Version 0.13.1

Rulebook

Introduction

Lyrian Chronicles is a game for ttrpg players and by ttrpg players.  After playing through several systems we had decided to make one that solves a lot of the issues that we had with them.  We drew inspiration from the best parts of each system, while trying to fix the problems that we saw in them.  We wanted to bring an experience that allows each player to create and play the character that they want, while adding technical skill and decision making into combat.  Characters are not just the sum of their combat abilities, they create bonds, and spend their free time pursuing their hobbies and dreams and we wanted to reflect both aspects of heroes.

Since we mostly play these games online, we wanted to develop the system with online players in mind—built from the ground up for the online audience while still trying to make the game accessible for players in person.  These games had always had a table and pen focus, but we wanted to create something that we would use.

Taking advantage of our online focus, we wanted to bring Tabletop Games As A Service, constant and frequent updates with balance changes.  By ditching “dead trees” as our medium we will be able to be more agile in responding to balance issues and rules errors.  Both members of our design team have experience in commercial Live Design.

We hope you enjoy the game.

- Angel's Sword Studios

General Rules:

• Unless stated otherwise, always round down.
• Unless stated otherwise, apply flat effects before doubling or halving.
• Unless stated otherwise, effects from the same source or with the same name do not stack.
  • A buff or debuff that does not have a specific name also does not stack with a buff/debuff that doesn't have a specific name and gives the same bonus. For example, a +1 Power bonus does not stack with other things that give a +1 Power bonus.

Character Creation

Lyrian Chronicles does not use a level system and instead uses “power level” which is equal to the total experience points a character has.  To create a character follow these steps.

1. Choose a race

Races can have several abilities and may have sub-races. Refer to the specific race page. Races always grant Proficiencies, Attributes and Skills and the abilities listed.

If you are playing a Demon, then you can choose one of the clans listed at the bottom of the page. Each of the clans has a specific role in Demon society and they gain abilities that reflect that.

If you are playing a Chimera, Fae or Youkai then you can pick a subrace in addition to a primary race. Each subrace belongs to a primary race and you can only pick a subrace that matches your primary race. You gain all listed benefits from your chosen subrace.

2. Choose Main Stats and Sub Stats

In Lyrian Chronicles, there are main stats and sub stats.  Main stats primarily affect combat and sub stats primarily affect out of combat, however sub stats can be called for in combat usages.  You pick your main and sub stats according to the set array listed in brackets.

The numbers in these set arrays can be assigned to the stats in any order, but all values must be used and can only be used an equal amount of time as the time they appear in the array. For example:

Power: 4

Focus: 3

Agility: 5

Toughness: 4

Is a valid array.

Main Stats (5, 4, 4, 3)

Power:  Increases the damage dealt by attacks and increases your max mana.

Focus: Increases the accuracy of your attacks and increases the difficulty of saves against your effects.

Agility: Increases your Evasion, RP and boosts your initiative.

Toughness: Increases your HP, saves bonus and your guard value.

Sub Stats (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Fitness: Fitness is your physical fitness.  It affects the main skills Athletics and Riding.

Cunning: Cunning is your ability to use your wits on the fly to solve problems through indirect approaches and deception.  It affects the main skills Deception, Roguecraft and Stealth.

Reason: Reason is your intelligence and brainpower.  While it doesn’t immediately confer you practical experience, it gives you vast knowledge.  It affects many main skills:  Artifice, Appraise, Expert Knowledge, Flight, History, Linguistics, Magic, Medicine, Religion.

Awareness: Awareness is your perception, wisdom and presence of mind.  It affects the main skills: Animal Husbandry, Insight, Perception, Survival.

Presence: Presence affects the strength of your personality and ability to captivate and persuade others.  It affects the main skills: Art, Intimidation, Negotiation.

Derived Stats

Spirit Core: Your spirit core value is equal to your total EXP spent. It starts at 0.

HP: Your starting HP is equal to 20 + (Toughness x 10). 

Mana: Your starting mana is 6 + Power. Mana is required to use more powerful abilities.

RP: Your max RP is 2 + Agility.

Guard: Your starting guard is equal to (Equipment Value) + Toughness. Guard reduces the damage you take by 1 for every point, but cannot reduce damage below 1.

Initiative: Your initiative is equal to your Agility. Higher initiative means you act earlier in combat.

Evasion: Is equal to 7 + Agility. The higher your Evasion, the harder it will be for an enemy to hit you.

Potency: Your potency is equal to 11 + Focus. Your potency determines the DC for certain abilities.

Save bonus: Is equal to your toughness. You will need to make saves to resist certain effects.

Speed: Unless otherwise noted, your base speed is 20.

3. Breakthroughs

Each character starts with 300 exp that can only be used on breakthroughs. This EXP is not added to your spirit core and any exp not spent during this time is removed after the character creation process.

4. Choose Classes

Players start with 1000 EXP that must be spent on classes as well as 3 Interlude Points.  You can choose any combination of classes and abilities within the classes.  Any interlude points you do not use on unlocking classes you can instead use on interlude actions.

A new class costs 1 interlude point and 100 EXP per tier.  Each class contains key abilities and 7 more abilities that can be obtained with 100 EXP, but must be purchased in order.  When all of a class’ abilities are purchased, the class is considered Mastered.

5. Choose Skills

Players start with 10 skill points that can be distributed at their choice.  Main skills and their sub stat affiliations are as follows:

• Fitness
  • Athletics
  • Riding
• Cunning
  • Deception
  • Roguecraft
  • Stealth
• Reason
  • Artifice
  • Appraise
  • Common Knowledge
  • Flight
  • History
  • Linguistics
  • Magic
  • Medicine
  • Religion
• Awareness
  • Animal Husbandry
  • Insight
  • Perception
  • Survival
• Presence
  • Art
  • Intimidation
  • Negotiation

Expertise: Instead of choosing a main skill, a player may instead opt to expertise.  The player chooses a more specific skill within the main skills (ex:  Survival, Forests;  Religion, Cult of The Black Hand of Jakka).  Any skill point added as expertise grants 2 points instead of 1.

Skill check use the following formula, for reference:

d20 + (Affiliated Sub Stat) + (Main Skill) + (Expertise)

Only 1 (the highest) expertise applies per roll.

6. Buy Equipment

Each character starts with 3000 Clim they can spend on basic equipment and items.

7. Progression 

When you get EXP, it is added to your EXP count. Any EXP you spend is added to your Spirit Core. You may spend your EXP to buy Breakthroughs, Classes or Abilities. 

Classes, Abilities & Breakthroughs

Classes

Classes are what give characters most of their power. They symbolize the training and effort a character has put into mastering a certain set of abilities. Every class has the key abilities as well as 7 levels of normal abilities that a character can unlock.

Once all abilities are learned, a class is considered mastered.

You can check all the classes here.

Tiers & Requirements

Classes are separated into tiers, starting with the base classes at tier 1 and each higher tier becoming more powerful but having certain requirements.

Unlocking new classes

To unlock a new class, you must choose the Unlock Class option during an interlude phase and spend both an Interlude Point and EXP to unlock a class of which you meet the requirements (if any). The EXP required is equal to the tier of the class x 100. Meaning a tier 1 class takes 100 EXP in addition to the Interlude Point, but a tier 2 class would take 200 EXP + the Interlude Point.

When you unlock a class, you immediately learn the key abilities.

This period during the interlude phase represents your training to learn these new abilities. As such, the GM may rule that certain classes, especially the more advanced ones, require you to learn from a person that has knowledge in the class you are attempting to unlock. If no such person exists or they are unwilling to teach you, the GM can rule that you cannot attempt to unlock that class.

Unlocking more abilities

You may spend 100 EXP in a class that is not yet maxed to learn the next ability in that class. The second, fourth and sixth abilities are instead passive increases to your stats or skills. These still require the same to unlock.

Since it’s possible to save EXP, you can unlock new abilities outside of an Interlude phase. However this can only be done when taking a rest.

If there is a situation in which you would get a duplicate ability by spending EXP in a class, the EXP spent is refunded. This applies even when learning a new class, though unlocking the class would still require an Interlude Point as normal. If there is a situation where the abilities don't exactly match, but you still have everything else the ability has to give, then you get a half exp refund.

There might be a case where an ability literally cannot be used by a character. In such a case, the ability is also refunded. Because this is extremely rare, these will be listed below:

• Ararchne/Centaur getting Living Lightning.

Abilities

Abilities are spells, techniques or special skills that characters can use to gain an advantage in both combat and non-combat situations. 

In general, every ability that targets an ally or enemy requires you to have line of sight to that target unless it says otherwise. Things that block Line of Sight such as smokes, glittershards or even a wall in the way means you cannot target it.

Once per round limitation

Every ability, unless it has the Rapid keyword or is a basic action (such as movement, basic light atack etc), can only be used once per round. This means that once you use an ability, you can’t use that same ability again until it becomes your turn again. Upgraded abilities count as the same ability.  For example casting Fireball 2 expends the usage of Fireball.

Potency

The potency of an ability reflects how hard it is to avoid its effect. It’s equal to 11+The caster’s Focus.

When resisting an effect, the target rolls a save. A save is 2d10+Toughness.

Buffs, Debuffs and Conditions

Buffs, Debuff and Conditions are lasting effects applied by abilities, items, traps etc.

Any effects with the same name do not stack, only apply the highest value. Effects with a different number are still considered the same effect. For example, a +2 Power increase is considered the same effect as +1 Power increase and only the +2 would take effect.

Elemental Mastery

Some classes or abilities give a character mastery of an element, like for example a mage’s Arcane Mastery.

Mastery of an element allows a character to use it with channeling weapons. In addition, this mastery lets them create minor magical effects relating to the element. For arcane, this could be minor stuff like making tiny objects levitate, creating visual and auditory effects. These tricks do not do damage and the effects should never be big enough to affect something in combat.

Explaining an example ability

Name: Magic Missile

Cost: 1 mana, 1 AP

Keywords: Lock On, Rapid

Range: 60ft

Requirement: None

Description:

You fire a highly accurate blast of arcane energy at the target, dealing light arcane damage on hit.

Name: Simply the name of the ability. Can easily be reflavored by the player if desired.

Cost: What the ability costs to use in terms of resources. Most abilities will cost either AP or RP to use and some may use mana.

Keywords: Any keywords that apply to the ability. A list of keywords can be found here.

Range: The range of ability as well as other things relating to targeting, such as potential radius or number of targets hit by it.

Requirement: The requirement to use this ability (if any).

Description: Gives a basic description of what happens, then explains what that translates to in gameplay. In the example, the first part is “You fire a highly accurate blast of arcane energy at the target”. In most circumstances, a player should be free to reflavor this as they wish.

Secret Arts

Secret arts are powerful abilities that can change the tide of battle. However, their strong power makes them equally as exhausting. A player may only use one Secret Art ability per encounter regardless of how many Secret Arts they know. Unless mentioned otherwise, Secret Arts cannot be used outside of an encounter.

Breakthroughs

In Angel’s Sword TTRPG, your character has the potential to achieve amazing things, and a "Breakthrough" represents a pivotal moment in their story where they unlock new abilities or skills. Whether it's from training with a master, unlocking a hidden power, or experiencing a transformative event, your character's breakthroughs are special factors that enable them to reach new heights.

Breakthroughs are purchased similarly to class skills but they do not have a class tree. The cost listed in a breakthrough is how much experience it costs to purchase. It is possible for Breakthroughs to increase in level, and many Breakthroughs have requirements before they can be selected.  Unlike learning a class, Breakthroughs do not cost an interlude point.  You can only take each Breakthrough once unless it is specified in the description.

You can find a list of Breakthroughs here.

Skills

How To Use Skills

The GM can initiate immediate skill challenges and the player may also request to initiate one from the GM.  The task could be something like jumping up onto a roof, understanding ancient texts or deciphering a spell that will reach the party within 6 seconds.  The GM chooses a target number based on difficulty.  The GM Should choose the exact challenge rating that they feel.   Provided is a list of ranks:

10 = Initiate Task,  Something a person trained in the basics might be able to achieve on average.
15 = Professional Task, Something a professional or career person within the field might be able to achieve on average.
20 = Expert Task, Something an expert with years of training within the field might be able to achieve on average.
25 = Specialist Task, Something a person devoted to a field might be able to achieve on average.
30 = Master Task, Something a person that devoted their life’s work to a field might be able to achieve on average.

Once the challenge rating has been set, the player uses the skill according to the following formula:

d20 + (Affiliated Sub Stat) + (Main Skill) + (Expertise)

Only 1 (the highest) expertise applies per roll.

If the roll meets or exceeds the challenge rating then the challenge is cleared.

How to use Skills (Pressured Task Challenge)

The GM can initiate a task challenge when a difficult and time intensive task must be completed quickly.  The task could be something like turning a rusty valve, a party working together to decipher a puzzle or determining the weakpoint of an enemy airship.  The GM gives the task “Challenge HP”.

Players then are allowed to use their relevant skills according to the following formula:

d20 + (Affiliated Sub Stat) + (Main Skill) + (Expertise)

The total is subtracted from the Challenge HP.   When the Challenge HP reaches zero then the task is cleared.  

The task is also cleared if any threats are cleared and the party has unlimited time to perform the task.  In this case the GM chooses an amount of time to advance in game for the task to clear.

Skill cap:

The maximum amount of skill points you can put into a skill is 15 points. The maximum expertise points you can put into an expertise is 15 points (for a +15 bonus).

When you reach skybound tier (5k spirit core), this limit is increased by another 5 points.

At 10k spirit core, this limit is removed.

Any bonuses to skills, such as through presence concealment, items etc are not affected by this cap.

Main Skills List

Fitness

Athletics:  This skill describes using strength to perform tasks.  It can be used to push, pull, lift and carry.  Examples of expertise skills:  Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, Basketball

Riding: This skill describes your ability to mount a creature or vehicle and maintain control of it in tough conditions.  Examples of expertise skills:  Horses, Raptors, Giant Rabbits.

Cunning

Deception: This skill describes your ability to deceive others.  Examples of expertise skills:  Distraction, Lying. 

Roguecraft:  This skill describes your ability to take subterfuge actions.  Things like picking locks, rigging traps etc.  Examples of expertise skills:  Lockpicking, Jury Rigging, Traps.

Stealth: This skill describes your ability to prevent yourself and your actions from being perceived by others.  Examples of expertise skills:  Forests, Urban, Snow.

Reason

Artifice: This skill describes the usages of magic devices called “Artifices”.  These devices consume magical fuel in order to operate.  This encompasses the knowledge of the general use, function and construction of Artifice technology. Can not be used to craft them. Examples of expertise skill: Craftsmanship, Swords, Guns, Manufacturers.

Appraise: This skill represents your ability to evaluate the quality, authenticity, and value of items, from common goods to rare artifacts. It can be used to detect forgeries, negotiate fair prices, or recognize historically significant objects. Examples of expertise skills: Gemstone Grading, Antique Weapons, Merchant Guild Valuations, Forgery Detection.

Common Knowledge: This skill describes your ability to recall only commonly known knowledge about subjects.  Expertise in this skill becomes Expert Knowledge which gives you understanding beyond that of the layman.  Examples of expertise skills:  Airships, Forests, Physics, Chemistry

Linguistics: This skill describes your ability to comprehend languages you know and deciphering ones you don't know. Examples of expertise skills: Cyphers

Flight:  This skill describes your knowledge of flying devices and ability to utilize them.  Examples of expertise skills:  Cruiser-Class Airships, Aerial Staves, Airship Shields, Airship Engines, Airship Navigation, Leyline Cartography.

History:  This skill describes your knowledge and understanding of history.  It can be used as a tactical and strategic skill and can also be used for knowing about the past.  Examples of expertise skills:  Westrian History, Northi Noble Houses, Royal Ettiquette, Battlefield Command.

Magic: This skill describes your knowledge of arcane phenomena.  It can be used to understand spells, disable certain spells and identify them.  Examples of expertise skills:  Dispel, Magic Hacking, Fire Magic, Magic Traps.

Medicine: This skill describes your ability to render medical aid and general biology knowledge.  Examples of expertise skills:  Natural Medicines, Biology:  Humans.

Religion: This skill describes your understanding of faith-based phenomena.  It can be used to understand faith spells but can also be used for knowledges on specific religions.  Examples of expertise skills:  Faith Spell Identification, Church of Westria.

Awareness

Animal Husbandry: This skill describes your ability to form bonds with animals.  This can assist with riding, herding, keeping pets and calming animals.  Examples of expertise: Horses, Hawks, Raptors.

Insight: This skill describes your ability to perceive a specific object or person, including picking up on subtle details.  Examples of expertise: Body Language, Handwriting.

Perception: This skill describes your ability to perceive what is around you, even when not paying full attention.  Examples of expertise:  Urban, Forest, Snow, Hearing.

Survival: This skill describes your ability to prepare against hostile environments.  Survival can help you create and find shelter and find food.  Examples of expertise:  Improvised Cooking, Wayfinding, Forest Survival, Fishing.

Presence

Art: This skill describes your ability to create and perform art.  Examples of expertise:  Cartography, Memory Drawing, Singing, Dancing.

Intimidation:  This skill describes your ability to use fear to gain an upper hand in a social situation.  Examples of expertise:  Mercantile, Nobility, Commonfolk.

Negotiation:  This skill describes your ability to sway sentiment in your favor.  It describes your ability to socially function.  Examples of expertise:  Mercantile, Nobility, Commonfolk. 

Artisan Skills:

Artisan skills are skills used by gathering and crafting classes. These cannot be selected normally by any class or feature that lets you pick skills, unless the name of such skill is explicitly mentioned.

Cap:

These skills have a cap on how many skill points you can put into one. This limit is 10 normal skill points and 10 expertise points (for a +10 expertise bonus) in an expertise points. You may have 10 expertise points in multiple different expertise's if you wish, though you'd only be able to apply 1 expertise bonus per craft.

Expertise:

Unlike normal skills, artisan skills have a stricter restriction on what they can pick for their expertises.

Blacksmith: Each weapon group can be an expertise. If you choose a weapon group to expertise, it applies to both One-handed and Two-handed variants. You can also pick tool expertise, letting you expertise in every type of tool you can make. In addition, there is Artisan Weapon expertise which works on all artisan weapons.

Alchemist: Flasks, Elixirs, Potions, Poisons and Salves are the possible expertise's.

Farmer: Food, Alchemy units and Herbs are the possible expertise's.

Carpenter: Bows, crossbows, staves, wands, slings whips and buildings are the possible expertises.

Armorsmithing: Clothing, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy armor, Shields are the possible expertises.

Artificer: Pistol, Shotgun, Musket, Sniper Rifle, Airships, Weapon Artifice, Assist Artifice, Basic Artifice are the possible expertises. Weapon Artifice expertises applies to both weapons and weapon attachments.

Gathering Cap and Expertise

Gathering skills have a max limit of 15 skill points, but they have no possible expertises.

Skill Encounters

Not all of the trials that the players will be faced with can be solved with the sword.  The world of Lyr also favors the cunning and the sharp witted with battles of the mind and of survival.  In this section you will find rules that will test your mettle outside of combat.

Initiative

Like in combat encounters, turn order is determined by initiative.  At the start of the encounter, before anything else is done, every participant’s initiative is ranked from high to low.  The character or event with the highest initiative gets to act first.

Surprise

Like in combat encounters, when one or more characters are unaware of the others, a surprise round occurs.  This generally only occurs when one side of a conflict is trying to be stealthy.  The GM rules on who exactly is surprised and who isn't.

All characters who are not surprised gain a +1 to their initiative.  In addition, the character that triggers the event gets placed at the top of the initiative order.

First Shot

There may be times when both parties are aware and wary of each other, but the encounter hasn’t started yet. In such a standoff, there is no surprise round if a person makes a move, but that character does automatically get placed at the top of the initiative order.

Encounter Start Abilities

After the initiative order has been determined characters may use Encounter Start abilities. Each character can only use one Encounter Start ability and Encounter Start abilities may only be used at this point of the encounter. If multiple characters have Encounter Start abilities that conflict with each other, the character with the highest initiative goes first.

Individual Turns

What happens and is possible when it’s your turn.

On their turn, a character can take a single action during a Skill Encounter. 

In addition to character turns, there can also be Event Turns which represent the different elements of the encounter that need to be cleared.  Various effects can occur on Event Turns depending on the Event.

Events

During Skill Encounters, players will face a new type of conflict in the form of Events.  Events could represent anything from:  an angry shopkeeper, a cave collapsing on the party or even a blinding snowstorm.

Events have HP just like characters, but their HP can only be reduced through event specific skills or skill encounter abilities.

Players can use the ability, “Skill Check” against events.  If the Skill Check meets or exceeds the Event’s DC (determined by the GM) then the event takes a single point of damage (unless specified otherwise by an ability).

When the Event’s HP reaches 0, then the event is considered “cleared”.  On the other hand if the Event’s Hazard counter reaches 0 then the event’s failed state is triggered.

The Event’s Hazard Counter lowers anytime the hazard condition is met, usually at the end of the Event’s turn.

Actions in Skill Encounters

Skill Check: You choose a skill against a target Event and explain to the GM how you use the skill to help clear the Event.  You then roll 1d20+Skill Bonus (or Expertise Bonus) against a DC determined by the GM.  If the check is successful, then the Event takes 1 damage.

Using this Exhausts the base skill (example: Magic) against the Event, causing you to be unable to perform Skill Check again using the same skill.

Skill Engage: You choose a single ability you have and explain to the GM how you use that ability to help clear the Event. The GM decides if the ability is valid and if it is, if you need to make a skill roll. You must pay any mana cost as normal. If the check is successful, then the Event takes 1 damage. 

Explaining an example Event

Name: Cave Collapse

HP: 5

Hazard Counter: 3

On Turn:
Reduce the Hazard Counter by 1 and randomly attack a player with a falling rock.  Falling Rock. Full Pierce.  Hit: 16.  Deals 2d8 Damage.

Fail: 

All players receive a random injury.

On Player Crit Fail:

Reduce the Hazard Counter by 1.

Description:  

The cave is collapsing and rocks begin to fall from the ceiling.

Name:  The name of the encounter.

HP:  The encounter’s clear HP.

Hazard Counter: The starting Hazard Counter amount.

Fail:  When Hazard Counter = 0, Fail is triggered.

On Player Crit Fail:  Optionally, something can occur if certain triggers are met.

Description:  Description of the event.

Skill Encounters In Combat

Some encounters might include both combat and skill encounters in the same scene.  For example, a party might fend off enemies while some of their members attempt to break down a door for escape.   In these cases use the following basic ability for skill checks:

Name: Skill Engage

Cost: 2 AP

Keywords: –

Range: –

Requirement: None

Description:

You use a skill against a target event.

The skill is exhausted against the event and can no longer be used against that target using Skill Check.  If the check passes, deal 1 damage to the Event.

Abilities can be used as normal though Skill Engage for the skill encounter. You pay the AP and Mana cost of that ability as normal.

Combat

Sometimes words are not enough to solve a conflict and swords are drawn.

Encounter Start

This section describes what happens at the start of a combat.

What is an encounter?

An encounter is a battle against an enemy or multiple enemies, or a challenge that the GM considers to be an appropriate difficulty. Most battles or challenges will be considered an encounter.

Each round in an encounter is 10 seconds long.

This is important in regards to Encounter Start or Encounter Conclusion abilities.

Initiative

The order of a battle is determined by a character’s initiative. At the start of the battle, before anything else is done, every participant rolls a 1d4 and adds their initiative bonus to it. Everyone’s initiative is then ranked from high to low. The character with the highest initiative gets to act first.

If a grunt, heroic enemy and a player character have the same initiative, the player character gets to act first. If multiple player characters or enemy bosses have the same initiative, they may decide amongst themselves who acts first. Heroic humanoid NPC's may also be treated as player characters for this purpose if the GM feels its appropriate.

If player characters are opposed to another or cannot decide amongst themselves who acts first, each of them must roll a dice. Whoever rolls higher may act first.

Initiative cannot go below 0.

Surprise

When one or more characters are unaware of the other party, a surprise round occurs. This generally only occurs when one side of the conflict is trying to be stealthy. The GM rules on who exactly is surprised and who isn’t.

Every character who is not surprised may act as normal, while a surprised character is considered to have 0 RP until they take their first turn in the battle or are attacked once. All characters who are not surprised gain a +1 to their initiative. In addition, the character that triggers the combat (by firing the first shot for example) gets placed at the top of the initiative order.

When the initiative reaches a surprised unit, they may act as normal.

First Shot

There may be times when both parties are aware and wary of each other, but combat hasn’t started yet. In such a standoff, there is no surprise round if a person makes a move, but that character does automatically get placed at the top of the initiative order.

Encounter Start Abilities

After the initiative order has been determined characters may use Encounter Start abilities. Each character can only use one Encounter Start ability and Encounter Start abilities may only be used at this point of the encounter. If multiple characters have Encounter Start abilities that conflict with each other, the character with the highest initiative goes first.

Individual turns

What happens and is possible to do when it’s your turn. Each character can only get 1 turn per round.

Heroic and non-heroic characters

In combat, characters are divided into three types: Bosses, Heroics and Grunts (also refered to as simply non-heroics). Characters at roughly the same powerlevel as the players are usually considered Heroic characters, where as bosses are strong enough to easily defeat an average PC 1v1 and likely take an entire party to take down. Everyone else, such as common bandits, commoners or basic guards are considered grunts.

Non-heroic characters or Grunts are weaker, have less AP and RP to spend, some abilities are more effective or only work on these types of characters. For non-threatening or non-intelligent grunts, they may react to the first attack that they can avoid instead of saving their RP for an optimal use.

Heroic characters or Elites are characters roughly on the same power level as a single player character. They have the same AP and RP and will adjust their defenses based on the situation.

Bosses are the strongest type of enemy. They sometimes have more AP and RP and can fight off an entire party on their own through the use of powerful abilities.

AP and RP

AP or Action Points are what a character uses to act on their turn. They can be used to move, attack, use magic, interact with an object and more.

RP or Reaction Points are what a character uses to act outside of their turn. 

At the start of combat and at the beginning of each Heroic character’s turn, they regain AP up to their max, normally 4 AP.

RP is only gained at the start of combat. Players and most Heroic enemies have a max RP equal to 2 + Agility. 

Non-heroic characters have a lower max, only 2 AP and 1 RP.

Reactions

Any ability that only uses RP is a reaction. Reactions can be used any time during an encounter in response to an action or reaction from another character.

When reacting to another action, it follows the First in, Last out principle. The ability that was activated first gets resolved last. Any ability that is no longer valid due to for example the target moving out of range has its cost refunded and is treated as if it was not used.

For example: Ayra uses 2 AP to attack Enrin with a Heavy Attack from her sword. Enrin uses 1 RP in response to that to use her Evasive Maneuver skill, which lets her move 5ft away from Ayra. Since it was activated last, Enrin’s reaction activates before Ayra’s attack does and she makes her movement. Because the attack is now no longer valid due to Enrin no longer being in range, the attack is cancelled and Ayra is refunded the 2 AP she spent on the attack.

Movement

Every character may on their turn spend 1 AP to move up to their movement speed. This movement has to be done in 1 go and a character cannot save movement to use later in their turn.

A character may move multiple times during their turn, each time spending 1 AP again. They can choose to take other actions in between these movement actions if they wish. They may also choose to spend more AP at the same time.

Difficult terrain costs double movement to cross through. For example, moving through 5ft of difficult terrain would count as having moved 10ft.

A character that is prone cannot move using the move action, they can only move by using the crawl ability.

Characters may freely move through friendly or neutral characters, but not enemies or otherwise hostile characters (GM’s discretion). They may not end their movement in the same space as another character.

A character leaving the threatened range of an enemy by moving may provoke an Attack of Opportunity. Knockbacks and other forced movements do not provoke. If you are made to use your action to move during your turn (for example through a charm ability) then those attacks do provoke.

Jumping & Falling

As part of a movement, a character may jump by using their athletics skill. The jump distance is equal to the value of the skill check. If you moved 5 or more feet before jumping, it increases by 10. However, your jump distance cannot exceed your movement speed. If your movement speed is 20ft and you wish to jump 40ft, you would need to spend 2 AP on that jump.

If a characters falls from a high place, whether naturally or through being a targeted by an ability, they take fall damage. For every 10 feet fallen, a character takes 1d6 true damage. If they fell 30ft or more, they also fall prone. When a character is knocked back through an ability, but is unable to move back the full distance, they also take fall damage. The fall distance in this case is equal to the distance they were unable to move.

A character may choose to jump off a high place, rather than being knocked off or falling off. In this case, they treat the fall as being 30ft lower than it actually is.

Dragging:

You may pick up and carry or drag an unconscious ally. Doing so requires you to spend 1 AP to pick them up before you can move. While dragging or carrying an ally, your movement speed is halved.

You cannot drag allies that are conscious.

Creature Sizes

Creatures come in various sizes. Each size takes up a different amount of space on the battlefield.

Tiny: Doesn't occupy any space and can share the same space as an ally or enemy. No more than 4 tiny character can share the same space.
Small: 5x5ft
Medium: 5x5ft
Large: 10x10ft
Huge: 15x15ft or more.

Creatures of a bigger size can squeeze into a space for one size smaller, but it is considered difficult terrain for them.

If there is a situation where two characters larger than tiny size would occupy the same space, the character that was latest to occupy it is instead shunted to the closest free space.

Stealth

By using the basic Hide action or an ability that does a similar thing, you are able to stealth. You must be behind some sort of cover or otherwise concealed to be able to hide. When you do, you enter the Hiding state against anyone you have cover from.

Hiding: While in Hiding, enemies cannot see or target you and even if they are aware of your presence, they cannot pinpoint your exact location. You lose Hiding if you move, attack or use any other ability that does not have the Stealth keyword unless that movement or attack says otherwise.

After you move, if you moved next to a target in melee range, you may make a single melee attack against them and still be considered in stealth for that attack. This bonus still applies even if you were revealed normally during your movement due to not being in cover, but being revealed through the Overwatch action removes this.

Escaping the battle

Sometimes a battle is lost or simply unwinnable from the start and you want to flee from the battle.

If you play on a battle map, escaping the map is a simple process. To escape the map, you must start your turn on an edge of the map. Then you must spend all your AP to escape as your first action of the turn. If you take any other actions, you can no longer escape that turn. Dropping upkeep is not considered an action, but paying upkeep is. You must also be standing and not rooted or otherwise prevented from moving.

If you are grabbed or carried by a creature, you may choose to escape by the ally that is grabbing you leaving the map.

When escaping the map, you take attacks of opportunity as if leaving an opponent's range like usual. If your movement speed is higher than an enemy, that enemy does not get to make an attack of opportunity.

After escaping a battle, you cannot take encounter conclusion actions.

Using abilities

Abilities are the special abilities that you can find inside classes and races that are more than the normal actions you can take during combat. Each ability has its own range, cost and requirements to use.

You can use multiple abilities per round, as long as you can pay the cost and meet the requirement. However, you can only use each ability once per round, unless that ability has the rapid keyword.  Upgraded abilities count as the same ability.  For example casting Fireball 2 expends the usage of Fireball.  This restriction only applies to abilities, not to basic actions described later in this chapter.

Attacking & Defending

Swinging a sword, shooting an arrow or firing a spell at someone are all examples of an attack. No matter the type of attack, most of them will resolve in the same way:

1. Every attack or ability has a certain range, ap cost or other requirements that must be fulfilled before it can be used. Once you pick a target that matches these requirements, you roll the accuracy check. 
2. You make an accuracy check depending on the type of attack. Light and Heavy attacks are usually 1d20 + your focus. Precise attacks are 1d20 + (focus x 2)
3. Roll for damage. (See resolving the attack below). This damage is only relevant if you manage to hit the enemy's base evasion, but for speed of play it is recommended to roll damage immediately after you make your accuracy check.
4. After seeing the damage, the defender may choose how they wish to react to the attack. Classes and monsters may have special reactions they can use, but everyone can choose between 3 basic ways to defend.
   1. Dodge the attack: The defender commits to dodging the attack. They spend 1 RP and get boosted Evasion.
   2. Block the attack: The defender commits to guarding the attack. They spend 1 RP and get a boosted Guard.
   3. Do nothing. The attack resolves as normal.
5. Resolve the rest of the attack.

Area attacks and selecting targets

Some abilities hit multiple targets in a radius or line. 

A character is considered to be inside of the attack if the line or radius covers at least half of at least one square that the character is standing in.

Accuracy Checks

Most attacks will require an accuracy check to see if the attack hits the target(s). In general, there’s two types of accuracy checks.

Light/Heavy attacks: These require an accuracy check that is 1d20 + Focus

Precise attacks: These require an accuracy check that is 1d20 + (Focus x 2)

The rolled number is compared to the target’s Evasion. If it matches or surpasses the target’s Evasion, the attack hits.

Dodge

Dodge is a basic reaction available to all characters that is generally used when becoming the target of an attack. A character that dodges focuses on avoiding the damage all together rather than trying to lessen the impact of it.

Dodge increases the Evasion of a character by 13. The attacker will need to roll an accuracy check to see if they hit the defender before they can do damage.

This means that a character’s Evasion when using Dodge is now as follows:

Evasion = 20 + Agility

Block

Block is a basic reaction available to all characters that is generally used when becoming the target of an attack. A character using Block focuses on guarding against the damage rather than avoiding it.

Block increases your Guard to the following:

Guard (Block) = 2 x Toughness + Armor Block Value

An attack against a character using Block automatically hits, regardless of what the accuracy check was.

Normal shields also add a +4 to Guard while using Block, but don’t otherwise. Armors and Greatshields always give Guard.

In addition, you may use the Block reaction in general when taking damage even if the damage didn't come from an attack.

Resolving the attack

After an attack hits, it’s time to roll for damage. How much damage an attack does is based on what type of attack it is. These numbers may be modified by certain abilities, weapons or items.

Light attacks deal 2d4 + Power points of damage.

Heavy attacks deal 4d6 + (Power x 2) damage. If the attack is a melee attack made with a Two-Handed melee weapon, it deals 5d6 + (Power x 2) instead.

After the damage is rolled, any guard the defender has is subtracted from the damage. If the block action, or a similar sort of damage reducing action was used then this damage can be reduced to 0. Otherwise, regardless of how much guard the defender has, the attack will always do at least 1 point of damage. Damage resistance or damage reduction effects such as from the acolyte’s ‘Angel’s Embrace’ are applied after the guard has been applied and may still reduce damage to 0.

The damage taken is then subtracted from the defender’s hit points. A character that drops to 0 HP or lower is Downed.

Finally, resolve any other effects that the attack may have.

Temporary HP

There are abilities or items that may grant you temporary HP. Temporary HP is subtracted before your actual hit points are.

Temporary HP does not stack. If you gain extra temporary hit points while you already have some, only the higher number will take effect.

Temporary HP also does not protect against ‘On damage’ effects. They will still happen, even if you only lost temporary HP.

Critical Hits

When an accuracy roll is made and the number rolled is a 20 and the attack is a hit, the attack is a critical hit. 

A person taking the Block action cannot be critically hit.

A critical hit deals maximum damage instead of rolling for the damage done. It also gains the half-pierce (ignores Guard unless the target Dodges or Blocks) effect.

True damage

True damage is damage that is not reduced by Guard or any other effect such as shields or temporary HP. This is often damage that is environmental such as fall damage, drowning etc. Full Pierce attacks also ignore Guard, but they are not considered to do true damage.

True damage ignores most forms of damage reduction, unless the damage reduction specifically states it works on true damage.

Ranged Attacks

Attacks made with a ranged weapon, or any ability with a range bigger than 5ft/Melee Weapon Range are considered ranged attacks unless that ability is made using a melee weapon.

Ranged attacks can be used against a target within the weapon’s or ability’s effective range.

Using a ranged attack provokes an attack of opportunity from enemies in melee weapon range. This can happen multiple times per turn if using multiple ranged attacks in a turn.

Cover

To defend against attacks, characters can take cover behind objects. Primarily used against ranged attacks, it also helps defend against melee attacks. Cover is divided into 3 categories: Low, High and Full

Low Cover: Most types of cover will fall under low cover, such as hiding behind a chest-high wall, a tree or peeking around the corner. While in low cover, a character gains a +4 bonus to their Evasion.

High Cover: High cover is mostly created by magic or that covers most of the body such as arrow slits. While in high cover, a character gains a +6 bonus to their Evasion and their Guard increases by 1.

Full Cover: In full cover, there is no direct line of sight between the character and the attack. While in full cover, a character cannot be targeted. If the point of the attack is somewhere that would grant LoS to the character, such as a fireball thrown behind a wall, then they are not considered in full cover. 

If an attack destroys the cover a character is hiding behind as part of the attack, then the cover bonus is nullified.

Peeking from cover rule:

While in cover and making a ranged attack, you may treat the attack as coming from 5ft away from where you actually are. These 5ft must be a place you could physically reach while still touching the cover (diagonally allowed). This represents you peeking out of cover to fire. If this new space you are shooting from is within the melee attack range of an enemy, that enemy may make an Attack of Opportunity against you as if you are shooting in melee as normal.

However, if you peek from full cover or high cover using this rule, it is regarded as low cover instead.

Hidden Attacker

An attacker may be hidden from a target, through normal stealth, sniping, magical concealment or other means. When this is the case, the first attack the hidden attacker makes gains the Trick Attack keyword. This only applies to attacks with an AP cost of 2 or less.

Any subsequent attacks do not gain the same benefit and can be reacted to as normal.

On the attackers next turn, if they stealth again, the same rules will apply again.

Downed

When a player is reduced to 0 HP they are placed into a downed state and they fall prone. Any attack against a downed character automatically hits (Sure Hit) and guard value is reduced to 0 (Full Pierce).  Downed players may still use actions with the “downed” keyword.

Downed players may receive an Injury at the end of combat.

If a character is reduced to negative their max hit points they are mortally wounded and can no longer take any actions. If they are still mortally wounded at the start of their turn, any effects they have active or applied automatically vanish. Mortally wounded characters die at the end of the encounter resolution phase unless the mortal wound is removed.

Enemy heroic creatures may also end up in the downed state when they are reduced to 0 HP, but grunts always instantly die if they are reduced to 0 (unless they have an ability that states otherwise). Whether a creature ends up downed or dead is up to the GM. In general, humanoids will end up in downed state where as other creatures instantly die.

On hit and On damage

Some abilities have effects that happen on hit or on damage.

On Hit abilities take effect if the accuracy roll was successful, regardless of whether the attack did damage or not.

On damage abilities take effect when you deal damage to the target. If the damage is reduced to 0, then the effect is negated.

Damage Types

There are several damage types in Angel's Sword. There are the main damage types and each damage type can have a large number of subtypes. The main damage type is more important than the subtype. If you have resistance or immunity to a main damage type, you apply that same resistance or immunity to any subtype of that damage type but not vice versa. 

For example: A character with Earth immunity is also immune to Earth(Acid) damage. However, a character with Earth(Acid) immunity is not immune to Earth damage.

The main damage types are as follows:

Physical:

Physical: Physical has the Slashing, Piercing and Bludgeoning subtypes.

Poison: Poisonous stuff.

Magic:

Arcane: Raw magical energy, unaligned but volatile.

Fire: Destructive flames that burn and spread. 

Water: Fluid and adaptable, from crushing tides to suffocating torrents. 

Earth: Unyielding stone, corrosive minerals, and toxic fumes. Common subtype(s): Acid

Wind: Hurricane gusts.

Lightning: Thunder.

Frost: The cold.

Divine:

Holy: Radiant energy that purges corruption. Devastates undead. 

Dark: Shadowy decay or vampiric hunger. Corrupts and drains life. Example subtype: Necrotic

Astra:

Astra: Astra damage is often unexplainable and chaotic. Only commonly done by Fiends.

Mounted Combat

Mounted combat is fighting on the back of a mount such as a horse or pegasus. Being on a mount has advantages such as increased speed, but can be difficult for inexperienced riders.

Actions while mounted:

While mounted, you can in theory take any action you would otherwise be able to take, including moving. 

However, the GM may always rule that some abilities are unusable or don’t work in the usual way. They can also ask for a Riding check if using an ability that would be complex to perform while mounted. Abilities that target yourself do not affect your mount unless stated otherwise.

Your mount cannot normally take any actions by itself. You may command it to use basic actions, using your own AP equal to the AP cost of the action. A mount may also have special abilities that you can activate by using your AP. These special abilities can each only be used once per round like a normal ability.

Moving while mounted

While mounted, your movement speed increases based on the type of mount you’re using. You and your mount move together as one, but you’re the one directing it. You must use your own AP to move.

Most types of mounts force you to move in a straight line. This means that you cannot change directions once you begin moving. Check each mount in the Items section to confirm which mounts have this drawback.

When you use an ability to move, your mount may not always move with you. In general, if your ability has you leaping, sidestepping or otherwise moving without provoking attacks of opportunity, then you dismount from your mount (without a check) when you use this ability (GM’s discretion).

Forced movements and teleport abilities may also move you without moving your mount, thus forcefully dismounting you. Unless the ability states otherwise, any teleport or forced movement that only targets you and not your mount will move only you.

Forced movements against your mount will move you along with it, even if you aren’t targeted by the ability. Teleport abilities on your mount that do not target you and do not explicitly mention moving you with it, will only teleport your mount.

If you provoke attacks of opportunity when moving while mounted, the attack of opportunity is only made against you, not your mount.

Mounting and Dismounting.

When standing within 5ft of an unused mount, a character may spend 1 AP to mount it. You may also attempt to mount it faster by making a Riding check against DC20. On success, you get on top of your mount for 0 AP. On failure, you spend the 1 AP to get on it.

Similarly, you may dismount while mounted for 1 AP stepping off your mount at an empty spot within 5ft of your mount. As with mounting, you may attempt to dismount it faster by making a Riding check against DC20. On success, you dismount for 0 AP. On failure, you lose 1 AP and dismount in the chosen spot.

Attacking a mounted enemy

When a character is mounted, both the character themselves as well as their mount are valid targets for attacks. When choosing a target, you can choose to target the mount of an enemy as if it was a normal target.

If an ability that hits an area would hit both rider and mount, then both of them are affected by the ability as normal.

While a mount is being used and up to a day after that, it counts as a heroic unit for the purposes of determining what type of abilities can affect it if the rider is also a heroic unit.

Dead Mounts

When a mount’s hp is reduced to 0 or lower, it is slain. The rider is forcefully dismounted and knocked prone in their square. If the rider was on top of a flying mount, then he begins to fall to the ground and takes falling damage as normal though they may also use any items or abilities that use RP to stop their fall as normal.

Types of mounts:

The current list of mounts is as follows:

• Dragonfly (Tiny creatures only)
• Boar (Small creatures)
• Horse (Medium creatures)
• Wolf (Medium creatures)
• Pegasus (Medium creatures)
• Wyvern (Medium creatures)

Not every mount can be used by every type of race. Dragonfly are too small to be ridden by anyone but the tiniest of creatures and a pixie is much too small to ride a horse.

Some types of mounts may require a character to have a certain amount of skill points invested into the Riding skill before they can be properly ridden. If a character does not meet this requirement, they must make a Riding check at the end of each turn against DC25 or be thrown off, falling prone in a random spot adjacent to the mount (or falling to the ground in case of a flying mount).

It is possible to use creatures not listed here as mount (Up to the GM’s discretion). In general, creatures that possess their own free will and think on more than just instinct cannot be used as mounts. While creatures like a centaur can be ridden, the rules for mounted combat do not apply to them even if you happen to sit on their backs. Completely mindless or unliving things such as Armatae can also not be used as mounts.

Actions in combat

Aurasense: 0 AP: You check the aura of an enemy within 120ft, letting you know if they are a Boss, Heroic unit or Grunt. An enemy in presence concealment always shows as non-heroic.

Opportunity Attack: 0 RP or 1 RP - Melee Weapon Range: you can use light melee attack (0 RP), Heavy Melee Attack (1 RP) or Precise Melee Attack (1 RP) against a target that is leaving your weapon range. If your attack hits, you deal a minimum damage equal to your Power regardless of the target's guard unless the target blocks the attack.

Block: 1 RP: You attempt to Block the attack or damage. Your Guard is increased to (2 x Toughness) + Armor Block Value.

Crawl: 2 AP:  You move up to 5ft while Prone. Can be used while Downed.

Defend: 3 AP: Your next basic Dodge or Block before the start of your next turn costs 0 RP.

Disengage: 2 AP, Your movement does not trigger attacks of opportunity until the start of your next turn.

Dodge: 1 RP: You attempt to dodge the attack. Your Evasion is increased to 20 + Agility against the triggering attack. 

Drop Object: 0 AP, You immediately drop an object you are holding.

Grab Ally: 1 AP: You grab hold of a downed ally, allowing you to move them with you. Your movement speed is halved while holding on to an ally. Requires at least 1 hand free and does not work on allies that are not Downed. Letting go can be done for 0 AP.

Heavy Attack: 2 AP - Weapon Range: Deals 4d6 +  (2 x Power) damage. Deals 5d6 + (2 x Power) if using a Two-Handed melee weapon and making a melee attack.

Hide: 3 AP: You go into Hiding (as per the keyword) against anyone you have cover from. You cannot use this if you've been the target of an attack since the end of your last turn. If you have at least a +10 bonus in the Stealth skill, the AP cost of this action is reduced by 1.

Hunker Down: 2 AP: You hunker down, treating a low cover you’re next to as high cover until the start of your next turn.

Interact With Object: X AP, You interact with an object. The cost is determined by the GM. Most actions require 1 AP (such as opening or closing a door, sheathing/unsheathing a weapon, or picking up an object). When drawing a weapon or shield, you may draw two weapons or shields with the same action or stow and draw a weapon at the same time.

Light Attack: 1 AP - Weapon Range: Deals 2d4 + Power Damage. 

Move: X AP: You move up to X times your Speed.

Overwatch: 2 AP -  You look in a direction and focus on detecting stealth in a 90 degree 90ft long cone  until the start of your next turn. You automatically spot any creature moving through your entire sight line and reveal these to your allies. An enemy attacking from stealth in the area you are watching does not gain the Trick Attack bonus against you or your allies.

Precise Attack: 2 AP - Weapon Range: Deals 2d4 + Power Damage. Your focus is doubled for the accuracy check. This attack has Pinpoint (You ignore points of the target's guard equal to your Focus. Cannot reduce guard below 0.)

Prepare: X AP: You state a trigger and an action along with any targets involved. The AP is immediately consumed and your turn is ended. If the trigger occurs before the start of your next turn, you may immediately use the action at the point the conditions are met. You cannot prepare actions with a base AP cost of 0 or with a base cost of higher than 2 AP. Your trigger cannot be one of your own 0 RP actions or an action that depends on a dice roll (such as an attack missing or hitting).

Push: 2 AP - 5ft: You push a target that's the same size as you or smaller than you 5ft. The target may spend 1 RP to not get pushed.

Search: 2 AP - You search an area for hidden foes, revealing all hidden enemies in a 20x20ft area within 30ft range. For every +5 bonus you have in Perception, the range increases by 10ft.

Sneak: 2 AP - You move up to your movement speed without going out of Hiding. If you end your movement in a position without cover from an enemy, you are no longer Hiding from them. Although you can do this multiple times per turn, you must end each individual Sneak action in low cover to maintain Hiding.

Stand: 1 AP: Removes the Prone condition.

Thrown Attack: 1 or 2 AP: You can make either a light (1 AP) or heavy attack (2 AP)  up to 15ft range. Any weapon group abilities do not trigger when making a Thrown attack with the weapon.

Grapple: 4 AP. You grapple a target that is not larger than you, rooting both of you and rendering the target incapable of any attacks.  Any attacks directed at the target instead deals damage to you, and you cannot defend against these attacks.  The target may spend 1 AP or 1 RP to attempt to escape, granting them escape power equal to their power.  Further escape attempts continue to add escape power.  When their escape power is equal to 8, the target successfully escapes. This effect ends at the start of your next turn unless you pay Upkeep 4 AP. You may end this effect at any time for 0 RP. Does not work against Boss enemies.
 

Downed Actions

Downed actions are special actions you can take while in a downed state. While in the downed state, you cannot use any other abilities unless they specifically say you can.

Crawl: 2 AP: you move up to 5ft while Prone. Can be used while Downed.

Grit: 2 AP: You heal for 4 damage. Can only be used while Downed.

Play Dead: 4 AP: You feign death making targets less likely to attack you. The GM may ask for a Deception or Cunning check. This state ends when you take any action other than Play Dead. Can only be used while Downed.

Throw Rock: 2 AP: You can throw a one handed object (like a stone) at a target up to 40ft away for 2 damage. Can be used while Downed. Sure Hit/Full Pierce.

Non-heroic actions

Non-heroic actions are special actions that can only be used by non-heroic characters. These can be used once per turn only.

Retreat: 1 AP:  You cannot be targeted by attack of opportunity. 

Stride: 1 AP:  You move double your movement speed.

Encounter Conclusion actions

Encounter Conclusion actions are special actions that can only be used in the Encounter Conclusion phase.

Draw Mana: You regain 1 mana.

Gather Parts: You skin or remove parts from a slain monster. Each monster can only be gathered from once, unless stated otherwise. Make a survival check (Average DC is 15 for grunts, 20 for heroics and 25 for bosses). On success, you obtain the gatherable materials. On failure, you receive a % based of how close your roll was to the DC.

Scavenge: You carefully search the corpses, automatically finding any hidden loot they might have carried without having to roll.

Second Wind: You Heal yourself for 4d4.

Treat Conditions: You may use a Medical Kit or Surgery Kit to remove a single harmful effect such as common Poisons or Diseases that were applied during the battle from yourself or allies.

Encounter Start actions

Delay: You may lower your initiative to any number between 0 and your initiative.

Unsheathe: You may draw up to two weapons, shields and/or other items.

Encounter Conclusion

At the end of every encounter an Encounter Conclusion Phase occurs.  The following events occur in order during this phase.

1. Players may use one Encounter Conclusion action each.
2. Resolve character deaths and recover from downed
3. Resolve character injuries.
4. Distribute Loot.
5. Distribute EXP.

This phase occurs even if the fight was not a victory, but it may be delayed until the party is in a safe spot by the GM’s discretion.

Encounter Conclusion Actions

Players may use a single Encounter Conclusion action each when this phase begins.  These actions can have various effects.

Draw Mana: You regain 1 mana.

Gather Parts: You skin or remove parts from a slain monster. You may make a Survival check with the result influencing how much and what you gather.

Scavenge: You carefully search the corpses, automatically finding any hidden loot they might have carried without having to roll.

Second Wind: You Heal yourself for 4d4.

Treat Conditions: You may use a Medical Kit or Surgery Kit to remove a single harmful effect such as common Poisons or Diseases that were applied during the battle from yourself or allies.

Resolve Character Deaths

Characters that reach negative their maximum hitpoints in combat receive the Mortal Wound status.  During this phase any characters with Mortal Wound immediately die.

Every character without a Mortal Wound that is still in downed state gets healed up to 1 HP and the downed state is removed from them.  

Resolve Character Injuries

Characters that have been downed at least once during combat or received an injury effect receive their injuries now. A character may receive multiple injuries from being downed during combat. However, they can only suffer the effects of one injury from being downed. If nothing is done to prevent it, the character receives an injury of varying levels.

For example: A character is downed three times during combat, receiving 3 injuries. At the end of combat, they get healed by Light's Care, which removes an injury and leaves them with 2. Despite having 2 injuries, they still only roll once on the injury table and only suffer that injury.

If a character receives an injury through something other than being downed, such as an ability, then this injury stacks with the injury from being downed. A character injured in this way could have 2 or more injuries at the end of the fight.

Roll a 1d10 to determine which injury is received:

1. Main Hand Injury: Your main hand becomes broken.  You immediately drop whatever you are holding in your main hand after taking an action with the object you are wielding.
2. Muscle Injury:  You have 2 less RP.
3. Spirit Circuit Injury:  You do not regenerate mana from food.
4. Off Hand Injury:  Your off hand becomes broken.  You immediately drop whatever you are holding in your off hand after taking an action with the object you are wielding.
5. Leg Injury: Your movement speed is reduced by 10.
6. Head Injury:  You receive 1 less AP on your turn.
7. Wound Injury:  Everytime you take damage, you take an additional 1 damage and your Evasion rating is reduced by 2.
8. Eye Injury:  Reduces any sight-related checks by 10 and reduces your hit rate by 3.
9. Laceration Injury: If you use all of your available AP in a turn you immediately receive 1d6 true damage.
10. Foot Injury:  Your movement speed is reduced by 5.

A single injury is removed by taking a Recover Action during the Interlude Phase.

Custom Actions / Stunting

One of the appeals of the TTRPG genre is the ability to freely act and take actions and interact in ways that are not always explicitly stated.  Perhaps as you fall from a cliff, you would impale your sword into the side of it in an attempt to stop your fall.  Or maybe leap onto a counter in order to gain the high ground for your next attack as you flip through the air in a downward thrust.  All of these things create cool and unique scenarios—however there can be a fine line between a cool stunt action and always attempting to bypass the rules.

In ASTTRPG the GM has much more tools at their disposal for dealing with these kinds of things.

You could for instance, demand an encounter start action, encounter conclusion action or even RP to perform one of these maneuvers.  This makes it not always optimal to perform these actions, but does make them incredibly fun when they do happen.

Here is an example scenario:

GM:  You stand upon the iron Armatae, a giant metal colossus, searching for the hatch to gain entry.  You see the hatch twenty feet away from you, it is covered in a hard leather shell.
Player:  I run to the hatch and prepare to open it, jamming my spear into the leather hatch with a heavy attack!
GM: The pilot of the Armatae notices your movement and slams their controls to the right, and then to the left, causing a sudden movement in an attempt to shake you off!  Roll for athletics to stay on.
Player: (Rolls low) 
GM: You begin to slip off of the Armatae, falling towards the ground.
Player:  Can I grab the spear, which I lodged into the hardened leather? In order to stay on?!
GM: You may do this for 1 RP.
Player:  I spend my 1 RP and I hold on tight!
GM:  You muster what stamina you have to grab onto the spear, holding on to it for dear life as you are whipped around like a ragdoll.

This a fun scenario in which the player is able to utilize a cool and creative moment—and for the GM it did come with a cost.  That 1 RP is a crucial resource for a fight, so its not as if the action was completely free.

As a GM feel free to demand the usage of resources such as:

RP
Mana
Secret Arts
Encounter Start
Encounter Conclusion
Injuries
and other resources

You can make the game more dynamic and fun by using what you have at your disposal.

Interlude

Interlude System

Interlude is the time between adventures.  Players are given interlude points by the GM.  The GM can choose how many interlude points to grant the party, but here is a guide:

0 Interlude Points: No break before the next segment of adventure.  Not much occurred in the adventure.

1 Interlude Point:  A very short amount of time before the next segment of the adventure measured in days.  When the party completes a short length adventure.

2 Interlude Points:  A medium amount of time before the next segment of the adventure measured in weeks.  When the party completes a medium length adventure.

3 Interlude Points:  A long period of time before the next segment of adventure measured in months.  When a party completes a long length adventure.

The GM can choose to give more or less interlude points at their discretion.

Interlude Actions

During the interlude players may use their Interlude Points on actions.  Interlude points do not carry over between interludes and are lost at the start of the next arc.

Note: The GM may disallow some interlude actions or reduce their effectiveness depending on where the interlude takes place.  For example, the GM might say that crafting a sword is not allowed due to a lack of blacksmith facilities.

Appraise Item: 1 IP: You appraise up to two items by using various tests to find out its properties. You may always use Appraise for this, though depending on the material or equipment other checks such as magic, survival, blacksmithing etc could also work. You may still receive partial identification on a failure. You cannot appraise the same item twice in a single IP use.

Class action: If you possess a class with an ability that costs an interlude point, you may do so here.

Crafting: 1 IP:  You craft an item. (see Artisan Classes and Crafting)

Gather: Gain 600 units of basic material related to the activity you are doing. If you have the tier 1 gathering class related to the activity mastered, you gain double the amount. If you have the tier 2 gathering class mastered, half of what you gather can be the tier 1.5 material (tamahagane or maple). If you have mastered Trapper, this bonus applies to gathering Food or Junk units.

Heal Injury: 1 IP: Must have an ability that can heal others in combat or for encounter conclusion (including human racial), alternatively you can have +5 medical skill points and a medical/surgery kit. You use your abilities, healing one of another character's injuries.

Investigate: You spend the interlude action investigating a topic, person or organization, such as Red Halo, in depth. Where the research action is more finding information in books or similar methods, the investigate action is closer to a detective doing fieldwork. When taking this action, if there is a lead to be found, you will find it. Additional rolls may still be required afterwards.

Job: 1 IP:  You gain money through working at a job. 

• Base: 300 Clim
• Artisan Mastery: If you have at least 1 crafting class mastered, you gain an additional 300 Clim (Does not stack).

Learn Class: 1 IP + 100 EXP Per Class Tier:  You learn a new class.

Mentor Class: 1 IP: Must have class mastery. You teach a person the ins and outs of your mastered class, allowing them to learn a class without spending IP. The student must still spend an EP and the required EXP, and must do so immediately when taking this action. 

Recover: 1 IP: You recover from an injury.

Research: You spend the interlude action researching a topic, such as the history of Westria, in depth, using whatever resources you have available to you. Instead of making a roll, you may treat the relevant skill roll as if you had rolled a 20.

Rest: You relax and recuperate from your adventures, making sure you’re fully rested for the next one. When the next adventure starts, you start with an additional 20% HP and Mana as temporary HP and Mana. Does not stack.

Train: You spend your time training and improving your skills. You gain 25 exp.

Errands:

Errands are actions that cost 0 IP, however errands beyond the first on each Interlude Phase costs 1 IP. Essentially, you gain 1 Errand Point (EP) whenever you gain an Interlude Point.

Errands are mostly found in classes or other special abilities. The only basic errand action is the following:

Learning from a Mentor: If you have a willing teacher that has a class mastered and has an IP to spend on teaching you, you may use your errand action to learn that class. You must still pay EXP as normal.

Raising Animals

Players can find eggs, young or wild animals in their adventures and may want to raise these into a mount they can ride into battle. This process involves a few steps.

For all these steps, something like a Stables facility building is required.

Hatching an egg

Finding an egg to raise is the most common way to obtain a possible exotic pet or mount. Eggs must be hatched in a stables facility by spending an IP and making an animal husbandry check. The difficulty of this depends heavily on the type of animal the egg is from.

On a successful check, the egg hatches.

Some eggs may take multiple IP..

Growing it

Most animals take months if not years to reach maturity. For such an animal to be able to be ridden, it must be given a Growth potion by spending an IP.

Training it

Finally, a creature must be trained by spending another IP and making another animal husbandry check.

Like with the hatching, the difficulty and amount of training times will vary depending on the animal you are attempting to train.

Crafting & Gathering

Crafting

When To Craft?

Crafting occurs during the Interlude Phase of the game, when the players are experiencing a break from their adventuring.  To initiate a crafting phase you must pay the item crafting cost which is designated as “Material”.  Examples of Base Material include:  Ore Material, Botany Material etc.  You must spend the amount of Base Material equal to the kind of item you are crafting and might have to spend additional material during crafting to achieve certain effects.

For some equipment crafting, you must choose a material type which affects the cost.  For example Iron or Mithril.

For alchemy, the crafting requirements are different. Alchemists must pay the listed unit materials as well as the required herbs listed in the item they craft. Alchemists always craft at least 3 of the item and this is reflected in the costs already.

Rerolls in crafting

Generic abilities that let you add extra dice or reroll such as human racial do not work while crafting. The exception to this rule is abilities that are specifically tied to crafting classes or items, such as transmuter abilities.

Crafting Time

By default, when you initiate crafting you are give 5 “Crafting Dice”, d10 dice that are used to determine the crafting result.  You may use these dice to initiate a crafting check:

D10 + Crafting Skill (+Expertise) + Modifiers

For example if you are crafting a longsword and you have Blacksmithing 5 and Longsword 10, then your crafting bonus would be +15.  You then add the crafting check result to the crafting points total.

Your final crafting points must be equal to the items crafting HP in order to complete it. Once you are out of crafting dice and have no more actions you wish to perform during crafting, the crafting ends.

When crafting, you may only use each ability once during a craft unless it has the Rapid keyword.

Crafting Actions

Basic Craft:  Rapid. 1 Crafting Dice.  You add a crafting check to the item.

Beginners Luck: 1 Crafting Dice.  You do not add your crafting skill to the check, but you roll two d10s and pick the highest one.

Standard Finish: 2 Crafting Dice.  Double the current crafting points and end crafting. Cannot be used if the item being crafted has been modified beyond it's base form or cannot be modified at all. (for example, by adding a +1 power bonus to it via blacksmithing).

Steady Craft: 1 Crafting Dice.  You add a crafting check to the item.  The crafting dice automatically is a 5.

Failed Crafting

If you end your crafting and your crafting points does not equal the items crafting HP, then the craft fails.  You lose all materials used for crafting.

Example

John Carpenter wants to craft a Bow (Two-Handed). He has a +5 bonus to his carpentry and he needs to get a minimum of 30 crafting points to succeed. He uses 2 normal Pine Blocks as his material and begins crafting.

1. He starts with a basic craft and rolls a 6. With his 5 bonus, he is now at an 11 Crafting points
2. On his second basic craft he rolls a 7. Adding the 5 bonus again, we add 12+11 and get to a total of 23.
3. For this third basic craft he rolls an 4. With the 5 bonus, we add 9 to the 23 and get a total of 32.
4. John already has enough crafting points to successfully craft the weapon. However, he can try to put a mod on it if he gets enough points.
5. He makes another basic craft check and rolls a 3. With the 5 bonus, we add an 8 to the 32 and get a total of 40.
6. John wants a Recurve A Mod on his bow which requires a total of 50 points. Seeing that he only need 10 more points, he uses Steady Craft to guarantee a 5 roll for 10 points added and making it a total of 50 points.
7. Now John uses Carpenter's Modification A to add Recurve to his bow, leaving him with 30 points.
8. 30 points is enough to complete the item and John crafts a recurve bow.

Material

You can either find, gather or purchase Materials. All Materials sell on the market on average for 2 units for every 1 Clim, with the exception of junk units which sell for 4 units for every clim. Provided is a list of some material types.

• Airship Parts: Airship Parts
• Artifice Parts: Magical Technology Parts
• Botany:  Plants, Herbs
• Hunter:  Leather
• Magical Fuel: Magic Crystals, Magical Liquids
• Ore:  Rocks, Gems, Minerals
• Wood: Lumber
• Food: Meats, vegetables

A player cannot carry more than 1000 units of the same material. However, if the material is not the exact same (For example, 1000 unit of chorpa steak and 1000 units of carrots, both a food unit) then you can carry more.

Gathering

Gathering is the collection of resources from a resource node, such as mining an iron outcrop or harvesting a herb.

To start gathering, a person must first find a suitable resource node. They then need a suitable tool for the gathering action, such as a pickaxe for mining.

Outcrops:

An outcrop is a resource node that a gatherer can gather from. Outcrops have the following values:

HP: All outcrops have an HP value. A gathering attempt reduces this by 1 after it finishes. When an outcrop is reduced to 0 HP, it can no longer be gathered from.
Node Points: The node's normal gathering points which must be cleared to claim any reward.
Lucky Points: The node's rare points which must be cleared in order to claim the node's rare reward. Note that node points must still be cleared to gain any reward.
Yield: How much units are obtained from clearing
Lucky Yield: The rare resource that is obtained from clearing Lucky Points

These values are shown to the players when they attempt to gather from the outcrop.

Variations:

Outcrops may have modifiers on them that increase or decrease the difficulty or rewards. The GM should roll a d20 to determine the modifier:

(1) Explosive Node:  If you do not complete the NP requirement, the rock explodes and you are inflicted by an injury.
(2) Hazard Node:  Every Strike Dice you use deals 1d4 damage to you.
(3) Barren Node:  There is no Rare Yield for this node.
(4) Obscured Node:  -1 Dice
(5) Muddy Node: -1 Dice, all other gathering dice are upgraded to d20.
(6) Volatile Node:  Rolls 1-5 are now 1.  Rolls 6-10 are now 10.
(7-14) Normal Node: No changes
(15) Deep Node:  The last HP of the outcrop grants rare yield for both NP and LP values.  However all other HP has only normal materials for both NP and LP Values.
(16) Alloy Node:  This node has half normal yield, but grants two different rare yield materials.
(17) Hardened Node:  Tool bonuses are doubled.
(18) Exposed Node: +1 Dice
(19) Rich Node:  Yield and Rare Yield are doubled.
(20) Exposed Rich Node: +1 Dice and Yield and Rare Yield are doubled.

Example Node:

Normal Dark Iron Outcrop
HP: 3
Node Points: 40
Lucky Points: 15
Yield: 500 units of iron
Lucky Yield: 500 units of Dark Iron.

Node Listings:

T1:

Rough idea of what a node should look like.

The HP of a node should be between 2 to 4 HP on average.

A tier 1 node contains the basic materials in its normal yield, such as Iron or Magical Fuel for mining, Pine for woodcutting and alchemy units for plant gathering.

For its rare yield, it may contain any material where the cost per ingot/block is ≤ 1050. For alchemy, it can contain common and rare herbs to a similar clim value.

T2:

Rough idea of what t2 nodes should look like

For tier 2 nodes, the yield remains mostly the same, however the base yield turns into Tamahagane instead of iron and Maple instead of Pine. Alchemy units are unchanged.

For its rare yield, it may contain any material where the cost is ≤ 4050. For alchemy, it can contain Common, Rare and Mystic herbs.

Gathering:

When you start gathering you receive 5 strike dice you can use in the gathering session. Each Strike Dice is a d10 that you may use to make gathering checks. A gathering check is as follows:

d10 + Gathering Skill + Modifiers

A gathering check is normally made against the Node Points, though some abilities will let you make it against Lucky Points as well.

Abilities may cost Node or Lucky Points in addition to Strike Dice. You must be able to pay the cost for these abilities to use them and cannot go negative.

You may use gathering abilities until you can no longer use any. If you've cleared the Node Points when you are done with the gathering session, you receive the yield. If you also cleared the Lucky Points, you also receive the Lucky Yield.

You can only attempt to gather from an outcrop once per day. However, multiple gatherers may gather from the same node while its HP lasts.

Example:

John Mining comes across a silver outcrop with 40 NP and 15 LP. His mining bonus is a +5.

1. He opens with Power Rock Strike and rolls a 6. His gathering bonus is halved, so he adds an 8 to both NP and LP
2. He uses Iron Focus as his second action, and rolls a 1. He adds 6 to his NP and lowers his LP by 5 for a total of 14 NP and 3 LP
3. He does a basic strike and rolls a 9. He adds 9+5+5 (From IF) to his NP for a total of 33 NP and 3 LP.
4. He can see he's close to maxing out NP and so he does an efficient strike and rolls a 5. His total is 15, 7 of which gets added to NP and 8 which overflows into LP for a total of 40 NP and 11 LP
5. For his final actions he does Novice's Perseverance and rolls a 3 and a 2. He picks the 3 (+5 from IF) into LP for a total of 40 NP and 19 LP.
6. This beats both the NP and LP requirements, so John obtains both the iron and silver rewards.

Basic Gathering Actions:

Basic Strike: Rapid. 1 Strike Dice. You add a gathering check to the node points to the target node.

Lucky Strike: Rapid. 1 Strike Dice, 10 Node Points. You add a gathering check to the lucky points to the target node. This strike has a +10 bonus.

Novice’s Perseverance: 1 Strike Dice. You do not add your crafting skill to the check, but you roll two d10s and pick the highest. Can be used against either NP or LP

Back To Basics: 2 Strike Dice. Convert all LP up to a maximum of 60 to NP.

Iron Focus: 1 Strike Dice, 5 Lucky Points: Make a gathering check. Afterwards, you gain a +5 bonus to all gathering checks for the rest of this gathering session.

Items & Equipment

Proficiency

To use a weapon or armor, you are required to be proficient in it. When choosing a proficiency for a weapon, you become proficient with both the One-Handed and Two-Handed version at no additional cost.

Using a weapon in which you aren’t proficient negates any weapon group bonuses and you treat the weapon as an improvised weapon.

Using an armor or shield in which you aren’t proficient lowers the guard gained from it by 1 and increases the Evasion penalty by 1.

Weapons

Weapons are equipment that are used primarily for making attacks with. There are several different types of weapons.

With a few exceptions, there are no direct examples of weapons listed. Instead, it is up to the players themselves to choose what weapon they would like to use and work together with the GM to figure out what weapon group it would fit best in and whether it can be a One-Handed or Two-Handed weapon. The groups below list examples, but these are simply guidelines and which weapons fall under which group is ultimately up to the GM’s discretion. 

A specific weapon’s group and whether it’s One-Handed or Two-Handed is determined when acquired and cannot be easily changed afterwards. For example: A player buys a polearm and acquires a spear, a One-Handed weapon. This spear is now always treated as a One-Handed weapon, even though polearms can be both One-Handed or Two-Handed weapons.

One-Handed Weapons

One-Handed weapons only require 1 hand to use and can be used at the same time as a shield or another One-Handed weapon.

If you wield two One-Handed weapons, you may choose with which weapon you attack and thus which weapon group ability you will benefit from.

If you use a One-Handed weapon in each hand, you can make dual wield attacks. Once on your turn when making a basic light attack with a One-Handed weapon, you may immediately make another light attack with the second weapon for 0 AP.

Two-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed weapons are larger weapons that require two hands to use. They can be carried in a single hand, but you must use both hands to attack with them. When making an attack or using an ability that uses the weapon, you are considered to be holding the weapon with both hands until the start of your next turn unless you actively sheath or drop the weapon.

Whenever you make a melee heavy attack with a Two-Handed melee weapon, you deal 5d6 damage instead of 4d6.

Unarmed attacks

Unarmed attacks are attacks made using fists, legs or another part of your body. They are considered One-Handed weapons, but cannot be used to make dual wield attacks.

Unarmed attacks only deal 1 point of damage. If you are proficient in unarmed attacks, they deal damage as a normal One-Handed weapon instead. You may not use unarmed attacks if you don’t have at least 1 hand free. 

When making an unarmed attack, you may choose to deal non-lethal damage instead. Dealing non-lethal damage still subtracts HP from the target as normal, but enemies will not die when their HP reaches 0.

Improvised Weapons

Improvised weapons are objects used as weapons that are normally not considered weapons such as rocks, chairs or bottles.

Improvised attacks deal 2d6+Power damage instead of 4d6+Power x 2 on a Heavy attack or deal 2d4 (no power bonus) damage instead of 2d4+Power on a Light attack. 

Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons are weapons that can be used from a distance. They can be either One-Handed or Two-Handed weapons.

Ranged weapons have an effective range of 60ft for One-Handed weapons or 120ft for Two-Handed weapons.

Non-ranged weapons can be used to make ranged attacks by throwing the weapon.

Weapon Groups

Melee Weapons

• Small weapons (One-Handed): Hidden Weapon: You may draw this weapon for 0 AP. Each combat, after you draw the weapon if the next attack you make that round is using this weapon and is a basic Light or Heavy attack, it gains the Trick Attack keyword. After benefiting from this bonus, you cannot do so again the same combat even if drawing a different weapon with this ability..Example: Dagger, Kukri
• Polearms (One-Handed or Two-Handed): Polearm: You gain +5ft range on your weapon attacks and your threatened range becomes 5-10ft. Example: Spear, Trident
• Light Swords (One-Handed): Nimble: After attacking an enemy with a light attack during your turn, you may move 5ft. This movement only provokes attacks of opportunity if that movement would put you out of melee range of the target. Example: Shortsword, Wakizashi, Scimitar
• Longsword (Special): Versatile: At the start of your turn, before you make any attacks you may choose to treat this as either a One-Handed weapon or a Two-Handed weapon. When using a longsword as a One-Handed weapon and no other weapon or shield, you gain +4 Block. When using it as a Two-Handed Weapon, you deal an additional 1d4 damage on a critical hit. This extra damage is not automatically maximized from rolling a critical hit, but you keep the extra damage even if the target blocked the critical hit. Example: Longsword, Bastard sword
• Dueling Weapons (One-Handed): Dueling: When attacking a single enemy during a turn at least 3 times with this weapon, your next Dodge or Block against that enemy costs 0 RP until the start of your next turn. This property cannot be used if you target any other enemy during your turn or if you spend AP making a Heavy attack against the target. Example: Rapier
• Axes (One-Handed or Two-Handed): Wild Swing: When attacking a target, you still deal 4 (Light Attack) or 8 (Heavy/Precise Attack) damage if the attack misses. This is reduced by guard (to a minimum of 1). On damage effects do not trigger from this damage. Example: Battleaxe, Handaxe, Greataxe
• Bludgeoning Weapons  (One-Handed or Two-Handed):  Hollow Blow: When attacking and hitting a target, you deal additional damage if they Block. This damage is 2 on a Light/Precise attack or 4 on a Heavy attack.. Example: Morningstar, Kanabo, Maul
• Katana (One-Handed or Two-Handed): Keen: You score a critical hit on a 19 or 20. Example: Katana
• Heavy Blades (Two-Handed): Overpower: When you land a critical hit with a Heavy Blade, you deal an additional 1d4 damage if it was a light attack or an additional 1d12 damage if it was a heavy attack. This extra damage is not automatically maximized from rolling a critical hit but you keep the extra damage even if the target blocked the critical hit.
• Twinblade (Two-Handed): Twin Strike: You can make dual wield attacks as if you were wielding two weapons.

Ranged Weapons

• Thrown (One-Handed or Two-Handed): This weapon can be used as a melee weapon without penalty. After making a ranged attack with this weapon, it returns to your hand. Example: Javelin.
• Set of Missiles (One-Handed): Has only 30ft range.  You draw one instance of this weapon at the start of making an attack (the rest remain on your equipment). Making an attack while stealthed with this weapon does not break your stealth.
• Bow (Two-Handed): High Ground: Has 240ft effective range. If fired against a target who is at least 10ft lower than you are, you may treat the attack as coming from the sky and calculate any low cover as if the attack originated from above the target.
• Crossbow (One-Handed or Two-Handed): Armor Pierce: Treats the enemy's Guard as if it was 1 (One-Handed) or 2 (Two-Handed) lower if within 30ft of the target.
• Musket (Two-Handed): Armor Pierce: Treats the enemy’s Guard as if it was 1 lower.
• Sling (One-Handed): Giant Killer:  Cannot be dual wielded with another sling. You can overcharge your basic heavy attack for 1 AP to deal 9 extra damage.

Specialized Weapons

Specialized weapons are weapons that are not commonly used by people. Specialty weapons are not normally obtained through abilities that give proficiency, unless it specifically mentions it.

• Pistol (One-Handed ranged): Two-Handed Grip: You may sheath or draw this weapon for 0 AP once per turn. When you use two hands to make attacks with this weapon, you get a +1 (Light or Heavy attack) or +2 (Precise attack) bonus to your accuracy roll.
• Shotgun (One-Handed or Two-Handed ranged): Point Blank: Only has 15ft (One-Handed) or 30ft (Two-Handed) effective range, but can be fired in melee range without provoking attacks of opportunity.
• Sniper Rifle (Two-Handed ranged): Snipe: Sniper rifles have 720ft effective range. Looking through a sniper scope gives you a +10 bonus to Perception when looking at things further than 60ft away.
• Saboteur Thread Daggers (Light melee):  Wired Weapon: You may draw or sheath this weapon for 0 AP once per turn. You may throw this weapon up to 30ft as if it was a throwing weapon. You may recall the weapon after throwing it for 0 AP.
• Lance (One-Handed melee): Charger Weapon: Can only be used while mounted. Counts as a polearm weapon and has all the same properties of one. Your first attack made with this weapon after moving at least 20ft deal maximum damage instead of rolling.
• Whip (One-Handed melee): Whip Crack:  You gain +5ft range on your weapon attacks.  Weapon attacks made at exactly 10ft range gain +1 damage.  Your threatened range is still 5ft.
• Gauntlets (One-Handed melee): Unarmed Combat: Attacks with this weapon count as unarmed attacks for the purposes of Unarmed Strike. If you are proficient in unarmed attacks, you are automatically proficient in this weapon. Otherwise, you are never proficient in this weapon.

There are also several specialized weapons used by crafters and gatherers that function like normal weapons, but can be used like a tool such as Pickaxe, Sickle and Hori.

Channeling Weapons

Channeling weapons are a unique subclass of Specialized weapons that are made for magic users. Channeling weapons allow for spells to be cast through, with magical versions allowing for its effects to be transferred over into a spell. Any Enchantment effect placed on a channeling weapon applies to any spells you cast while holding the weapon. You can only gain this benefit once, even if holding two enchanted channeling weapons.

• Wand (One-Handed or Two-Handed Ranged): Magic Blast: You may alter the damage type fired by an attack made with this weapon for 0 AP. The damage type must be an element type you have mastered (usually unlocked through classes) or one that’s built into the weapon. Each weapon has at least one element built in.
• Magic Staff (One-Handed or Two-Handed melee): On damage with an attack made with this weapon, you may spend 1 Mana to push the target back 5ft.

Artisan Weapons

Artisan weapons used primarily be gatherers and crafters. They are a subclass of specialized weapons that can be used for crafting or gathering in addition to their combat use.

• Scythe (Two-Handed melee): Sweeping Arc: Once per turn, when you make a Heavy attack against a target, you may make a Light attack against a different enemy within your range.
• Giant Scissors: (Two-Handed melee) Shearing: You deal +1 damage to unarmored targets.
• Pickaxe (One-Handed or Two-Handed Melee): Treated as an axe.
• Hori (One-Handed melee): Treated as a small weapon.
• Sickle (One-Handed melee): Treated as an axe.
• Smith's Hammer (One-Handed or Two-Handed melee): Treated as a bludgeoning weapon.

Armor

Armor is protective equipment that reduces the damage you take.

Much like weapons, no specific armors are listed but they are instead divided into three types: Light, Medium and Heavy. A person can only wear 1 armor at the same time. Shields, while listed in this section, are not considered armor and can be used at the same time as armor. 

Light Armor: Increases your Guard by 1, but reduces your Initiative by 1 and your Evasion and Dodge by 2. When taking the Block action, the guard value of this is increased to 4. Example: Leather armor.

Medium Armor: Increases your Guard by 2, but reduces your Initiative by 2 and your Evasion and Dodge by 4. When taking the Block action, the guard value of this is increased to 8. Example: Chain Shirt.

Heavy Armor: Increases your Guard by 3, but reduces your Initiative by 3 and your Evasion and Dodge by 6. When taking the Block action, the guard value of this is increased to 12. Example: Full plate armor.

Shields: Increase your Guard by 4 when using the Block action.

Greatshields (Specialty Shield): Increases your Guard by 1, but reduces your Initiative by 1 and your Evasion and Dodge by 2. When taking the Block action, the guard value of this is increased to 8.

Using a shield or greatshield as an improvised weapon disables their benefit (but not their negatives, if any) until the start of your next turn.

Armor Modifications

Armor modifications are different versions of an armor, usually made with a different materials or with artifice mechanics inside of it. They give a bonus to one aspect of the armor, but at the cost of something else.

Unless otherwise stated each armor can only benefit from 1 modification.

Outside of Armor Plates, an armor modification is added at the creation of the armor and cannot be added to an existing armor.

Poisons:

Poisons listed as contact poisons may be applied to a weapon by spending 1 AP. Each poison has a set duration and a fixed number of hits it lasts. Poison is only inflicted when damage is dealt and no ‘hits’ are consumed when an attack fails to deal damage through things such as block. If the attack hits multiple targets at the same time, the poison is still only applied to 1 target but you may choose which one.

Poison may be applied to melee weapons as normal. If applying it to a ranged weapon, you are considered to be applying it to the ammunition (if aplicable) instead. You cannot apply poison to a Wand.

A person may suffer the effects of the same poison multiple times, depending on the poison type. However, any negative statuses applied by poison do not stack unless stated otherwise.

Artifices

What are artifices?

In Lyrian Chronicles artifices are used in everyday life.  They are devices created with a magical circuit that can perform a specific magical function.  They are powered by small “magical fuel shells” , which are containers of magical fuel of varying sizes.

While basic artifices are simple and intuitive enough to learn and use immediately, more complex artifices may require proficiency.

There are some actions involved with using artifices.

Basic Artifice Actions

Reload Artifice (Small Shell):  2 AP.  You reload an artifice item with a small shell in your possession. 

Reload Artifice (Medium Shell):  1 Minute.  You reload an artifice item with a medium shell in your possession. 

Activate Artifice:  Using an artifice is free unless stated otherwise. Some artifices can only be used after certain events. Each artifice can only be used once per turn unless stated otherwise.

Artifice Attachments:

Artifice attachments are artifices that attach to another weapon, such as the Buster Weapon artifice.

Only regularly crafted weapons have a ‘slot’ available for such an artifice and only one attachment can be attached.

Artifice weapons and unique weapons such as Astra Relics generally don't have an attachment slot and cannot take artifices.

Fuel

When the effect is triggered, the shell is immediately consumed but lasts for the described duration.  You can freely turn the effect on and off unless otherwise specified for the duration.

Airships

Airships are an unique type of artifice that are large floating ships. Each Airship has its own weapons and shields.

Instead of targeting a unit a player may instead opt to target an airship. All damage is transfered to the shields of the airship first before damaging the HP.

If the airship’s HP is reduced to 0 then the airship can no longer fly and crashes onto the ground.

Aerial Staff

The Aerial Staff is a special type of Airship that is mounted by a single person. These can have shields like airships do and the following properties:

All Aerial Staves have line movement and a turn rating. Your movement speed reduces to this turn rating for the next movement action when making a movement more than 180 degrees behind your last one.

When riding an Aerial Staff you start in ‘Aerial Mode’. While in Aerial Mode you cannot use any attacks or actions that are not airship weapons or have the Aerial Mage keyword. Because an Aerial Staff is considered an airship, it also does not benefit from things such as movement speed buffs on yourself.

Your movement generates 'Strafe X' where X is the distance moved towards the target. Strafe is required for firing Aerial Staff weapons. After attacking or changing directions, Strafe resets to 0.

Aerial Mage has 3 types of weapons:
Fixed weapons can only be fired at the Strafe Target.
Gimbaled weapons can be fired at targets within 180 degrees in the direction you moved in last.
Turret weapons have no restrictions.
 

Burden

There is a limit to how many items a character can carry with them, though this applies primarily to combat items. For non-combat items, it is encouraged to let players carry with them what they want within reason.

Combat items

Combat items include weapons, armor, shields, consumables or tools with a combat purpose such as caltrops, potions, flashbangs, bombs etc. A character has easy access to combat items and can easily stow or retrieve these items during combat.

A character can carry items up to a burden value of 10.

If your burden goes over your limit, you become Rooted.

Burden values 

• One-Handed weapon: 1
• Longsword: 1
• Two-Handed Weapon: 2
• Light armor: 1
• Medium armor: 2
• Heavy armor: 3
• Shield: 1
• Greatshield: 2
• Potion/Elixir/Flask: 1
• Tools: 1

Special versions of items may be ruled to have a higher burden value.

Non-combat items

Non-combat items include everything else, mostly items that serve no purpose in battle but are vital for adventuring such as rations, ropes, bedrolls. Stored in a backpack, saddlebags of a mount or left back at the airship, these items are not easily accessible during combat and retrieving an item stored here takes 4 AP, or it might be simply impossible.

It is possible to store weapons and potions with non-combat items as well, but they carry the same penalty as other items.

Kits

Despite being a non-combat item, kits follow a special rule. If you carry a kit on you, it is always considered to be a Burden item.

Housing

Throughout Lyr, adventurers and civilians alike seek out to build homes, develop strongholds or establish workshops to help support their livelihoods.  This section covers the rules for acquiring land, constructing buildings and installing functional facilities that grant gameplay benefits.  Whether that start is a humble cottage or a bustling guildhall every structure begins with hard work and a lot of wood.

Land and Property

Before building can begin, you must obtain land.  Ownership and costs may vary by region.  Here we are providing some example pricing:

PLOT COSTS:

HOUSE COSTS:

The crafting points are the amount of crafting points total that is required to build the house. Unlike normal crafts, a house craft cannot fail and any progress made is stored. The lumber, metal and alchemy fields show the total amount of units of these materials that is required to complete it. You do not need to finish all materials before you can start crafting, however you cannot complete all crafting points on a house until you finish collecting all materials.

When the crafting points, lumber, metal and alchemy units are all fulfilled, the house is finished.

A house that is finished can hold facilities based on the size. 

Tiny: 1
Small: 2
Medium: 3
Large: 4
Estate: 6

The average labor cost and average building time is a rough guideline for how long the crafting process takes when hiring an NPC carpenter.

Upgrading a house

It is possible to upgrade a house into a bigger size. 

You must first buy additional land by spending clim equal to the difference of plot costs. For example, upgrading from a tiny plot of land in the middle of nowhere to a small one would cost 7000-3000 = 4000 Clim.

To upgrade the building itself, you must pay the difference in material cost x 125%. The crafting points required for the upgrade are likewise the difference in crafting points between the two sizes x 125%. For example, if you wanted to upgrade from a small house to a medium one, it would take (900-360)*1.25 = 675 crafting points. The materials required would be (36000-16000)*1.25 = 25000 lumber and (12000-5400)*1.25 = 8250 metal and alchemy units.

Facilities: 

Facilities are part of a house and can grant bonuses to various interlude actions.

Each facility can have up to 3 levels, but they only take up 1 slot regardless of facility level. However, a house must be at least small size to fit a level 2 facility and at least medium size to fit a level 3 one.

Each facility has a limited number of uses per interlude phase. A level 1 blacksmithing workshop has 2 uses for example, this means that only 2 people can use it per interlude phase. After 2 people have used, any future people that want to use it have to wait for the next week.

The cost of these facilities are listed in the facilities item on the item page. The cost listed there for level 2 and 3 assume that the previous level has already been added. For facilities, there is no additional cost for going step by step to upgrade it.

List of facilities:

• Alchemy Atelier (Facility bonus) 
• Carpentry Workshop (Facility bonus) 
• Blacksmith Workshop (Facility bonus) 
• Professional Kitchen (Facility bonus) 
• Artificer Atelier (Facility bonus)
• Infirmary (Can heal injuries for EP).
• Meditation Garden / Shrine: Changes Rest Action to give double the mana. Does not stack with the Tub/Sauna.
• Artifice Heatstone Tub or Sauna: Changes Rest Action to give double the HP. Does not stack with Garden/Shrine
• Greenhouse / Serene Garden (Facility Bonus) 
• Stable (Store a mount so it doesn't have to be with you)
• Shop (Sell things to NPCs) 
• Dojo (Can train multiple people instead of one when doing the mentor action.)
• Appraiser's Workshop (Facility Bonus)

Effects:

Crafting Workshop/Atelier:

Uses: 2/3/4

Effect: Gives a +2/+4/+6 facility bonus to the respective crafting skill.

Infirmary:

Uses: 2/4/6

Effect: Allows the user to treat their own injury as an errand action.

Dojo:

Uses: 1/1/1

Effect: Allows the user to mentor an additional 1/2/4 people at the same time.

Shrine:

Uses: 5/10/20

Effect: When taking the rest action, the temp mana gained is doubled.

Sauna:

Uses: 5/10/20

Effect: When taking the rest action, the temp HP gained is doubled.

Appraiser's Workshop:

Uses: 2/4/6

Effect: Gives a +10/+20/+30 facility bonus when taking the appraise interlude action in town. In addition, you may appraise a single item for an EP as a use of the workshop.

Shop:

Uses: 1/2/4

Effect: The user is able to use the Open Shop IP action without spending an IP.

Stable:

Slots: 2/4/6

Effect: People can store animals/mounts in the stable with each large animal taking up a slot. Two medium animals of the same kind may share 1 slot and 4 small animals of the same kind may share 1 slot.

Adventuring

Rules for going out and adventuring.

Traveling Stealthily

When traveling, a group may decide to move stealthily instead of going at full speed. When moving stealthily, a group moves at half speed. This may be impossible if moving through an area with no cover, if bringing equipment that can’t be carried on your person (ie a cart) or otherwise doing something that would prevent stealthy movement (such as traveling in a huge group) based on GM’s discretion.

When moving stealthily, everyone rolls a stealth check. Then, you take the average of the highest and lowest check and use that as your group’s stealth.

A person may choose to travel separately from the party by staying a far enough distance away from the party (300ft+ when traveling outside, may be less when traveling in an urban area). This lets them roll their stealth individually, but will cause them to be separate from the main group should a fight break out.

If a party comes across another group of people, that other group may each roll Perception checks to spot the party. For NPC’s, it’s recommended to just use 10 + Perception bonus or only roll the highest perception bonus. These checks are made on an individual basis against the party’s stealth. If no perception check beats the other party’s stealth, they are surprised.

Food and Rest

Food and Rest are crucial for adventurers.  Sustenance is how Lyrians recover their stamina and more importantly, mana reserves and rest is how they recover fatigued bodies.

To regain HP a character needs to rest.  This usually, but not always involves sleep.  It involves a long period, usually overnight.  A rest usually takes 8 hours of which the adventurer takes no strenuous activity.  If a rest is interrupted, it may be continued if the interruption is no longer than one hour.

During a rest, recover HP depending on the conditions:

1x Toughness:  Sleeping on the floor.
2x Toughness:  A camp or basic accommodations
3x Toughness: Luxury accommodations

To regain mana, a character needs to consume food.  Whether its rations, or a meal at an inn the quality of the food determines how much is recovered.  You can eat one food item to recover mana at any time, and you regain the ability to eat for mana after you've rested.

1 Mana: A small snack, Meager Meals
2 Mana: A basic meal or rations
3 Mana: A well cooked gourmet meal
4 Mana: Legendary food prepared by a master with the finest ingredients.

Rest Actions:

During a rest, each adventurer can take one rest action. Most rest actions, but not all, require the use of a kit such as a Medical Kit, or setting up a Camp Kit.

There are also abilities in class that can be used as a rest action.

Starvation:

Survival isn’t just about health—it’s about sustaining mana and your mental edge. The body grows cold, the mind dulls, and the soul falters when hunger gnaws at it.

If a character doesn't eat a sufficient amount (At least 40 food units or a ration per day) for a day, they begin to suffer the effects of starvation. For each day that you don't eat, you suffer a level of starvation on the next day.

When you have a level of starvation, your Burden Limit is reduced by 5 and travel speed is decreased by 25%. Furthermore, each level of starvation reduces all your primary and secondary stats by 1. If this reduces, your toughness to 0, the effects of starvation become lethal on the next day. After another day of not eating, you suffer a mortal wound.

Party Roles

Party roles are meta roles that are assigned to each member.  Each role has specific responsibilities.  For smaller games, players can be more than one role and for larger games you may use the extended roles list.

Standard (1-4 Players)

The standard roles are critical and should be assigned.

Captain

The Captain makes major decisions in the party’s direction.  What the party does, when to rest, which path to take-- are all things within the Captain’s responsibility.   The Captain should listen to the input from their party members, but is the final say in the decision making.

Great for: Strong-willed characters and characters who are able to lead the party into battles.

Quartermaster

The Quartermaster records all group loot and group resources and is in charge of distributing loot fairly.  They are also responsible for subtracting rations from the groups total and keeping track of any expendables and gold.  They are also responsible for making group purchases and making sure that the party has enough supplies for the journey ahead.

Great for: Mercantile and Artisan characters who are good with money and have abilities that reduce the group’s costs.

Information Officer

The Information Officer keeps track of important information that the players learn through their travels.  They should keep track of any clues that the party comes across and be ready to advise the party on any things of note.

Great for: Cunning characters that can obtain information and keep the group alert to any new developments.

Historian

The Historian is a unique role where players write an in-character journal of their travels.   When less than 4 players are available, the Historian role can be shared by the party members, taking turns to write in the log.  When each log is submitted, the GM may grant bonus party experience for the entries.

Great for: All characters. Especially characters with interesting points of view that can be reflected in the writing.

Extended (5+ Players)

These are extra roles to give everyone something unique to do in larger capacity games.

Vice Captain

The Vice Captain is the right hand person of the Captain.  They are the lead counsel for the Captain and should make sure that everyone else is properly fulfilling their Party Roles.

Battle Tactician

The Battle Tactician should try to keep note of particularly dangerous enemies, and note what patterns/attacks enemies have.  The Battle Tactician should be a person with a keen eye for enemy mechanics and be someone that can easily find weaknesses in the enemy’s formation or attack patterns.  They are responsible for giving both in character and out of character advice to players who are having a hard time deciding what to do in combat.

Great for: Experienced players.

Gameplay Flow

In Lyrian Chronicles, each campaign is divided into smaller arcs.  Each arc represents a piece of the adventure with a beginning, middle and a resolution that are chained together to create the greater plot.  

The GM will generally declare the start of Prologue and Intermission phases.

The basic gameflow of the game is as follows:

1.  Prologue
2.  Travel or Mystery
3.  Conflict
4.  Rest
5.  Climax
6.  Interlude

Prologue

The prologue phase is when things get rolling.  Perhaps the adventurers met at a tavern and accepted a quest together.  Maybe there was a sudden attack on a village by monsters…  The prologue is when the characters are thrust into the story.

Travel or Mystery

This phase is the buildup to the adventure.  The players are either traveling to a location or unraveling a mystery that eventually leads them to conflict.

Conflict

This is either a skill challenge, a dilemma or combat where the players must fight for the things that are important to them.  The conflict phase always ends with the “conflict resolution phase” where players are awarded experience and are given a short time to take care of loose ends.

Rest

The rest phase provides respite for players and is declared by the GM when the characters have time to rest.

During this phase players regain HP, and their ability to regain Mana from food. Each player can use one rest action during a rest phase.

Players may also use EXP to purchase new skills and abilities. (You cannot purchase new classes during Intermissions).

Climax

The encounter with the final issue of the arc.  It is a final conflict that could be a battle against a boss, a debate to sway the ear of a royal in an important conflict or even a daring escape. Climax is still a conflict and has a conflict resolution phase, but afterwards moves on to interlude.  

Interlude

The time between adventures.  Time passes, characters take time to pursue love, hobby and coin.  During this phase characters are able spend their experience points on learning new classes, skills and languages as well.

Flow

Angel’s Sword is an episodic RPG.  Each session should be a self contained episode that can be linked up to form an arc.  The start of a new arc would be the equivalent of a new “series” or “season”.  The prologue starts up to introduce the premise and players are sent on episodes in a travel/mystery->conflict->intermission loop.  

This could be a one-shot single episode or can span several sessions to tell a bigger story.  During an interlude players and characters are given a time of peace to train, build relationships or fulfill their desires.

Enemies

You can find a list of premade enemies here.

Enemies are listed with a danger level. This is an approximate difficulty indicator for how strong players should be SC wise.

F: 800-2000
E: 2000-3000
D: 3000-4000
C: 4000-5000

Making Enemies

Since a lot of GM’s prefer to use their own monsters and enemies, this section is designed to help GM’s make new enemies that are balanced against the party. 

Below are guidelines for making enemies for a challenging encounter. In general, you should consider 1 player equal to 1 heroic enemy or 4 grunts. Bosses are equal to 4 players.

If you wish to make more challenging or easier encounters, you can add or subtract enemies.

Grunts

Grunts are weaker enemies and their base stats reflect this.

Grunt

Average total main stat: Around 13-14 when facing base level players. Against higher spirit core players, you can increase their stat total by 1 for roughly every 800 exp on the players. Secondary stats and skills are less important and can be based on how strong, smart, charismatic etc an enemy is.

All grunts should have only 2 AP and 1 RP.

Grunts should not have many abilities.

In general, 4 grunts are equal to 1 heroic, though this number may change based on how much aoe damage the party has available.

Heroics

Heroics are enemies that are roughly equal in strength to a player character

Average total main stat: Around 18-19 when facing base level players.  Against higher spirit core players, you can increase their stat total by 1 for roughly every 800 exp on the players.

Secondary stats and skills are again less important and can be based on how strong, smart, charismatic etc an enemy is.

Heroics have the same AP and RP as PC’s and should have a decent number of abilities to choose from.

Bosses

Bosses are more powerful than a player character and have higher stats.

Average total main stat: Around 22-24 when facing base level players.  Against higher spirit core players, you can increase their stat total by 1 for roughly every 800 exp on the players.

Bosses will often have to fight at a significant AP and RP disadvantage. Therefore, they should have abilities that let them do more for less AP or give them additional AP and RP to work with.

Astra corruption:

A player's astra resistance is equal to their Spirit Core / 500 rounded down.

A player that suffers from Astra Corruption either through staying in an area with a high astra level or through an effect that directly makes them take it suffers the following effects: