, it’s all 
  about husbanding resources and holding on to what they’ve got. 
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Bad Ideas
  There are a couple of things that are bad ideas in space that you 
  might not think about: jumping and shooting. There is no rule 
  that says that you need to have them be bad ideas in your game: 
  maybe the spaceships in your game are strong enough not to be 
  punctured by shooting on board. But on the other hand, may-
  be having a fight where nobody can use guns is exactly what you 
  want right now. Remember, you only change the rules if you think 
  that rule change will make things more interesting. Otherwise you 
  come up with some reason why the rules are the same as normal.
  Jumping
  Jumping in low or no gravity environments can take you a lot 
  farther than it can on Earth, but that doesn’t mean it’s always a 
  good idea. Anyone who has played dodgeball as an adult can tell 
  you that if you jump, you make it very easy for your opponents to 
  hit you because you remove your ability to dodge. While you are 
  in the air, you are following a parabolic path which is completely 
  predictable and which you have no power to change. Thus, anyone 
  who wants to hit you right around your knees with a dodgeball 
  will have little trouble doing so as you come down. The same is 
  even more true in a gunfight in low gravity: if you jump, anyone 
  who wants to shoot you on your way down will be able to do so 
  easily if they are any good at shooting.
  To model this in combat, you can allow people to jump to any 
  part of the map in one turn as a Move Action, but anyone who 
  wants to shoot them after such a jump can do so with Advantage 
  that round. 
  Shooting
  Using guns on a spaceship is a terrible idea for any number of 
  reasons, primarily the risk of catastrophic depressurization. This 
  gives you a way to emphasize hand-to-hand combat for a time, 
  even if most of the game takes place on a planet with enemies 
  wielding lasers. If your group is entirely made up of ranged char-
  acters who shoot things, this might be one of those ideas that 
  make things less fun. 
  Strike!… in Space!
  Moving and fighting in low gravity or zero gravity environments is 
  very different from moving around on Earth. When you stop and 
  think, you can probably come up with many differences. Some of 
  those make for cool ideas to use as extra rules for combat in space. 
  Other differences might lead to rules that would make the combat 
  much less interesting—don’t use those rules! Don’t sacrifice the 
  fun of the game for the sake of realism. If you must be realistic in 
  a way that would compromise Tactical Combat, do so using the 
  basic rules and keep it out of Tactical Combat. If a Skill Roll ends 
  up lame, you only wasted a few seconds and can easily recover. If 
  a combat turns into a slog and takes forever while being boring 
  for the players, recovering the fun of the session is much harder. 
  The key message to take away from this section is to think about 
  how fighting is different in this environment, then to think about 
  whether those differences would make the fight more interesting 
  or less, and then to use them or gloss over them depending on 
  your conclusion. This lesson doesn’t just apply to low gravity envi-
  ronments, but to any rules variants you consider using.
  Fun Maps
  Playing in space gives you an opportunity to use fun maps with 
  weird shapes. The key rule to remember when playing with weird 
  non-standard maps is the rule of cool: if a player has a cool idea, 
  let them do it. It would certainly be possible to make playing with 
  weird maps a slog where everyone tries to puzzle out the geomet-
  ric details on every turn, but that totally defeats the purpose. The 
  point of playing on a map like the ones following is to introduce 
  some variety into the game, not to be a stickler about geometry.
  The Donut
  You can play in a circular tube with a map that is a torus (a donut 
  shape). To do this is easy: each edge of the map connects to its 
  opposite edge and generally you shoot at a target by looking along 
  whichever direction is shortest. Judging cover can be a bit tricky 
  in situations where you are nearly above your target (i.e. both 
  ways of counting the distance are equally far), so my best advice 
  is to try not to be too picky about it, let the GM have the final say, 
  and for the GM to err on the side of generosity. This map shape 
  works whether you are on the outside of the donut or the inside.
  A variant is to have only one edge connect to its opposite, and the 
  other two edges are walls. This is as though you are playing on a 
  circular rotating space station where you can only walk on the 
  floor, not on the walls and ceiling.
  The Asteroids
  Another cool map in space is a collection of objects close togeth-
  er that players can jump between, a la Mario Galaxy. Each object 
  can have its own map, and players can jump between maps when 
  they are in the right area. You might color-code the maps so that 
  players know that they need to be in the red area to jump to the 
  asteroid, or in the green area to jump to the mining drill. Giving 
  players something to do on each object is essential to keep them 
  moving from one to the other to get the most out of this set-up.
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  is that you can have different agendas than the ones I suggest. In 
  the GM section, I wrote that you must try to make the world feel 
  real. However, if the tone you agree on is based on nonsense and 
  jokes, then your agenda changes. You must make the world feel 
  silly! Earthbound certainly isn’t the only adventure to do this. Al-
  ice’s adventures in Wonderland have this same property where the 
  protagonist travels from one joke to the next.
  Even if the world doesn’t have to make sense, it still needs to fol-
  low some logic. You know that you can use your pencil eraser to 
  eliminate a large iron statue of a pencil because that’s the sort of 
  logic the game teaches you to expect. It’s important to have some 
  kind of consistent logic, even if it’s nonsense logic, to let the play-
  ers engage confidently with the world and contribute their own 
  jokes and direction.
  Gimmick Fights
  Earthbound has some fights that play out very differently from 
  all the others. In one fight, the only way to win is to activate one 
  character’s little-used special ability while the other characters do 
  nothing but protect and keep alive that one character. Obviously 
  you wouldn’t want to make every fight have that structure: that 
  would be very dull! But as a special surprise to make you puzzle 
  out the correct technique and break out of your usual tactics, it 
  works perfectly.
  So go ahead and make gimmick fights where the players’ usual 
  tactics don’t work. Just remember that you need to have enough 
  regular combats to build up the patterns before you subvert them. 
  Lessons from Earthbound
  When I was asked by a backer to write about Earthbound, my 
  first reaction was “Cool! I remember liking that game!” Then I 
  sat down to write and was stumped. What is there to say about it 
  in relation to Strike!? You play as a bunch of kids fighting cops, 
  hippies, bugs, plants, goo, and aliens. The plot is nonsense and it’s 
  full of puns. What’s the takeaway? What do I want to impart here 
  in these pages? I had no idea. So I went back and started going 
  through it again, and I took notes on the cool things in the game 
  that I wanted to learn from. What follows is a collection of lessons 
  from Earthbound. There is no common theme, but that is fitting 
  because Earthbound is a collection of things that shouldn’t really 
  fit together but somehow do.
  Imprisoned!
  About a third of the way through the game, your characters get 
  locked up and you cannot escape. Instead, you begin again play-
  ing as a new character on the way to save your original party. 
  This stuck out immediately as a solution to an occasional issue in 
  Strike! The issue goes something like this: the party loses a fight 
  and are captured as a consequence. Then they get to be cool in es-
  caping. But what if for some reason you don’t think they ought to 
  be able to escape? For instance, they might have already escaped 
  and letting them escape again would make the enemies look in-
  appropriately incompetent. Earthbound has the solution: you can 
  beat the players, lock up their characters, and not let them escape. 
  Then they get to play new characters who rescue their old ones. 
  At that point, each player can decide which character they want to 
  stick with, and the unused ones can go off to do other things until 
  they are needed once more.
  The same sequence and others in Earthbound show how cool it 
  can be to split the party up and have them do different things. 
  Splitting the party is on the Twist List for a reason, so use it!
  Something To Look Forward To
  One little mechanic I always loved about Earthbound was the bro-
  ken items. One of your characters likes fixing things. If you have 
  a broken item in his inventory, then eventually he’ll fix it at some 
  point when you rest. In practical terms, this is hardly different 
  than just getting the item directly, except that it makes you waste 
  inventory space on something useless in the meantime. However, 
  it does not feel that way. It feels great! It gives you a feeling like 
  when you know a package is on its way in the mail.
  The lesson here is that giving players a hint that they’ll be getting 
  something cool in the future can be even more exciting than get-
  ting something that they never expected. So give your players a 
  broken and useless item, or give them a mysterious egg that might 
  hatch one day or let them witness someone using a cool power 
  that they can learn. 
  Game Logic
  In Earthbound, things don’t make sense at first. You heal by eating 
  hamburgers and the plot is driven by puns and bizarre happenings 
  more than it is by the characters and their motivations. The game 
  never lets the plot get in the way of the humor. The lesson here 
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  T h e  T o o l B o x
  Detailed Subsystems
  You can hack on detailed resolution systems like Chase or Team 
  Conflict to cover any aspect of play you feel deserves a more in-
  depth treatment. You need to pay attention to input and output, 
  basically. You want players to come into your system with Skills 
  and Conditions, and for those things to matter. You might also 
  want to give them a way to spend Action Points, especially if your 
  system is going to take more than a few minutes to resolve. For 
  outputs, you want to understand how the outcomes flow back into 
  play: can the players come out of it with Conditions? What hap-
  pens when they win and when they lose? Can there be a tie?
  Pitfalls
  What do you need to watch out for? Well, there are going to be 
  pitfalls that I never discovered, but here are a couple that I ran into 
  during development.
  The Condition Spiral
  For a long time, Costs were just Conditions and there were no 
  Flaws or Favors. This changed for two reasons. First, because it 
  was often hard to come up with Conditions for certain types of 
  rolls, particularly social and crafting rolls. Second, because oc-
  casionally the players roll a big string of 1s and 3s in close suc-
  cession, and quickly descend into a point where they cannot go 
  on. For certain tones, that’s fine—your party needs to scramble 
  to escape the dungeon, beaten and afraid. But for many games, 
  that would frustrate both the players and the GM by acting as a 
  roadblock. Giving the GM kinder options to use for Costs means 
  that even with a bunch of 1s and 3s, the characters can keep going. 
  This should serve as a lesson while hacking—watch out for any 
  subsystem that gives the GM no choice but to give Conditions. 
  Think to yourself “If the player rolled three or four Conditions in 
  a row here, would that be okay?”
  Broad Skills
  In the early tests of Strike!, Wealth was simply left up to the gen-
  eral Skill system as something you had or didn’t have. This was 
  unsatisfying in part because, despite measuring one specific thing 
  (how much you can buy), it was very broad in its applications, 
  from bribery to shopping to making more money. Broad Skills are 
  poison in this game for two reasons. First, it is very easy to end up 
  in a situation where everyone has them, erasing any distinctions 
  between the characters in that aspect of the Skill. Second, having 
  a broad Skill discourages learning other Skills, discourages rolling 
  Unskilled, and thus hampers character development. If your hack 
  enables players to learn a broad Skill, you have to ask yourself 
  how you will avoid those problems. How will you limit access to 
  avoid everyone ending up equally good at it? How will you keep it 
  constrained to let players continue to develop more cool specific 
  abilities?
  Action Points
  This is a pretty simple one. Don’t give out so many Action Points 
  that players don’t feel motivated to use their Complications. Don’t 
  give players ways of spending their Action Points that are so 
  strong or broad that they don’t want to use their Tricks. 
  Non-Combat Hacking
  In this section, I’ll give you some information on how to insert 
  your own systems or modify existing ones. 
  The Price of Everything
  In the process of making the game, I made some simple assump-
  tions to keep things balanced about how much things were worth. 
  If not attempting something is a baseline of 0, and a Success is a 
  +1 while a Twist is a –1, then I can calculate that a Cost or a Dis-
  advantage is worth –0.65 and a Bonus or an Advantage is worth 
  +0.65. A +1 or –1 on a roll is worth +/– 0.55. Each Skilled helper 
  is worth about +0.3.
  Suggestions
  Here are a couple of areas that are ripe for modification.
  Advancement
  It would be very easy to insert your own system for advancement. 
  When do players gain a level? Well, you generally want to keep 
  the players fairly close in level, but because of the way the combat 
  math works, it’s not vital that everyone stays right on par with 
  everyone else. Anyone can contribute meaningfully to any part of 
  the game at any level. 
  You could make a system like Apocalypse World’s where each ses-
  sion for each player, the GM and one other player would highlight 
  one Skill, Trick, or Complication, and base advancement off of 
  using those aspects of your character that the others wanted to 
  see. You could make a system where players get points for certain 
  behaviors that you choose, or that they choose. You could make 
  it based on their character’s ethical alignment. You could base 
  advancement off of loot alone, tying levels to getting bigger and 
  better items and cash parcels. Advancement systems drive player 
  behavior, so pick one that encourages the type of play you want 
  to see.
  Unfamiliar Skills
  It can be useful to have a magic system, an idea of the limitations 
  of telepathy, or a procedure for hacking into megacorp security 
  systems. What do all these things have in common? They are Skills 
  that we don’t have experience with, and without experience, it’s 
  hard to know what is and is not allowed. We don’t have that in-
  stinctual idea of what “makes sense” and it’s very easy for such 
  Skills to end up being overly broad in their usage. This is where 
  having some ground rules in place can help. This can be as simple 
  as a few Custom Rolls and a breakdown of the topic into specific 
  Skills, or it can be as complex as you like. I’ve mostly stuck to sim-
  plicity where possible because it’s broadly beneficial, but complex-
  ity has its rewards too, when used well.
  Wealth-like Skills
  Wealth began as a Skill that some players had and some did not. 
  It gained complexity as a result of the unsatisfying way it worked 
  in play. It can serve as a lesson for how you could expand out oth-
  er Skills and add complexity. You can take any Skill and add on 
  Skill-specific Conditions, tiers for the Skill, tiers for the obstacles, 
  and so on.
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  Resources
  Where are the character sheets and play aids?
  Character sheets, one-page player and GM references, cards for use 
  in Team Conflict: all of these and more are available on the web-
  site at www.strikerpg.com for free download. You can also find free 
  adventures, more examples of play, and news about the game and 
  upcoming expansion content.
  What about Physical Stuff?
  I am not at all picky about what dice I use or what I use to repre-
  sent the monsters. So long as I have something that the players can 
  look at and recognize, I’m happy. Minis and tokens each have their 
  advantages, and I like both. One product I do highly recommend is 
  a dry-erase grid. It’s absolutely great to be able to plan out and care-
  fully draw a well-crafted battlemap, or to be able to quickly scribble 
  some terrain onto the grid and be ready to go in no time, all with 
  this one product. Paizo made the one I use, and I have been happily 
  using it for years.
  I want to play online. What do I need to do that?
  Strike! works very well for online play, and much of the testing took 
  place online. To play Tactical Combats online, you need some tools. 
  I recommend the website Roll20 (www.roll20.com). It’s where I play 
  when I play online, and Strike! and Roll20 fit one another very well. 
  Once you are familiar with Roll20, you’ll be able to find a custom 
  character sheet there, made just for Strike!.
  Once you understand the basic functionality of the website, I also 
  strongly recommend using macros for player and monster powers 
  in Tactical Combat. First, they look nice when they show up in the 
  chat window. Second, players can set it up so they can simply pick 
  the power they want to use from a list so they don’t have to type 
  out what it does each time. Third, having the powers recorded that 
  way in the chat window leaves a clear record that makes it easy to 
  know what has been spent and easy to review when any player has 
  a question about something that happened a few minutes ago. You 
  can find a brief tutorial for creating macros on www.strikerpg.com 
  along with all the other resources.
  I want to make something based on or using Strike! Can I?
  That would be great! If you need permission to use any part of 
  Strike!, do not hesitate to ask: I am very open to it. You can get in 
  touch via the website and also find resources for creators there, too. 
  Anything else?
  Nope. Go grab a few friends and play!
  The End
  Here you will find some play aids and materials, the index, and a 
  Ludography: a list of the games (and one game-related blogger) 
  that directly contributed ideas to Strike!
  Ludography
  Thanks to the following games and media for their direct contri-
  butions to the ideas and rules of Strike! 
  Luke Crane’s Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard for Twists, Fun 
  Once, Too Many Cooks, and much more.
  D&D 4e for the obvious influence, but also for the fact that if not 
  for 4e I would not be playing RPGs.
  Vincent Baker’s Apocalypse World for teaching me that we don’t 
  need target numbers or difficulty classes to make a fun game.
  XCOM Enemy Unknown for showing me how to make a cover 
  system that makes taking cover simple, important, and dynamic.
  Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet’s 13th Age for One Unique 
  Thing and Icons, which influenced my advice on Character Con-
  cepts and Factions, respectively.
  Rob Donoghue’s Blogs for the Aspects of Skills (originally from 
  Feng Shui) and for inspiring the six categories of Twist in the 
  “Playing without a GM” rules and probably a lot more ideas that 
  were sloshing around in my head.
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  T h e  e n D
  Index
  In this Index, anything relating to Tactical 
  Combat can be found under that heading.
  Symbols
  2d6 Skill Rolls  72
  A
  Action Points  10
  Advancement  17
  Advancement Chart  18
  Advantage and Disadvantage  6
  Adventuring Absenteeism  64
  Adventuring regions  65
  Adversarial Play: Dangerous Delves  
  See Dangerous Delves
  Adversarial Play: Invasion! See Invasion!
  All Together  4
  Angry  7
  A Positive Condition  73
  Aptitudes  74
  Aspects of Skills  9
  B
  Background.  16
  Backgrounds  18
  Background Walkthrough  24
  Basics, The  4
  Before the Roll  57
  Binary Rolls  194
  Boss, The  38
  Brute, The  49
  C
  Cash  13, 63, 192
  Cash Parcels  63
  Caveat emptor  64
  Changing  18
  Changing Complications  18
  Changing Tricks  18
  Character Concepts  44
  Characters’ Stuff   See Item
  Chase  84
  Backup  86
  Danger Level  85
  Double Back  85
  Extra Stuff  85
  Flee  85
  Follow  86
  Hide  85
  High Speed  86
  Home Free  86
  Multiple Chasers and Runners  86
  Obstacles  85
  Range Modifier  85
  Chase...
  Risk  85
  Scenarios  86
  Set Up  85
  Shooting  86
  Step 1: Choosing Actions  84
  Step 2: Resolving Actions  84
  Trap, The  86
  Vehicle Mismatch  86
  Collector  53
  Complication  11, 62
  Condition  7, 59
  Conditions as Complications  11
  Conflicts and Themes  64
  Connecting  62
  Connections  9
  Costs  7, 59
  Costs without rolls  7
  Creating NPCs  66
  Creating Settings  64
  Creating Your Character  16
  Cursed  7
  Custom Advances  55
  Custom Rolls  65
  D
  Dangerous Delves  191
  Advancement  196
  Between Dungeons  195
  Binary Rolls  194
  Collaborative Treasure Creation  191
  Dungeon Building  192
  Intervention Rolls  194
  Limits  193
  Replacing Dead Characters  195
  Sample Skill List  197
  Setting Up  191
  Third Major Condition, The  193
  Town Assault  197
  Training Replacements  197
  Traps and Hazards in Combat  192
  Winning  197
  Describe everything!  58
  Detailed Subsystems  75
  Difficult Regions, Preparedness and  69
  Disposition Table  69
  Diversity in Strike!  198
  Divine Favor  59
  Doctor  52
  Downsides  29
  Driver  53
  Dungeon Examples  66
  E
  Emotional Power  73
  End of Session Results  62
  Enraged  8
  Equipment  28
  Equipment, Loot, Magical Items, and 
  More  28
  Essays  198
  Events, NPCs and  64
  Example of Play  14
  Exhausted  7
  Exploration  68
  F
  Face  54
  Factions and Locations  64
  Factions as Relationships  31
  Fallback  17
  Fantasy Standby Origins  26
  Favor  7, 59
  Finding  62
  Flame, The  46
  Flaw  7, 59
  Fountain, The  48
  Fundamental Questions  4
  G
  Gaining Tricks and Complications  17
  Gear  16
  General Advances  32
  Genre and Tone  64
  Get-away  185
  Grittier Injuries  72
  Group Rolls  58
  Gunslinger, The  33
  H
  Hanging threads  57
  Helpers at Risk  10
  Helping  10
  Heroes Overcome  60
  Heroic Skill  71
  High Noon  33
  Hindering  72
  Horror in Strike!  199
  I
  If you do the right thing, it works.  68
  Impostor  53
  Improving Items  29
  Injured  7
  Intentions  75
  Intervention Roll  194
  Invasion!  188
  Investigator  53
  Item  12, 28
  Items and the World  30
  I wasn’t ready!  58
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  K
  Kill Your Villains!  187
  Kits  32
  L
  Learning  63
  Legendary Artifacts  30
  Lessons from Earthbound  201
  Lethality  72
  Level-based Advancement  18
  Leveling Up Reputations  55
  Linked Rolls  10
  Locations, Factions and  64
  Loot  28
  Lost Confidence  7
  Lower and Higher Skill Tiers  71
  Ludography  203
  M
  Magical Items  28
  Magic and Supernatural Abilities  71
  Major Conditions  7
  Making  62
  Making a Setting  25
  Making, Finding, and Connecting  62
  Managing Rests and Durations  60
  Masters of the Four Elements  172
  Air Master  176
  Earth Master  177
  Fire Master  178
  Water Master  175
  Mini-Kits  51
  Minor Conditions  7
  Mixed Method  18
  Moneybags  54
  Motivation  16
  Multiple Helpers  10, 58
  Mysterious Items  29
  N
  Natural Advancement  17
  Non-Combat Hacking  202
  No Skill  71
  No Stretching!  9
  NPCs and Events  64
  O
  Openings  72
  Opposed Rolls  9
  Opposition, The  76
  Optional Rules and Variants  71, 99, 168
  Origin  16, 25
  Orthogonal Actions  59
  Other Worlds  172
  P
  Pacing  60
  Pacing Rolls  70
  Personalize  16
  Pick three  67
  Planning the Session  67
  Playing the World  56
  Playing without a GM  74
  Positive Twists  61
  Possible benefits  28
  Preparedness and Difficult Regions  69
  Protagonist, The  41
  Psychic, The  34
  Q
  Quick Session Generation  31
  R
  Randomness and Emergence  70
  Recovery  8
  Redshirts  73
  Related Backgrounds  22
  Related Skills  11
  Relationships: Friends and Foes  30
  Replacing Lost Tricks and  
  Complications  18
  Reputations  55
  Reskinning Kits  32
  Results, The  59
  Role of the GM, The  4, 56
  Role of the Players, The  4
  Roll Itself, The  58
  Rumors  196
  S
  Sample Origins  25
  Sample Scenario  172
  Sample Setting Origins  26
  Scholar, The  40
  Secrets  64
  Seer, The  44
  Session to Session  12
  Setting the Scene  67
  Sick  7
  Simpler Learning  74
  Skills  9, 62
  Social Situations  69
  Sorceror, The  50
  Specialists vs. Generalists  10
  Spellbreaker  51
  Spy, The  45
  Star Strike!  180
  Strike!… in Space!  200
  Success  6
  T
  Tactical Combat  87
  2d6 Attacks  170
  A 
  Abilities in Play  167
  Action Economy  88
  Action Points  94
  Action Types  88
  Advantage and Disadvantage  92
  Allies in Combat  140
  Ally  95
  Alternating Forms  155
  Archer, The  106
  Assess  90
  Attack  95
  Attack Action  88
  Attack chains  88
  B
  Bad goals  87
  Balance, Reskinning and  99
  Basic Attack  89
  Beyond Your Abilities  167
  Blaster  136
  Blinded  95
  Bloodied  91, 95
  Bombardier, The  116
  Brief note on durations, A  90
  Buddies, The  127
  Buffer Point  95
  Building backwards  163
  Burst  89
  C
  Cannot be seen  94
  Champion  95, 144, 162
  Charge  90
  Class  101
  Color  90
  Combat and Monster Design  141
  Combinotron  156
  Common Traits  163
  Concealed  94
  Concealment, Sight and Targeting  94
  Concessions  92
  Condition  92
  Controller  133
  Converting Down  144
  Converting Up  144
  Cover  93
  Cover and Large Creatures  93
  Cover Fiddling  168
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  Tactical Combat...
  D
  Damage Types  170
  Damaging Zones  94
  Darkvision  94
  Dazed  95
  Deafened  95
  Defender  134
  Delaying  94
  Describing Team Monster  140
  Difficult Terrain  95
  Distance  95
  Distracted  95
  Dragon, The  156
  Dragon (Unfair Edition)  160
  Dr. Frankensteins’ Monsters  150
  Duelist, The  104
  E
  Easy Reskinning  149
  Effect Tiers  163
  Elite  95, 144, 162
  Ending early  140
  Environment  142
  Escalation  169
  Escape  88, 95
  Example of Play  100
  Example Powers  89
  Exposed  169
  F
  Falling  142
  Feats  137
  Fiction Takes Precedence  91
  Flanking  92, 95
  Flying  95
  Forced Movement  95
  Free Action  88
  Free-form Damage Types  170
  Frenzied  96
  Full Cover  93
  G
  Generalists  145
  Glossary  95
  Goals  87
  Goon  96, 144, 162
  Gorgon, The  158
  Grabbed  96
  Guarded  96
  H
  Harried  96
  Hidden  94
  Hit Points and Taken Out  91
  How to Read a Power  88
  Tactical Combat...
  I
  Immobilized  96
  Improvising  90
  Incapacitated  96
  Initiative  88
  Interrupt  88, 96
  Intervening Cover  94
  Invisible  94, 96
  It was cool the first time…  90
  K
  Keywording Attacks  140
  L
  Lairs  143
  Leader  135
  Level Gaps  143
  Leveling Options and Variants  99
  Leveling up  99
  Level Zero  169
  Life Below Zero  168
  Long Days and Short Days  143
  Losing  92
  Low Cover  93
  M
  Magician, The  113
  Making mistakes  162
  Martial Artist, The  108
  Matrix Damage Types  171
  Medusa  158
  Melee  89
  Miss Token  89
  Miss Trigger  141, 166
  Mob  149, 162
  Monster Design  141
  Monsters From Scratch  161
  Monster Strength is Public  144
  Monster Type  162
  Mopping Up  169
  Move Action  88
  Movement  88
  Moving Around Titans  155
  Multiple Forms  154
  N
  Necromancer, The  101
  O
  Obscured  94
  Old School Evolution  129
  Ongoing Damage  96
  On Your Turn  88
  Opportunity  88
  Order of Operations  94
  Tactical Combat...
  Other Actions  90
  Other Powers Everyone Has  90
  Overview  87
  P
  Panic  96, 169
  Parties at Mixed Levels  169
  Pets  140
  Phasing  96
  Player chores  140
  Post-Combat Strikes  91
  Precise Way, The  162
  Prepared actions  94
  Prone  88, 96
  Pull  96
  Push  96
  R
  Rally  90
  Ranged  89
  Range of Monsters  163
  Reach  96
  Reaction  88, 96, 97
  Regenerate  97
  Relationships  140
  Replacing Characters  99
  Resist  97
  Reskinning  98
  Restrained  97
  Retainers  140
  Retraining  99
  Risk and Honesty  87
  Role Action  88, 166
  Roles  130
  Roll or No Roll  89
  S
  Sample Miss Effects  166
  Sample Monsters  144
  Sample Role Actions  166
  Sample Titans  155
  Sand Angler  156
  Saving Throw  88, 97
  Setting, Reskinning and  98
  Shapechanger, The  119
  Sight  94
  Simplified Classes  129
  Skilled Saves  169
  Slide  97
  Slowed  97
  Specialists  146
  Standard Monster  144, 162
  Stooge  97, 144, 162
  Strike  89, 91
  Stunned  97
  Summoner, The  122
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  Tactical Combat...
  T
  Tactical Combat Variants  168
  Take Cover  93
  Taken Out  91
  Target  89, 94
  Targeting Body Parts  154
  Team Initiative  168
  Team Monster  140
  Teleport  97
  Terrain  141
  Terrain Alteration  155
  The Attack Roll  89
  The Grid  87
  Throw  97
  Titan  154
  Titan Levels, Judging  155
  Tone, Reskinning and  98
  Traits and Powers  161
  Traps  142
  Tremorsense  94
  Troubleshooting  167
  Two Distinct Buddies  129
  U
  Unfair Enemies  158
  V
  Vampire  159
  Vulnerable  97
  W
  Warlord, The  111
  Weak and Strong Defenses  171
  Weakened  97
  Winning and Losing  92
  Z
  Zone  97
  Team Conflict  75
  Action Points in Team Conflict  80
  Alternate or supplemental win  
  conditions  80
  Conceding  77
  Conditions in Team Conflict  78
  Customizing the Opposition  79
  Custom Traits for Players  81
  Death in Team Conflict  78
  Don’t demand nonsense!  81
  Double Tie  78
  Ending the Conflict early  80
  Environmental traits  80
  Example of Play  82
  Game over?  77
  Inanimate opposition  76
  Intent  76
  Learning New Skills in Conflicts  80
  Materials  81
  Order of Operations  77
  Overview  75
  Phase 1: Select Actions  76
  Phase 2: Resolution  76
  Player vs Player conflicts  81
  Preparatory Actions  78
  Putting Traits at Risk  80
  Roleplaying and Choices  81
  Secondary Goals  78
  The Trait List  79
  Winning and Losing  77
  Withdrawing  77
  Teamwork  13
  Teamwork Tokens  73
  The Company  183
  Themes, Conflicts and  64
  Third Major Condition  7
  Tied Opposed Rolls  61
  Tinker, The  42
  ‘Tis but a scratch!  8
  Tone, Genre and  64
  Toolbox, The  172
  Tools  12
  Too many cooks spoil the broth  58
  Trick  62
  Tricks  11
  Tricks and Complications  62
  Twist list, The  61
  Twists  6, 60
  Twists, Positive  61
  Types of Twists  61
  U
  Unskilled Opposition  10
  Useful Practices  67
  V
  Variants  71, 99, 168
  Villains  185
  W
  Wandering threats  60
  Wayfarer, The  36
  Wealth  12, 63
  Wealth and Cash  63
  What about me?  8
  What happens when things go awry  7
  What Now?  15
  Who?  52
  Winded  7
  Y
  You can be anyone.  4
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Collaborative & Peer & Gm-less & Shifting GM/Strike! Core Rulebook.pdf