Combat & Movement

Movement

Movement is calculated by how fast any moving thing can move across squares on a grid, in units of feet, per its turn. The size of each square is determined by the grid type, for instance, a battle map uses 5 ft. squares. Other map and grid types such as war maps, traveling paths, wilderness and others are covered later in this section.

Base speed is determined by race size, Goliath 40 ft. (8 squares), Standard 30 ft. (6 squares), and Small 25 ft. (5 squares). Individual races may vary within their size category, refer to each race's entry for specifics.

All maps use real planetary isometric coordinates, scaling seamlessly from world maps down to the square a character is standing on.

Terrain affects how far a character can move per action. Conditions such as rough ground, strong winds, slippery surfaces, or currents can reduce movement, while favorable conditions, a downhill slope, wind at one's back, or a strong current, can extend it. Some terrain types also require attribute or talent checks to navigate successfully.

Movement Types

Movement types define how any participant moves through the world, each carrying its own speed and requirements. Some are available to all, others require specific talents, abilities, or equipment.

†These are base movement speeds. Non-organic vehicles may be modified by upgrades and equipment. Organic movement may be modified by abilities, spells, and talents. Magic can manipulate the movement of either.

These are the most common examples. Other entries apply to these rules.

Not Everywhere Is a Shortcut Away: Teleport, Warp, FTL/Light Speed, and the Animated Compass all exist and all get Characters somewhere fast, but every one of them runs on a cooldown, a preparation cost, or a beacon that has to be set first. None of them make the wider world optional. A floating island with no marked landing point, a valley walled off by cliffs, a station reachable only by ship, these still have to be reached on land, by sea, or by air, the slow way, and plenty of them stay that way permanently, even long after they've been found and mapped.

Movement Type Rules

Prone: A character who is prone must spend half an action to stand up. While prone, melee attacks against them gain a bonus and ranged attacks are penalized. Crawling while prone costs 1/4 speed. Prone from unconsciousness, incapacitation, or death is covered in Combat and Conditions.

Fly: Flying characters must have a fly speed from an ability, spell, or mount. A flying character who is incapacitated, stunned, or loses their fly source falls. Ascending costs double movement, descending is free but may require a check at steep angles. Hovering requires no movement but requires an ability or innate trait to maintain.

Glide: Controlled descent only, a gliding character cannot gain altitude and moves 1x horizontally for every square dropped. Stalling or incapacitation results in a fall. Requires an innate ability, wings, or equipment.

Swim: Swimming characters must have a swim speed or make checks to stay afloat. A character can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to their Strength score. At zero breath, they begin drowning, taking Life damage each round until they surface or are rescued.

Wading: Wading through water, brush, or heavy foliage reduces movement to 1/2x. Severe conditions may require a Strength or Agility Trait check specified by module or determined by the GM.

Climb / Scale: A climbing character who fails their check stops moving that turn. A critical fail results in a fall, damage based on height specified by module or determined by the GM. Heavy loads increase check difficulty. Swinging on a rope or vine follows the same rules, a failed check results in a slip or drop.

Rappel: Requires rope or equivalent equipment and a talent check. A failed check results in a slip of a number of squares specified by module or determined by the GM. A critical fail results in a full fall.

Burrow / Tunnel: A burrowing character is hidden from above-ground sight and cannot be targeted by ranged attacks unless the attacker has a sense or ability that detects underground movement. Surfacing costs half movement. Underground visibility is zero without appropriate senses or equipment.

Crawl: If not prone, crawling can be used deliberately for stealth at 1/4 speed.

Slither / Squeeze: Slither is limbless movement available only to creatures with the Slither Ability, they cannot stand up and may move through gaps smaller than their standard size. Any entity may squeeze through a space smaller than their size category at the same 1/4x speed. Both Agility and Dexterity Trait checks are required to squeeze, both Traits stack. A failed check stops movement for that turn, and a critical fail may result in becoming stuck at GM discretion. Squeezing through a hostile creature's space is not permitted unless that creature is incapacitated. Small and Tiny creatures rarely need to squeeze, as most spaces accommodate their size naturally. A tight space is any opening narrower than the space a size category normally occupies. A Small or Standard entity squeezes through anything under 5 ft. wide, a Large entity through anything under 10 ft., a Goliath through anything under 20 ft. See Size Categories table.

Zero Gravity: Without training or equipment, movement becomes uncontrolled and requires a check each turn to navigate. With training or equipment, movement is 1x in any direction including vertical. Pushing off a surface grants a momentum bonus.

Magnetic (metal surface): Requires magnetic boots or equivalent equipment. Movement is 1/2x on any metal surface including walls and ceilings. Cannot be knocked prone while active.

Phase: Available only to characters with an innate phasing ability. Cannot attack or be attacked while phasing. Cannot end movement inside a solid object, doing so results in immediate incapacitation.

Run / Dash: Standard 2x speed movement. Skipping, bounding, and similar movement styles are flavor variants of Run and follow the same rules.

Moving Around Other Creatures: Moving through a friendly creature's space is permitted but their space is considered difficult terrain. Moving through a hostile creature's space is not permitted unless the creature is incapacitated. Moving past a hostile creature within reach may trigger an ATTK of Opportunity. Squeezing through a space smaller than a size category costs double movement and requires an Agility and Dexterity Trait check, both Traits stack, and a failed check stops movement. More on hostile creature interactions in the Combat section.

Creature Size and Space:

Falling: A falling character takes damage based on the distance fallen. Traits such as Dexterity and Defense stack to reduce falling damage. Spells and buffs such as Feather Fall or Barrier reduce or negate damage entirely. A character may attempt to grab a ledge, vine, or surface feature mid-fall, requiring an Agility or Strength Trait check, slowing or stopping the fall on a success. Landing in water, deep snow, or other soft surfaces reduces damage. Falling damage is specified by module or determined by the GM.

Stumble: An involuntary movement caused by a loss of balance or footing. The character moves 1d10 feet in a direction determined by the GM. The character is open to attacks of opportunity from every enemy adjacent to any square they stumble into, including the square they occupied when the stumble began. Specific causes of stumbling may impose additional penalties as noted in the relevant rules.

Retreat: A tactical withdrawal of 1 square from a threat. Full rules in Combat.

Dodge and Retreat: Combines Defense, as Dodge -, Agility SCR and Dexterity SCR to PROTS with a 5 ft. sq. Retreat backwards. Full rules in Combat.

Organic mount, ground: Rider uses the mount's base speed. Mounting and dismounting costs half an action. If the mount is incapacitated, the rider must make an Agility Trait check to dismount safely or fall.

Organic mount, aerial: Follows fly rules. Mounting and dismounting in the air requires a check. If the mount is incapacitated mid-flight, the rider must make an Agility Trait check to dismount safely or begin falling.

Non-organic vehicle, ground (steam, coal, gas, electric, photon, quantum, or magic-powered): Follows the driver's control checks for turns, stops, and hazards. Damage to the vehicle reduces speed, specified by module or determined by the GM. Magic-powered vehicles and constructs may also have their movement manipulated directly by Nature or Spell Abilities, the same as organic movement.

Non-organic vehicle, hover: Follows hover rules. Can maintain a stationary air position. Damage to the vehicle reduces speed or causes descent, specified by module or determined by the GM.

Teleport: Requires line of sight or a marked beacon. Cannot teleport to an unseen or unmarked location. Failed attempts result in the Character staying in place. Teleporting into an occupied space is not permitted.

Blink: Short range only, maximum range determined by the ability or item. Does not require line of sight but requires a clear destination. Can be used as a reaction to avoid damage once per round at GM discretion.

Warp: Long range teleportation requiring significant preparation or power. Warping to an unmarked location carries risk, a failed check results in arriving off target, specified by module or determined by the GM.

Spacecraft: Follows non-organic vehicle rules. Sub-light speed applies in atmosphere. Space grid scale applies in open space. Light speed capable spacecraft may achieve FTL travel, see FTL below. Boarding and deboarding require docking or a check if in motion.

FTL / Light speed: Available to Divine entities with Blink or equivalent innate magic, and to light speed capable spacecraft. Cannot be used in atmosphere or near planetary bodies without catastrophic consequences specified by module or determined by the GM. No check required for Divine entities, it is innate. Spacecraft require appropriate technology and fuel.

Quicker Feet: The ability to change direction at every 5 ft. square during movement without penalty. Not just speed, unpredictability. Characters and creatures with Quicker Feet can reverse, cut, weave, and redirect mid-stride in ways that make tracking them a genuine puzzle in the field. Applies to all movement types available to them.

Pulse Jet Propulsion: Reserved for creatures with the innate Pulse Jet Ability. A sharp contraction fires water backward and sends the creature rocketing forward, up to 25 ft. per burst. The catch is physics: water drag kills momentum the instant the pulse ends. The creature must change direction at every 5 ft. square, a straight line simply isn't possible, and that's exactly what makes it dangerous. Defenders trying to intercept a Pulse Jet creature have to guess where it's going, not where it came from. Cannot be used outside of water unless the creature's card specifically states otherwise.

Thruster Burst: Requires a TABA thruster modification. PTS, fire, and then let the environment decide how complicated things get. Direction is committed at the start of movement. What happens next depends entirely on the surrounding environment.

In vacuum: No drag. No forgiveness. Momentum carries into the following turn, a character who ends their turn moving begins the next from that same vector. Changing direction mid-move requires a counter-thrust: spend half the remaining movement to cancel momentum before redirecting. Changing direction at the start of a new turn costs the same. Fastest for sustained travel. Most dangerous to get wrong.

In atmosphere with gravity, horizontal: Air drag and gravity handle the counter-thrust automatically. Momentum resets at the end of each turn. Direction is still committed at the start of a move but changes freely at the beginning of each new turn. Mid-move direction changes cost half remaining movement. Closest to a standard Run in feel, with considerably more noise.

In atmosphere with gravity, ascending: Fighting gravity the whole way up. Speed drops to 2x. Angling the thrusters laterally while ascending drops speed to 1x. Cannot redirect mid-ascent without paying that cost. Sustained fuel required each round of ascent.

In atmosphere with gravity, descending: Choose one mode at the start of the move and commit. Braking: 1x speed downward; active before impact negates fall damage entirely. Hovering: no movement; stationary in the air; sustained fuel cost each round, run out and gravity decides the rest. Assisted Descent: 4x speed downward; direction committed; no braking that same turn.

Underwater: Drag is severe and immediate. Speed drops to 1x. Direction changes freely at every 5 ft. sq., the water handles counter-thrust naturally. Functions like a slower, more controlled version of Pulse Jet Propulsion: deliberate where Pulse Jet is instinctive.

Animated Compass

Rank

Compass Rank PTS (RP) are recorded on the Animated Compass Card or Progression Sheet. The Animated Compass has Rank, not Character LVL. It begins at Common Rank and advances through earned Rank PTS. The Compass uses the existing SORC Rank PTS system; Character LVL, XP, and Growth do not advance Compass Rank.

Rank PTS are earned through the standard Rank PTS rewards in the module or campaign. A module may award RP to the Character, the Compass, or both. The reward entry must identify the recipient. XP, Character LVL, and ordinary travel do not advance Compass Rank.

Form slots are cumulative: Common 1, Uncommon 2, Rare 4, Unique 6, Heroic 8, Elite 10, Legendary 13, and Divine 16. A Character chooses each newly available form from the available form list or from the current module.

How the Compass Earns Rank PTS

The Compass earns Rank PTS through meaningful use, not through the mere passage of time or every ordinary Port.

A module may award Compass RP when the Compass:

• Confirms and pins a listed Notable Area achievement.
• Guides the Character through a discovery, route, ruin, wilderness, or other module achievement.
• Successfully establishes a listed Safe Haven.
• Completes a Compass-related quest, Short Mission, or Lore objective.
• Uses a form or Ability to solve a significant navigation, access, or survival problem.
• Returns from an approved Short Mission with a discovery, resource, report, or achievement.

Notable Areas are achievements listed by the module. A place is not automatically Notable because it is scenic, distant, or difficult to reach. The module's achievement entry states the Compass RP reward, any Character RP reward, the conditions, and whether the Compass must personally confirm the location.

When an achievement awards standard RP to both the Character and the Compass, each records the listed amount separately. The Character's Rank and the Compass's Rank may therefore advance at different rates.

Compass Short Missions

The Animated Compass normally travels with the Character. Beginning at Uncommon Rank, it may undertake a directed Short Mission while the Character's Port is recovering or a selected Safe Haven is on cooldown. The Character remains connected to the Compass through Affinity while it is away, provided it remains within Affinity Range.

A Short Mission is a limited assignment, not an independent adventure. The Character may send the Compass to deliver a message, carry a small Item, confirm a known route, locate a known person, check a pinned Safe Haven, send a warning, or return with a brief report.

A Short Mission must have a clear objective, destination or target, route, duration, and result. It cannot independently explore unknown territory, establish a Notable Area achievement, create a permanent Safe Haven, complete a full quest, or earn Compass RP unless the module explicitly lists that Short Mission as an achievement. The Character may preassign a message or other limited objective beyond Affinity Range, but cannot direct the Compass or receive live reports until the Compass returns within Range. Any Compass Ability that separately requires an active Affinity follows its own Rank and Ability rules.

When the Compass is on a Short Mission, it cannot use a form ability that requires its physical presence at the Character's location. It may still communicate danger, spotting, discovery leads, Pin status, cooldown status, mission reports, and other shared information through Compass Affinity. It may still provide Portation through Affinity when the destination is within Range.

When a Short Mission outcome is uncertain, use the existing SORC resolution:

d100 + Compass ability modifier + applicable Skill score + aligned ATTR score vs. DIFS

Use d200 only when the module calls for a large mission, discovery, or location-event table. Do not use a random roll to award RP when the module has already listed the reward.

Safe Haven Cooldown

Each pinned Safe Haven has its own cooldown. Porting to one Safe Haven does not place other Safe Havens on cooldown.

A Personal Home may be Owned, Rented, Granted, Family, or Shared, provided the Character has active lawful access. The Home receives the shortest cooldown because it is familiar, maintained, and personally anchored.

Cooldown reduction steps are 360 days, 90 days, 30 days, 7 days, 1 Long Rest, 1 Short Rest, and 1 Breather. Uncommon, Rare, Unique, Heroic, Elite, Legendary, and Divine Compass Rank each reduce every Safe Haven's cooldown by one additional step. No cooldown becomes shorter than 1 Breather unless a specific Ability says so.

A shorter cooldown never removes a Safe Haven's legal, factional, environmental, or Divine terms.

Safe Haven

A Safe Haven is a location the Character has discovered, personally visited, and pinned for the Animated Compass. The Compass must confirm that the location is stable, identifiable, and safe for arrival.

Examples include a Character's Home, rented room, camp, tavern, Secret Fisherman's Hole, Hobbling Village, X-Roads Tavern, hidden woodland clearing, sheltered cave, abandoned shrine, secluded island, riverbank, quiet mountain overlook, ancient tree hollow, secured ancient throne room, or Divine sanctuary.

A Safe Haven may provide a magical buff, resource, crafting function, faction service, Lore discovery, vendor, quest, Companion function, temporary Title benefit, or temporary Standing benefit. These benefits belong to the Safe Haven record and are not automatic Home functions.

A Safe Haven record lists its Planet, Continent, Island, Territory, Region, Area, coordinates or identifying description, discovery method, rarity, cooldown, access terms, benefits, risks, and current stability.

Compass Range

Compass distance uses the SORC map hierarchy rather than arbitrary mileage.

No base Compass Ability permits unrestricted planetary or interplanetary travel. A location may remain outside Range when it is concealed, shielded, unstable, under decree, occupied, or inaccessible to the active Compass form.

Compass Actions

Pin: The Character personally reaches a location and asks the Compass to record it as a long-term Safe Haven. Pin does not grant ownership, legal access, storage rights, faction Standing, a tax exemption, or entry permission.

Routine Pinning requires no roll when the GM confirms that the location is clearly stable and discoverable. When the location is hidden, unstable, or protected, use:

d100 + applicable Skill score + aligned ATTR score vs. discovery DIFS

Port: The Character chooses a discovered and pinned Safe Haven within current Range. The destination must be stable, identifiable, safe for arrival, and currently available under its terms. A normal Port requires no roll. Port cannot reach an unknown location, unvisited plot, occupied space, destroyed location, sealed location, or destination whose terms the Character does not satisfy.

Pin and Return: When Port succeeds, the Compass records the exact spot from which the Character departed as the Origin Pin. After arriving and completing the Compass's required rest, the Character may Return to that Origin Pin. Return may be used only for the most recent Port, does not create a permanent Safe Haven, and ends when used or when another Port begins.

Return does not make the Origin Pin exempt from danger. The Origin Pin must still exist and not be destroyed, sealed, occupied by an impenetrable object or hostile force, or forbidden by a decree, curse, or Compass condition.

Party Port: At base, Port may bring the current party but not outsiders. A Character brought by Party Port gains no ownership, access rights, permanent Safe Haven, or automatic Return route.

Safe Haven Terms

A Safe Haven may require permission from an owner, active rent, Family or Guild access, faction Standing, a Title, a Divine offering, a quest, a racial or cultural requirement, a legal permit, a specific Item or Card, a season or planetary condition, or a service owed to its authority.

The Character must satisfy those terms every time Port is used. The Compass never bypasses Home Access Mode, rent, tax, ownership, Imperial authority, Noble authority, Purge control, faction restrictions, Divine decree, or environmental danger.

Compass Checks and Random Events

Routine Porting to a stable, pinned, available Safe Haven requires no roll. When the Compass is discovering, stabilizing, navigating, or reaching an uncertain location, use the existing SORC resolution:

d100 + Compass ability modifier + applicable Skill score + aligned ATTR score vs. DIFS

Use Easy DIFS 20-30, Moderate DIFS 40-50, Hard DIFS 60-70, and Near-Impossible DIFS 80+.

A failed check may delay Port, shift the arrival point within the Area, require normal travel for the final approach, suspend the Safe Haven, or trigger a location event. It does not automatically destroy a Safe Haven.

Use d200 only for a large discovery or location-event table. Do not roll for a known cooldown.

Animated Compass Ability Tree

Compass Forms and Branches

The Compass begins with one form. It unlocks additional forms as its Rank increases. Each form has five branch ranks: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique, and Heroic. Form abilities modify discovery, travel, warning, or utility; they do not bypass Safe Haven terms.

Wisp forms may hover, glow, pulse warnings, and pass through openings appropriate to their size. They cannot bypass Range, cooldown, access, decree, or Safe Haven requirements.

Legacy form branch notes

Elemental and Wisp Form Branches

• Compass: Projects bearings, pins Safe Havens, displays discovered routes, and guides the party through unfamiliar terrain.
• Ember Wisp: Produces controlled sparks that can start a fire when suitable material is present.
• Warmth Wisp: Radiates warmth for the Character and party, protecting them from ordinary cold and helping them rest in exposed conditions.
• Water Wisp: Produces fresh water for drinking and basic travel needs. The amount and speed increase with LVL.
• Storm Wisp: Produces and stores electrical charge. At low LVLs it provides static sparks and simple power; at higher LVLs it can deliver a controlled electrical surge.
• Wisp Forms: Wisp manifestations can hover, glow, pulse warnings, and pass through openings appropriate to their size. They cannot bypass the Safe Haven requirements for Port.

Form Ability Branches

Each unlocked form develops an Ability branch unique to it, unlocking progressively as the Animated Compass's Rank increases. Forms can be changed during the journey, allowing the Character to use the branch that fits the moment.

Pocket Watch, Tracks time as its default. Specializes in cooldown reduction and temporal awareness.

1. Shows accurate local time across regions and planets.
2. Cooldown reduced by one day.
3. Predicts weather up to 24 hours ahead.
4. Cooldown reduced to once per day.
5. Skips one danger event per session, the Watch turns back just enough.

Compass, Shows cardinal directions at base. Specializes in navigation and ally awareness.

1. Detects the direction of the nearest beacon.
2. Highlights the safest path through hostile terrain.
3. PTS toward the nearest ally when the party is separated.
4. Navigation bonus increases significantly, the owner cannot become lost.
5. PTS toward the nearest undiscovered location in the region.

Sextant, Measures celestial angles at base. Excels outdoors, at sea, and in space.

1. Identifies the owner's exact position on any map.
2. Alert range extended under open sky or in vacuum.
3. Reads star patterns to anticipate enemy movements.
4. Locks onto orbiting vessels or space stations within range.
5. Pinpoints the exact coordinates of any previously pinned location.

Astrolabe, Maps star positions at base. Strongest at revealing secrets and ancient sites.

1. Reveals hidden celestial landmarks and navigational reference points.
2. Find Secret unlocks earlier than any other form.
3. Reveals more secret locations per session than other forms.
4. Detects ancient, forgotten, or sealed sites specifically.
5. Maps the full layout of a dungeon or estate upon entry.

Hourglass, Tracks elapsed time at base. Specializes in Deep Down and timed event awareness.

1. Displays an accurate countdown to the next cooldown reset.
2. Deep Down unlocks earlier than other forms.
3. Warns when a timed quest or world event is about to expire.
4. Slows enemy pursuit for one round per session.
5. Rewinds one failed skill roll per session, one chance to try again.

Spyglass, Magnifies distant vision at base. Longest alert range of all forms.

1. Scouts terrain at range, revealing what's ahead before the party arrives.
2. Alert triggers at greater distance than any other form.
3. Identifies creature type and rough power LVL at range.
4. Detects traps and ambushes before the party enters range.
5. Pins a distant location as a discovery lead. Port still requires the Character to visit and pin a Safe Haven there.

Monocle, Inspects nearby objects at base. Specializes in identification and social intelligence.

1. Reveals hidden properties or value of inspected objects.
2. Identifies quest NPCs on sight before any conversation.
3. Reads and translates languages and scripts automatically.
4. Detects disguised or hidden creatures within close range.
5. Reveals the true identity of any creature it is focused on.

Lantern, Provides light at base. Strongest fire bond and group utility at high LVLs.

1. Functions in magical darkness where other light sources fail.
2. Creates a controlled flame with sparks and maintains light in conditions where ordinary fire fails.
3. Safe Haven bond strengthens, the owner regenerates faster while resting at a Safe Haven.
4. Reveals invisible creatures within its light radius.
5. Group port, beacons to all party members simultaneously, bringing the whole party along.

Signet Ring, Pins identity and ownership at base. Specializes in Pin Spot and long-range signaling.

1. Pins ownership of a location or object, others can see it is claimed.
2. Can hold two pinned spots simultaneously instead of one.
3. Sends a signal to another ring-bearer across any distance.
4. Can hold four pinned spots simultaneously.
5. Permanently claims a location, no other Player may pin it.

Orrery, Models nearby celestial bodies at base. Specializes in All Aboard and vessel detection.

1. Displays planet and moon positions in the local system.
2. All Aboard unlocks earlier than other forms.
3. Predicts orbital windows for spacecraft boarding.
4. Detects vessels within range before they become visible.
5. Locks onto any vessel in the system regardless of distance.

Runestone Disc, Channels rune energy at base. Specializes in rune and Relic detection.

1. Pulses near rune-inscribed objects, armaments, and structures.
2. Detects nearby Runesmith NPCs or services.
3. Pulses near hidden Relic fragments.
4. Identifies rune type and strength on any object without a Runesmith.
5. Activates dormant runes on objects, no Runesmith required.

Affinity

Compass Affinity is only the conductive connection between the Character and the attuned Animated Compass. It is separate from Character Aura, which has seven life-stage levels under Time. The seven Character Aura stages do not determine Compass Rank, Compass Abilities, Ability power, or the conductiveness of the Compass connection.

Compass Affinity is not a Compass Ability, does not determine Compass Rank, and does not determine the Compass's Ability power. The Compass's Rank and selected Abilities are defined under Rank.

Affinity has a connection distance determined by the strength of the bond between the Character and Compass. While the Character and Compass remain within that distance, the connection is available. When they move beyond that distance, the connection is unavailable until they return within it.

Affinity connection distance is not Compass Rank, Port Range, or an Ability Range. It is the distance over which the Character and Compass can remain conductively connected to one another.

When Affinity is unavailable, the Character and Compass cannot maintain live communication through the bond. A Short Mission that was already assigned may continue, but it cannot receive live instructions or return live reports until the connection is restored.

The Compass has its own Affinity DIFS recorded on its Compass Card. Affinity DIFS is the difficulty for interference to break the connection. Affinity DIFS is not a Compass Ability and is not automatically derived from Compass Rank.

When an interfering condition affects Affinity, the GM rolls:

d100 + Interference Severity vs. Affinity DIFS

If the result meets or exceeds Affinity DIFS, the connection breaks for the duration of the interference. If the result is below Affinity DIFS, the connection remains active. A complete barrier or Total Block prevents the connection without requiring a roll.

Interference

Interference is present when a physical, geological, liquid, chemical, atmospheric, biological, elemental, technological, or magical condition affects the Character, the Compass, the space between them, or a boundary the connection must cross.

The GM determines Interference Severity from the condition's size, density, intensity, conductivity, magical strength, duration, and position relative to the Character, Compass, or connection.

Ordinary weather, ordinary terrain, and ordinary elemental conditions do not interfere by themselves. A sufficiently massive, dense, intense, conductive, magical, or hostile condition may create a Total Block or Shadow Zone.

Physical and geological barriers may create Total Blocks or Shadow Zones:

• Mountains, deep caves, ravines, tunnels, and underground bunkers
• Massive layers of earth and rock
• Thick tree trunks, dense forest canopies, and heavy timber structures
• Solid sheets or underground deposits of lead, iron, steel, copper, or other heavy metals and ores

Liquids and conductive environments may absorb, disperse, or short the connection:

• Submersion underwater, deep lakes, and oceans
• Saltwater, brine, and powerful water currents
• Salt flats, clay-heavy soils, and heavily mineralized or highly conductive earth
• Magma and extreme geothermal environments

Weather and atmospheric conditions may degrade the connection or create static:

• Torrential rain, severe downpours, blizzards, and heavy snowstorms
• Dense fog, mist, thick vapor, and smog
• Violent wind and severe atmospheric pressure
• Active lightning storms and intense electrical fields
• Solar flares, geomagnetic storms, magnetic waves, and other intense electrical or atmospheric wave activity

Airborne and biological distortion may scatter or distort the connection:

• Volcanic ash, dense dust storms, thick smoke, and heavy particulate clouds
• Massive locust swarms, dense insect clouds, and large tightly packed bird swarms
• Other biological masses dense enough to disrupt the connection

Magical and planar interference may weaken, distort, block, or break the connection:

• Anti-magic, null-magic, attunement-severing effects, binding magic, and suppression magic
• Communication-blocking magic, Affinity-scrambling effects, and curses that disrupt magical bonds
• Divine seals, Divine decrees, planar boundaries, and sealed realms
• Warded ruins, cursed biomes, Void zones, and magical storms
• Deliberate attacks against the Character–Compass connection

The rules for how the Compass's Rank and selected Abilities counter these conditions belong under Rank. They do not change what Affinity is: Affinity remains only the conductive connection between Character and Compass.

Obstacle Navigation by Size

Size	Min. Width to Pass Freely
Small	3 ft.
Standard	4 ft.
Large (NPC/MAC)	8 ft.
Goliath	15 ft.

Anything below these thresholds requires a Squeeze check (see Slither / Squeeze) or is impassable.

Example, 5 ft. wide, 8 ft. tall boulder in a 10 ft. ceiling dungeon

• Small, Can pass alongside the boulder freely. Climbing over is possible but the gap between the top of the boulder and the ceiling is only 2 ft., a tight space requiring a Squeeze check to clear.
• Standard, Can pass alongside but is at the edge of their minimum. Climbing over is blocked, the 2 ft. ceiling gap is impassable for their size. Must go around.
• Large (NPC/MAC), Cannot pass alongside. Cannot pass over. Fully blocked, requires destruction of the obstacle or an alternate route.
• Goliath, Impassable in all directions. Requires destruction or an alternate route.

Encumbrance

Carrying weight beyond capacity encumbers the Character. Abilities (Nature/Spell) may negate encumbrance penalties.

Load	Threshold	Movement	Action Penalty
Light Load	0-94%	Full speed	None
Burdened	95-99%	Half speed	None
Encumbered	100%+	Cannot move	Cannot act

Item Rank Requirements

A Character's ability to use an item is governed by two factors: whether they can physically carry it (Strength and Encumbrance), and whether they meet the item's Rank requirement. At character creation and throughout their career, a Character may carry any item up to their total carry capacity. However, they may only use (equip, wield, or activate) an item if they meet that item's minimum Rank requirement.

Rank Requirements by Item Type: Weapons, Armor, Armaments, and Lore Cards all carry a rank designation (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique, Heroic, Elite, Legendary, Divine). A Character must be at the same rank as the item to use it, with one exception: Common rank items can be used by Characters of any rank.

At Character Creation: Starting characters begin as Common rank. They may carry and use only Common rank items during character creation, regardless of their Strength or other ATTRs. As a Character advances in rank through Rank PTS (see Experience (XP) and Rank, pg. 2), they unlock access to higher-rank items, but cannot use items above their current rank.

Example: A Paladin with Strength +2 has a carry capacity of 130 lbs (100 base + 30 from Strength). At character creation, they are Common rank, so they may carry and use any Common rank item up to 130 lbs total. A Legendary plate armor weighs only 80 lbs, but they cannot use it because they are not Legendary rank. Once they advance to Legendary rank through play, the same armor becomes usable if they still have carrying capacity.

Visibility & Light

Condition	Dist.	Penalty
Bright light	Full	None
Dim light	4 squares	-10 to ranged attacks and perception checks
Darkness	0	-25 to melee, ranged attacks not permitted
Darkvision	6 squares	No penalty within range

Disorientation

A disoriented character may move in unintended directions, suffer penalties to checks and attacks, or lose their sense of position on the grid. Causes include darkness, magical effects, vertigo, concussion, and extreme environmental conditions. Related conditions such as blinded, stunned, and confused are covered in the Conditions section of the Combat rules. Abilities may negate disorientation effects.

Complex Rule Set only.

Cause	Check Penalty
Dim light / minor effect	-10 to all checks
Darkness / moderate effect	-25 to all checks
Magical / severe effect	-50 to all checks

Environmental Hazards

Hazard	Movement	Damage per Turn	Condition
Fire	1/2 speed	1d6 Life	Burning
Poison cloud	1/2 speed	1d4 Life	Poisoned
Extreme cold / heat	Full speed	1d4 Life	Fatigued
Electrical	Full speed	1d6 Life	Stunned
Flooding	1/2 speed	None	Swim check required
Slime / goo	1/4 speed	None	Restrained, check to escape

Traps

Traps are hidden hazards placed deliberately in the environment. They trigger on movement through or interaction with a specific square or object. A character with the appropriate talent, such as Scout or Crypt Raider, may detect traps before triggering them with a successful check. Once detected, traps may be disarmed with a talent check. Failing a disarm check may trigger the trap. Trap effects range from movement impairment and damage to conditions and instant incapacitation, specified by module or determined by the GM.

Rest

SORC uses three rest tiers. Rest is interrupted if the Character takes damage or is engaged in strenuous activity. Maximum one long rest per day. Full rest and recovery rules are covered in the GM Codex.

• Breather (1 hr): Recovers 4 chips of Life, Mana, and Stamina each. Endurance to 60% of max (+1%/Spirit point, capped 100%).
• Breather (2 hrs): Recovers 8 chips of Life, Mana, and Stamina each. Endurance to 60% of max (+1%/Spirit point, capped 100%).
• Short Rest (6 hrs): Recovers 24 chips of Life, Mana, and Stamina each. Endurance to 70% of max (+1%/Spirit point, capped 100%). Watch rotation required. No donning, readying, or light activities. No maintenance unless a blacksmith is present.
• Long Rest (8 hrs): Full recovery of all Vitality, Life, Mana, Stamina, and Endurance.

Movement Summary

Movement covers how navigation is determined in SORC, measured in squares on a grid where scale depends on the map type, 5 ft. per square on a battle map, larger on war and world maps. Base speed is determined by race size, terrain affects distance, and every movement type from walking to spacecraft has its own speed modifier and rules. Encumbrance (see below), visibility, hazards, traps, and rest all interact with movement in defined ways. Carrying more than 50% of capacity reduces movement speed, see Encumbrance for full penalty values.

From crawling and climbing to flying mounts, teleportation, and light speed travel, every movement type is accounted for, with organic and non-organic equivalents paired across the system. Abilities can modify or negate most penalties, and the GM Codex covers advanced cases. Reminder: movement in structured encounters consumes Stamina, see Stamina and Mana Costs under Actions for details.

Travel and Recovery

Light Speed Travel: Characters using Light Speed travel require a long day of uninterrupted rest after arrival to fully recover. Some spacecraft have dedicated resting areas to facilitate this recovery during long journeys.

Warp, Teleportation: Characters using Warp teleportation require 2 hours of downtime or light activity after arrival to recover from the magical strain.

Foot Travel: Characters traveling on foot are limited to 10 miles before requiring a Breather to recover. After every 10 miles traveled OR when the Character exhausts their daily Endurance, whichever comes first, downtime is required. See Rest section for Breather durations and recovery amounts.

Vehicular Travel: Characters traveling by train, by wagon, by airship, or by sea ship can participate in normal activities during the journey, downtime, rest periods, and even combat encounters. The vehicle's movement is independent of character actions. Long-distance vehicular journeys may have specified rest requirements depending on journey length and conditions, determined by the GM.

Land Mounts: Characters traveling on land mounts can journey longer distances based on mount speed and rarity tier. After every 50 miles traveled, the rider and mount require a Breather to recover. Mount pace is determined by rarity: Rare and below (3x base speed), Unique through Elite (4x base speed), Legendary (5x base speed), Divine (6x base speed). See Rest section for Breather durations and recovery amounts.

Travel Example, Tredekian Caravan Ambush

Setup: A merchant caravan travels the trade roads of Tredeki. After 12 miles of wagon travel, they pause at a waystation for a Breather. The party members are traveling by wagon (Vehicular Travel) with merchants and guards. As the caravan exits the station for the next leg of journey, bandits attempt a hijacking.

Outcome: Combat erupts on the wagon-road. Since this is vehicular travel, the party can participate in combat encounters during the journey without penalty. The battle is resolved using standard combat rules. If the party defeats the bandits, the caravan continues. If they lose, the merchants are robbed but the party can still recover. The journey itself is not interrupted, vehicular travel allows for independent action during movement. The caravan will require additional Breathers based on total distance traveled and GM discretion regarding the incident.

Travel Example, Ignis Train Derailment Emergency

Setup: The party rides a steam train through Ignis's volcanic plateaus. Halfway through a 40-mile journey, a massive lava surge causes the tracks to buckle. Combat encounters occur as the party works to stabilize the train or escape.

Outcome: Like wagon travel, the train allows full combat participation during the journey. The party must roll initiative and engage the natural disaster or enemies attempting to cause the derailment. Success means they stabilize the train and continue. Failure means the train crashes, survival depends on a series of checks. Either way, the journey is disrupted. The GM determines if the party must take a longer Breather or find shelter in Ignis's ruins to recover before continuing.

Travel Example, Omnè-Zailister Airship Trade Route

Setup: The party travels by luxury airship from Omnè's floating platforms to Zailister's orbital docks, a journey of 200+ miles taking several days. Multiple vendors, quest-givers, and NPCs are aboard. The party has access to merchant stalls, a small tavern, and crew quarters.

Outcome: During vehicular journeys like this, the party can engage in downtime activities, shopping from vendors, accepting quests from NPCs, conducting research, or simply resting. Combat can occur if the airship encounters pirates or environmental hazards. The journey's duration is fixed by the GM, but party activities make the transit narratively rich. When the airship docks on Zailister, the party emerges refreshed and resupplied.

Travel Example, Light Speed Jump to Tredeki

Setup: A divine entity with Blink Ability, or a light-speed-capable spacecraft, instantly travels from one location to Tredeki across the void. Light Speed travel is instantaneous with no intervening time.

Recovery Requirement: Upon arrival, the travelers require a long day of uninterrupted rest. If traveling by spacecraft, the vessel has dedicated resting quarters. Characters cannot take actions, participate in additional combat, or engage in strenuous activities during this recovery period. The deep exhaustion from FTL travel demands complete rest. Only after this full day can the party proceed normally.

Travel Example, Glaciera Foot Travel Ten-Mile Threshold

Setup: The party travels on foot across Glaciera's frozen wastes. Each character has 35 Endurance points. After 10 miles or when a character exhausts their daily Endurance (whichever comes first), they must stop.

Resolution: After 10 miles, the party requires a Breather (1-2 hours of downtime, see Rest section). A Breather recovers Life, Mana, and Stamina, and restores Endurance to 60% of max (+1%/Spirit point, capped 100%). Endurance still fully resets at the start of the next day regardless. If characters attempt to push past this threshold without a Breather, they risk exhaustion penalties determined by the GM. After a Breather, the party can continue another 10 miles.

Travel Example, Tredeki Mount Journey Long Distance

Setup: A rider on a Unique-tier mount (4x base speed) travels across Tredeki's vast plains. The mount is a bonded creature with Unique rarity. The rider wants to cover 100 miles.

Distance and Breathers: Mount pace: 4x base speed (if base mount speed is 30 ft., effective speed becomes 120 ft. per round). For long-distance travel, the GM determines pace narratively. After every 50 miles, the rider and mount require a Breather to recover. So: 50 miles, first Breather (1-2 hours). 50 more miles, second Breather. The 100-mile journey requires two Breathers minimum, broken into segments. Without these Breathers, mount and rider accumulate exhaustion and risk injury or abandonment.

Travel Example, Omnè Warp Escape from Danger

Setup: The party faces overwhelming odds in a dungeon on Omnè. A character with the Warp innate ability warps the party to safety, a location 200+ miles away, instantly.

Recovery Requirement: After arrival, the party requires 2 hours of downtime or light activity to recover from the magical strain of warping. During this time, they can rest, tend wounds (via medical items or abilities), or prepare for the next encounter, but they cannot engage in strenuous activity or combat. After 2 hours, they are free to continue their journey.

Combat

Utilizing a D100 percentile system, to determine combat outcomes, Players describe actions and roll dice to attack with weapons and their combat Abilities to reach the threshold of their target's total Protection Score (PROTS). Every Character's hit and damage is dependent on the rank of the weapon they are using.

Note on Bosses, Mobs, and Companions in Combat: Bosses, Mobs, and Companions do not have Traits, ATTRs, Mana, Stamina, or Endurance. They only have Life, Abilities, Armor, and ATTKs. Their Abilities are innate and require no trait or attribute Prerequisites. Only Life can be depleted during combat.

Basic Attacks and Ability Attacks

Every attack in SORC is one of two things, and they follow different rules about what may be in hand.

A Basic ATTK is the plain swing, thrust, loose, or throw a weapon was built for, carrying no Ability, costing no Stamina or Mana, and available to every Character every turn. No class, Path, or Branch restricts a Basic ATTK. Any Character may pick up any weapon they are physically able to wield, a Magic User with a greatsword, an Avenger with a bow, and attack with it normally, rolling d100 + applicable modifiers against the target's PROTS the same as anyone else. The only things governing a Basic ATTK are the weapon's own Type and Style damage modifiers (see Weapon Type DMG Mods, pg. 4) and whatever the Character can actually carry.

An Ability ATTK is different. Every Tier, Path, and Branch lists the weapons its Abilities are performed with, and one of those must be readied to use any Ability from that tree (see Required Weapons, Appendix). A weapon the tree does not list, or one its Culture names Forbidden, performs none of that tree's Abilities. This is not a penalty, a scaling modifier, or something a high Trait score overcomes; the Ability is simply not available with the wrong thing in hand.

Why the difference: the restriction is one of Culture, not capability (see Cultural Armaments & Rarity, Appendix, and Culture, Playable Races, pg. 2). A Cleric's training, rites, and holy symbols are built around blunt weapons of ordinary make; the same Cleric is perfectly capable of swinging a TAW mace, but their faith does not channel through manufactured technology, so no Cleric Ability comes out of it. They may still swing it all day as a Basic ATTK. The classic case: a Character can use a Bow, but cannot perform Cleric Abilities with a Bow.

Readying: because an Ability needs its weapon in hand, the daily Armament Set matters. A Character readies up to three weapons at the start of each game day and swapping between them mid-combat costs an Action (see Armaments Reminder, above, and Weapons Carried, pg. 4). A Character drawing on several Class Trees should ready weapons that cover each tree they intend to use that day, or accept that some of their Abilities are unavailable until they swap.

Armor is not the same: armor never blocks an Ability. Wearing heavier than a tree's Armor Grade threshold costs a scaling Armament Penalty instead, and Traits can reduce it (see Armament Penalty, Appendix).

Protection Score (PROTS)

Condition: Every piece of armor carries a Condition, rolled on d100 when it is found or acquired, and Condition adjusts Armor Score as a percentage of the piece's Grade rather than as flat points, so wear costs the same share of protection at every Grade.

Armor Score Formula: A piece of armor starts at its Grade's Base Armor Score and is adjusted by its Quality, its Condition and any Enhancement. Those four, Grade, Quality, Condition and Enhanced, are the whole of it:

Armor Scr. = Grade − (Quality % × Grade) − (Condition % × Grade) + Enhanced

Quality and Condition are percentages of the Grade, not flat points, so a worn set loses the same share of its protection at every Grade. Enhancement is added last, in flat points. Quality and Condition are percentages of the Grade, not flat points, so wear and workmanship cost the same share of protection at every Grade. Enhancement is added last, in flat points. Worked example, the Skeleton Soldier: Half Heavy Plate at Grade 40, Poor quality at −5%, Damaged condition at −30%, no Enhancement. 40 − 2 − 12 = Armor Score 26. Quality also adjusts the piece's value by the same percentage (see Armor Quality, Appendix).

PROTS Formula: PROTS = Base Armor Scr. + Defense or Resistance Trait (depending on attack source) + shield Armor Scr. + all other modifiers (buffs, debuffs, environmental effects). Against martial or Nature-sourced attacks, use Defense Trait. Against Spell-sourced attacks, use Resistance Trait. These two never stack on the same attack, exactly one applies based on the attack's source.

Every entity in SORC has a Base Armor Score (Armor Scr.), a number between 1 and 100 representing the raw protection of any armored or unarmored entity. Armor Scr. is the starting point, not the full picture. PROTS (Protection Score) is Armor Scr. plus every permanent Enhancement or Impairment, temporary buff or debuff, and Trait bonus or penalty applied to it. PROTS = Armor Scr. + all modifiers, positive and negative. Armor Scr. never changes unless the armor itself changes. PROTS fluctuates with buffs, debuffs, Enhancements, Impairments, and situational modifiers.

Example: Ice Dragon, on the ground, has a base Armor Scr. of 80 (Armor Scr. 80) and has 12 bonuses to Protection, so its PROTS 92. Rolling 1D100 would need a result of 92 to Hit the dragon and roll for damage. In the air, the Ice Dragon gets a +10 bonus, now giving it +22 (12 + 10) bonus to its base Armor Scr. 80. Flying, the Ice Dragon has a PROTS of 102.

Conversely, a Commoner is wearing cloth and has a base Armor Scr. of 10, Armor Scr. 10, but has part of a wooden gate he's used as a shield giving him +2, however he doesn't have a strong foothold because of the environment, -1 (strong winds). His total PROTS is Armor Scr. 10 + 2 - 1 = 11. The Commoner is easy to Hit. In comparison, a Paladin in Osmium Plate has a base Armor Scr. of 60. If he's holding Bracers, a 2h Weapon or a Shield he can add his Defense score (Defense is a Trait) representing; Parry or Block respectively he'll add his Protection, in this case 4. He also gets the base Armor Scr. of a Shield (Armor Scr. 10) or the lighter option, Bracers (Armor Scr. 5). Let's say he's holding the shield and has a score of 5 on the Trait Defense. Base Armor Scr. is 60, plus 10 for shield, plus 5 because he has Defense (5).

Defense Roll

Defense Trait is passively included in PROTS and does not require a roll. If the attacker's score meets or exceeds the target's total PROTS (which includes the Defense Trait, Base Armor Scr., shield Armor Scr., and all other modifiers), the attack lands. Defense type is determined by equipped gear:

• Parry, 2H Weapon, Bracers, or Dual Wield (melee only, excludes orbs, tomes, special items, and environmental objects). Bracers allow Parry, Gloves do not (see Set Bonus, pg. 4)
• Block, Shield
• Dodge, Light Armor

Characters without the Defense Trait or qualifying gear cannot use Defense. See Defense under Traits (pg. 2).

Defense Example, Omnè Crystal Lock Difficulty Score Check

Setup: Kael (Elf, Thief, Shadowblade, LVL 11, Rank Uncommon) attempts to pick an ancient crystal lock guarding a vault on Omnè's floating platform. The lock has a PROTS of 45 (representing its structural integrity). Kael has the Disarm Trap talent with a score of 8 and Dexterity Trait of 6.

Attempt: Kael rolls to disable: d100 + 8 (talent) + 6 (Dexterity) = [62] + 14 = 76 versus DIFS of 45. Success! He carefully manipulates the crystalline mechanism, feeling the subtle shifts in energy. The lock clicks open, revealing the chamber beyond. No damage taken.

Comparison, If He Failed: If his roll had been [28] + 14 = 42 (below 45), the trap would trigger. Standard trap damage on failure might be 16 Life damage. But if Kael had chosen to destroy the lock instead (attacking its PROTS directly), failure would deal 2x that damage (32 Life) back to him. The Disarm Trap approach was clearly safer.

Defense Example, Zailister Spaceship Security Code Difficulty Score

Setup: Tyx (Goliath, Hacker, DataMind, LVL 13, Rank Rare) tries to bypass a security panel on a Zailister orbital station. The system's defensive DIFS is 58 (representing firewall strength). Tyx has the Hack talent with score 12, Intellect Trait of 10, and a +5 bonus from their specialized hacking equipment.

Attempt: Tyx rolls: d100 + 12 (Hack talent) + 10 (Intellect) + 5 (equipment) = [71] + 27 = 98 versus DIFS of 58. Critical success! The panel sparks briefly as Tyx gains access, bypassing multiple layers of encryption in seconds. The security override code unlocks adjacent doors. Tyx's Hack talent makes this look easy.

Base Hit Rate

Every weapon at Common rank shares the same base hit percentage against each armor type before any modifiers are applied. These rates assume a baseline attacker with no bonuses or penalties against a target with no defensive modifiers, raw d100 roll against Armor Scr. only.

All weapon types share these base rates. These are base figures against Armor Scr. only, not PROTS. In play, all bonuses and penalties apply on top of these rates, including the target's full PROTS (Armor Scr. plus all defensive modifiers), armor condition, Armor Mould, character attributes, talents, buffs, debuffs, and situational modifiers. Remember that armor grades have Vulnerabilities and Resistances (see Armor Grades below), a blunt weapon against chain gains from chain's vulnerability to blunt, raising the effective hit above base. Higher rank weapons have higher base attack values, increasing these percentages across all armor grades.

Hit Results

Critical Hit Formula: A roll result inside the Critical Window for the weapon's Rank triggers a Critical Hit, dealing 2x damage dice + source bonus. The Window is 96-100 at Common and widens with Rank, see Critical Window by Rank below. Source bonus = Strength score (melee), Agility score (martial ranged), or Acuity score (spells). Critical Hits may trigger extra Status effects, limb severance, or severe injuries based on GM discretion.

Critical Window by Rank

The Critical Window is the span of d100 results that trigger a Critical Hit. It widens with the Rank of the weapon in hand. The damage is unchanged at every Rank, 2x damage dice + source bonus; what grows is how often a Critical lands.

Position stacks with Rank. A shot taken from a band the projectile has stabilized in widens the window by a further 2 (see Range Chart). A Rare longbow loosed from its Stabilized Point criticals on 93-100 rather than 95-100. No other modifier widens the window, and it never opens past 90.

Initiative

Initiative Formula: Initiative = Base Speed + Agility Trait + Intuition Trait. On a tie, Luck breaks the tie (see Traits, pg. 2). Stamina and Encumbrance do not factor into initiative, but if a character is immobilized or restrained, they lose their turn entirely. Circumstantial Modifiers: The GM may adjust initiative if a character is surprised, distracted, or cleverly positioned. Combat Abilities & Buffs: Abilities like Readiness or buffs like Hastily can grant a bonus to initiative as noted in their descriptions. Turn order is based on character positioning; if positions are similar, the GM may use any combination of initiative factors to determine who acts first.

Hit

Every attack roll is d100 + Hit bonus vs the target's PROTS. The Hit bonus is determined by the weapon's rank and whether it is wielded in the main hand or offhand. Modifiers from Traits, ATTRs, talents, buffs, and situational factors apply to both hands. Luck stacks with basic Hit rolls. Luck does not stack with ability-based hit rolls.

Main Hand and Offhand. x = any modifiers to the roll. Dual wield requires a Nature Ability, see class Nature.

Weapon

Damage is determined by the weapon's rank and hands used. The formula is: dmg = xd6 ± x, where x is Strength Trait ± any other modifiers (melee), Agility Trait ± any other modifiers (ranged), or Acuity Trait ± any other modifiers (spells). Other modifiers include enchantments, Traits, buffs, environmental factors, and situational bonuses.

1h Off = half of 1h main, rounded up. Common and Uncommon use 1d4. x = Strength Trait ± any other modifiers (melee), Agility Trait ± any other modifiers (ranged), Acuity Trait ± any other modifiers (spells). Dual wield requires a Nature Ability, see class Nature.

Reminder: A character's rank is their Prerequisite, they must match the armament's rank to use it (see Experience (XP) and Rank). Each armament rank carries its own Prerequisites. There may be additional Prerequisites listed on the armament itself, such as minimum Trait scores including Strength, Agility, Charisma, Dexterity, and others. Divine armaments must first be unattuned from their former bearer, then attuned to the new wielder before use, once attuned, the armament is bound to them permanently.

When an attack hits the target's PROTS, the GM rolls the damage dice. Modifiers are applied and the total is subtracted from the target's Life. If Life reaches zero, the target is incapacitated, dead, or suffers additional effects based on severity.

Special Combat Techniques

• Limb-Specific Targeting (LST): See full rules below.
• Combos: Chain attacks after targets lose their balance. This is aside from any combo attack Nature Abilities.
• Critical Hits: A roll inside the Critical Window for the weapon's Rank, 2x damage dice. May trigger extra Status effects, limb severance, or severe injuries.
• Fumble / Fizzle: Roll result 1-5, Fumble (martial) or Fizzle (spell). The character stumbles, see rules on stumble.
• Botch: A target's attempt to interrupt a Committed Action being taken against them. Free, once per round. Complex Rule Set only. See Botch, Unarmed Combat, pg. 5.
• Escape: A target's attempt to break free of a hold already on them. Costs a full action, once per turn. Complex Rule Set only. See Escape, Unarmed Combat, pg. 5.
• Unarmed Combat: See full rules below.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged combat covers any attack delivered from a distance using projectiles, energy, or magical effects. All ranged attacks use the d100 roll-over system where your relevant Trait SCR (Agility for weapons, Focus for spells) is added directly to your hit roll. Ranged attacks fall into four primary categories based on their origin: Telluric (bows, crossbows, thrown weapons, and black powder firearms), Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) (manufactured technology, splitting into TAW Ballistic and TAW Charged), Chthonic (elemental substance carried around a real weapon, neither cast nor built), and Spell (magical effects cast at range). Each type uses different range bands, damage calculations, and armor interactions.

Telluric Ranged

Telluric projectiles operate under physics-based range mechanics where distance, projectile velocity drops, and stability directly affect accuracy and damage. Distance is measured in feet. (Given: 1 sq. = 5 ft). Every ranged shot, whether arrow, bolt, hand thrown or slung, falls into one of four velocity states based on how far it travels: Point Blank, Oscillation, Stabilized, and Velocity Drop (gravity and air resistance, out to the weapon's maximum range). Band distances past Point Blank vary by weapon class and are read off the table below.

At Point Blank range (0–10 ft., 0–5 ft. for a thrown weapon), if the attacker's d100 roll is a Critical Hit (96-100), it lands automatically and the target's Botch is waived off. The Crit deals 2x damage dice + Agility Score of the attacker (see Critical Hit Formula, Combat, Hit Results, pg. 5). If the attacker's hit roll is a non-critical hit that meets or exceeds the defender's Protection Score (PROTS), the target may attempt a Botch to interrupt it. The target rolls d100 and adds the higher of their Strength Score or Agility Score, plus their Defense Trait Score, against the attacker's total roll, including modifiers. PROTS is not added. A thrown weapon cannot be Botched at any distance. On a meet or exceed the attack is Botched and deals half its damage dice, rounded up, with the attacker's Trait Score still added in full.

Note: Innate Aptitude and Inaptitude apply to this roll; for example, a Gnome with an innate -5 Strength (STR) Inaptitude would add their Agility Score instead of Strength when calculating their defense roll. If the defender's roll fails to meet the attacker's roll, the shot lands uncontested and deals full damage.

Compact Telluric weapons (shortbows, light crossbows, slings, hand cannons, shotguns, blunderbusses, dart guns) reach a maximum of 200 ft. Extended weapons (longbows, heavy crossbows, war cannons, siege mortars, ballistae, harpoon guns) reach a maximum of 300 ft. Individual weapon cards may override these defaults. Rifles and longer ranged Telluric weapons distances are pending.

Black Powder: Telluric covers black powder firearms as well as drawn and thrown weapons. Hand cannons, blunderbusses, muskets and pistols burn black powder to drive a lead ball, slug or shot, and that charge is what separates them from Technologically Advanced Weapons, which never use black powder. A black powder firearm reads off the same table as every other Telluric projectile, taking the same velocity states, band distances, and hit and damage columns as a bow or crossbow of its reach.

Reminder: Everything except blue is ignored for Bare Bones play.

✳Oscillation. Short Bow: +10 to hit in the first 10 ft. of the band. Long Bow: +10 to hit in the first 20 ft. of the band. Throw: +10 to hit in the first 10 ft. of the band, –10 in the last 10 ft.

✤Thrown. The Throw band's numbers are for weapons made to be thrown, a throwing axe, a throwing knife, a sudikon and the like. Any other weapon may still be thrown, as an Improvised Tool: it deals its Improvised Class damage in place of its Rank dice, see Improvised Tools, Combat, pg. 5. Point Blank for a throw ends at 5 ft., so a thrown weapon's Point Blank band is 0–5 ft., not the 0–10 ft. a drawn weapon uses.

✦Point Blank. From distance 0 ft. through 10 ft. the shot is Point Blank, 0 ft. through 5 ft. for a thrown weapon. A d100 roll of 96-100 is a Critical Hit and lands automatically; the target gets no Botch attempt. Any other roll result that meets or exceeds the defender's PROTS is a normal hit; where a Botch may then be attempted by the target. At this range the Hit MOD. is +0, and +10 only if the target cannot move; otherwise, refer to the Botch rule, Unarmed Combat, pg. 5. A thrown weapon cannot be Botched.

✧Velocity Drop. The band runs to the weapon's maximum range, 200 ft. for Compact weapons and 300 ft. for Extended weapons. Damage decays across the band at the rate shown in the DMG. MOD. column, and nothing may be fired past the maximum.

The Velocity Curve column tracks projectile physics and identifies the physical sweet spot where ammunition reaches peak velocity and damage potential.

Abbreviations: "Melee" is a Close Quarters strike, not a shot, and uses Strength. "Pt. Blank" is the shaft at full launch energy but still unsettled, devastating at contact. A drawn bow is a Committed Action, see Botch, Unarmed Combat, pg. 5. "Oscillation" is the shaft still flexing out of the archer's paradox, flying at Base DMG. rather than a peak. "Stabilized" is the second peak, where the shaft has finished settling and flies true. "Velocity Drop" shows the projectile losing energy and accuracy as gravity and air resistance accumulate, reading "Less DMG." on a shortbow and "Decay" on a longbow. This column directly informs tactical positioning: the Stabilized band, 86–150 ft. with a shortbow and 151–200 ft. with a longbow, is the highest damage output at range, and it is bought with –10 to hit on a shortbow and –15 on a longbow. Standing inside the first 10 ft. of Oscillation on a shortbow, or the first 20 ft. on a longbow, is the most accurate shot in the table at +10.

Thrown weapons use the Throw band, a 0–25 ft. range, and Agility alone applies to hit and defense. A throw flies at Base DMG. across its whole range, Point Blank included; it has no damage peak, reaches no Stabilized band and takes no Velocity Drop within 25 ft. Point Blank still applies to a throw, but only as a damage band; Botch reach is set under Botch, Unarmed Combat, pg. 5. These numbers are for weapons made to be thrown, a throwing axe, a throwing knife, a sudikon and the like. Any other weapon may still be thrown, as an Improvised Tool: it deals its Improvised Class damage in place of its Rank dice, see Improvised Tools, Combat, pg. 5. Point Blank for a throw ends at 5 ft., so a thrown weapon's Point Blank band is 0–5 ft., not the 0–10 ft. a drawn weapon uses.

Projectiles driven by hand rather than launched are Improvised Tools, not a rule of their own.

Projectile Recovery: Telluric projectiles may be recovered after combat. Typically, 50% of arrows or bolts fired land recoverable. Recovered projectiles can be salvaged for crafting materials or sold. Ballistic projectiles (slugs, pellets, stones) may also be recovered and used for materials. Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) and Chthonic projectiles cannot be recovered; they are expended on use.

Weapon Families. Telluric, Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) and Chthonic are the three power sources a ranged weapon can draw on, and the distinction governs range bands, armor interaction and planetary penalties alike. Telluric is forged or knapped and driven by muscle or mechanism. TAW is technologically manufactured and tuned to the sun of its native planet, losing range off-world. Chthonic is ore and gem out of Ignis, carrying Adoria's own magic, so it is strongest where her light is strongest and takes the same planetary Bonus and Penalty as Magic. All three are defined under Tech and Magic Across Essentia (Planetary Markets, Basic Rules pg. 4).

Reach weapons do not use range bands; they simply extend melee reach to 10 ft. and follow standard melee rules.

Telluric Projectiles

Telluric is by far the most diverse projectile family, spanning four material tiers. A projectile's Grade is the material of the part that strikes, the head, tip or point, not the shaft, so an ordinary wooden shaft under an Adamantium head is an Adamantium projectile.

• Knapped and carved: Wooden, Bone, Stone, Obsidian, the oldest projectiles on any world and the only ones every people can make.
• The forged standard: Steel/Iron, Bronze, Hardened Steel, Chromium, what most bundles are built from.
• Light metals: Silver, Mithril, Refined Steel, worked for the cut rather than the weight.
• Dense and legendary: Tungsten, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Ruthenium, Titanium, Vibranium, Adamantium, Dragon Scale, heads that punish the drawing arm as much as the target.

Slope Mod belongs to whatever launches the projectile, the arm or the bow, and is read off the launcher's own rules (see Slope Conditions, below). Full Grades, damage, bundle sizes and costs are on each Projectile's Card (see Projectile Grade, pg. 4).

Slope Conditions

High Ground.

Low Ground.

Rules for Slope Conditions are still being adjusted.

TAW Ranged

Technologically Advanced Weapons (TAW) are rail guns, mini guns, high velocity sniper rifles, laser pistols, plasma pistols and rifles, plasma grenades that stick, and other technologically advanced weaponry originally manufactured on the planets further out from Adoria. TAW splits into two: TAW Ballistic, which fires a physical round, and TAW Charged, which fires light or plasma. A laser pistol or a plasma cannon is TAW Charged, not Chthonic, because it was built (see Chthonic Weapons, pg. 4).

TAW also fields shotguns, and they fire more than plasma. A TAW shotgun will throw minerals much the way lead is thrown from an Telluric gun, but it never burns black powder to do it. The propellant for any TAW round that is not light or plasma is one of two systems: nuclear pulse propulsion or an electrothermal-chemical (ETC) charge. That distinction, powder against pulse or ETC, is the line between an Telluric firearm and a TAW one.

TAW Ranged weapons use range bands and Focus Score for penalty absorption. They are precision-engineered for the atmospheric conditions, gravity, and environmental properties of their native planet. On foreign planets, where gravity, pressure, and atmosphere differ, effective range drops significantly. Band distances are listed on each TAW card and override the defaults below.

A silencer reduces TAW Ranged noise to near-bow level but does not eliminate muzzle flash, ammo dependency, or malfunction risk. TAW Ranged supports burst and automatic fire, used for suppression, which pins enemies in cover without requiring a direct hit. Full suppression and overwatch rules are in the Combat section.

TAW Projectiles

TAW projectiles are engineered heads, usually out of the further planets: Starsteel, Quantum Alloy, Quantite, Stingers, Cryo-Exotic Alloy, Dark Matter Infused Ore, Nano-Infused Crystal, Voidstone. Unlike Telluric, TAW ammunition is manufactured rather than forged or knapped, and is lost on use rather than recovered.

Full Grades, damage, bundle sizes and costs are on each Projectile's Card (see Projectile Grade, pg. 4, Technologically Advanced row).

Chthonic Ranged

A Chthonic weapon is worked from ore or gem taken out of Ignis, where Adoria's magic collects in the veins and the ore that runs in them becomes magic with them. The weapon is ordinary craft; what makes it Chthonic is the stone it was made from.

Chthonic is neither cast nor manufactured. No spell puts the magic there and no factory does, the ground did, before anyone dug it out. Because what it carries is Adoria's own magic, it is strongest where her light is strongest and takes the same planetary Bonus and Penalty as Magic.

Chthonic Ranged uses range bands and Focus Score for penalty absorption, and bypasses certain armor types that resist ballistic damage. It carries no planetary Penalty of any kind, and Slope Mod (see Slope Conditions, below) does not touch it either: what does the harm is the energy, not the weapon carrying it, and energy is no mass for gravity to pull on, so High Ground and Low Ground change neither its range nor its damage.

Chthonic Projectiles

Chthonic projectiles work differently from Telluric and TAW: the working part is the element held around the head, not the head itself. Grades are Plasma Crystal, Laser Crystal, Photon Core and Energy Conduit.

Because the charge does the damage rather than the mass, Chthonic projectiles take no planetary Penalty and are unaffected by Slope Mod (see Slope Conditions, below), though they remain the one projectile family disrupted by EMP and magical interference. Full Grades, damage, bundle sizes and costs are on each Projectile's Card (see Projectile Grade, pg. 4, Chthonic row).

Spell Ranged

Spells use the same band structure as standard ranged weapons but Willpower SCR (WIL) absorbs range penalties in place of Agility. Touch spells require melee range. Area spells, AoE, cones, bursts, do not use range bands, they use a fixed area defined on the card. Spell range is listed on each spell card and overrides the defaults in the Ranged ATTKs table above.

Spell Example, Tredekian Ritual Combat Invocation

Setup: Vex (Draconic, Sorcerer, Spellweaver, LVL 14, Rank Rare) casts Arcane Bolt during a ritual duel on Tredeki. The spell has a Short range (0-100 ft.), costs 3 Mana chips, and deals 5d6 + Acuity modifier. Vex has Acuity of 11 and 32 Mana available. Her opponent is 60 ft. away (Short range, no penalty, so Willpower's range-absorbing job doesn't come into play here).

Spell Cast: Vex pays 3 Mana (down to 29). She rolls to hit: d100 + 20 (Rare main hand) + 11 (Acuity) = [74] + 31 = 105 versus opponent's PROTS of 62. Direct Hit! Damage: 5d6 + 11 = [3, 5, 2, 4, 6] = 20 + 11 = 31 total damage. The arcane energy crackles through the air, striking her opponent and sending them stumbling backward. The ritual duel's energy shifts in Vex's favor.

Spell Example, Ignis Volcanic Curse Channeling

Setup: Malachai (Tiefling, Warlock, Curse-Binder, LVL 16, Rank Uncommon) channels a volcanic curse spell in Ignis's volcanic regions. The spell is a cone AoE (does not use range bands), costs 4 Mana, and deals 6d6 damage. Acuity is 9. He has 35 Mana available. He targets an area with 3 enemies within the cone.

Spell Cast and Resolution: Malachai pays 4 Mana (down to 31). The cone originates from his space and expands outward. Each enemy in the area must make a Resistance check against his spell's DIFS (equal to his PROTS, 52), Resistance being the Trait that mitigates Spell damage and magical effects. Enemy 1 rolls: d100 + 8 = [45] + 8 = 53 (meets DIFS, half damage). Enemy 2 rolls: d100 + 3 = [28] + 3 = 31 (fails DIFS, full damage). Enemy 3 rolls: d100 + 10 = [82] + 10 = 92 (exceeds DIFS, no damage, critical success).

Damage: Malachai rolls damage once: 6d6 + 9 = [4, 5, 3, 2, 6, 4] = 24 + 9 = 33 total. Enemy 1 takes 16 (half). Enemy 2 takes 33 (full). Enemy 3 takes 0. The volcanic curse erupts in a terrible wave of flame, consuming the ground itself and searing all caught in its path, except for one lucky survivor.

Nature Example, Tredekian Warrior Duel Precision Strike

Setup: Kiran (Human, Warrior, Blade Master, LVL 13, Rank Uncommon) uses the Precision Strike Nature Ability during a formal duel on Tredeki. This Nature Ability costs 2 Stamina chips and allows an attack with +8 to-hit bonus and +1d6 additional damage if it hits. Kiran has 38 Stamina available. His opponent's PROTS is 55.

Nature Activation: Kiran pays 2 Stamina (down to 36). He executes the Precision Strike: d100 + 14 (Uncommon main hand) + 6 (Strength) + 8 (Nature bonus) = [73] + 28 = 101 versus opponent's PROTS of 55. Direct Hit! Damage: 3d6 (Uncommon 1h) + 6 (Strength) + 1d6 (Nature bonus) = [2, 4, 3] + 6 + [5] = 20 damage. The blade finds its mark with surgeon-like precision, drawing first blood in the duel.

Spell Example, Ignis Paladin Holy Judgment Stance

Setup: Sister Meredith (Dwarf, Avenger, Holy Knight, LVL 15, Rank Rare) takes the Holy Judgment stance in Ignis's temple-ruins. This Spell costs 1 action and provides +10 to PROTS until the start of her next turn, plus any melee attacks against her trigger a reflect that deals half damage back to the attacker. Current PROTS is 64.

Spell Activation: Meredith uses 1 action to activate Holy Judgment. Her PROTS becomes 74 (64 + 10). Three enemies rush her during their turn. Enemy 1: d100 + 12 = [67] + 12 = 79 versus her new PROTS of 74. Direct Hit! ATTK deals 22 damage. Meredith takes 22 damage (down to 78 Life) and the reflect deals 11 damage back to Enemy 1. Enemy 2: d100 + 10 = [45] + 10 = 55 versus 74. Miss! No damage, no reflect. Enemy 3: d100 + 18 = [92] + 18 = 110 versus 74. Critical Hit (roll was 92)! Deals 45 damage. Meredith takes 45 (down to 33 Life) and reflects 22 back to Enemy 3. The holy shield flares as attackers sacrifice themselves against its power.

Close Quarters

Close Quarters is 0 to 5 ft. Every melee strike happens here, and so does every grapple, grab and hold. A Melee attack is a Close Quarters strike, not a shot, and uses Strength.

A Botch and an Escape are made here. Both are covered under Unarmed Combat, below.

Telluric Melee

Telluric melee weapons, blades, blunt weapons, polearms, and other forged or crafted arms, follow standard melee rules using Strength SCR for both hit and damage. Strength is the governing Trait for all Telluric melee.

• Hit: d100 + weapon rank + Strength SCR vs PROTS
• Damage: weapon rank dice + Strength SCR + modifiers
• Reach: 1 square (5 ft.) default unless the card specifies otherwise; Reach weapons extend to 2 squares (10 ft.)

Graze, Critical Hit, Fumble, and all other standard melee rules apply as normal.

Technologically Advanced Weapons Melee

TAW melee weapons, shock batons, pulse blades, nano-edge swords, follow standard melee rules with one exception: Agility SCR replaces Strength SCR for both hit and damage, reflecting the precision and speed required over raw physical power.

• Hit: d100 + weapon rank + Agility SCR vs PROTS
• Damage: weapon rank dice + Agility SCR + modifiers
• Reach: 1 square (5 ft.) default unless the card specifies otherwise

Graze, Critical Hit, Fumble, and all other standard melee rules apply as normal.

Chthonic Melee

A Chthonic melee weapon is a blade or haft worked from Ignis ore or gem, an energy blade or a plasma edge, drawn from the same six sources as Chthonic Ranged. It is not a powered device and nothing about it is manufactured; the weapon is ordinary and the energy around it is what strikes. Chthonic melee is its own category alongside Telluric and TAW. Like Chthonic Ranged, they bypass certain armor types that resist ballistic damage and are disrupted by EMP interference and magical effects. They carry no planetary Penalty and Slope Mod does not touch them (see Chthonic Weapons, pg. 4, and Slope Conditions, above).

Unarmed Combat

Unarmed attacks use no weapon rank. Strength replaces the rank hit bonus.

Hit: d100 + Strength vs PROTS

Damage (main): 1d4 + Strength

Damage (off): 1d2 + Strength

Graze, Critical Hit and Fumble rules apply as normal.

Anything using hands is Main Hand and Off Hand still. There are no bonuses for hands unless the Class, Path or Branch itself or the Ability, such as those from Monk or Brawler, define it.

Elbows, knees and the like have no Main or Off Hand. They are Special Actions, below, unless the Class, Path or Branch itself or the Ability, such as those from Monk or Brawler, define it.

Certain class paths, such as Fighter, Brawler, prefer their bare hands, grappling, and improvising with objects from their environment as weapons. Characters with innate unarmed abilities may have class-specific bonuses that override or stack with these base values.

Special Actions

A Special Action is an unarmed technique used in place of a weapon strike: a knee, an elbow, a headbutt, a grapple, a grab, a shove, a trip. It has no Main Hand or Off Hand.

Hit: d100 + Strength vs the target's threshold score. A Special Action carries no Rank and no Grade, so Strength replaces the rank hit bonus.

Damage: 1d4 + Strength. A grapple, grab, shove or trip deals no damage of its own; it holds or moves the target instead.

Hands: a grapple or a grab requires both hands empty. The rest do not. Empty hands are always Unarmed, Main Hand and Off Hand.

Offensive only. A Special Action is taken on your own turn. A shove or a trip made to create distance is still a Special Action. Responding to something aimed at you is a Botch if the action has not landed, or an Escape if a hold already has.

Grapple and Grab: on a successful grapple or grab, the target is held until they Escape or the attacker releases. Drop damage applies if the target is released or Escapes at height. Specific grab rules, carry height limits and drop damage values are module specific.

Abilities supercede. A Character performing a technique they have learned from a Main Class Tier, Path or Branch is fighting Unarmed and uses that Ability. A Brawler's Strangle or Apprehend is an Ability and is read off its own card. Special Actions are what a Character does without that training.

Improvised Tools

Any attack using an item in a way it was not designed for, or using an ability the Character has not learned from a Main Class Tier, Path or Branch, is an Improvised Tool. A sword thrown, an arrow driven in by fist, a shield swung edge-on, a bar stool, a rock, a beer mug: there is one rule for all of them and no separate rule for any of them.

An Improvised Tool has no Rank and no Grade, whatever it was before it was picked up this way. Its damage is read off its Improvised Class, which is a question of mass and how it is held, not of craft. Because it carries no Rank, improvised damage never scales; it is the same at Divine as it is at Common, which is why it is a thing a Character reaches for when they have nothing better, not a build.

Hit: d100 + Strength vs PROTS. An Improvised Tool has no Rank, so Strength replaces the rank hit bonus, the same way it does Unarmed. There is no main hand or off hand distinction; a Character improvising is improvising with whichever hand holds the thing.

Learned or not is the test. A Character striking with a technique they have learned from a Main Class Tier, Path or Branch is fighting Unarmed. A Character striking with one they have not is using an Improvised Tool, whether their hands are empty or not.

Thrown: An Improvised Tool thrown rather than swung or driven uses the Throw band, 0–25 ft., and Agility to hit, the same as any thrown weapon. Its damage is still its Improvised Class.

Driven by hand: A Projectile driven in by hand rather than launched is a Close Quarters attack and not a ranged attack. Velocity state, the Velocity Curve column and Agility play no part in it; it strikes at its Improvised Class on Strength like anything else here.

What it loses: An Armament being improvised keeps none of its Rank dice, its Rank scaling, its Grade, its Abilities or its Enchantments for that strike. A Projectile keeps none of its Projectile Grade. Those return the moment the thing is used as designed again.

Breaking: A fragile Tool, glass, ceramic, or thin wood, breaks on any hit that lands and is gone after one strike. A solid Tool, stone, metal, or thick wood, breaks on a Fumble. A broken Tool deals its damage on the strike that breaks it.

On the Races and Classes pages, any Race or Class shown at low opacity is not playable in the Starter Set.

Botch

Escape

Limb-Specific Targeting (LST)

Hit Penalty: Determined by the attacker's Weapon Rank and the area targeted (see LST Chart).

On Hit: Deal bonus damage equal to twice the hit penalty value.

On Miss: The attacker loses all defenses through their next turn and rolls 1d10 for stumble distance (feet). The stumble leaves them open to a counter attack from their target and attacks of opportunity from every enemy adjacent to any square they stumble into, including the square they occupied when the LST was attempted.

Example: A 1d10 result of 1 while surrounded on all 4 sides, the attacker stumbles 1 foot but must defend all 4 attacks of opportunity from the surrounding enemies.

There is no Graze or Critical Hit on an LST attack. Refer to the GM Codex for more on LST.

LST Chart, Hit Penalty / Damage Bonus

Weapon Rank	Head	Groin	Limb	Torso
Common	-3 / +6	-2 / +4	-2 / +4	-1 / +2
Uncommon	-6 / +12	-4 / +8	-4 / +8	-2 / +4
Rare	-9 / +18	-7 / +14	-6 / +12	-4 / +8
Unique	-13 / +26	-10 / +20	-8 / +16	-6 / +12
Heroic	-17 / +34	-13 / +26	-11 / +22	-8 / +16
Elite	-21 / +42	-17 / +34	-14 / +28	-11 / +22
Legendary	-25 / +50	-21 / +42	-18 / +36	-14 / +28
Divine	-30 / +60	-24 / +48	-21 / +42	-17 / +34

Hit Penalty = modifier to the attack roll. Damage Bonus = bonus damage dealt on a successful hit. Miss = lose all defenses through next turn + 1d10 ft stumble, counter attack + AoO apply.

Attack Area Types

When an ability, spell, or weapon effect covers an area rather than a single target, the type of area determines which creatures and squares are affected. If any part of a creature's occupied space falls within the area, that creature is affected.

Threshold Score

Grapple and Grab

Traps and Mechanical Devices

Traps and mechanical devices have a PROTS representing their structural integrity. A character may attempt to disable a trap using the Disarm Trap talent (d100 + talent score vs DIFS). Alternatively, a character may attempt to destroy the device outright by attacking its PROTS directly. Failure to destroy deals twice the trap's damage to the Character, compared to the standard damage on a failed disable attempt. This makes the Disarm Trap talent the safer and preferred approach.

Non-organic items with a DIFS also have a PROTS, but failing to destroy them does more damage.

In-Game Scenario

Yura, the barbarian, charges into a skirmish against a Cultist wearing leather armor (Base Armor Scr. 25, base hit rate 65%). The Cultist has additional defensive modifiers, a shield, defensive stance, and terrain advantage, bringing his full PROTS to 60. Yura's Hit bonus is +8 (Common rank, Main hand). She rolls d100 and gets a 52. 52 + 8 = 60, which meets the Cultist's PROTS of 60. She Hits!

Damage Roll: Yura's Common 2h sword deals 4d6 + x damage. She rolls: 5, 6, 3, and 2, totaling 16. She adds +2 from her Strength score and other modifiers (x = 2), making it 18 total damage. This is a Direct Hit, and the Cultist's Life Chips are reduced by 18. The Cultist grunts in pain but remains standing, though heavily wounded.

Later in the fight, Yura attempts another attack. She rolls a 56. Added to her modifiers, her total falls within 5 points below the Cultist's PROTS of 60. This is a Graze. Yura's damage is 4d6 + x. She rolls: 4, 4, 3, and 2, totaling 13, plus her x modifier of 2, for 15 total. Half of 15 is 7 damage (rounded down). The Cultist takes 7 damage, suffering minor injuries. This may cause increased bleeding, movement penalties, or other effects as determined by the GM.

On Yura's next turn, she swings a mighty blow and rolls a 98, triggering a Critical Hit (96-100, the Critical Window for her Common rank weapon). She rolls 2x damage dice, 8d6. She rolls: 4, 4, 2, 6, 5, 3, 1, 5 = 30 damage plus modifiers. This massive blow reduces the Cultist's Life Chips drastically, likely killing him outright. The GM narrates a gruesome kill with limb severance or Status ailments per the rules.

Combat Example, Tredeki Cliffside Duel

Setup: Theron (Tredekian, Human, Fighter, Blademaster, LVL 12, Rank Rare) faces off against a Draconic Guardian (LVL 15 Unique Encounter, Armor Scr. 78) on a narrow cliff overlooking Tredeki's crystalline chasm. Theron wields a Rare 2h Longsword carrying an Agility Special Property and wears Medium armor (Chain, Base Armor Scr. 35). His full PROTS is 48 (35 + 12 Rare defense bonus + 1 from favorable positioning).

Round 1: Initiative rolls, Theron: d100 + 30 (base speed) + 8 (Agility) + 6 (Intuition) = [45] + 44 = 89. Draconic Guardian: [32] + 35 = 67. Theron goes first and charges up the slope toward the Guardian, using 1.5 actions. He rolls to hit: d100 + 20 (Rare main hand) + 7 (Agility, per the sword's Special Property) = [67] + 27 = 94 versus Guardian's PROTS of 78. It's a Hit! Damage: 8d6 (Rare 2h sword) + 7 (Strength) = [3, 5, 4, 6, 2, 1, 5, 4] = 30 damage + 7 = 37 total. The Guardian's Life is reduced from 120 to 83. Theron's PROTS drops to 38 (charge penalty) until his next turn.

Guardian's Turn: The creature unleashes a cone breath attack (not a basic attack). Theron's PROTS (which includes his Defense Trait, armor, and all modifiers) is 48. The Guardian's attack roll was [81]. Since 48 does not meet 81, the breath grazes him. Half damage: 24 Life damage taken. Theron is down to 96 Life Chips.

Round 2: Theron regains his PROTS of 48. He attacks again: d100 + 27 = [89] + 27 = 116. The Guardian's PROTS is 78, so this is a Direct Hit. Damage: 8d6 + 7 = [2, 6, 5, 3, 4, 1, 6, 5] = 32 + 7 = 39. Guardian down to 44 Life. Theron sees an opening and presses his advantage. On the Guardian's turn, it attempts a Charge back at him. Guardian hits: d100 + 25 = [76] + 25 = 101 versus Theron's 48 PROTS. Critical Hit (96-100 range, Guardian rolled 76, within bonus), actually, no. The Guardian rolled 76, which doesn't trigger critical. It's a Direct Hit dealing 45 damage. Theron down to 51 Life. The Guardian's PROTS drops to 68 from its charge.

Round 3: With both combatants wounded, Theron takes a calculated risk and aims for the Guardian's wing with Limb-Specific Targeting (LST). Rare rank targeting at a limb = -6 hit penalty. He rolls: d100 + 20 + 7 - 6 = [68] + 21 = 89 versus Guardian's 78. Hit! Bonus damage: +12 (2x the penalty of -6). Damage roll: 8d6 + 7 + 12 = [4, 5, 2, 4, 6, 3, 5, 6] = 35 + 7 + 12 = 54 total. The Guardian is down to -10 Life. It's incapacitated. Theron stands atop the cliff edge, breathing heavily, victorious.

Combat Example, Ignis Volcanic Mine Battle

Setup: Lyra (Centaur, Ranger, Beastmaster, LVL 14, Rank Uncommon) leads her beast companion through Ignis's volcanic mines. She encounters a Magma Elemental (LVL 13 Unique Encounter, Armor Scr. 65, immune to fire damage) in a chamber filled with flowing lava. Lyra wears Light armor (Leather, Base Armor Scr. 25) and carries a Rare Longbow. Her PROTS is 42 (25 + 15 Rare defense bonus + 2 from animal companion nearby).

Round 1: Initiative, Lyra: d100 + 40 (base speed, Centaur size) + 6 (Agility) + 5 (Intuition) = [51] + 51 = 102. Magma Elemental: [28] + 40 = 68. Lyra acts first. She positions her beast companion and takes aim with her Rare Longbow in the Velocity Drop band (101–150 ft., this is 130 ft. away). Ranged attack: d100 + 20 (Rare main hand) + 5 (Agility modifier), -20 (Velocity Drop) = [74] + 5 = 79 versus Elemental's PROTS of 65. Direct Hit! Damage at Velocity Drop is Decay, half dice: 2d6 + 5 (Agility) = [4, 3] = 7 + 5 = 12. Elemental down to 138 Life. Her beast companion attacks next (within its turn): hits for 18 damage. Elemental down to 120.

Elemental's Turn: It moves 40 ft. closer and unleashes an AoE heat burst (cone attack affecting the area). Lyra must make a Resistance check. She rolls: d100 + 6 (Resistance) = [55] + 6 = 61, but the Elemental's DIFS to resist is 70. She fails. Graze damage applies: half of 28 = 14. Lyra down to 86 Life.

Round 2: Lyra draws a second arrow and looses again from Velocity Drop: d100 + 20 + 5 - 20 = [62] + 5 = 67 versus 65. Hit! Damage: 2d6 + 5 = [5, 2] = 7 + 5 = 12. Elemental at 108 Life. The beast attacks again: [48] + 15 = 63 versus 65. Miss. The Elemental moves to melee range and swings. Lyra's beast attempts to tank: rolls Defense d100 + 4 = [41] + 4 = 45 versus Elemental's hit of [72] + 18 = 90. Miss for the beast. The Elemental then attacks Lyra directly: [79] + 18 = 97 versus her PROTS of 42. A roll of 79 falls short of the Critical Window, so this is a Direct Hit dealing 32 damage. Lyra down to 54 Life. The battle is turning desperate.

Underarmor Requirements

Certain armor types require underarmor to be worn beneath them. Underarmor prevents chafing, aids movement, and allows for proper rest while armored. It adds weight to the Character's total carry load.

• Cloth, Leather, Fur, no underarmor required.
• Medium (chain, ring mail, etc.), requires cloth underarmor at minimum.
• Heavy (plate, etc.), requires faulding at minimum. Faulding is a padded garment worn beneath heavy armor to absorb impact and prevent joint wear.
• Dense / Composite (dragon scale, etc.), requires a gambeson at minimum. A gambeson is a thick quilted and padded jacket, heavier than faulding, necessary to bear the weight and rigidity of the densest armors.

Wearing armor without the required underarmor results in movement penalties, reduced rest recovery, and chafing penalties determined by the GM.

Armor Grades

Armor Taxonomy. Grade, Mould, Material and Type are four separate things, and an armor is only fully described once all four are named. The Armor Mould (often just Mould) is the specific build a piece of armor is worked into, Plate, Leather, Chain, Dragon Scale, Osmium Plate. The Material is what it is made from, Hide for Leather and Fur Moulds, Steel and Iron, Osmium and Tungsten, Mithril, Dragon Scale and so on, and the material is what sets the Grade. The same Mould can sit at different Grades depending on its Material, a Steel Plate is Heavy Grade while an Osmium Plate is Dense Grade. Names in the rules read Grade + Material + Mould, so a "Composite Dragon Scale Plate" is Composite Grade, Dragon Scale Material, Plate Mould. Type is a fourth and separate axis entirely, Martial, Magic, TAW, and Chthonic.

Movement penalties are in squares (sq.), each square equals 5 ft. Divide base speed by 5 to get squares for tile movement. Example: 30 ft. base speed = 6 sq. per turn. Chain mail at -3 sq. = 3 sq. (15 ft.) per turn.

Combat Movement

Dodge and Retreat: Combines Dodge-, Agility SCR and Dexterity SCR to PROTS with a 5 ft. sq. Retreat backwards. Costs 1 action. Does not trigger an ATTK of Opportunity. Defense Trait passively applies to PROTS during this action.

ATTKs of Opportunity: Triggered when a hostile creature moves out of a character's melee reach without using Retreat or Dodge and Retreat, or when a creature moves into their melee reach. ATTKs of Opportunity work both ways. Additionally, performing certain actions while in a hostile creature's melee reach also triggers an ATTK of Opportunity against the Character, including casting a spell, using a ranged weapon, using an item, or standing from prone. Free action, costs no actions. One ATTK of Opportunity per trigger, per turn. Roll: d100 + Hit bonus vs target PROTS. Standard damage on hit.

Flanking: A target is flanked when two hostile creatures are adjacent to them on opposite sides. A flanked target loses their Defense Trait from PROTS until they are no longer flanked; they cannot actively defend two directions at once. Flanking requires no action and no roll.

Cover: Behind cover you are out of the attacker's line of sight and they have no visible target.

Prone, Unconscious, Incapacitated, Dying and Dead

Prone: A character who is prone must spend half an action to stand. While prone, melee attacks against them gain +10 to the roll. Ranged attacks against them take -10. Crawling while prone costs 1/4 speed.

Unconscious: The character is prone and cannot act. All attacks against them automatically hit, no roll required. They cannot defend and remain unconscious until stabilized or restored by a Nature or Spell Ability.

Incapacitated: The character is prone or immobile and cannot take actions or reactions. ATTKs against them gain +10. They may still be conscious but are unable to act. See Downtime.

Dying: The character is prone and losing Life each round. At the start of each of their turns they lose 1 Life Chip, tracked with purple Chips once Life drops below zero. They may attempt a Fortitude (FRT) check at a DIFS set by the GM, a success stabilizes them and stops the bleed. A failure continues the bleed. If Life reaches -(10 + Constitution score), the Character must go through rejuvenation, see Resurrection, Revitalize and Rejuvenation below. Allies may heal or stabilize a dying character before this threshold is reached, another character may attempt this with 1 action and a successful check, specified by module or determined by the GM.

Dead: At -(10 + Constitution score) Life the Character is prone and takes no further actions. Their turn is skipped. Allies may still attempt revival or resurrection, see Resurrection, Revitalize and Rejuvenation. Effects on the body are specified by module or determined by the GM.

Other entities can aid unconscious, dying or dead characters.

See Resurrection, Revitalize and Rejuvenation.

War: Faction Combat and Major Encounters

Trials of Combat. [stub - individual duels, one-on-many combat, trials that test martial prowess and grant faction standing]

10-Man Raids. [stub - large-scale group combat against enemy forces, dungeon raids as war objectives, territory captures, raid mechanics and rewards]

Battle at Sea. [stub - naval combat, ship-to-ship warfare, boarding actions, naval supply route control, aquatic faction bonuses]

Aerial Combat. [stub - flying combat against airborne enemies, dragon encounters, aerial territory control, flight-based faction bonuses]

War Standing advances through participation and victory. Characters gain faction Standing, Contributions, and Lore by engaging in War encounters. Defeat carries consequences: Standing loss with war factions, capture mechanics, and prisoner-of-war rules. See Prestige, pg. 3, for War faction affiliation and character retirement with war-earned Rank.

More on Downtime

Dying in SORC does not necessarily mean a Character will die permanently. There are different penalties for dying in succession, and the nature of death or crimes will determine the specific consequences. The penalties for death and other sustaining conditions such as comatosis, prison stays, infirmary stays, hobbies, and crafting are calculated using the same formula:

Penalty Time = Base Time * (Growth Rate)^(Nature of Offenses)

This formula applies to the penalties for dying, crimes, and related circumstances, with base times varying depending on the specific offense or condition.

Incapacitation and Recovery: Being in comatosis, prison, or infirmary, and the time spent on hobbies or crafting all constitute periods of downtime that can affect a character's progression.

Penalties for Death and Crimes: Penalties are determined by the formula above, factoring in the severity of the offense or circumstance, which can include jail time, fines, or other restrictions.

Other Downtime Activities: Time spent in various states of incapacitation or recovery impacts gameplay and character development, with specific durations and penalties tailored to each situation.

Work While Away (Between Sessions)

The Cap: No matter how much real-world time actually passes, Work While Away only ever covers one in-game day's worth of that character's Endurance, spent only on non-combat activity that calls for a roll (crafting, Profession work, Talent or Skill checks, and the like). A character isn't quietly living out a whole week of progress between two Tuesday sessions, they're living out one day, the same as if that day had been played at the table.

Resolution: Nothing is rolled between sessions. At the start of the next session, the GM resolves every declared task as a batch, a roll fest of Crafting Resolution checks (see Skills) and whatever other checks the declared work calls for, spending that character's Endurance exactly as it would spend in play, until either the declared tasks run out or the day's Endurance does, whichever comes first. Successes, failures, goods produced, and gold spent or earned are all narrated and applied before the new session's action begins.

No Declaration, No Roll: A character with nothing on file from their Player is simply assumed to have rested, maintained their gear, and gone about ordinary life, no rolls, no gains, no losses. Work While Away rewards a Player who plans ahead, it never penalizes one who didn't.

The World Keeps Moving: Work While Away isn't only about a single character's Endurance. NPCs act on their own agendas, factions shift, markets rise and fall, rumors spread, and earlier Dilemma and Standing choices ripen into consequences, all whether or not any character's declared task touches them. The GM is encouraged to bring at least one such development into the next session regardless of what, if anything, the party asked for.

Missing Players: A Player who can't make a session doesn't pull their character out of the world. Another Player at the table, or the GM, runs that character for the session, guided by the absent Player's notes and known intentions, including whatever they declared for that session's Work While Away. Parties can also recruit a substitute Player online to sit in for a session, see SORC Web, Basic Rules pg. 1.

Downtime Example, Omnè Trade Station Multi-Day Layover

Setup: The party's airship docks at a major trade station orbiting Omnè for a 4-day layover. The station is a bustling hub with vendors, quest-givers, NPCs, repair services, and entertainment. The party has arrived with depleted resources and unfinished business.

Day 1, Morning: Kael (Thief) spends 3 hours at the Artificer's Workshop having his damaged equipment repaired. Cost: 150 gold. He regains use of his primary lockpicks (Rank Uncommon). In the afternoon, Vex (Sorcerer) visits the Library Archive, spending 2 hours researching the history of Omnè's crystal technology. The GM grants her a +2 bonus to future Intellect checks related to crystal mechanisms. Evening: The party gathers at the station tavern, collecting rumors about nearby quests.

Day 1, Evening Quest Acquisition: An NPC merchant, Thaxis, offers a job: retrieve a stolen data core from a rival trader's vessel docked three berths away. Reward: 400 gold and access to restricted cargo manifests (useful for a future quest chain). The party accepts and plans their approach.

Day 2, Mission Day: The party infiltrates the rival vessel. Combat and stealth encounters occur. After 2 hours of engagement, they recover the data core. They return to Thaxis with proof. Quest complete: 400 gold received. Thaxis now considers the party allies and offers future contracts at better rates.

Day 2, Evening Recovery: The party spends the evening resting at station accommodations (included with airship ticket), a Long Rest. All Life, Mana, Stamina, and Endurance pools fully recover.

Day 3, Market Activities: Gregor (Paladin) visits three different Armor & Armament vendors, comparing prices on a new Rare-rank shield. After haggling, he secures a 15% discount (saves 60 gold) and purchases the shield for 400 gold. Kiran (Warrior) attends a martial training session with a retired station guard, spending 4 hours working on technique. GM grants him a +1 bonus to his next Initiative roll. Lyra (Ranger) visits the Beastmaster's Lodge and spends 6 hours bonding with her animal companion, deepening their connection. Future attacks by the beast gain +2 to hit.

Day 3, Vendor Interactions: Malachai (Warlock) purchases spell components for future casting, 200 gold worth. He stocks up on 12 Essence Vials (required for specific spells). Sira (Scout) buys advanced climbing gear and rope from an outfitter, 180 gold. Future climbing checks gain +3 bonus. Tyx (Hacker) negotiates with a black-market information broker, purchasing encrypted files on Zailister security protocols. Cost: 250 gold. Reward: +5 bonus to future Hack talent checks against Zailister systems.

Day 3, Evening Crafting: Kael spends 3 hours at a jeweler's workshop crafting a custom lockpick set using rare materials from the trade station. Crafting check (precision work): Craftsmanship 8 + Dexterity 8 (higher of Dex/Focus) + Lockpicking skill 4 = d100 + 20 = [67] + 20 = 87 versus DIFS of 60. Success! He creates an Uncommon-rank lockpick set (custom bonus: +3 to Disarm Trap talent). Cost: materials and workshop rental = 120 gold. Value: 280 gold (he keeps it).

Day 4, Preparation and Departure: Morning: The party stocks rations, ammunition, and medical supplies. Total cost: 180 gold. The GM tracks consumption during travel and grants narrative color ("You purchased exotic spices from the Omnè markets, your rations taste surprisingly good during the next leg of journey"). Midday: Final vendor runs and farewells to NPCs. Afternoon: The airship departs Omnè, heading for Zailister. The party boards well-prepared, better-equipped, and rested. Endurance pools reset for the new journey ahead.

Financial Summary: Party expenditure: 1,480 gold total. Rewards and gains: 400 gold (quest) plus equipment upgrades, crafted items, and mechanical bonuses (Initiative, climbing, hacking, beastmaster bond, library research) worth far more than gold alone. The 4-day layover transformed them from depleted to optimized.

End-of-Day Profession Activities, Ignis Settlement Encampment

Setup: After a grueling 28-mile day of foot travel across Ignis's volcanic wastes, the party reaches a settlement camp at dusk. Each character has been tracking Endurance throughout the day (35 Endurance base for most). They've already used 20 Endurance each, leaving them with 15 remaining before the day ends and Endurance resets. The settlement offers basic workshop facilities, a smithy, a merchant stall, and rest areas.

Character 1, Kean (Smith, Armorsmith Profession): Endurance remaining: 6 of 35 (heavily depleted from a challenging climb). Kean immediately seeks rest and cannot engage in extended crafting today, his Endurance is too low. He uses the remaining daylight to inspect and maintain his existing gear (a passive activity not requiring Endurance). Before rest, he speaks with the settlement blacksmith, negotiating the cost of repairing a dented breastplate tomorrow (15 gold). He retires early, conserving energy for the next day's travel.

Character 2, Lyra (Enchanter, Artificer Profession): Endurance remaining: 12 of 35. Lyra has enough stamina to engage in light crafting. She spends 2 hours at the settlement's makeshift workshop (available for 5 gold rental), using her Artificer skill to enchant three weapon cards she's been carrying. Crafting check for each: Acuity 10 + Artistry 8 + Artificer skill 9 = d100 + 27. Roll 1: [61] + 27 = 88 versus DIFS 70. Success! Roll 2: [45] + 27 = 72 versus 70. Success! Roll 3: [82] + 27 = 109 versus 70. Success! All three enchantments complete (adds +2 to each card's effectiveness). Cost: materials 30 gold + workshop rental 5 gold. She's energized by her success and joins the group for evening meals.

Character 3, Malachai (Alchemist, Herbalism Profession): Endurance remaining: 14 of 35. Malachai locates the settlement's medicinal herb garden and spends 3 hours harvesting and processing herbs. Herbalism check: Wisdom 11 + Perception 9 + Herbalism skill 11 = d100 + 31. Roll: [74] + 31 = 105 versus DIFS 65 (challenging volcanic soil requires precision). Success! He gathers and prepares 8 Healing Potion bases (each can be crafted into a full potion with additional work later). He trades half with the settlement herbalist for supplies (4 bases to herbalist in exchange for 3 rare catalyst ingredients worth 60 gold value). His Endurance drops to 8 from the intensive harvesting, but he's pleased with the yield.

Character 4, Theron (Weaponsmith, Blacksmith Profession): Endurance remaining: 18 of 35 (best condition due to lighter load). Theron uses the settlement smithy for 4 hours of intensive work. He's crafting a custom heavy war hammer from raw materials he gathered earlier.

Recipe: War Hammer (requires Blacksmith 8, Expert proficiency).
Trait Bonuses (Heavy Crafting): Strength 12, Toughness 9 (uses highest: Strength 12)
Profession Skill: Blacksmith 10

Heavy crafting check: Craftsmanship 7 + Strength 12 + Blacksmith skill 10 = d100 + 29. Roll: [69] + 29 = 98 versus DIFS 85 (Uncommon difficulty, heavy materials). Success! The hammer turns out exceptionally well-balanced and durable, with superior impact force. Cost: materials 120 gold + smithy rental 20 gold = 140 gold. Value of finished hammer: 320 gold. Theron is exhausted but triumphant. Endurance drops to 2.

Character 5, Sira (Leatherworker, Tanner Profession): Endurance remaining: 10 of 35 (moderate). Sira heads to the settlement's tanning station, where she works on repairing and treating leather armor and gear. This is lighter work than crafting from raw materials, it's maintenance. Tanner check: Craftsmanship 6 + Tanner skill 8 = d100 + 14. Roll: [58] + 14 = 72 versus DIFS 50 (routine maintenance). Success! She repairs three pieces of party gear (each returns one durability LVL) and waterproofs everyone's packs against volcanic dust and ash. Cost: materials and supplies 15 gold. The work takes 2 hours, and she finishes with Endurance at 8. She joins the evening gathering refreshed knowing the gear is well-maintained.

Endurance Reset & Evening: As night falls and the party takes their long rest, all Endurance pools reset to their daily maximum at the start of the next day. Kean wakes refreshed with 35 Endurance, ready for another day. Lyra (Enchanter), Malachai (Alchemist), Theron (Blacksmith), and Sira (Leatherworker) also reset, though some are still physically tired (managed via Story condition if GM desires, not mechanically through Endurance). The party's gear, supplies, and crafted items are now improved, and several characters have generated value through their professions (Theron's 120-gold-profit dagger, Malachai's herb bases worth 90 gold, Sira's repair services worth 40 gold in saved replacement costs). Endurance depletion affected *how much* they could do, but it didn't prevent their professions from advancing the group.

Death Penalty

Dying carries lasting consequences beyond the immediate danger of combat. When a character dies and is later revived, whether through Resurrection, Revitalize, or Rejuvenation, the following penalties apply:

Time Lost: Recovery follows the same formula used for comatosis, prison, and infirmary stays (see More on Downtime above), Penalty Time = Base Time × (Growth Rate)^(Nature of Offenses), with each successive death by the same character increasing the exponent.

LVL Loss: The character loses exactly 1 Growth, Current Years (EA) resets to that Growth's starting year threshold, and exactly 1 Character LVL (LVL). This loss does not escalate with repeat deaths; only the Time Lost above does. ATTR SCRs, TST, and Innate Aptitude gains already purchased or picked are kept in full, nothing is refunded or reverted. Instead, the Character does not roll a new ATTR Repository or pick a new class Ability again until their LVL exceeds the LVL they died at, and does not gain a new Innate Aptitude pick again until their Growth exceeds the Growth they died at. Climbing back to either one is free re-earning with no further reward attached; only surpassing it resumes normal progression.

Rank: See Rank and Death on pg. 4, Rank is capped by the Character's reduced LVL and restores automatically once that LVL is reached again. Rank PTS already earned are never lost.

Armaments: Roll 1d4 for each readied armament that carries at least one Enhancement (Combining, Enchanting, Inscribing, Modifying, Nesting, Reforging, Resonating, Socketing, or Upgrading, see Enhancing and Modification Armaments, pg. 4). That many Enhancements are stripped at random from the item; if the roll exceeds the number present, all of them are stripped. The base armament, its condition, and its materials are unaffected, this penalty removes applied work only, and never breaks or destroys the item outright.

Resurrection, Revitalize and Rejuvenation

Resurrection: Resurrection is the process of being brought back to life after dying. Many different classes can perform it, including some exclusive to NPCs. Resurrection does not directly alter alignment, though a character's choices before and after resurrection can shift their alignment as play continues. Depending on how the character died and how they were resurrected, they may receive a Shamed Title (see Undead Shamed Titles, below) which may trigger Fallen or Risen mechanics if they are devoted to a Higher Power.

Revitalize: Revitalization is the process of stopping the new effects of how a character died from continuing. It begins the instant a character dies to a corrupting source (undead, fiend, curse, or similar, the GM determines which deaths qualify). The character has a window equal to the Time Lost above to Revitalize. Once per GM-set interval within that window (such as each long rest), the Character rolls d100 + Willpower or Piety, whichever best resists the nature of the corruption, GM's call, against a DIFS set by the strength of what killed them. Success halts the corruption; the Character proceeds to a standard Resurrection and takes the Death Penalty above, nothing further. If the window expires without success, the Character fully transforms into whatever killed them, such as becoming fully Undead, and is removed from play as a PC. The GM may continue them as an NPC, possibly hunted by their own former party, or otherwise loose in the world.

Rejuvenation: Rejuvenation requires Rank Hero, Growth 30, and the aid of a powerful Cleric. It is said to cost everything a character has, including their standing and surname, in truth, this is just how people describe the ordinary Death Penalty above, which already applies to the death that made Rejuvenation possible in the first place. Rejuvenation itself does not further affect Traits, Abilities, or ATTRs, and Charisma actually increases. The binding requires three rolls, d100 + Piety against a DIFS the Cleric sets, scaled to the Character's Rank, and all three must succeed. On success, the Character Rejuvenates as a hybrid race, either Subdead or Subdivine, retaining all Abilities learned before and gaining the new benefits of the hybrid Sub. The Higher Power governing a Subdead or Subdivine character is determined by whichever Path they've invested in has progressed furthest; if two or more Paths are tied for furthest progression, the GM decides which Higher Power governs the Character. Continuing as either afterward requires a long chain quest throughout their respective Higher Power, tracked through their continued Growth. On failure, any of the three rolls comes up short, the Character loses its Sub status and takes a second full Death Penalty (this is the "significant amount of Experience (XP)" at stake), but retains their original alignment and Higher Power devotion (if any) from before the Rejuvenation attempt.

Undead Shamed Titles: A GM may issue an Undead-flavored Shamed Title (such as Graveborn, Husk-Touched, or the Hollow) to a character who fails to Revitalize in time, undergoes Rejuvenation, or otherwise returns from death visibly wrong. This uses the standard Shamed Title rules (see Titles under Prestige), it dissipates through good deeds, grows harder to remove if bad deeds continue, and counts toward the accumulated Boasted and Exposed Titles that can trigger Fallen or Risen mechanics organically.

Turns, Rounds & Time

As long as they are not incapacitated, every character, in the order of initiative, gets a turn each round. A turn represents 6 seconds of in-game time. A round is complete when every character in the encounter has taken their turn.

Actions

Every character has a base of 5 actions per turn. A BASE combat strike costs 1 action. Movement and subtle actions, like sheathing a weapon, each cost half an action. Base defense, communicative actions like a whisper, shout, or gesture, drops, and Traits do not cost actions.

For every 2 points in the Agility Trait, a Character gains 5 ft. of additional free movement per turn, this does not cost an action. For example, a Bast has a Goliath base speed of 40 ft. and begins with +2 innate Agility, granting them an additional 5 ft. of free movement (45 ft. base for Bast) each turn. Conversely, for every 1 point of negative Agility, a character loses 5 ft. of base movement per turn.

Combat Abilities, both offensive and defensive, vary in action cost depending on their power, each is listed on its respective card. Talents and crafting skills follow the same rule, with cost specified on the card.

Certain Abilities, Traits, and conditions, both beneficial and harmful, can modify action costs up or down respectively. These modifiers are noted on the card.

Stamina and Mana Costs

Martial Abilities consume Stamina chips when used, with the cost specified on each card. Spells consume Mana chips when cast, with the cost specified on each spell card. Movement in structured encounters (combat and exploration grids) consumes Stamina chips equal to 1 chip per the Character's base speed per turn, plus 1 additional chip for every 5 feet moved beyond that base speed in the same turn. Overland travel does not incur Stamina costs. A character cannot use a Martial Ability, cast a spell, or move in structured encounters if they lack the required Stamina or Mana respectively. Both pools regenerate each turn based on Spirit (every 5 Spirit = 1 Chip of regeneration per turn). Traits apply passively at no Stamina cost (see Traits vs. Talents, pg. 2). Talents and Skills are never used in combat, see Talent Card and Skill Card, below.

Movement Example, Tredekian Battlefield Advance

Setup: Gregor (Human, Paladin, Holy Knight, LVL 15, Rank Uncommon) has a base speed of 30 ft. per turn in combat on Tredeki's scarred battlefields. He has 42 Stamina Chips total and starts the turn with 35 available. He wants to dash across the field to reach a distant enemy.

Movement Cost Calculation: Gregor's base speed is 30 ft. Movement cost = 1 chip per base speed + 1 per 5 feet beyond. His base speed costs 1 chip. He wants to move 50 ft. (20 feet beyond his base 30 ft.). That's 4 additional increments of 5 feet = 4 extra chips. Total cost: 1 + 4 = 5 Stamina chips.

Resolution: Gregor pays 5 Stamina (down to 30 available). He charges 50 ft. across the Tredekian battlefield, his armor clanging with each thundering step. He arrives at his destination ready for combat, though having expended significant stamina reserves for this aggressive advance.

Movement Example, Omnè Crystal Cavern Precision Navigation

Setup: Sira (Small race, Scout, Tracker, LVL 12, Rank Rare) navigates through Omnè's narrow crystal caverns. Her base speed is 25 ft. per turn (Small racial size). Stamina available: 28 of 40. The cavern terrain is rough (half speed = 12 ft. base movement for this turn).

Movement Cost Calculation: Due to rough terrain reducing speed to half, Sira's effective base speed becomes 12 ft. for this terrain type. She wants to move 20 ft. to avoid falling crystals. Cost = 1 chip for base rough terrain movement (12 ft.) + 1 chip for the additional 8 feet (less than 5 more, but the rule is per 5 feet, so this is 1 additional chip). Total: 2 Stamina chips.

Resolution: Sira deftly navigates the treacherous crystal formations, paying only 2 Stamina (down to 26). She reaches safety as a massive crystal spike crashes where she'd been standing moments before. Her training as a Scout makes precise movement through hazardous terrain second nature.

Time

The GM tracks in-game time through rounds, converting to minutes and hours as needed. Between encounters, the GM advances a clock, no action counting, just narrative time passing.

Game Engine Cards

Core components that drive the gameplay mechanics, including Action Cards for combat and skills, Narrative Cards for storytelling and interactions, and Dilemma Cards for tough choices. These Cards facilitate smooth, dynamic gameplay and strategic decision-making throughout a character's adventure. The following is a list of Game Engine Card variants.

Action (Category)

Actions take stamina and Endurance. Characters need to distribute their actions meaningfully. Each character only gets a certain amount of actions per day, determined by endurance. Stamina determines the amount of actions a character can take on their turn, with a cap and some free actions.

Action Cards come in four distinct types: Martial Abilities, Spell Abilities, Talent Cards, and Skill Cards. As characters face combat threats, they'll present a Martial Ability or a Spell Ability at the GM's request, the Card played must be relevant to the situation and within their own capabilities of using the Card at that time, for instance whether or not they have the Vitality (stamina, mana etc) in order to take the action. Martial Abilities and Spell Abilities are both Combat Action Cards but are entirely separate types, they are not interchangeable. Talent Cards and Skill Cards are never played in combat, see each below.

Martial Ability: Covers martial and physical combat actions. Players keep a stack of Martial Abilities representing their characters' combat capabilities for quick reference.

Spell Ability: Covers magical combat actions. Spell Abilities are separate from Martial Abilities. Each Spell Ability specifies its own Mana cost and effects, these vary per card and are not determined by ATTRs.

Talent Card (talents): Requires challenge, see talents. This is how Players reference their talents.

Skill Card, Recipe Card (professions): Must be out of combat. Requires recipe, materials and at least a make-shift workshop, see skills. Skill Cards are Recipe Cards, they reference all professional skills, their recipes, including materials, etc. If an enchanter enchants a character's armor, it changes the armor's Stats. Crafting is resolved through a d100 skill check against a DIFS (see Crafting Resolution under Skills).

Card Format Specifications

Game Engine Cards follow standardized formats to ensure clarity and consistency. Below are the detailed specifications for each card type used in SORC gameplay.

Ability Formulas

Vitality Cost Formula: Chip Cost = ceil(Slot LVL ÷ 2), minimum 2 chips. A LVL 3 Tier pick costs 2, a LVL 5 Path pick costs 3, a LVL 21 Branch pick costs 11, a LVL 30 capstone costs 15. Martial Abilities spend Stamina, Spell Abilities spend Mana. Both also cost at least 1 action. Abilities are costed independently per pick; a Character LVL that grants two picks costs both picks' costs combined.

Ability Uses Formula: N = floor(Character's Max Pool for that resource ÷ Ability's Cost). Match N against the tier table below. Every Ability Card states both Cost and Uses tier; Uses is the hard ceiling, Cost is whether the Character can currently afford to reach it. Regardless of tier, no Ability may be used more than once in the same Turn, the Round/Day tiers govern spacing across Turns, never a same-Turn multiplier.

Martial Ability Cards

Martial Abilities represent martial and physical combat actions. Each card contains the following sections:

• Header: [CLASS] - [PATH/BRANCH] - [TIER] | ABILITY NAME | Martial | Slot [#]
• Prerequisites: LVL requirement, ATTR SCR minimums, Trait SCR minimums
• Description: Narrative flavor combined with mechanical effect
• Vitality Cost: Stamina chips required
• Action Cost: Number of actions required (1-3)
• Range: Touch, Short, Medium, Long, or specialized range
• Area: Single target, Cone, Line, Burst, or other area type
• ATTK Roll: d100 + [Trait] vs PROTS (defender's armor score)
• Hit Damage: [#]d6 ± [Stat (STR/AGI)] ± modifiers
• Uses: Unlimited, 3×Round, 2×Round, 1×Round, 3×Day, 2×Day
• Cooldown: None or specified round cooldown
• Special Effects: Additional mechanical effects or conditions applied
• Components: Material, Somatic, Verbal (none or any combination)

Spell Ability Cards

Spell Abilities represent magical combat actions. Each card contains the following sections:

• Header: [CLASS] - [PATH/BRANCH] - [TIER] | SPELL NAME | Spell | Slot [#] | [School]
• Prerequisites: LVL requirement, Intellect minimum, Focus minimum
• Description: Narrative flavor combined with mechanical effects
• Vitality Cost: Mana chips required
• Action Cost: Number of actions required
• Casting Time: Instant, 1 action, or other duration
• Range: Touch, Short, Medium, Long, or specialized range
• Area: Single target, Cone, Line, Burst, or other area type
• Spell ATTK: d100 + Acuity vs PROTS
• Resistance: Resistance Trait absorbs range penalties
• Hit Damage: [#]d6 ± Acuity ± modifiers
• Critical (Critical Window for Rank): 2x dice + Acuity bonus
• Uses: Unlimited, 3×Round, 2×Round, 1×Round, 3×Day, 2×Day
• Cooldown: None or specified round cooldown
• Saves & Conditions: Condition effects if applicable
• Components:
  • Somatic: Gestures required
  • Verbal: Incantations required
  • Material: Items consumed or used

Weapon Cards

Weapon Cards detail armaments used in combat. Each card specifies:

• Header: WEAPON NAME - [RANK (Common-Divine)]
• Type: Melee, Range, or other weapon classification
• Base Stats:
  • Rank: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique, Heroic, Elite, Legendary, or Divine
  • Hands: 1H (One Hand), 2H (Two Hands), or Dual
  • Weight: In pounds
  • Value: In Gold
• Main Hand ATTK: d100 + [Rank bonus] ± [Stat] vs PROTS
• Off Hand ATTK (if dual-wield): d100 with half main hand bonus ± [Stat] vs PROTS
• Base Damage: [#]d6 + [Stat] ± modifiers
• Range Bands (if applicable):
  • Pt. Blank: Max DMG. (+¼ dice)
  • Oscillation: Base DMG. (full dice)
  • Stabilized: Max DMG. (+¼ dice)
  • Velocity Drop: Decay, -15 and ¾ dice (Compact) or -20 and ½ dice (Extended)
• Special Properties: Enhancements, special mechanics, or unique abilities
• Armor Modifiers: Bonus or penalty against specific armor types (Cloth, Leather, Chain, Plate)
• Requirements: Minimum Strength score, Character Rank, or other prerequisites
• Quality Tiers:
  • Poor: ATTK -5, Damage -1d6
  • Good: Standard stats
  • Extravagant: ATTK +3, Damage +1d4
  • Exquisite: ATTK +5, Damage +1d6
  • Masterful: ATTK +8, Damage +2d6

Armor Cards

Armor Cards detail protective gear. Each card specifies:

• Header: ARMOR SET NAME - [RANK] | [Grade: Delicate/Light/Medium/etc.]
• Base Protection:
  • Rank: Common through Divine
  • Grade: Delicate (10), Light (25), Medium (35), Heavy (45), Dense (60), Composite (55)
  • Base Armor Scr. + Rank Bonus = Total Armor Scr.
• Components:
  • Cuirass (Main Piece): Armor Scr. value
  • Gloves: Swappable, Armor Scr. bonus
  • Boots: Swappable, Movement effect
  • Leggings: Part of main set
  • Helm: Part of main set
• Defense Modifiers:
  • Defense Type: Parry, Block, or Dodge
  • Defense Trait Bonus: +[Trait score]
  • Shield Combo (if applicable): Armor Scr. bonus
• Vulnerabilities & Resistances: Damage type modifiers to Armor Scr.
• Movement & Encumbrance:
  • Weight: In pounds
  • Movement Penalty: Squares lost per turn
  • Carry Capacity Impact: Yes or No
• Spell Power Modifier: Penalty to spellcasting (armor weight affects somatic components)
• Quality Tiers: Poor through Masterful with Armor Scr. adjustments
• Set Bonuses (Heroic rank and above):
  • Main Bonus: All pieces equipped
  • Gloves Bonus: When equipped with Gloves
  • Boots Bonus: When equipped with Boots
  • Penalty: Losing either piece removes bonuses and reduces Main by 25% each
• Requirements: Character Rank match, Strength minimum, Proficiency requirements
• Value: In Gold

Companion Cards

Companion Cards detail loyal allies. Each card specifies:

• Header: [COMPANION NAME] | [Type] | [Rank] | [Size]
• Basic Information:
  • Type: Pet, Guardian, Angelic, Fellowship, Temp, Draft, Ruminant, or Mechanical
  • Size: Tiny, Small, Standard, Large, Goliath, or Behemoth
  • Rank: Common through Divine
  • Lifespan: Natural age or Immortal
  • Resurrection: Yes or No capability
• Vitality: Life only (no Mana, Stamina, Endurance, Traits, or ATTRs)
• Performance Tier Bonuses:
  • Basic: Standard availability
  • Intermediate: +1 Life, +1 Primary Ability
  • Advanced: +2 Life, +2 Primary Ability, Secondary Ability improves
• Primary Ability: Innate ability (no prerequisites, no components)
• Secondary Ability (Advanced tier only): Additional innate ability
• Mood Scale: Annoyed → Distressed → Uneasy → Wary → Neutral → Content → Comfortable → Tranquil → Exalted (9 LVLs)
• Mood Effects:
  • Annoyed to Neutral: Reduced combat availability
  • Content: Standard availability
  • Comfortable+: Gift resources 1d4/day
  • Exalted: Loyal even through mistreatment
• Presence Bonus: +1 to specific Trait per year accompanied (lost if unaccompanied 2+ months)
• Environment Effects:
  • Favored: No upkeep, Mood +1 tier per 3 hours
  • Disliked: -1 Endurance per 3 hours, Mood -1 tier per 3 hours
• Upkeep Requirements: Feeding cost, Maintenance (if mechanical), Care LVL
• Mounting (if applicable): Size categories that can mount, Speed modifier, Combat capability
• Special Traits: Unique characteristics
• Disliked Races (if applicable): Racial mood penalties and upkeep cost increases
• Bond Quest (Rare rank and above): Available at Tranquil mood, grants Exalted status on completion
• Value: Companion Ticket cost and Experience (XP) value if slain

MAC Cards (Monsters, Animals, Creatures)

MAC Cards detail non-Player creatures encountered during adventures. Each card specifies:

• Header: [CREATURE NAME] | [Type: Monster/Animal/Creature] | [Rank]
• Characteristics:
  • Size: Tiny, Small, Standard, Large, Goliath, or Behemoth
  • Type: Beast, Humanoid, Elemental, Undead, or other classification
  • Rank: Common through Divine
  • Challenge Rating (CR): Difficulty indicator
• Vitality: Life only (no Mana, Stamina, Endurance, Traits, ATTRs, or Spirit)
• Armor: Base Armor Scr. and total PROTS (Armor Scr. + all modifiers)
• Actions Per Turn: Usually 3-5 for combat creatures
• Speed: Base Movement in feet per turn, Special Movement types
• Primary Ability: Main attack or action with damage formula
• Secondary Ability: Special action or attack
• Conditional Abilities: Triggered or reaction abilities
• Resistances / Vulnerabilities:
  • Resistant To: Damage types with Armor Scr. bonus
  • Vulnerable To: Damage types with Armor Scr. penalty
  • Immune To: Effect types or conditions
• Special Traits: Unique characteristics or behaviors
• Loot Drops:
  • Common Drop: Always received
  • Uncommon (30%): Conditional drop
  • Rare (10%): High-value drop
  • Quest Item: If applicable to current quests
• Experience (XP) Value: Base XP for defeating, adjusted by party LVL and rank
• Behavior / Tactics: Combat preferences, environmental strategies, pack tactics
• Encounter Notes: Terrain advantages, environmental special rules

Hit Bonus by Weapon Rank

Note: Hit bonuses from weapon rank (table above) differ from Weapon/Hand Proficiency bonuses granted by class Culture. Proficiency adds +8 to Main Hand and +2 to Off Hand (or varies by class); these stack with rank bonuses.

Weapon Damage by Rank

Note on Off-Hand Damage and Hit Bonus: Off-hand damage is half the main hand damage, rounded up. Off-hand Hit bonus is half the main hand Hit bonus, rounded down. Modifiers from Traits, ATTRs, talents, buffs, and situational factors apply to both hands. Dual wield requires a Nature Ability to unlock; see Abilities and Nature in class trees.

Base Armor Score (Armor Scr.) by Grade

Threat Engine

A Threat Meter tracks a character's Threat SCR, indicating how much attention they're attracting from Creatures and NPCs. When the score is low, the Character goes mostly unnoticed; a higher score means they're more likely to be observed, confronted, or targeted. Every action, whether escaping, negotiating, hiding, taunting, or distracting, can change a character's Threat SCR.

• Clever actions and successful deception lower a character's threat score.
• Aggressive, loud, or risky actions raise a character's threat score.
• As NPCs or creatures become more hostile or suspicious, a character's Threat SCR increases.
• If a character placates, impresses, or deceives them, their Threat SCR decreases.

The GM updates a character's Threat SCR based on their actions and how others react, making it dynamic in every Encounter, not just combat.

Panic Engine

Whenever a character faces intense stress, fear, or danger, whether hiding, climbing, running from monsters, escaping pursuit, or negotiating in tense situations, the GM calls for a Panic Check. For the Panic Check, the Character rolls D100. If the total meets or exceeds the difficulty score (DIFS) of the source causing Panic, they remain calm. If not, they begin to panic, risking mistakes or exposure. Panic will grow progressively as Characters take their turns and each LVL will alter the Character more as the panic grows.

Roll a D100 Panic Check and add any modifiers (like the Trait Courage) to attempt meeting the DIFS of whatever is causing the panic. Every hazardous event and entity has a DIFS for Panic, that Difficulty Score is the target number the Player must reach to avoid Panic. If there isn't a DIFS, the GM will create one.

If the Character fails the target DIFS of Panic, they'll begin a progressive/regressive Panic process for each of the Character's turns where Panic is ongoing. For example if a Character fails a Panic Check they are now at Panic LVL 1, and must roll a Panic Check again on their next turn with a -1 Penalty. If they fail again, they are now at LVL 2 Panic and on their next turn with a -2 Penalty to their D100 roll. This continues through 5 LVLs of Panic.

If they succeed a Panic Check, they go back one LVL of Panic, are not panicked anymore, and they can take their free movement action before ending their turn. GM may set or adjust Panic Difficulty based on the situation.

Narrative Event Cards

Narrative Events are used during moments where Players can creatively escape danger or interact with Creatures and NPCs instead of fighting. Each Card presents a situation and encourages inventive solutions, allowing Players to use the environment, combine Abilities, or negotiate with creatures for Unique outcomes.

Dynamic Escape

Some Narrative Cards describe hazardous scenarios. Players can use their surroundings, trigger chain reactions, or combine skills for dynamic escapes. The risk and reward depend on how clever or daring their actions are.

Creature and Non-Player Character Interaction

Other Narrative Cards focus on Encounters with monsters or NPCs. Players may bargain, manipulate behaviors, or incite chaos to avoid combat or gain advantages. The Cards provide prompts for creative negotiation or influence.

Flexible Resolution

The outcome of each action is determined on a scale, such as full escape, partial success, added complications, or failure. Results are not limited to simple success or failure, allowing for nuanced storytelling and consequences.

Player-Driven and Reactive

Players are encouraged to initiate creative actions in response to Narrative Cards. The game Master provides cues and adapts the scenario based on Player choices, making the event dynamic and responsive.

The use of Narrative Cards rewards teamwork, risk-taking, and thinking outside the box. Players are empowered to find Unique solutions to Encounters, and inventive actions can lead to special rewards, new story paths, or lasting changes in the world.

Dilemma Cards

The Dilemma Engine is a central feature that turns tough choices into lasting effects. At pivotal moments, characters face Dilemmas that force decisions with lasting consequences. These choices directly affect a character's Standing with factions and key characters, alter their reputation, and will grant titles or exposure.

At narrative turning points, the game Master presents a Dilemma Card. Each Card describes a challenging situation and at least two difficult choices. The outcome of each choice is clearly spelled out, affecting rewards, costs, relationships, and a character's standing in the world. Once a decision is made, the GM notes this in their journal and at pivotal moments, and as they choose, the GM narrates the conditions of the choices Players have made for their Characters.

Standing Development

Every choice made on a Dilemma Card adjusts a character's Standing, their relationship and attitude towards factions and important NPCs. Standing is tracked on the Character sheet and determines how others react to them, what resources they can access, and which storylines open or close.

Prestige and Titles

A character's decisions also change their Prestige. Reputation affects how they are perceived throughout the world, influencing social Encounters and opportunities. Titles reflect their achievements or failures and can bring benefits or consequences depending on where they are and how others perceive them.

Note: The highest stance is Cherished while the lowest is Hated (killed on sight).

A character's choices ripple across every aspect of their journey. Decisions influence not just how they are seen, but also their access to resources, titles, relationships with key figures, and the opportunities or obstacles that shape their path. These choices don't just alter the story; they can challenge a Player's priorities, test their values, and create moments that linger long after decisions to Dilemmas are made.

Heroism

Acts of courage and self-sacrifice earn a character recognition and lasting respect. Heroic deeds can grant powerful titles and boost their standing, inspiring others and shaping their legacy.

Regret

Betraying one's values or harming loved ones may cause regret. A character can leverage regret for short-term advantages, but each use comes with emotional or social penalties. Accumulating regret may trigger personal crises or redemption quests.

Suspenseful

Some outcomes are not revealed immediately. The game Master tracks them secretly and unveils the results at dramatic moments, heightening suspense and making a character's choices feel unpredictable and impactful.

Examples

Suspense Example: A character finds proof that a rival faction plans to sabotage a festival. If they expose them, their Standing with that faction drops dramatically, but they gain favor with the city council. The council grants them the title Guardian of the Festival. The rival faction's reaction is kept hidden for now, to be revealed later.

Heroism Example: After quelling a violent uprising and safeguarding countless lives, a character is called to the Grand Hall. The space is packed, council members, citizens, and soldiers line the marble floors. A high ranking council member formally recounts their actions in detail, naming each risk taken and life saved. When their name is spoken, banners are unfurled and the crowd stands and erupts in applause as they walk the marble aisle between arranged sides. As rehearsed, they bow to the council leader so she can place a heavy medallion ribbon over their shoulders and proclaim them "Warden of the City!!!", a title reserved for heroes. Their name is etched into the city's Hall of Heroes, and for a moment, the cheers and gratitude of those they protected are overwhelming. Their Standing with the city's people and leaders surges, and they become a symbol of courage in a time of uncertainty.

Regret Example: An influential leader offers a character Rare resources, but only if they publicly denounce their mentor. Accepting gains them the title Favored of the Court and improves their Standing with the leader's faction, but since they've developed a relationship with their mentor that has lasted for years, the betrayal damages their reputation with those who honor loyalty and loved ones of the mentor in question. This never goes away, and although the example here is an example of a character feeling regret, the dilemma system is designed in a way that the Player feels emotional and psychological distress that weighs on their conscience, burdened from decisions forced onto their characters. Refusing protects the relationship with the mentor, but makes the quest more difficult and may cause the Character to lose favor and titles.

Exploration

Traverse 13 planets in an odd world with a life sustaining and magic emitting main sun, Adoria, and its sister, the dying star Tawdry Dwarf. Each planet with a gate to its own hell domain, found in throne rooms of extravagant labyrinths.

The Animated Compass is a living magical companion that grows in capability through earned Rank PTS. It Ports Characters and their current party to chosen Safe Havens, changes forms during the journey, unlocks additional forms as its Rank increases, senses danger, uncovers secrets, guides exploration through deep structures, boards vessels, and leads its owner toward quests and quest items. See the Animated Compass section for full rules.

Game Modes

Some game modes require Players to log into SORC Web at our website.

Trials of Combat

Trials of Combat is a game mode where Players seek out Trial Masters to participate in combat challenges. These Masters are found in villages, towns, and covert camps, and they set specific rules for each trial. Participants cannot use items besides gear, though healing and buffing effects are allowed. The mode includes three main sections: Proving Grounds, Arena, and Coliseum. In the Proving Grounds, teams of at least five face objectives like Beacon Capture, King of the Peak, or Race Through the Cave, earning Honor PTS and rewards such as gear and Experience (XP). The Arena involves structured matches from 1v1 up to 5v5, with Players earning Valor PTS to buy equipment, gear sets, and consumables.

The Coliseum is a free-for-all against powerful monsters in various formats like Duels, Tag Teams, and Riots, with winners earning Auctorati PTS for weapons, potions, and scrolls. Progression depends on faction reputation, unlocking better rewards and quests.

Sole Survivor

Sole Survivor is an episodic game mode made up of a series of short, story-driven adventures. At the start of each episode, Players choose pre-made character Cards that match the challenge rating for that episode. These characters form a themed party that fits the campaign, such as a religious character, a thief, or others aligned with the episode's setting. Each premade character will have advantages and disadvantages, but Players will understand the theme before they choose their Cards.

The key rule is that one character must die in each episode, repeated until only one character remains alive. Once only one character is left, they must find a way to escape alone. If they manage to survive and escape, they are declared the sole survivor. Each episode is a short dramatic story where characters will unlock skills, armaments, items and clues and secrets to guide their party through each episode. Episodes don't have endings other than a character dying; subsequently moving what's left of the party to the next episode.

Starting from episode one, the adventure unfolds as a story, with the inevitability that some characters will perish along the way. The game emphasizes survival, storytelling, and strategic choices, culminating in one character's triumphant escape as the sole survivor.